(By Larry Hodges)
- Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move.
- Grippy shoes on non-grippy floors.
- Great ready stances give great starts. This means you and your racket’s tip are facing where the opponent will contact the ball, knees slightly bent, leaning forward slightly from the waist, weight mostly on the front inside part of the foot, feet pointed slightly outward, ready to move in either direction.
- Have as wide a stance as you are comfortable with. Top players, who train constantly and are in peak condition, have very wide stances. The better shape your legs are in, the wider you can and should make your stance, which gives more stability, a lower center of gravity, a quicker start, and more power.
- Fitness means faster feet. Lose those extra pounds!
- Balance. If you are even slightly off balance, it dramatically slows your start.
- If you focus on positioning so that you’re are always in position, you don’t need to move as much, and so you can get to each ball.
- Mentally alert, ready to reflexively react to your opponent’s shot.
- Mind clear so you don’t try to consciously guide your movement. Let your trained subconscious take over for both footwork and strokes.
- If you have the will to move, you’ll move at will.
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