The Power Move

Top players use the Power Move when they are pushed wide on the run. In previous articles, we've looked at the Aggressive and Neutral Contact Moves. (Click Here.) Now it's time to look at the Defensive Contact Moves. We'll start by looking at what I call the Power Move, the basis for the running forehand. Then in future articles on the Defensive Contact Moves we'll look at the two other patterns, the Reverse Spin and the Mogul. I originally developed the concept of the Contact Move to help us understand the incredible diversity of movements used by high level players. These movements include amazing combinations of steps to the ball, hitting stances, movement of the feet during and after the contact , balancing steps, and, equally important, recovery steps. There are multiple varations of all these elements, and they can be combined in many, many ways depending on the type of ball the player is facing. The Contact Move concept lets us sort all this out. The defensive Contact Moves I'm going to analyze are the footwork patterns used by the top pros when they are challenged and pushed wide or far back in the court. Pete Sampras used the...