Tennis Split Step

I don't know if some of you fear approaching the net as much as I do, but after watching tons of tennis on TV and at the club and schools I'm safely assuming I'm not the only one with this fear.  Mostly my fear comes from not correctly doing my split step [or maybe better put - not doing my split step in time].  This is true for me in both doubles and singles tennis.  In singles I simply don't know [sometimes anyway] which shots to approach on, and when I do approach I end up running through the ball or I do my split step so late that I don't get to the ball in time.  I've seen a lot of people play so I know that I'm not the only one that does this so maybe the following videos will help you have better decision making on the court as well.  Of course practicing in real games will let you know how well you've improved so good luck!!!

I would also like to courage anyone out there if you have advice or questions please sign up to this blog and ask.  I would sincerely like to have other players points of view on what they would like to see on this page.  This is the only blog I have ever done and I have much to learn, particularly when it comes to content.  So any questions, concerns, outraged annunciations, or opinions on how to improve please, 'BRING-IT-ON"! 

Until then please enjoy these videos on how to improve your foot work and approach. THANKS!

Tennis Footwork: Split Step

This video is showing a couple of ways to approach the net. Both are considered good, hopefully one of them will help you improve your game.

Ready Position Tennis Lesson

This is a teaching video using humor to explain the Split Step and how to use it advantageously.  What I liked most about this particular video though, was the explanation on how to hold the racket in ready position.  Hope you enjoy the lesson and humor of this one.

How to Learn the Mindset of Coming to the Net

This video shows how to actually approach the net, with different shots.  It also shows how to ready yourself as the ball is being struck back to you.  I hope this video helps you as much as it helped me.

One On One Doubles

At our tennis club we've used One-on-One Doubles to try and improve our approach to the net and our net game.  It's a lot of fun and I think it does help.  If you don't understand the rules of one on one doubles it's pretty simple; you serve the same depending on whether you are serving from the deuce court or from the ad court as you would in regular doubles [make sure you serve like you would in doubles and not stand towards the center of the court as you would in singles; or you'll find you are already out of position].  You will play anything from the center of the service box line over to the doubles line [pretending that you and your opponents doubles partners are so good you can never use the other half of the court]. If you hit the ball to the side of the court your opponent is not playing then the point goes to your opponent.  The same is true if your opponent hits to the side you're not playing.

Here's a video on how popular the sport is becoming, and if my instructions are a little confusing the video will probably clear that up.