Start every point in the correct ready position. Keep your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and your weight on the balls of your feet so you can move in any direction. A tense, flat-footed stance costs you a split second before you move.

Time your split step to your opponent. The split step is the small hop that lands you on the balls of your feet, so you're ready to push off in any direction. The most common mistake is splitting too early, often out of habit or nerves. Landing before your opponent hits leaves you heavy-footed and guessing, because you’ve committed to a direction before you know where the ball is going. The fix is to watch your opponent’s racquet rather than the ball. Start your hop as their racquet swings forward so you’re in the air at contact and land a beat later, already reading the shot's direction.

If you only fix one step, fix your first one. Push toward the ball as soon as you read its direction; don't wait to see where it lands.

Recover after every shot. Footwork doesn't end when you hit the ball. Standing still to admire your shot (or worse, watching it land) leaves you exposed for the next one. Practice building the correct sequence into muscle memory: split, move, hit, recover.

Switch to small steps as you close in on the ball. Big, bounding strides are hard to stop, so you overrun the ball or hit when you’re off-balance. Small steps let you brake in exactly the right spot and drive up through the shot with your legs.

Keep your knees bent: Maintain a low center of gravity with your knees bent as if a roof is right over your head. Bend at the knees—not the waist—when adjusting to low or high bouncing balls.

At the net, split step before you volley. When moving forward from the baseline, split step as you reach the service box, timed to your opponent’s hit, so you’re set for either a forehand or backhand volley rather than running through it. When you’re at the net and the ball is close, one simple step across with your opposite foot is enough.

Turn sideways for overheads. When a lob goes up, move right away: turn sideways by dropping your racquet-side foot back, then retreat with crossover or side steps rather than backpedaling while facing the net (which is slow and makes it easy to lose your balance). Ideally, you will get behind the ball, remain sideways to the net, and step forward into the overhead so your weight moves through the shot.

Train your feet off the court. You don't need a ball or a racquet. At home, try shadow split steps, ladder patterns (side hops and crossovers are a good start), or a few cones in the driveway. Here’s a simple cone drill: From a center cone, split step, move to one side, shadow a swing, then recover to the middle.