Tennis Footwork & Positioning | How To Sync Your Body To Your Swing

This tennis footwork and positioning explanation is given as a guide to a tennis workout that you can do at home. Grab it here: www.ripittennis.com/skipfit

How many coaches actually show you the RHYTHM of the split step and the first steps needed before hitting the ball? Not many….

Yet it’s so crucial for your positioning so you will be able to effectively do the technique that coach is explaining to you. Once you grasp the rhythm it will make your very first steps easier.

Here I am breaking down a bit of tennis biomechanics which just means I’m showing you how to sync your body to your swing. Yes, you will want to make sure that you are swinging at the time that you can set your feet for ultimate consistency and control.

Once you set your feet (which hopefully is done in the right spot), this is when the technique comes into play.

If you struggle with technique and would like a complete breakdown of the phases in each stroke + drills to help you master them, you can grab that here: www.ripittennis.com/hotshot

Once again I’m your coach Marisa Johnson and I hope you find all the success and happiness from your tennis journey!

Today we’re talking biomechanics and how to effectively sink your body motion and footwork to the rhythm of your swing now I’m making this because I have my skip fit tennis workout program if you got it great you need to be watching this so that you know that you are effectively

Practicing your footwork otherwise you can check out more about that in the link in my description but we have to learn how to actually engage the legs and we’re learning specifically today about the split step the first step after the split step and sinking the swing to our body without the racket

First I want to show you effectively how we are using our glutes in our shots for stability control and consistency now in these moves you are doing squats but they are squats in in different directions the first move that you’re going to be doing is just a regular

Squat and you start with that regular squat in each move but then you’re going to take the first step after that Squat and squat into position I’ll show you what I mean from our regular squat position you’re going to step laterally and make sure the toes are kind of lined

Up like a line and that the knees are not going past the toes this is just like a closed stance stroke you’re getting your butt down you’re stepping forward and you’re really leaning your body in forward and this is just simulating a close dance stroke so those

Are the first moves then you’re going to do an open stance so regular squat into a lunge position make sure that you’re getting the back knee down and if you can rotate the back knee out and get into squat position again that’s even better this is like when you’re on the

Run and you got to get the knee down get the hip mobility going and lastly you’re going to do a regular Squat and then step backwards and this simulates a semiopen stance it’s about a 45° step backwards which is not the same as the Clos dance just to remind you the close

Dance was more like you know toes were lined up but these ones 45° angle backwards and getting the glutes engaged okay so that specifically helps you in staying balanced and controlled when you set your feet but now let’s add the motion to it with our racket swings there’s a very specific Rhythm because

Now we’re incorporating our split step into it and we have to go from light on our feet to setting our feet you have to be on the toes when you’re split stepping but when you set your feet that is when the heel can be on the ground unless you’re pivoting watch

Closely the Rhythm you want to look for is a hop hop step swing hop hop step swing that is what you can say in your head you’re hopping on your toes it’s going to be about twice and you’re stepping in this is the close dance one right and you’re pivoting the back foot

When you do the open stance there is going to be a little bit extra step there but it’s a hop hop step outward and then swing watch closely as I bend my knee down and swing and I pivot my foot so that I can get my hips back to

Neutral hop hop step swing hop hop step swing hop hop step swing and that’s the Rhythm for this as well make sure you’re still getting the butt down when you step backwards this 45° angle back hop hop step swing and this one you can carry your back foot forward because you

Always want your momentum forward on your shots hop hop step swing hop hop step swing and you’re moving forward through the shot hopefully that Rhythm really helped you sink it up and when you do the actual workout you will effectively be training the timing of your split step

Along with the setting of your feet and sinking that racket swing to your motion and your body really good job and I will see you in the workout let’s go