TIP OF THE MONTH: FIRST STEP EXPLOSION

Today’s tennis players are focused on moving faster and faster. But wouldn’t it be more beneficial to develop an explosively quick first step? After all, tennis is a two step game. If the body cannot move quickly and create a forward, lateral, or rotational momentum, nothing else really matters.

Speed in most ground based sports, especially tennis, is determined by how quickly an athlete can get his or her body in motion. Acceleration at top-end speed only comes into play once the player gets the body moving. A quick first step must occur before running speed takes over.

Functional quickness describes an integrated, total body reaction that propels the body into motion. The upper and lower torsos react simultaneously in a synchronized, powerful series of movements brought together through a common link, the trunk.

Mikael Andersson
Director of Tennis