The Split Step ?
Tip:
Tennis is a game of footwork and movement. The split is a pause for balance. You may have great racquet skills, but if you don’t get to the ball in time you can’t hit it properly. The balance equals success. A tennis player must be able to quickly move in various directions while maintaining good balance.
A proper split step is a very important aspect of footwork. It allows the player to gather his or her balance or pause to judge how best to play the ball, and then move in any direction to intercept the ball. Since the variety of incoming balls is typically very broad, it’s important to keep the feet constantly moving to be able to get a quick start and get behind the ball. Adjusting the feet before and after the shot is key to a good setup and recovery. In fact, the speed of today’s game makes the recovery as important as the actual setup.