DAVE’S TENNIS TIP by Dave Brown , USPTA Master Professional, Plantation Bay Golf & Country Club, Ormond Beach, Florida — “IMPROVE YOUR VOLLEY WITH THE SPLIT STEP”
To be an effective doubles player in today’s game requires the ability to play net with confidence. I see a lot of club players with decent serves, return of serves, and ground strokes; but they fall apart when coming to the net. The main culprit is simply a failure to split step.
It’s one of the most basic of footwork movements and is critical to having success at the net. A split step is just a short hop that’s made just before your opponent makes contact with the ball. This helps recognize where the ball is going much sooner. Anticipation will improve as well as the initial step toward the ball. This will put you in much better position to make a better volley.
Learn to use the split step and you will enjoy scoring more points and winning more matches! Good luck!