Movement is the most important part of tennis. Roger Federer, one of the greatest in tennis history, recently told the press the top 20 movers are the top 20 ranked players. Movement consists of many components, not only speed. You have to be quick to change direction, adapt to a variety of speeds, and be organized so that you're in a position to hit the ball your way.
Here are eight tips that will help you become a better mover:
1) Spend more time doing drills where you don't know where the ball will go.
2) Avoid thinking negatively about your movement. Instead, focus on finding specific action items you can implement.
3) Invest in off-court conditioning and speed drills. You're only as good as your fitness takes you. Tennis will wind you down quickly if you're not fit enough to handle your opponent's tempo.
4) Move for every ball, even those that seem unreachable.
5) Keep a good posture. If you're leaning too far forward and your center of gravity is too high, you will slow yourself down.
6) Reach for the far shots with your legs and arms and not your upper body.
7) Stay observant of the ball without thinking consciously about where it will go. Thinking will slow your reaction down.
8) Recover and own the center of the court.