The Shuffle
By:  Scott Baker | Tennis4you  | Tennis Forum  | E-mail

When hitting ground strokes, foot work is important. You need to get back to the middle of the baseline after you hit each shot. You want to avoid turning your body 90 degrees from the front of the court and running back to the center of the baseline after you hit each shot. Here is where the shuffle comes into play. Facing the opponent's side of the court, shuffle your feet back to the middle of the baseline. The shuffle allows you to stay focused on your opponent while he/she is hitting the ball and also allows you to be able to push off to your right of left foot quickly to retrieve your opponent's return. The shuffle also allows you to stop quickly and change directions to retrieve a ball that might be hit on the direction you originally were moving from.

Good Luck on the Court!
Scott Baker
Tennis4you.com