After a field football contact and basic racquet preparation is achieved, movement or positioning are next on the agenda. Among tennis teachers, they are all contradicting views about whether to teach a beginning player foot work or just observe and watch for any deficiencies. But among movement specialists in professional sports the consensus is, if it ain't broke, do not fix it. What do tennis experts agree on? One thing for sure; in order to move you have to start those engines. So for a beginner, get them in a habit of moving their feet a lot. This is the major difference between tennis and golf. Golf allows you to ride in a cart, to get to the ball and take as much time as you want for a leisurely ride. In tennis however, you have a second or two at most. Yes, movement to the ball is key number three among the basics to play tennis.
When Colindy (ph) was playing just a few months, I would get her and my wife out to play. One of the first things I told them was that the person, who was moving their feet the most, got to have the ball. Whether Colindy could the hit the ball or not, she could succeed at something, really fast footwork. She laughed her way pass those first few weeks, and completely connected that active, happy footwork is a key to playing tennis.
After basic movement habits are established, the next goal is to be able to run to the ball and not swing to fast. As illogical as it sounds, when newer players run for shots, they make the common mistake of running fast and then swinging fast as well. The result, ball marks on the back fence windscreen from hitting too long. Much better is fast feet and slow hands. Here's a quick trick using a juggling scarf to master ball control on the run, take a look.
Juggling scarfs speed up the process because they float slowly through the air; allowing Colindy to catch up with the scarf to catch it. The two benefits are that she will get in a habit of trying hard and going for the ball; instead of thinking that it's out of reach and she will minimize her swing and get a feel for point of contact and control. These transitions easily to real play as we now see Colindy stretched out and reaching for a ball that a few short months ago, she would have not even expected to reach.
As important as movement to the ball is to successful tennis, recovering to prepare for that next shot is equally essential. All too often beginners hit their shots and then stand and watch them without recovering to get ready for the next ball. Here are four exercises to get player's moving and recovering without verbal instructions.
The first exercise is a simple yet fun, footwork skill builder. Colindy is side stepping and when I clap my hands, she simply changes direction. Note, that this type of exercise is best done holding a racquet. Here is one of my favorites, just put a bell on the court and have the player recover and ring the bell to get a feel for just how much they should move to recover after hitting each shot. Another option is to place a cone in the area of recovery, have the player recover and then make a quick circle around the cone. Finally, if Colindy ever seems late on her recovery, the freeze game works wonders. Instead of hitting the ball, just catch it and call out freeze. If she recovered properly, she will be in position to move in either direction for the next shot, if not, she will still be recovering and I simply ask her do you think you were fully recovered and ready when I called out freeze?
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