Serve Footwork Recovery to Win in Tennis

Serve footwork recovery is important because the goal is to be moving into the court on the first ball, not moving back on your heels. If you’re hitting aces all the time, then you don’t need to recover after the serve. But the truth is, most of us are not hitting aces consistently, so we need to get ready for the next shot off the return.

Footwork recovery is especially needed after the second serve because there’s a good chance the opponent will hit a more offensive shot. The server should jump as high and far into the court as possible, landing on the left foot.

Balance is achieved using the left arm (for right-handers) extended straight to the back and side, and the right foot kicked back with the sole to the sky. This technique slows down the forward movement so the recovery can begin.

The right foot comes around even with the left foot (that you just landed on) for balance. Step back with your left foot, then burst back at least three feet behind the baseline. The key action is the left foot burst into the split step with weight leaning forward. This positions you to move forward on the diagonal for the next ball. Get video based details at the VTA website.

There are other variations of the serve footwork recovery in The ACE System. The most important thing is to gauge where you think your recovery position needs to be—based on the strength of your serve and the depth and effectiveness of your opponent’s return.

If your opponent hits short returns, your recovery position may be on the baseline or even inside the baseline. However, you want to prepare for the "worse case scenario," so a position behind the baseline is probably where you’ll want to be.

When practicing your serve, make sure and “shadow” the footwork, so that it becomes second nature. This muscle memory learning phase takes some proactive focus. After you do this for some time you won’t even have to think about it. At this point you’ll be able to apply all of your mental energy on tactics.

Return from Serve Footwork Recovery to Tennis Footwork

Return from Serve Footwork Recovery to Ace Tennis Coach