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?
It 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: It is used
moments before making the decision of which side of the body to hit on
How do you hit a split step?
It 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 racket 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 your decision a second before your opponent makes contact with
the ball.
When to use the split step?
It 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.