Footwork training im Tennis

Bend your knees more, move faster, split step, stand better in front of the ball, these are all things that you have probably heard from your trainer. As soon as we get tired, the footwork usually decreases. Nobody voluntarily bends their knees deeper or moves faster, the body is lazy and you have to force yourself to make the right movements. But what are the right movements? How do I move better and how can I improve my footwork? It's a much more complex topic than you think, so today I'm trying to shed some light on it.

1.Small or big steps?

Many tennis players think that you have to take a lot of small, quick steps to play tennis well, but unfortunately that's not true. When we look at the top players in the world, one thing we notice is that they take a few large steps to move quickly and make a smaller adjustment step right before hitting if they are not standing optimally. Roger Federer almost glides across the court with his footwork, this is due to his timing and his wide stance. He takes a wide split step, opens his hips in one direction and is on the ball in 1-3 big steps. Then he does a big crossover or sidestep to get back to the middle of the court. Before you throw your coordination leaders in the trash, read on.

2.How do I train footwork?

Although I described above that the steps in tennis are rather larger, tappings and drills like the coordination ladder still have their place in your training. Tennis is complex and you have to react to many things. Hand-eye coordination plays an important role, but so does the coordination of the legs and feet. You should prioritize training the big movements with sidesteps and crossover drills, but coordination ladders or things like juggling a soccer ball also have their place in training. The more skills you can load onto your “hard drive”, the better you will become as an athlete.

3. Coaching tips that really help

If you are not a professional or are extremely knowledgeable, then many general tips will be of very little use to you. “Move faster,” for example, can mean many things. I recommend the following: in your next training session, try to become aware of how your feet are positioned when hitting. Analyze whether you play the forehand better closed or open or in which position closed or open works better for you. Then pay attention to how you can best get back to the middle after a ball in the corner. Was it with sidesteps or with crossovers or even a sprint? Don't despair if something doesn't work out, it's not easy to think about all these things and play at the same time. If you master this, you will be able to improve very quickly.

Good luck with it!!!

with sporting greetings

Hendrik