It's All In The Footwork

Have you been watching the Australian Open?   There have been some incredibly exciting matches.  What a joy to watch Federer’s all court game poke holes in Murray’s defenses  or Djokovic go down to Wawrinka in long fifth set with two loose points by Djokovic at the end.   Or  watching  Ivanovic upset Serena Williams and  Cibulkova run through Saurez Navarro, Sharapova,  Halep, and Radwanska.   I first saw Cibulkova on an outside court in Miami – I was instantly impressed with her energy and the intensity she brought to her matches.  

Aside from the excitement and admiration for the shot making ability of the touring pros - what can you learn? When I go to a pro tournament such as Miami, Newport, the New Haven Open, and the US Open and have not seen a player before, I take my eyes off the ball and just look at their footwork.   They did this on TV in Saturday’s final with the diminutive Dominika Cibulkova.  Her feet never stopped moving.   The top players move incredibly well and get themselves into position to hit their amazing shots!   To reinforce this, look at how Nadal in the final could not play as expected with his restricted movement due to his back injury.  

You may not have 5 hours a day to put in the gym, but you can start bouncing on your toes when you are receiving serve and think about moving your feet.   And small steps – this helps you keep your balance and adjust to the proper position to hit the ball.