Better Footwork?

[tennisboy777]

I know this is a stupid question... but how do you get "lighter on your feet"? I tried bouncing, always being on my toes, split stepping, etc. but my coach still thinks that I am heavy on my feet. I move pretty well, but I feel like I can move even better, but I don't know how to do that.

 

[NamRanger]

1. Lose any excess weight. That includes excessive muscle mass. This will help tremendously, trust me.


2. Stay low to the ground. You should always be slightly bent, no matter what. I forgot what the ideal athletic height was, but I remember it's something like 2-3 inches below your normal height.



3. Drill, drill, drill. Practice, practice, practice. Apply the concepts in matches.


4. Make sure to video tape or have your coach watch you to critique.

 

[firstblud]

i think this is a pretty good basic footwork drill... i plan to try it this weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPCY1PNAYqE

 

[yellowoctopus]

2. Stay low to the ground. You should always be slightly bent, no matter what. I forgot what the ideal athletic height was, but I remember it's something like 2-3 inches below your normal height.

I think this advice makes a lot of sense. The 'light on your feet' is actually people's perception of an athlete constantly being balanced and ready to change directions or explode toward a certain direction in split second--there is nothing 'light' about the amount of effort needed to do this.

NamRanger's suggestion above requires that you are in decent if not good shape, at least to sustain the posture long enough to make any difference in your game.

From my observation, all the runners I've encountered tend to be naturally 'light' on their feet, even without learning the proper tennis footwork. This observation also leads me to believe that athletes who have significant running in their training regimens should also be light on their feet as well, regardless of their size. After all, there are American football linebackers who are definitely light on their feet. This, however, does not nullify NamRanger's point about shedding some weight. It's really the relative leg strength to body weight that matters, the stronger leg strength to lower body weight is what you should strive for.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

1. Lose any excess weight. That includes excessive muscle mass. This will help tremendously, trust me.


2. Stay low to the ground. You should always be slightly bent, no matter what. I forgot what the ideal athletic height was, but I remember it's something like 2-3 inches below your normal height.



3. Drill, drill, drill. Practice, practice, practice. Apply the concepts in matches.


4. Make sure to video tape or have your coach watch you to critique.

Nice post. Sort of like a motorcycle vs. a car. The lighter you are with equal or sometimes even less horsepower, movement improves. It is a balance of strength, heaviness, footwork, etc...