How to translate quick feet on the court? Get good footwork.

[Matt87]

I noticed in my tournament this weekend, many of the players had really good footwork, I believe I have quick feet but I don't know how to translate that on court, I always do tennis ladders, skipping and plyometrics exercises so I believe I have quick feet, but how do I translate that on to the court?




thanks alot in advance!

Matt.

 

[GetBetterer]

It could be coming on the court without you even noticing it.

 

[Clay lover]

Do some footwork drills with your coach, try to focus on your footwork instead of your strokes once in a while when practicing until it becomes natural to you. But at the end of the day, all this may not translate into you having good footwork during matches. So my advice in a match will be, focus on the ball, run to it and hit it!

 

[gzhpcu]

Look at some of Will's videos on footwork...
http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/

 

[Bacterio]

I would say to actively think about it until it becomes second nature. Maybe don't try and think about it during an official match but instead during practice sessions. Always make sure you take that extra step and get into optimum position by telling yourself "ok, there's the ball let me get to it so I don't have to reach"

I've seen so many quick players out on the court that are fast enough to get into a good position to hit the ball but end up stopping one or two steps too early and end up hitting an off balance weak shot as a result. I'm kind of guilty of this too from time to time since I'm still in the process of teaching myself to always get in the best position possible.

 

[Funbun]

Usually, quick feet should be systematic. Most players train themselves to split step in the direction they find necessary from their shot, run to retrieve, shuffle, unit turn, all while focusing on the ball.

You'll know what to do if you watch pros play. Watch WHAT kind of shot they hit, and how they prepare themselves for the next one. If they know they hit a slightly weaker shot, they anticipate a more aggressive return, and thus play a little farther behind the baseline.

 

[thebuffman]

OP you will have to either get training by a tennis coach or video. tennis footwork must be drilled until it is infused in muscle memory. the techniques are unique to tennis because proper footwork in tennis gets you to the ball in position to hit a proper stroke AND moves you back into optimal position in preparation for the next shot.

there is a guy i play with who is new to the sport. he is an exceptional athlete. he is lean muscle, stands about 6'2, extremely fast (runs like a 4.4 - 40) and gets to every ball. the guy bounds over the net and side fences to retrieve balls. he reminds me of monfils. he tried out for nfl football practice squad as well. his tennis footwork however is terrible. he gets to the ball but he looks wild, unbalanced and out of control. he dead sprints for balls get there and hit from the wrong foot and has no clue where to go after he hits the ball. he is always running hard because he is always out of position. if he were to ever learn proper footwork and develop a consistent stroke, he would be a living nightmare to play. when i play him, i am always ready for the next stroke. even when i run into the court to hit the ball i take a hopping step or step around the ball AS i stroke the ball so that my momentum does not carry the ball long. when approaching a short ball to my 1hbh, i perform a karaoke step such that i hit a controlled shot and then am readied for the return. this is because i was trained and i don't even have to think about it anymore since it was drilled into my muscle memory. watching me and him play each other is night and day even though he has quicker feet than me by far. i however am always in balance and control.

 

[kiteboard]

Watch some Oudin videos.

 

[snvplayer]

There is a lot of components to it. You can be as fast as you want, but you are late in recognizing to which direction the ball is coming, you will be slower. Shot selection, your court positioning, and anticipation all play role in how quickly you can get to the ball.

With that being said, carefully watching as your opponent takes a backswing and hits the ball. With enough experience, you can get a clue on where it's coming to. Watching a lot of tennis (on youtube), can help as well.

Crosscourt will usually puts you in a best position. Once you go down the line, you usually have to move further to get to the ball b/c your opponent's best shot is crosscourt.

A lot of movement work can be done outside court, but ultimately you have to do it with a ball on the court..

 

[LeeD]

As said before....
Before you can get all fancy with advanced footwork, you have to TURN SHOULDERS first and foremost as soon as you recognize forehand or backhand...or into your body.
Just that alone will up your game a solid level.

 

[thebuffman]

I can't believe a coach has never mentioned this to me!

for every coach who did not mention the 'cross-over step', drop them and never look back. this was covered in my first tennis lesson before we even got to proper stroke mechanics. footwork is the #1 component to constructing any player's game.

 

[MNPlayer]

I would say to actively think about it until it becomes second nature. Maybe don't try and think about it during an official match but instead during practice sessions. Always make sure you take that extra step and get into optimum position by telling yourself "ok, there's the ball let me get to it so I don't have to reach"

I've seen so many quick players out on the court that are fast enough to get into a good position to hit the ball but end up stopping one or two steps too early and end up hitting an off balance weak shot as a result. I'm kind of guilty of this too from time to time since I'm still in the process of teaching myself to always get in the best position possible.

Or, like me, they overrun the ball. The trick is getting to the ball quickly, stopping (or at least slowing down a lot), and then hitting it from a balanced position. I think many players hit the ball "on the run" when they don't need to, partly out of bad footwork, partly from laziness. It takes a lot of effort to take all those little adjustment steps as you get close to the ball.

 

[LeeD]

Best way to beat a rabbit is to hit behind him. Make him run, then go back to the same spot.
Another way is to hit directly at him, negating his main strength. Force him to hit the forcing shots to work the point. Bore him to death, in other words.
Rabbits generally like to react, based on past history. You gotta change it up.

 

[freelans]

Here's one that helped me out a lot.
It goes over the walking step, the hop step and the pivot step.
I hadn't realized that these variations even existed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5CWAwtijVI&feature=fvw