Learn Tennis Techniques - Half Volley, Chop & Court Position

Posted on 11:13 AM by doublefour

The Half Volley.

Always a difficult shot, this requires more perfect timing, eyesight, and racquet work than any other, since its margin of error is smallest and its many chances of mistakes numberless. Having said that when learning tennis techniques this shot is a must have.

Basically it's a pick-up shot. The ball meets the ground and racquet face at nearly the same moment, the ball bouncing off the ground, onto the strings. This shot is a stiff-wrist, short swing, like a volley with no follow through. The racquet face travels along the ground with a slight tilt over the ball and towards the net, thus holding the ball low; the shot, like all others in tennis, should travel across the racquet face, along the short strings. The racquet face should always be slightly outside the ball. The half volley is essentially a defensive stroke, since it should only be made as a last resort, when caught out of position by your opponent's shot. It is a last ditch desperate attempt to extricate yourself from a dangerous position without retreating. You should never deliberately half volley.

The Chop Stroke.

A chop stroke is a shot where the angle towards the player and behind the racquet, made by the line of flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling down across it, is greater than 45 degrees and may be 90 degrees. The racquet face passes slightly outside the ball and down the side, chopping it, as a man chops wood. The spin and curve is from right to left. It is made with a stiff wrist.

The slice shot merely reduced the angle mentioned from 45 degrees down to a very small one. The racquet face passes either inside or outside the ball, according to direction desired, while the stroke is mainly a wrist twist or slap. This slap imparts a decided skidding break to the ball, while a chop "drags" the ball off the ground without break.

The rules of footwork for both these shots should be the same as the drive, but because both are made with a short swing and more wrist play, without the need of weight, the rules of footwork may be more safely discarded and body position not so carefully considered.

Both these shots are essentially defensive, and are labour-saving devices when your opponent is on the baseline. A chop or slice is very hard to drive, and will break up any driving game. It is not a shot to use against a volley, as it is too slow to pass and too high to cause any worry. It should be used to drop short, soft shots at the feet of the net man as he comes in. Do not strive to pass a net man with a chop or slice, except through a big opening.

The drop shot is a very soft, sharply angled chop stroke, played wholly with the wrist. It should drop within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any use. The racquet face passes around the outside of the ball and under it with a distinct "wrist turn." Do not swing the racquet from the shoulder in making a drop shot. The drop shot has no relation to a stop-volley. The drop shot is all wrist. The stop-volley has no wrist at all. Use all your wrist shots, chop, slice, and drop, merely as an auxiliary to your orthodox game. They are intended to upset your opponent's game through the varied spin on the ball.

Your Court Position.

A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net. There are only two places in a tennis court that a tennis player should be to await the ball.
1. About 3 feet behind the baseline near the middle of the court, or
2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and almost opposite the ball.

The first is the place for all baseline players. The second is the net position.

If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot which you must return, do not remain at the point where you struck the ball, but attain one of the two positions mentioned as rapidly as possible.

The distance from the baseline to about 10, feet from the net may be considered as "no-man's-land" or "the blank." Never linger there, since a deep shot will catch you at your feet. After making your shot from the blank, as you must often do, retreat behind the baseline to await the return, so you may again come forward to meet the ball. If you are drawn in short and cannot retreat safely, continue all the way to the net position.

Never stand and watch your shot, for to do so simply means you are out of position for your next stroke. Strive to attain a position so that you always arrive at the spot the ball is going to before it actually arrives. Do your hard running while the ball is in the air, so you will not be hurried in your stroke after it bounces.

It is in learning to do this that natural anticipation plays a big role. Some players instinctively know where the next return is going and take position accordingly, while others will never sense it. It is to the latter class that I urge court position, and recommend always coming in from behind the baseline to meet the ball, since it is much easier to run forward than back.

Should you be caught at the net, with a short shot to your opponent, do not stand still and let him pass you at will, as he can easily do. Pick out the side where you think he will hit, and jump to, it suddenly as he swings. If you guess right, you win the point. If you are wrong, you are no worse off, since he would have beaten you anyway with his shot.

