Sliding on the court. All the best players do it, and all the novice players want to do it. But is this really the best move to make for your career, or is it a flashy move that’s more likely to injure you than work correctly? If you’re a tennis player looking to improve your game with a court slide, here’s what you need to know before trying it– and the reasons why you might want to be careful before you do so.

How Difficult Is It To Slide?

Playing tennis isn’t the easiest thing ever, but sometimes the moves can get even tougher than the rules. If you’ve seen a player slide on a hard court before, keep in mind that there’s a lot of friction they’re fighting against. Sliding on a hard court is a little like trying to slip around on sandpaper, and needs a careful hand to be done properly. Despite how cool it may look to bystanders, and how impressive you think it will make you feel- sliding is a difficult maneuver to replicate and can come with some unintended risks.

The Health Dangers of Sliding

Learning to slide shouldn’t be the thing that keeps you off the court for an extended period of time, but unfortunately, it might just be the thing that takes you off the court forever. Sliding on a hard court is likely to cause foot and ankle injuries stronger than just a sprain, and can mean that you need to drop your season early. Unless you’ve practiced sliding for a long time, or spent your childhood scooting nonslip shoes across sticky floors, you’re probably not going to learn to slide immediately, and that can have serious health risks that can impact the rest of your game.

Learning To Slide

Sliding on the court can look interesting, especially when the pros do it. If you’re an amateur tennis player, though, you don’t want a flashy fad to take you off the court. Be careful when learning to slide across a hard court, and take precautions to make sure you don’t cause permanent damage to your feet and ankles. Learning to slide shouldn’t take you off the court, so in this case, maybe it’s better to stay on solid footing.