TennisOne Lessons

Stepping in For Every Ball

Jim McLennan

At Wimbledon, an announcer remarked that tennis is not a hitting game with some movement, but rather (and this is important) a moving game with some hitting. And at the highest levels, the players dance across the court, quickly, gracefully, and in balance - sometimes leaping, sometimes lunging, but in the end, always moving. At the club level, everyone knows to “move their feet.” But I think there is something lost in the translation. Moving one's feet may inadvertently mean just that, somehow small steps, keeping the feet moving, but without a purpose or ultimate goal.

As a student, I recall the exhausting workouts with Tom Stow. Exhausting, not because I was chasing balls down from one corner to the other, but exhausting because he demanded that I step in to every ball. No kidding. Step in to every ball. And work it was, for to step in to every ball I had to move purposely, quickly, and precisely in order to arrive on balance and with enough time to make an unhurried stroke.

I am many years removed from those workouts and the purity of that form, for though I certainly wasn’t able to step in to everything, I used my weight and timed my footwork much better then than I do now. But beyond the passage of time, something else is different as well. The modern game appears to be more about swinging than stepping in, more about open stance and jumping up if not backward rather than placing one’s weight against the ball, more about racquet speed rather than body weight. And because we see so many versions at the professional level, I believe we tend to overlook the purpose of “moving the feet” – and at the end of the day, the goal is to get quickly into position, with enough time to pause and then step and swing.

I had watched a similar version of this at the San Francisco Tennis Club in 1993. Martina Navratilova was hitting short court (service line to service line) with Craig Kardon. Billie Jean King, overseeing the workout, was all over Martina, demanding footwork, balance, quickness, and poise. This was not a simple short court warm-up, but rather a practice where the theme was clearly addressed by Billie Jean, something like “practice makes perfect only when practicing perfectly.” And it was just like the Tom Stow workouts, Martina was perfectly and precisely stepping in to each and every shot, not loosely slapping the balls with her hands but rather carefully placing her weight into each shot. She and Craig were not hitting the ball all that hard (and certainly you and I can approach the gentle rally speed they used) but on Martina’s side of the net there was considerable effort expended on her dance.

So let’s go back to the beginning, back to the basics, to review how this looks and feels, examples of professionals who are getting it right, and how you can carry this re-emphasis back onto the court for your next practice session or game.

Tom Stow’s method was the soft underhand toss, perhaps 15 feet away from the hitter, and certainly you can find a friend who can approximate the following drill. The agreement was that all tosses would come to the forehand (for that particular drill) and as he began the tossing motion he would command “turn.” But not just any turn, rather a move where all one’s weight went to the back foot, with hips and shoulders turned to the forehand side. Turn, meant turn, and nothing more. Once mastered (though Tom never felt anyone truly turned quickly or precisely enough) then the task was to wait, pausing on the back foot til the ball entered the hitting zone. Now the beat was a syncopated “step and finish.” But the emphasis was on the waiting, on the pause, then, at the critical moment, step into the ball and finish with all the weight on the front foot. Certainly this is old school. But just because many of the modern players over swing, does not necessarily mean the method is efficient or biomechanically sound.

Now take a close look at the classic form of Sania Mirza. Her strokes are simple, unhurried, yet powerful and deadly accurate. In the following slo-mo sequence she quickly and easily turns to the side, placing her weight on the back foot, posture and balance excellent. Now she appears to wait, allowing the ball to approach the hitting zone. She unleashes the stroke with a step-and-swing, finishing perfectly on balance on the front foot. After the finish she squares off to the net, but this appears to be not so much a part of her hit but rather a recovery move readying her for the opponent’s reply. This is a perfect an example of stepping into the ball. I have watched her at Stanford and in Palm Springs, and except when she is scrambling wide to retrieve the ball, her footwork is always this simple and always this precise (if only she had a wicked serve).

I believe if you watch any foursome doing a short court warm-up, first you notice they rarely move their feet. If you look closer you will note that rarely if ever does anyone actually step in with a rhythmic one-two beat. But this can be done. And you can do it. It simply takes discipline and attention (and continuing attention) to detail. The detail is perfect position, perfect balance on the back foot, and then a feel for stepping into the hit. Sounds pretty boring, but the proof will be in the pudding so to speak.

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