Most players come to me wanting to fix their forehand. Their backhand. Their serve. And yeah — we get to all of that.
But here’s what I tell every new student in the first session: your feet arrive before your racket does. If you’re out of position at contact, nothing else matters. The most perfect swing in the world falls apart when your weight is going the wrong direction.
So before we talk stroke mechanics, we talk footwork. These are the five drills I use with every student — beginners through competitive club players.
1. The Split Step Reset
What it is: The split step is the small hop you take as your opponent makes contact with the ball. It loads your legs and lets you push off in either direction instantly.
The drill: Stand at the service line. Have a partner feed balls randomly left and right. Your job: split step every single time before you move. If you skip the split, the point doesn’t count.
Why it matters: Most players move reactively — they watch the ball land and then decide to move. The split step means you’re already loaded before you know where it’s going. You’ll feel the difference immediately.
2. Cone Shuffle Series
What it is: Set up four cones in a square, roughly 3 feet apart. Shuffle laterally to each cone, touch it, and shuffle back to center.
The drill: 30 seconds on, 15 seconds rest. Three rounds. Keep your shoulders square and your knees soft. No crossing feet — pure shuffle.
Why it matters: Lateral movement is where most recreational players break down. This builds the muscle memory and conditioning to hold a good base through long rallies.
3. Recovery Step After the Shot
What it is: After every groundstroke, your job isn’t done. You need to recover to the center baseline before the next ball comes.
The drill: Feed a ball to the forehand corner. Hit it, recover center, feed to backhand corner, hit it, recover center. Pick up the pace until you’re sprinting back each time.
Why it matters: Casual players hit and watch. Competitive players hit and move. The rally doesn’t pause while you admire your shot.
4. Approach Shot Footwork (Inside-Out)
What it is: When you get a short ball, you need to close the net and maintain your balance through a swinging approach shot.
The drill: Start at the baseline. Coach or machine drops a short ball to the forehand. You move in, hit an inside-out approach, and finish in the proper net position. Walk it back slowly at first — get the footwork pattern locked before adding speed.
Why it matters: Rushing the net with bad footwork means your approach lands short or floaty. Good footwork on this shot means you’re dictating the point and in position to finish it.
5. The “Quiet Feet” Volley Drill
What it is: Most players stomp around at the net. The best volleyers have almost no wasted movement — just small, precise adjustments.
The drill: Stand inside the service box. Partner hits at you from mid-court at half pace. You volley everything — but you can only take one step per ball. If you’re taking two or three steps to reach shots, you’re standing too far from where you should be.
Why it matters: Teaches net positioning, economy of movement, and punch volleys. It’s harder than it sounds.
The Takeaway
None of these drills require special equipment. You can do the split step drill with a wall. You can do cone shuffles in your driveway. The bottleneck isn’t access — it’s repetition and intention.
Do these consistently for four weeks and your movement will look like a different player’s. Your opponents will notice before you do.
Want the full drill sequence with timing cues, progression levels, and what to watch for on video? I break all of this down in CoachFIT Weekly — the newsletter where the full coaching playbook goes out before it ever hits this page.