Hi Jay...
I hope all is well. Below is a copy / paste
of the article I proposed to you regarding what to do with your feet on the
return of serve. As well, I included 4 videos with captions which illustrate
some of the options. I think half the battle is just to give people the idea of
doing SOMETHING with their feet...Even players who move their feet are not doing
so with a purpose. Let me know your thoughts.
Videos / captions are at top...Scroll down
for article.
Thanks,
Dave Kensler
DAVID
FERRER
David Ferrer takes
a hop forward; then keeps his lower body(Waist down) in a more open stance
position while is upper body is more closed before finishing with both feet
inside the baseline after contact.
TOMMY
HAAS
Tommy Haas
executes a perfect “chip and charge” with the backhand return of serve. Notice
how once he commits to the shot his feet never really come to a complete stop
until he gets to his desired position at the net!
CAROLINE
WOZNIAKI
Caroline Wozniaki
uses what I would call a “defend” action with her feet…She neither retreats nor
attacks with her feet but simply holds her territory. This should be the basic
foundation for all tennis players on their return of serve. If you cannot do
anything else at least be able to defend your position on the
court.
VENUS
WILLIAMS
You may notice a
very slight backwards step with the left foot of Venus Williams but look where
she starts!? Inside the baseline! Venus(Serena too) both like to crowd the
baseline or stand inside it to return serve. This differs from those players who
start behind the baseline and either skip or hop their way forward.
RETURN OF SERVE –
What to do with your feet!
The one common
denominator on the professional tour is all the elite players can return serve
well! Some have better serves or groundstrokes or net games, but they can all
return effectively. After all, it is the second most important shot in
tennis!
I have found over
the years of teaching that hitting the return of serve creates more
uncertainty in the minds of tennis players than just about any other shot!
Frequent questions I often hear:
“Should I just
block the ball back?”
“Is it important
to learn how to chip and charge?”
“How big of swing
should I take?”
“Where do I stand
and when do I move up or back?”
“How do I handle
the return from someone who has a lot spin on their serve?”
“For doubles how
often should I hit the return at the net person versus
cross-court?”
Let me begin my
analysis with what I observe are the two most common mistakes when returning
serve…
1. Trying to win
the point or hit too big of shot. Remember, the server has the advantage because
they are hitting the ball first. The goal of the receiver is not to win the
point but rather neutralize it. Yet too many players try to go from defense to
offense with one swing of the racquet! Instead a transition from defense to
neutral is a much higher percentage play.
What defines
“neutral?” At the very minimum, get the return back in play! If you are playing
someone who serves and volleys then a return at their feet is a great
neutralizer. Placement over power.
2. Players do too
little with their feet and too much with their arm / racquet. Why? The ball
“plays them” as the common saying goes. So when that happens it naturally leads
to more exaggerated movement with the arm and racquet.
While there are
multiple issues regarding return of serve, for the purposes of this article I
would like to take a closer look at the role the feet and movement play in the
shot.
A good place to
start is making a distinction between returning a first serve versus a second
serve. For the sake of argument, let me assume we are talking about returning a
“tough” first serve and a slightly “weaker” second serve versus the disparity
between a ballistic missile first serve which rarely goes in and a dinky 3 mph
second serve!
FIRST
SERVE
I recommend the
concept of “Defend vs Retreat.” Meaning wherever you decide to stand to return a
first serve, “defend” your position on the court. Do not move your feet
backwards as you are trying to hit the ball. If the serve is too fast /
difficult then change your position PRIOR to the serve being hit and defend that
territory. The goal is not to retreat and weaken your court position. Think
“defense” first!
SECOND
SERVE
At least think
about being “active” with your feet i.e. Move forward towards the ball. What
often happens with weaker second serves is people stand still, wait for the ball
to get to them and then try to swing / hit with force.
DEFINING MOVING
THE FEET ON RETURN OF SERVE
The idea is get
your feet moving to some degree BEFORE you make contact. Here are some of the
common ways to do it:
Hop-hop-hop…We
have all seen the players who are constantly hopping or bouncing up and down as
they wait to return serve. My only issue with this style is it can be a lot of
extra unnecessary energy used which over the course of a long match can create
added fatigue. I am not convinced, for the amount of energy used, it makes
anyone significantly quicker in reacting to the ball.
Hop / Split-step…I
think this is the most common approach…One hop landing into a split-step and
ready to move any direction depending on where the ball is going. Note:
“Split-step” is not “split-stop.” The feet do not become still.
Stagger step /
Split-step…John McEnroe used this style whereby you start with your feet in a
slightly staggered position and then take a step / split-step forward. It
creates more momentum towards the ball.
At what point do
you start moving your feet?
We are talking
about a very short time frame here and the common debate centers on as soon as
the server starts their motion to right before contact to at contact to right
after contact…Honestly, you have to decide what works best for you but do not be
afraid to vary your approach based on the style of the server. If you play a
“quick server” who has a Roddick-type motion your feet need to get moving
early.
OTHER ISSUES AND
HOW TO PRACTICE
A. What are the
advantages of moving your feet on the return? It is an example of how to play
more aggressive which has nothing to do with hitting the ball hard! It enhances
your reaction time to the ball as opposed to starting from a standing still
position. It also can allow you to establish your preferred position on the
court, whether at the net or baseline much earlier.
B. Is it okay to
hit the return while my feet are moving? Of course! If you are playing anyone
who is challenging you then conservatively 50% of the time you will be moving
when you hit any shot. See my previous article on hitting the volley with your
feet moving! If you want to play a sport where you can stand still all day while
hitting a ball then try golf!
C. Remember,
unless you know your opponent’s serve well, moving your feet does not mean
committing too early for either a forehand or backhand return of serve. Moving
your feet does is not “guessing” where the serve will be going(A common mistake)
but rather it is to help once you decide which stroke you are going to
hit.
D. The return is
one of the easiest shots to practice either with your teaching professional or a
friend. For the latter, they can work on their serve while you practice your
returns and vice versa. Here is one simple drill to practice moving the
feet…
Start with your
feet behind the baseline and after you hit the return both your feet should be
inside the baseline…Whether you step or hop is up to you!
E. A drill I do
all the time with doubles players is to see if the returner can “beat” the
server to the net! The server, by rule of course, has to stand behind the
baseline and cannot touch or cross it until contact. No such rule applies to the
receiver! So they can start inside the baseline or behind it but moving forward
prior to making contact. I have seen BOTH server and receiver elevate their
“attack game” with this drill based on nothing more than seeing who can first
get a commanding position at the net!
Far too often in
tennis players warm-up for a match with their groundstrokes then “take a few
serves” and even some volleys at the net but rarely any significant number of
returns…Yet it is the second most important shot in tennis!?!?! Spend a little
time working with your feet and movement on your return of serve because I
believe it will have a positive impact!