The Most IMPORTANT Footwork Lesson You'll Ever Watch
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The Most IMPORTANT Footwork Lesson You'll Ever Watch
When it comes to tennis, footwork is one of the most important aspects of the entire game. Watch any professional tennis player when they're training or playing a match and focus solely on their footwork. You'll notice they all use the same step over and over again when their opponent makes contact with the tennis ball. This step is called the split step and it's the most important footwork step in tennis.
The Foundation:
When you're waiting for your opponent to make contact, try to prepare in a wide, athletic stance, and do a small hop off the court, landing on the balls of your feet.
The ideal timing for the vast majority of split steps in tennis will be to start the action just prior to the opponent's contact point, be mid-air when they make contact, and land just after the ball leaves the strings.
This timing will allow you to see where the ball is traveling once you land, and you can react accordingly.
Land too early, and you'll be stuck waiting to recognize the ball direction.
Land too late, and you'll lose valuable milliseconds in reacting to and moving toward the oncoming ball.
Why Should You Split-Step?
A split-step is basically the starting block for tennis players to move off in any and every direction. It acts as a reset button between shots, but more importantly, gets you in an athletic, balanced stance which will help you use the ground as a springboard to push off the ground and move towards the ball.
The Five Types of Split-Steps
The basic split-step is mainly used when you're behind the baseline, in a rally situation. This split step can be slightly higher than the rest, as you'll want the extra push off the ground to move to wider balls if need be.
The Split-Squat
A split-step used often by Andre Agassi when he was close to or inside the baseline. This is a slightly lower split-step which allows you to have a much more balanced base and lower center of gravity, allowing you to take the ball on the rise at a generally lower contact zone.
The Net Split-Step
When at the net, you'll want to use a wider base. This allows for faster reactions to wider balls and gives the opponent less space to see in order to pass you.
The Defending Split-Step
If your opponent is attacking you, you'll need to be quicker out of the blocks and be lower to the ground. A high split-step won't do the job, so a lower, wider base works best.
The Return of Serve Split Step
When returning serve, a wider base will help you react quicker, and you have the option of stepping forward into a split-step (Murray style) or staying on the spot and doing a split-step (Agassi style).
The Double Split
Another way to do the split step in tennis is to do two or even three split steps when in the ready position. This allows you to be more alert and light, on the balls of your feet.
Video Timeline:
00:00 - The most important footwork step in tennis
00:46 - How to do the split-step in tennis
02:38 - Standard baseline split-step (Murray style)
03:06 - Split-squat (Agassi style)
04:29 - Volley split-step
05:55 - Return of serve split-step
08:36 - How to master the split-step timing
09:10 - Split-step drills
#tennis #footwork #toptennistraining
Пікірлер: 42
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@garethcole5281
Ай бұрын
Hey man does Agassi split squat and then stay low on all balls … many thanks
Nice tips. Thank you.
Really valuable video! What I'd definitely like to see is footwork when hitting deep balls that almost make you fall back, for both sides (forehand & backhand). Thanks a lot!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
This what I need! Thank you!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
My pleasure 🙏
Thanks video. Useful. I always forget to warm up the split step before tennis games 😊
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Happy to help!
Great videos. I'd like to see as a follow up the footwork from the split step to making ball contact. How to adjust to different incoming shots. Thanks and keep up the good work.
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Many thanks 🙏
Fabulous video. I’ve seen many on this subject but this takes them all. I love the exercises to do at the end too, so valuable! Thanks! My humble suggestion for a video: How to return the underarm or drop shot serve? Carpe diem. Thanks 🖤🎾🏆
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
🙏
@marykistnen6837
Жыл бұрын
Run, run, run!!
What an excellent explanation! Love it.
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Many thanks for the support 🙏
This channel is great. There's something integral to why players do the split step that maybe is just a given but I don't think you mentioned it. The reason we jump up and wait to see where the ball is going is because if it is way to our right, we can put our left foot down first and immediately start going in that direction, and of course the opposite. Otherwise we need to throw our foot out to the left to change our balance. Most of your examples have the ball coming right to the player, so the split step was almost unnecessary there. Anyway that's how I look at it... Not that my footwork is any good. Keep up the great work!
Great video as always - really value your tutorials
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Many thanks for the support 🙏
Enjoyed this. It helped, I never really considered that the spilt step at the net is wider and lower than the one at the baseline. It is how I play, but I never realized it. Thanks!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
9 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching
Excellent very clear, helpful advice. I will be 80 years old next month & still playing friendly club doubles. Do you recommend a small less tiring split step for ancient players like me. I only wish I could have watched your brilliant instruction 65 years ago.!!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
A smaller split could help save your body and energy and you’d still get some benefits from it. Even just waiting in the athletic ready position can help
@alangoudie2299
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for your very helpful advice. Young players can now receive your excellent help. No wonder they can make rapid progress instead of learning by trial & error.
amazing content. Congrats! I don't know about the others, but i really found those subtitles with blue marks distracting. I constantly found myself paying atention to this ever changing subtitles than looking at whatever is being shown by you guys. Maybe it is just me though
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the feedback
@drunkiss
Жыл бұрын
Subtitle really distract the content showing, a normal subtitle would have been better.
@marykistnen6837
Жыл бұрын
I never even noticed the subtitles!
I tell my students it's like loading a spring so you can immediately explode whatever direction you need to go
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Very good 👍
Nice video
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
Hello Simon and Alex, I just wrote an email about coming to our tennis resort. Carpe diem 🎾🏆😎
nice, but you don explain why some split steps is backwards or other forward? some player make split step a little bit backward depends on ball
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Covered in detail in our footwork course on our website. Feel free to become a member and get access to all 150+ footwork lessons
The text aid on the left is a bit annoying lol. But the tutorial is great!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the feedback
Hey!
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
Hello
Why wouldn’t you do the split step on all shots like your example of timing for a big serve? It seems to me that being up in the air after contact will make me late to push off in any direction for a shot.
@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Жыл бұрын
You can do, but if you land at the point of contact, you won’t know where to move. The ball has to travel at least 4-5 feet towards you before you pick up which side it’s traveling towards. Those milliseconds between you landing and you recognising where the balls going will make that split step less effective
@InTheTennisZone
Жыл бұрын
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial So if I understand the context, one would be reacting to a shot, which if we’re at the net, could result in a delayed movement to the ball. Might I suggest that good players use anticipation skills to move to the next shot and less on reacting to an opponent’s shots. Being in the air, as you explain, means less time to load and push off to hit the next shot. Check out videos of good movers and turn up the volume and watch the timing of the feet on the ground and sound of the contact of the opponent’s shot.