Good footwork is the foundation of a solid tennis stroke, whether it's your forehand, slice backhand, volley or overhead. Without it, your tennis stroke will fall apart. With it, you can improve your technique and win more matches.
These drills will help you dramatically speed up your footwork on the tennis court. You don't need any equipment. All you need is some chalk or tape in order to draw a four-square box.
The four boxes that make up the square should be about 2 feet all around. That means it's only about two standard ruler lengths.
More: Move Like Federer With This 5-Step Footwork Drill
Footwork Drill Tip: Try to start off slowly as you "burn" the pattern into your brain and then increase speed.
Increase the tempo until you're working as fast as possible.
More: The ABCs of Tennis Footwork
Try to do the drills two to three times a week for maximum benefit.
Altogether, the drills only take seven minutes to complete and can de done anywhere. (See sketch of square below).
2-footed drills
Complete each one for 20 seconds
- Box 1-2
- Box 1-2-3
- Box 1-2-3-4
- Box 1-3-2
- Box 4-3-2
- Box 4-3-2-1
- Box 4-2-3
1-footed drills
Complete each one for 20 seconds. Start with the left leg. Then repeat with the right leg.
- Box 1-2
- Box 1-2-3
- Box 1-2-3-4
- Box 1-3-2
- Box 4-3-2
- Box 4-3-2-1
- Box 4-2-3
More: How to Play Tennis on Any Surface
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