About a week ago I was glad my playing partner was about 10 minutes late. It was about 48 degrees, overcast and cold! I used this time to do side to side to side to SIDE steps in an effort to warm up my legs, tendons and ligaments. When it came time to play, I was much more confident in doing my side steps when covering the courts from side to side. Why is this movement important? After hitting a ball from near a sideline, you have to recover through side-steps to the center of the court to cut down on angles that your opponent has.
As you probably know in singles, there isn't as much sprinting side to side to get a ball. And if one does have to turn to run (forward) to the other baseline, it's many times to throw up a lob or some other desperation shot.
So I did my warmup side steps, maybe 2 feet between steps but when I was actually playing, I noticed that many of this side to side steps were more on the order of 6 to 12 inches at a time; more often a sideways stutter step. In a long rally, you might have 10-15 balls to hit, and of that, maybe 8-12 changes of direction. Many of those direction changes take small steps, large steps, microadjustments, etc.
And like practicing your serve, overheads, backhands or more, it makes sense to PRACTICE MOVEMENT on the court. Personally, I can move very fast forward and my stamina is better than average. However, moving side to side in a long rally, I tire quickly. You do not use the same standard muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings) that you use when running forward, that you use when you go side-to-side.
So the next time your partner is late, or hey- here's an idea-- arrive early to do this WORK- yeah, it's not as fun as hitting a ball but if practiced enough, movement drills will ultimately lead to better tennis and more winning, and that is fun.
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