Pat Dougherty: Advanced Reaction Steps

Movement is the strength that unites the champions from all eras. I believe that strength of movement is the single greatest weapon in a winning game, equally important in developing offense and defense. Explosive quickness gives you opportunities to control play, assert your offense, and attack. Having the speed to defend every inch of the court pressures your opponent to execute higher quality shots, which will result in more errors. Recently, I was fortunate to spend time with one of the all time greats, Ivan Lendl. One question I asked him: "What is the greatest strength shared by the best players of any era?" Ivan didn't hesitate: "Movement," he answered. "The best players of every era have also been the players with the best movement." Sprints Players who are slow to react fall behind the tempo of the rally. This forces them to rush their movement to try to catch up. A late start means greater risk of getting to the ball late and missing opportunities to play offensively. It affects a player's ability to control the ball and sustain longer rallies. Players whose timing is out of sync appear to be on the defensive and scrambling to keep up...