with David Bailey,
Founder of The Bailey Method (a research-based, data driver tennis footwork & movement training program);
footwork & movement consultant and trainer to over 21 Grand Slam players;
over 30 years of coaching experience;
USPTA World Conference presenter, writer for TennisPro Magazine and tennisplayer.net
The best tennis players in the world move elegantly around the court with amazing footwork. All tennis players know the importance of good footwork - it allows athletes to get to more wide balls, hit more powerful shots, and recover more efficiently.
Yet, few players practice footwork consistently. For many, footwork seems too complex and boring to practice. Even experienced tennis coaches have trouble teaching it and getting their students interested in working on movement.
Thankfully, in this video, world renowned tennis footwork and movement training guru David Bailey presents how tennis footwork and movement training can be incorporated into practice. By following progressions that transition from easy to challenging, Bailey demonstrates a fun, dynamic way of learning footwork.
Rallying Footwork
The focus of this video is how to handle balls in baseline rallies. For most players, the majority of shots are hit from the baseline, and it is fundamental to be in an optimum position to handle different types of shots received. Rallying footwork involves maintaining a player's position on the baseline regardless of the speed or spin of the shot received. Coach Bailey guides a small group through four footwork patterns that can be utilized to handle these rally situations:
- The 2 Foot Pivot - Ideal to handle fast, incoming balls.
- 1 Foot Pivot - A way to generate a good mix of spin and power when the player has more time.
- Lateral Hop - Utilized when ball is a few strides away. A great footwork pattern to execute when the player wants to go cross court or short angle.
- Closed Backhand - The standard footwork pattern for one-handed and two-handed backhands.
Throughout the video, Bailey gives technical quick tips on how to adjust the forehand and backhand for each of the footwork patterns.
5 Stages of Footwork Training
With over 30 years of coaching experience to draw upon, Coach Bailey has developed a fun and effective progressive method of learning footwork. The power of this method is that even beginners can perform the footwork patterns and improve their movement. For each of the four rallying footwork patterns, Bailey demonstrates each stage of his footwork progression:
1. Shadow - This first progression is done without a racket. The player executes the footwork pattern at a slow pace with emphasis on performing quality repetitions for both the backhand and forehand.
2. Shadow the Move - The second progression is done at the baseline with the racket but no tennis ball. The player shadows both the forehand and backhand. The instructor can observe every player in a large group very easily.
3. Lines - In the third progression, the instructor introduces the ball with hand feeds. The player executes the footwork pattern for both forehands and backhands in a slow, controlled manner.
4. Self-Feed - In the fourth progression, the player feeds a ball to themselves and executes the footwork pattern. By this stage, the player will start to become more comfortable with the footwork.
5. Full Court - In the fifth progression, players self-feed and play out points. The emphasis is still on executing the footwork pattern correctly in a live ball situation.
Ideal for Groups
Coach Bailey's Method is perfect for learning in a group. In the early progressions which are done at a slow pace, the instructor can easily observe multiple players and courts executing the footwork pattern and make corrections as necessary. As the ball is introduced, the patterns can be practiced by the group with fun point-play. If the group has been diligent about going through the progressions slowly, each player will quickly experience better footwork and movement by the time they play points against each other.
Contrary to popular belief, footwork can be fun to learn, and, will greatly improve a player's results on the court! Coach Bailey demonstrates a quick and effective way to learn rallying footwork patterns in this great video.
35 minutes. 2019.