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The key to hitting a great shot in tennis is preparation.
If a player is
unprepared for a shot, the ball will not go where they expect.
In fact, the result may be an out of control shot.
This article addresses
preparation and the importance of a split step.
For those players that are unfamiliar with the split
step, I will give an in-depth explanation and talk about when it
should be used.
What is a split step?
A split step is a footwork type move that transitions a player
from one shot into another.
A split step is a neutral position (“ready position”)
used right before the player decides to hit on the backhand or
forehand side.
Note: The split step is
used moments before making the decision of which side of the
body to hit on
How do you hit a split step?
A split step is fairly easy but takes much practice to fully
understand its benefits.
For a player just starting out, it may seem useless but
advanced players depend on a split step many times PER GAME in
tennis. It is a
pre-shot ritual that will become muscle memory and help you
every point of the way.
1.
First, get in the “ready position”.
(Feet shoulder-width apart, weight on the balls of your
feet, and racquet out in front of the middle of your body.
This is what your split step will look like if you were
to take a picture of it in action!
Remember this position.
2.
Run forward, JUMP into the ready position, and freeze.
you should be back in your ready position like in step
one, but this time you arrived at this position from running
(this is more like how it will happen in a match or during
play).
3.
Note:
The jump should be a subtle
and you really should NOT be in the air, but the word jump
this is the best way to describe getting from the run to the
ready position.
Make sure you weight is not too far forward or you may fall
over!
4.
Make contact with the ball.
You have just run from the service line to the net,
jumped into the ready position.
At this time you are ready to determine which side of
your body the ball will be hit from.
If your opponent hits to the backhand you should be ready
to turn to your backhand side because you were in your “ready”
position! (If the
ball is hit to your forehand side you should be equally ready)
5.
Put it all together.
Great work on completing your split step, but the hardest
part is yet to come.
All though we have divided the split step into several
easy to follow steps, it is extremely important to remember that
it is supposed to be hit in one fluid motion.
There are not supposed to be breaks or waiting period.
Your goal in the split step it to time the process so
that your make you r decision a second before your opponent
makes contact with the ball.
When to use the split step?
The split step is used in many situations.
It is important that you use it the correctly in the
right situations.
Here is a list of several situations where the split step is
used. You will
notice it is used very often in a match (the most important are
in bold).
1.
Return of Serve.
Serves come at you fast.
Every player uses a split step to prepare for the coming
serve.
2.
Serve and Volley.
With the server rushing in to take the net, it is of most
importance that the server uses a split step to set up the next
volley.
3.
Regular Volleys.
4.
Rallies.
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