Always Reaching on Wide Forehands? This Footwork Drill Gets You Behind the Ball.

Can one-foot forehand training improve wide-forehand footwork, balance and spacing? In this tennis training session, we use a four-stage drill progression to help a junior player get her outside foot behind the ball, create space for contact, load the right leg and find a stable hitting position before starting the forward swing. We begin without the ball, working only on lateral movement and controlling the landing. Then we gradually add the racket, hand-fed balls and the ball machine before returning to a normal wide forehand with both feet available. Although it looks like a simple tennis balance drill, hitting forehands on one foot also exposes problems with spacing, positioning, weight transfer and timing. The player cannot simply reach the ball and swing. She has to keep adjusting, arrive in position and use the outside leg to support the shot. One session was never going to produce a perfect wide forehand, but the progression helped her understand what needed to happen before the swing. The next challenge is finding the same position during live points, when she does not know where the next ball is going. If you struggle with wide forehands, late positioning or inconsistent spacing, this tennis footwork drill may help you understand what your body needs to do before contact. #TennisForehand #TennisFootwork #TennisTraining