Split step! Move your feet! What I used to get wrong
Published 13 days ago • 1 min read
“Split step!”
“Move!”
“Be quicker!”
I used to bark these commands all the time. Especially when a player missed a ball they should have reached.
And for a while, I thought it helped. Until I realised they weren’t moving better, they were just trying to move faster. And mostly… at the wrong time.
The issue wasn’t effort. It was information.
Players don’t move because we say so. They move when the game tells them to.
Here’s what I now do instead, no more shouting needed.
3 Coaching Insights
1️⃣ Movement is a response, not a drill Good footwork isn’t about coaching the feet. It’s about coaching the focus. Players need to read the opponent, not listen for their voice.
2️⃣ Don’t teach the split step. Create the need for it Start players out of position. Add time pressure. Let the split step emerge because it’s the best solution, not a memorised move.
3️⃣ Ladders and cones don’t transfer Ladders teach players to be good at ladders. Not tennis. Design practices that require real directional changes, not rehearsed patterns.
2 Questions to Reflect On
🔹 Are your footwork drills improving match performance, or just looking impressive? 🔹 What cues do your players actually use to decide when to move?
1 Challenge for This Week 🎾 Play a game where tramlines are in.
The wider court forces:
Faster first steps
Stronger corner movement
Real footwork under pressure
Watch what emerges, and don’t say a word about the feet.
