Footwork is the essence of the tennis. Even if you have amazing ground strokes and beautiful volleys but if you lack in footwork, well you are almost done and dusted. Every professional player out on the field knows this by heart, that in order to be ready for the next ball, the first thing they have to do is to split.
Majority of intermediate players are reluctant to do the split. Having trouble believing it? Well next time, visit an AITA (All India Tennis Association) tournament and you will realize that around 70-80% of the players do not split step.
The Basics and Technique
If you are a keen follower of online tennis blog posts, then you might have already read this. According to Optimum Tennis, one of the leading tennis blog out there, the split step is the first and foremost technique or footwork that a tennis player must master. Here is how they describe it -
“Firstly, there’s the split step. The split step should be your initial reaction to every ball that you must return; it’s that jump of a few inches onto the toes that you should make as your opponent is about to make contact with the ball.
This tennis footwork maneuver allows you to stay off your heels, and to be prepared to quickly assume any position on the court. It should be the tennis footwork of choice when you are returning serves, volleys, and ground strokes. To achieve the split step, feet should be shoulder-width apart. And knees should be only slightly bent upon landing after the jump. Remember, and this is true for all tennis footwork, to remain on your toes, never on your heels.”
Why stay on your toes or balls of the feet after the split step?
Well staying on your toes help you to move quickly around the court. It helps you to get into position for the next short, stabilizes your body, help in quick change of direction and cover the court easily. Staying on your heels hinders the above mentioned points and make you slow and lazy.
Does it impact our mental state during a match?
The split steps keeps you active and reactive at the same time. Carefully analyzed the split step, sends positive vibration throughout the body keeping it ready and refreshed. It helps in keeping us confident and positive by removing away the lethargic and negative feelings.
So, there should be nothing holding you back. It might seems as an extra effort in the start, but you will soon realize its importance.
Go try it out…
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