TennisOne Lessons

Moving Footwork and Hitting Footwork

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Jim McLennan, Senior Editor, TennisONE

To see the animation of movement to forehand, click here.

To see the animation of movement to backhand, click here.

Get to the Ball Early and Setup Early

Sounds fairly simple, get to the ball early and setup early. But why is it that some players we see at the club are graceful and balanced and others are off balance? Why is it that some players get to the ball quickly and seem to be waiting, and others always appear rushed? Why? Because it's far more difficult than it sounds.

As you will see in the photo sequences below, I am demonstrating quick footwork to the ball. At the end of my run I regain my balance so I can create a little extra time on the back foot before I begin my swing. In the initial running steps I am truly in a running mode, with arms swinging and my body in a running posture. As I arrive near the hitting spot I begin to straighten up, regain my balance, and take small quick steps to re-establish my back foot. The final quick steps allow me to time the final "step and swing".

Get a running start to the ball

My initial step unweights the outside foot as I turn, so I am running almost immediately. The goal is to get there early (Note: this initial step, and the technique behind it will be clearly examined in future articles on the "Gravity Step.")

Finish your positioning steps on the back foot

My final steps allow me to regain my balance. Posture is very important--graceful, balanced, weighting the back foot. Note, as you experiment with this "waiting" position, the body weight must be on the ball and inside of the back foot, feeling tall and graceful, not "back on your heels."

Wait for the ball

Wait for the ball, then unwind with a rhythmic step-and-swing (this construction of words and hyphens is trying to show the time between the step and the swing is quick and short).

When I am on balance I can indeed wait. I have the sensation of pausing before starting the swing and having real time to hit the ball. When I am on the back foot but off-balance, then I will not wait as long or as well.

Finally, we always try to tie these instructional articles with professional examples. In this instance, Jimmy Connors would be the absolute best example of moving quickly, regaining balance, and then coming against the ball. And though we remember Connors also for jumping as he hit, I believe that had more to do with his intent to "raise" the point of contact, than with any advantage he would have had from jumping, for certainly if jumping helped, then we would also see it in baseball and golf. Whether to "jump or not to jump" is not widely agreed upon within the tennis community, and can certainly be the subject of future articles. In this controversy, you can expect to see this author develop the "not to jump" position. In the meantime, as you practice quick positioning movements with a balanced yet unhurried hitting style, keep Connors in mind. Get there early. Wait. Come against the ball.

To see the animation of movement to forehand, click here.

To see the animation of movement to backhand, click here.

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