Virtually any sport in the world that is played on a field, court or ground will require you to use your legs and your feet extensively. Even Golf, which does not involve running, relies on how you place your feet and use the momentum generated by your legs for the swing.
It’s no secret that tennis requires you to use your legs and feet, a lot.
On average a junior player will have run at least 2 KM playing a 2 set match. A professional will have run 3 – 4 KM’s. So it’s more than important to keep your footwork at an optimal level.
Tennis Footwork Drills
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Practice your stances
There are 4 basic type of foot stances you can take when you are making a shot from anywhere on the court.
- Closed Stance
- Semi-Open Stance
- Open Stance
- Neutral Stance
Stand in these stances and practice hitting your forehand and then flip to the left (or right, for left handed players) for your backhand.
Footwork Agility
The best way to develop footwork agility is by using a ladder, or cones placed around the court. Here are some ladder drills you can incorporate easily into your daily footwork routine.
Footwork, Around The Court
Place cones around each line intersection on the court and do side to side slalom runs from singles line to singles line, diagonally and center line to the net.
You can then go for a light jog around the court and sprint only from baseline corner to baseline corner. Mix it up by doing different footwork movements each time you come to the baseline corner.
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So there you have it, the most effective ways you can train on your footwork to get better with your court game. If you have used any of these drills please let us know how it worked out for you.
If you are in Hyderabad, India come and join us for a free fitness session every Monday at the Noor Tennis Academy to practice on your footwork.