certifiedjatt
Banned
the following is taken from http://cis.squirming.net/category/tennis/207/#4.
With continued changes in the game of tennis and the dominance of powerful exchanges from the baseline during points, players have even less time to prepare for groundstrokes during a rally. Early descriptions of the split step from the baseline, during the preparation to hit a groundstroke, reported both feet coming down from the air and landing on the court simultaneously. This maneuver enables the player to begin to move to either the forehand or backhand side to execute a shot.
More recent reports of baseline preparatory movement, however, have shown these initial descriptions of movement to be inaccurate. Elite level players have been shown to have a specific landing and foot position sequence during the split step employed from the baseline during a groundstroke rally. This information was discovered by sport scientists through analysis of high speed digital quality video of elite players during competition.
Using the example of a right handed player preparing to hit a forehand, the exact mechanism of this split step sequence will be discussed. While in the air and on the descent from the hop or upward movement at the initiation of the split step, players begin to time the landing from this upward movement by landing with the foot farthest away from the ball a split second ahead of the other foot. In a right handed player preparing to hit a forehand, this would involve landing with the left foot first. As the right foot prepares to touch the court surface, elite players actually start rotating that foot toward the direction of intended movement toward the ball. This would specifically involve pointing the right foot outward in a right-handed player. This movement pattern is performed without apparent conscious thought, as players and coaches were generally unaware that this response or pattern occurred until recently. This exact mechanism or sequence is thought to enhance a player's ability to perform a lateral or sideways movement and may actually initiate rotation of the body toward the side of intended movement."
the bold part is what i've found in many articles on footwork. that most of it is intuitive.
go to page 5 on http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_437_46.pdf
With continued changes in the game of tennis and the dominance of powerful exchanges from the baseline during points, players have even less time to prepare for groundstrokes during a rally. Early descriptions of the split step from the baseline, during the preparation to hit a groundstroke, reported both feet coming down from the air and landing on the court simultaneously. This maneuver enables the player to begin to move to either the forehand or backhand side to execute a shot.
More recent reports of baseline preparatory movement, however, have shown these initial descriptions of movement to be inaccurate. Elite level players have been shown to have a specific landing and foot position sequence during the split step employed from the baseline during a groundstroke rally. This information was discovered by sport scientists through analysis of high speed digital quality video of elite players during competition.
Using the example of a right handed player preparing to hit a forehand, the exact mechanism of this split step sequence will be discussed. While in the air and on the descent from the hop or upward movement at the initiation of the split step, players begin to time the landing from this upward movement by landing with the foot farthest away from the ball a split second ahead of the other foot. In a right handed player preparing to hit a forehand, this would involve landing with the left foot first. As the right foot prepares to touch the court surface, elite players actually start rotating that foot toward the direction of intended movement toward the ball. This would specifically involve pointing the right foot outward in a right-handed player. This movement pattern is performed without apparent conscious thought, as players and coaches were generally unaware that this response or pattern occurred until recently. This exact mechanism or sequence is thought to enhance a player's ability to perform a lateral or sideways movement and may actually initiate rotation of the body toward the side of intended movement."
the bold part is what i've found in many articles on footwork. that most of it is intuitive.
go to page 5 on http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_437_46.pdf
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