drill
Shadow the transition
No ball. Split-step at the baseline, three steps in, split-step, three steps in, split-step at the kitchen line. Ten times, as quiet and balanced as you can.
- Players
- 1
- Time
- 5 min
- Path
- Intermediate
- Topics
- Positioning, Physical
Getting to the kitchen line is mostly footwork, and footwork can be practised without a ball. This is the walk from the baseline to the line, done the way it should go in a point.
How it works
- Start at the baseline in your ready position: paddle up, knees soft.
- Split-step: a small hop that lands on both feet at once, balanced, as if the opponent were hitting.
- Three quick steps forward.
- Split-step again, about the transition zone.
- Three more steps and a last split-step at the kitchen line, toes behind it.
- Walk back. Ten times.
What to watch
Land each split-step quietly, with your weight on the balls of your feet and your paddle still in front of you. If you can’t stop dead on a split-step, you were going too fast. In a point, that’s the moment the ball comes at your feet.
Turn the dial
Easier: walk it, stopping fully at each split-step.
Harder: call a direction as you land each split-step (left, right, middle) and take your first step that way, as if the ball were coming there.
Goes with The transition zone