In tennis, every ball you get is different. No shot lands at the exact same spot with the same speed and spin. This means you must track the ball and adjust your positioning with your legs for every shot. In other words, you need to move and adapt for each shot. This is the reason every coach and professional player will tell you that movement is the most important aspect of tennis. Movement will not turn you into a champion but, without good movement, you don’t have a chance. A few weeks back, I wrote about movement builders - advice on how to ensure your movement is “sharp.” Here you will get an overview of the movement stages.
Positioning. Your court positioning is your location before your opponent hits the ball. Top players dominate the center of the court because covering the center reduces the open space for your opponent to hit. Here are key pointers:
You should face the ball and not your opponent.
Shift your center to cover the cross-court angle (“off-center”). So, if you hit the deuce side, then your center shifts two to three feet away from the “T” (the baseline center mark).
Normally stand three to four feet behind the baseline. But move closer if you’re attacking and your opponent is on the run and likely to hit short. Position yourself further back if you need more time to handle aggressive, deep, or really high balls.
Setting-Up to Hit. You must first split-step as your opponent is swinging to hit their shot. The ball will have left their racquet by the time you land. Then, assuming the ball is heading away from the center, your first move should be explosive and long. You want to cover as much space in as little time. As you approach the ball, your footwork needs to shift to many quick smaller adjustment steps. As you're setting up to hit, you must keep your feet wide apart (minimum shoulder width distance) and knees bent.
Recovery. A good recovery is when you’re able to position yourself back to the center (or off-center) before your opponent hits the ball. You must have a sense of urgency after hitting to get back in position. If you’re far from the center, plant your outside foot wide and push off that leg with a crossover step and a double-shuffle. The combination of crossover and double-shuffle should get you back to the center from the doubles line. It’s a quick and effective recovery combo.
These three stages complete the main pillars of movement. However, effective movement also means maintaining good posture, a low center of gravity, intensity while behind relaxed, and anticipation. Everything you do between your shots should be organized so that it is easier to get behind the ball and hit in your strike-zone.
