« LACOSTE |See All lacoste

doubt as to where a player needs to start building a solid foundation for their game. My answer to the question posed in the title of this article is Neither - at least yet. The answer really depends on what your tennis goals are. If, for example, you are a young player who wants to play tennis 'seriously' and gain a national ranking and or perhaps a college scholarship, I am going to tell you that you need to start with neither your strokes or your footwork. You need to start with physical conditioning. After you have a physical fitness regime in place, you would then - and only then - start with learning proper footwork. Once you have a solid foundation of physical fitness and proper footwork, you can then start working with your coach on the details concerning your racquet, grip size, types of grips used for different strokes that best suit you, and begin the process of grooving your ground strokes. If you are a social player, and play a couple of time a week but still want to improve, I would suggest to you that learning - and applying - proper footwork is definitely where you will see the fastest improvement in your games, hands down. Why?Well, first there is the obvious fact that if you're not in position to hit the ball, then all the proper 'stroke training' in the world will not help you to hit a great shot. Secondly, I have seen time and again on the tennis court, from my students, from nationally-ranked players to the top pros, that the player who has the better footwork - and can continually employ that footwork on the court over an extended period of time - has the upper hand in the match. In short, between two players with equal shot-making ability, my money is on the player with the better footwork - and I don't gamble, so that should tell you something. Proper footwork is, by far, THE most important overall aspect of the game of tennis, and is by far, THE most underutilized weapon is a player's arsenal. Why?Putting it bluntly, footwork isn't as 'sexy' or as 'cool', as watching Andy Roddick serve mph bombs on Centre Court at Wimbledon and secretly wishing you could do the same! This is where you, as a player, need to figure out what you want to get out of your game. Do you want to get results on the court, or just 'look cool'? Your footwork is more important than any of your strokes, what type of racket you play with, or what brand name is stitched into your tennis clothes. Here's what arguably one of the greatest players to ever pick up a racket, says regarding footwork "My game has a lot to do with footwork when I'm moving well, I play well. " - Roger FedererThe next time you're on the court, focus on 'feeling' your feet moving constantly, and, like Roger Federer, focus on getting into proper position quickly to hit each and every shot. Then you'll be able to let those awesome strokes of yours do their work!To Your Massive Tennis Success,Coach Kyril
Close Article | |View Article Source