5 Ways Good Footwork ImprovesYour Tennis Game

Created by Stephen Geri

Tennis is achallenging sportto master. Thereare a number of

skills necessary tobe a good tennis

player, and one ofthe most important

is footwork. Fartoo many players

overlook theimportance offootwork and

instead focus onperfecting one or

two shots.

The key tomaking your

shots effectiveis getting

yourself in agood positionto hit them.

The majorityof a tennis

game involvesmovement,and your

practice shouldreflect this.

FOOTWORKHERE ARE 5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR

1) It gives you more shot options

When you improveyour footwork, yougain more flexibilityof shot choice

because you get intoposition earlier andwith more accuracy.As a result, you candecide which stanceto use when you playthe shot, whether it’sopen stance, closedstance, neutral, orany other stance.

2) You have greater shot power

Improving your footwork skills allows your shots to have much greaterpower. This is because getting to the ball and getting set in a good positiongives you the chance to hit the ball using as many body parts as you can.

3) You can stay in points longer

Your agility, your balance and your coordination will all get better when youimprove your footwork. These aspects are all critical to being a better tennisplayer. You will increase your ability to get to the balls, and this will leadyour opponent to play more shots than they expected to. This gives youropponent more chances to miss and increases your chances of winning.

4) You’ll make fewer errors

One of the biggest benefits of improving your footwork is reduced error. It hasbeen stated that as much as 70 percent of unforced errors occur because of

poor footwork. Improving your footwork could reduce your errors by 7 out of 10.

Your tennis speed and fitness go hand-

in-hand with your footwork.When you improve your footwork, yourspeed and fitness will improve as well.Many times, a player who is consideredtechnically advanced will lose to a playerwho has better court speed, movement

and fitness.

This is mainly because if you have thesequalities, you can force your opponent to

play more shots. Not only will youropponent be more likely to make errorsshort term, but your opponent will losestamina over the course of the game, thusleading to even more potential for errors.

5) Improved courtspeed and fitness

If you start slowwith simplefootwork

exercises andthen graduallyincrease thedifficulty leveland the speed ofexecution, you

will reach successin no time. Onceyou’ve got yourfootwork down,you’ll be a muchbetter tennis

player than whenyou started.