When coming to net everyone wants to make sure that he/she is balanced and ready to make sharp movements to the ball. By taking "baby steps" you avoid over-reaching and losing your balance. This is a good thing.
However, even if you are balanced (and in a good position at net) if your opponent is also balanced and in a good position, your advantage is minimal or non-existent.
So this is a two-fold issue. If you are the net player you want to hit a shot that puts your opponent off balance, but if you're the baseline player you want to make sure you can get to the ball and stay balanced.
My advice to both: Beware the Wobbly Flamingo!!!
The Wobbly Flamingo is a common wildlife sighting at all tennis clubs, but rarely is the Wobbly Flamingo a graceful animal. Instead of not-lazy footwork the Wobbly Flamingo (or Tea Pot) tips over to the side and lifts one leg off the ground. He/she then hopes and prays and stretches their racquet for the wayward ball.
This is not an ideal tennis shot.
As to be expected, there are many Flamingo spottings at the net and baseline, however, the vast majority of all Wobbly Flamingo sightings take place in No Man's Land.
To avoid the Wobbly Flamingo work on keeping a wider base (or stance), especially when at net. The Flamingo (or Tea Pot) may allow you to stretch and make one shot, but the real problem comes up when you are trying to hit the next shot.
Because the Wobbly Flamingo Footwork makes you unbalanced, recovering for the next shot is more difficult.
There are a lot of different footwork drills to help limit the Wobbly Flamingo populations but perhaps one of the easiest activities is a simple game of shadow tennis. Like a boxer reacting to movements of his shadow, try playing and moving on the tennis court without a ball. Move to the spots that you think you'll need to cover. Work on the steps. Repeat. Repeat again. Practice moving everywhere. Memorize the court. And then do it again. Again again. But avoid lingering in No Man's Land for too long! That's the home of Wobbly Flamingos and all sorts of other strange wild life.
Because the Wobbly Flamingo Footwork makes you unbalanced, recovering for the next shot is more difficult.
There are a lot of different footwork drills to help limit the Wobbly Flamingo populations but perhaps one of the easiest activities is a simple game of shadow tennis. Like a boxer reacting to movements of his shadow, try playing and moving on the tennis court without a ball. Move to the spots that you think you'll need to cover. Work on the steps. Repeat. Repeat again. Practice moving everywhere. Memorize the court. And then do it again. Again again. But avoid lingering in No Man's Land for too long! That's the home of Wobbly Flamingos and all sorts of other strange wild life.
No comments:
Post a Comment