jkhtennis said:
My question is what is the footwork to move back so that you can still maintain the regular contact point and swing path?
If the deep ball is on the backhand side, we should move left foot backward first after split step; otherwise we should move the right foot backward first.?
First of all, I am getting the feeling that you don't know how to appreciate the depth of the ball, and you're trying to hit everything on the rise. Thus, you'll have to do a correction here. While the ball is coming from the opponent and it's before the net, focus on detecting its direction, after it passes the net focus on its point of impact and its depth.
Yes, on the BH side, the left foot should move first. You'll have to do a unit turn on that foot on landing from split-step (pivot the left foot on its toes, turn the shoulder, start the takeback of the racket).
Now the direction in which the left foot moves and the way it moves it's very important and depends where your split-step is located wrt the expected point of contact to the ball.
If you're already in the same half of the court, shuffle steps might be enough, eventually with a initial cross step for more forceful movement. However, you'll have to shuffle towards the back of the court, say in a 45 degree angle, if the ball is long.
If you're in the other half of the court, say you're doing your split step in the right half and the ball is going to your left corner, some emergency corrections are required. On landing, your left foot will have to pivot practically 90 degrees and take off quickly towards the left. This is transforming itself in a running motion towards the left corner of the court, the more angled wrt the baseline for faster and deeper balls.
At the end of your run or in the middle of it, if you feel losing balance, you might need to do some small braking steps, brushing slightly the floor with your soles, while advancing to the ball.
You can practice this movement by yourself. Stand first at the center, then in the middle between the center and the right line, then on the right line, with the face to the court. Throw a ball from your right hand to your left, mosly over your left shoulder. It should land behind the baseline. After throwing it, start doing the correct movement, either shuffling, or running towards the left. You can make this quite difficult for yourself, with faster throws or throws oriented more towards the back of the court.
Get to the ball, make a good plant, flex your knees to absorb the stop and hit through the ball. It would be a good idea to run with a low center of gravity from the very beginning (thus flexed knees), in order to minimize up and down corrections, which rob you of precious time.
After the shot, plant and recover quicky, first with a crossover step, then shuffle. The crossover should be either in front of your right leg, or at the back of it, depending on your position after executing the BH.