Your position should always strive to be such that you can cover the greatest possible area of court without sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is the surest, most dangerous, and must be covered. It is merely a question of how much more court than that immediately in front of the ball may be guarded.

Without a well-grounded knowledge of court position you'll undoubtedly lose numerous points, not to mention the breath expended in long runs after hopeless shots. When you start to learn tennis techniques you must consider your court position at all times. Clearly the type of shot which will be your next depends upon your court position.

The author enjoys playing tennis and would love to pass on his experience to help others playing this wonderful game

For more articles and information about improving every aspect of your game please visit Learn Tennis Techniques where you can also download (without any sign-up) a free ebook about improving your game.

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Can You Learn To Play Tennis From A Book?

Posted on 7:58 PM by doublefour

Let me start by saying, you will get on quicker by having coaching lessons with a good professional trainer.

However, there is every possibility to learn to play tennis, from a well written instruction manual, prepared by a professional tennis coach.

It is true to say, that every sport can be attempted and if you have flare and are dedicated to learning, that you can participate in that sport, but there is still the need to be able to perform correctly, to get anywhere in that sport.

Most sports have a technical issue and that is ther difference between just participating and competing. As an example practically everyone can go out and run, but if you want to compete against other runners, then you will need to find out the finer, technical points of running. This goes without saying, in practically all sports.

There is a particular problem for beginners, in learning to play tennis, without any kind of instruction, and this is the frustration of trying to hit the ball and trying to send it where you want to, in the first instance. Two people decide to go to the tennis court, they each have a racquet and a couple of balls. They stand at the far end of the court (near the base line) and attempt to hit the ball to one another - as the pros do! They quickly find out that they are constantly having to go to pick the ball up and very seldom get the chance to return a ball, they get frustrated with each other, and that probably ends their foray into tennis.

Fortunately, tennis can be broken down into individual parts, and this is the beauty of the system developed by Dennis Van de Meer and taught by all professionals of the P.T.R. (Professional Tennis Registery - the largest international coaches association) This therefore lends itself to being written into an easy to follow instruction book.

But - do not believe that you can go out for a week and learn to play tennis, as some books have suggested, in the past. To follow a course that I am suggesting, will take time and perseverance; it is essential to follow the instructions very carefully and to keep going over the training points, to ensure they are done correctly. To develop bad habits at this stage means they will be difficult to eradicate later.

At the end of 3 to 6 months, providing you learn at least once a week and practice once a week, you should be ready to play a game of tennis, then if you are hooked on tennis, I would recommend a few lessons with a good tennis coach and why not join a tennis club. Once you can play, there is nothing that will improve your game faster, than playing with others at a club. You could be hooked for life, and you will never regret it.

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How Can I Get Better at Tennis Without Just Working on Strokes?

Posted on 12:52 PM by doublefour

I recently received an email from a 4.5 tennis player in the USA who proposed the following question: I could use some help with a plan to get better. I am a 4.5 rated player in the USA and would like to be a 5.5. For some reason, I can't find a tennis coach that will help with an overall plan; they just want to work on strokes. Any ideas?

After coaching tennis at a big country club in Texas for over five years I often faced the same question from our tournament players who felt as if they had plateaued and that by just getting out on the court and working on their strokes was just not taking them to the next level. As a tennis coach you need to be flexible and be able to analyze each player and create a plan for their own specific and individual needs. This means taking into account all of the factors or variables that make a great player.

The professional tennis players cover all areas and there is no reason why you can't incorporate some of their training plans with a club level player. As you will see below I discuss and cover some specific areas from physical, psychological, tactical and so on which are often neglected by a coach who only sees their role as working on strokes.

So for our 4.5 player I would talk to him about focusing on some of the following areas that will help him to get to that next level without working on just strokes.

Psychological:

Game Plan:
Work on your game plan. That is; have you scouted your next opponent? Do you have your own game plan ready so that you can control the match how you want to play it? Do you have a back-up plan in case your first plan is not working?

