Tennis can be a difficult sport to learn, especially if you were taught a different way before. If you’re looking to get back into the magnificent sport of tennis, you might be a little confused– should you or should you not transfer your weight as you serve a tennis ball? While these teachings may be outdated, it’s time to find a new way to shine in the world of tennis.

When To Keep Your Feet on the Ground’

There are plenty of places where you really should keep your feet on the ground. Tennis is a competitive sport, and you want to perform your best during a match. Therefore, make sure both feet are firmly on the ground when approaching a short ball, an attack, or a passing shot. All of these moves need power and precision behind them, which is difficult to achieve when you aren’t actively touching the ground. When you need to go with the heavy hitters, make sure to keep both feet on the ground and don’t shift your weight during the swing.

When It’s Okay To Step Around

There are several points during your matches where it may be reasonable to shift your weight and move one foot off the ground. When you can’t give a serve the power it deserves, try going for height. If you’d like to hit the ball higher in the air, this is the time you should be hitting from your back foot. If you’re using an open stance gravity step, a negative turn step, or a climbing step, all of these should be achieved from your back foot. 

Finding Your Perfect Tennis Posture

Tennis can be hard to pick back up after a long time away, but if you’re in this situation, you need to be sure that you understand when to keep your feet on the ground and when you need to hit from your back foot. Over time and through practice, these recommendations will become like second nature to you– and you’ll find your perfect tennis posture in no time.