“First step is the fastest step.”
How a player moves to the ball, sets up, hits and recovers. In the orange stage it covers acceleration, stopping, stance and recovery steps.
“Good tennis starts with the feet.”
The five parts of every groundstroke: split-step, move to the ball, hit, recover, split-step again. A key orange-stage goal is completing the full cycle on every ball.
“Split, move, hit, recover, split. Every ball.”
A small hop landing on the balls of the feet as the opponent hits. It loads the legs so the player can push off in any direction.
“Hop when they hit.”
The athletic stance between shots: feet about shoulder-width apart, knees bent, weight on the front of the feet, racquet in front, eyes on the ball.
“Ready position: triangle feet, low, racquet up.”
How players move to the ball, set up and recover.
How a player moves to the ball, sets up, hits and recovers. In the orange stage it covers acceleration, stopping, stance and recovery steps.
“Good tennis starts with the feet.”
The five parts of every groundstroke: split-step, move to the ball, hit, recover, split-step again. A key orange-stage goal is completing the full cycle on every ball.
“Split, move, hit, recover, split. Every ball.”
A small hop landing on the balls of the feet as the opponent hits. It loads the legs so the player can push off in any direction.
“Hop when they hit.”
The athletic stance between shots: feet about shoulder-width apart, knees bent, weight on the front of the feet, racquet in front, eyes on the ball.
“Ready position: triangle feet, low, racquet up.”
A teaching image for the ready position: feet shoulder-width apart, so legs and ground form a triangle and the centre of gravity stays inside the base. The best set-up for reacting.
“Make a triangle with your legs.”
Teaching images for poor ready positions: feet too wide (square) or too narrow (rectangle). Players compare how each one slows their first step.
“Try the square. Now the triangle. Which one lets you move faster?”