Developing Footwork

If your tennis journey has gone anything like mine, you have been playing tennis for a good amount of time now and you have just reached the point when you realize you have no idea what footwork is or how it works. Well, it’s about time someone actually told you.

In tennis footwork refers to a player’s movement around the court. Footwork applies to four aspects in tennis and plays a huge role in the success of a player’s game.

Specific aspects of footwork include:

1. Side to side movement
2. Forward movement
3. Split steps
4. Before hitting the ball
5. Stance
6. Side to side movement

Moving from one side of the court to the other is fairly simple. Your basic footwork move will be a shuffle (facing forward moving sideways). While moving from one side of the court to the other make sure you do not cross one leg of the other. The one situation you will cross legs is when “recovering” from a shot that has taken you far off the court. If you are learning about footwork for the first time, do not worry about this crossover step.

Forward Movement

The forward movement is most likely the least difficult aspect of footwork. The basic footwork move will be running. There is nothing tricky to learn about moving forward on the tennis court.

Split Step

The split step should be made when the opponent makes contact with the ball. There is an entire article dedicated to the split step. (click here to read the article: Split Step Fundamentals)

Before hitting the ball

After the split step, you will need to start moving sideways or forward. When you approach the ball, you will need to shorten your strides. This means taking smaller steps to get to the ball. Smaller steps will help you transition yourself into your stance (the next step).


Stance

Your stance is the last phase of footwork you will need before you restart the cycle. Your stance will depend on the shot you are hitting, your position in the court, and your own personal style.