The exercise combines the start of the return movement with the timing of the split step. Two people stand opposite each other at a sufficient distance and throw the ball to each other with a movement from top to bottom. The release angle is therefore based on the flight path of a return after the opponent’s serve. While the throwing person simulates the stroke or throwing action, the person opposite watches the ball and adds the split step. The timing is crucial: the split step is not performed in a fixed rhythm, but is linked to the other person’s action. After landing, the ball is caught in a controlled way and then thrown back. This allows perception, split-step timing, and preparation for the return movement to be learned first without additional demands from the racket.
Training Goal
- Develop timing of the split step for the return
- Link the split step to the other person’s action
- Perceive the ball’s flight path and speed early
- Establish a quick readiness to react out of the landing
- First get familiar with the typical flight path on the return without a racket
Coaching Keys
- Throw from top to bottom: The flight path should reflect the situation on the return.
- Watch the other person’s action: The split step is prepared by the throwing movement and not performed in its own rhythm.
- Jump small and active: It’s about timing and readiness to react, not jump height.
- Time the landing: Coordinate the landing so you can react immediately to the direction and flight path of the ball.
- React directly to the ball: After landing, move straight into the movement toward the ball without a pause.
Possible Corrections
The split step happens independently of the throw:
First reduce the tempo. Deliberately focus attention on the other person’s throwing movement and derive the timing from that.
The split step happens too early:
Do not react to the preparation of the throwing movement too soon. Keep observing the other person’s movement sequence and delay the takeoff accordingly.
The split step happens too late:
Perceive the throwing movement earlier and prepare the split step in advance. Do not wait until the ball is clearly on its way.
The split step is too high or too big:
Make the movement smaller. A short, active split step makes the following reaction easier.
There is a pause after landing:
Connect the split step and the movement toward the ball. The landing is not an end position, but the starting point for the next movement.
Progressive Build-Up
1. Constant throw
First throw the ball from top to bottom with similar height, speed, and direction. The focus is exclusively on the timing of the split step.
2. Vary timing and flight path
Change the height and pace of the throw slightly. The split step must increasingly be adapted to the respective situation.
3. Vary direction
No longer throw the ball only centrally. The landing of the split step is directly linked with the movement to the left or right.
4. Increase distance and speed
Make the task more dynamic and thereby reduce the available reaction time. The split step remains small and active.
5. Integrate the racket
Replace the catch with a controlled stroke. The stroke movement remains compact at first so that timing and contact point stay in focus.
6. Transfer to the return
Move from the methodical partner task into a controlled serve-return situation. Split step, reaction, and compact return movement are now combined under more realistic conditions.
Discover more content like this
Discover more coaching content and access the complete TennisGate library in the CoachesClub.