Concentration:
Telling yourself to concentrate harder will not work. However, if you can put into place pre-game, in-game and post-game routines then you will be able to remain more focused on the task at hand. In between points allow you mind to relax and bring back your focus when you step up to the line to serve or return. The human mind cannot focus continuously so it is pointless to try and do so.

Scout Your Opponent:
If you are in a tournament then go and have a look at your next opponent. Analyse and look at how they play, what is their favourite shot, what are their weaknesses, do they struggle on the big points, do they always go for their favourite shot on a big point, do they have a big shot and so on. Once you have this information then go away and create a game plan to beat this player.

Routines:
Have a routine for in-between points that will help you maintain control and composure when either winning or losing. Once again this allows you to have control over how the game is played.

Goal Setting:
I know, you have all heard this before but I cannot stress enough that as soon as you write down some realistic goals on paper you will immediately feel that you have direction and something to train for. It is a great feeling when you achieve a goal and can move on to the next one.

Physical:

Footwork:
One of the most common problems I faced with club level players was that they had poor footwork which led to poor execution on their shots. Many coaches spend hours and hours trying to teach a player the correct stroke technique when a lot of the time the real issue is that they don't set up properly for the shot and then as a result being out of position causes the player to use bad technique. Incorporate some of the tennis specific footwork drills that we have provided in our eBooks.

Strength:
Maybe you are lacking the physical strength to gain those few extra miles on your serve. One way to add more power to your serve without just hitting serves for hours on end is to hit the gym! Have an experienced gym trainer develop a weight training program to increase your strength and watch your serve become faster and more of a weapon!

Speed:
Maybe you are not fast enough on the court. Being too slow will negatively impact your strokes. You may not recover fast enough after being out of position, maybe you don't get to the ball in time and as a result do not properly execute the shot. Speed is a weapon! Just ask Lleyton Hewitt or Rafael Nadal and you will soon see how speed is used to their advantage.

Flexibility:
This is often a neglected area. Besides the known benefits of preventing injuries there are many direct benefits to improving on-court performance. One of my friends, Mark Wellington, trained Maria Sharapova for a couple of years and he always mentioned how he placed great emphasis on flexibility and teaching Maria how to move on the court. Having greater flexibility will help you to recover after each shot and get back in position more quickly for the next shot.

Endurance:
Tennis is often described as an "Anaerobic" sport due to the nature of reasonably short points. However, you need to train your aerobic system so that you can sustain a high level of play right up until the end. Often a player may be losing matches simply because they fade away. All of those hours working on strokes won't help you if you run out of gas!

Reflexes:
By improving your reflexes you can become more competent at the net as well as improving other areas of your game such as the return of serve. Many players just do not react quickly enough to a fast serve. As a result they make errors on the return of serve or just don't get the ball back into play.

Tactical:
Have you ever played against someone who was more technically "inferior" to you in the sense that their strokes were not very efficient but they just always had a knack of wining? We all have at some point in out tennis careers! Some players are just match tough. They know how to break down an opponents' game. They know how to create a game plan that will be successful. They have that ability to win the big points.

So what you need to do is analyze your own game plan. Do you have one when you step on the court? Do you have the ability to stick with a winning game plan but also change a losing one? This is where you can ask your coach to work with you. Spend a whole lesson playing points and have your coach talk to you about how you construct your points. No stroke technique just a "Match Play" lesson. This will give you a perspective from an opposing player of what they see in your game.

General:

Technique:
 Make sure that you have correct technique on all of your shots. If you have a visible weakness then you can count on your opponent exploiting this shot.

Matches! Matches! Matches! I can't stress enough how important it is to play matches. You cannot simply practice or just do lessons and then expect to perform when in a competitive situation. You need to play more matches and as a direct result you will become more match tough, more experienced in dealing with different players and will also be able to see what areas you need to improve on when in a match. You could even have a friend use match evaluation forms to scout your match and then afterwards you can see what areas exactly you need to work on. Remember: be a match play and not just a practice player!

When I coached competitive ladies teams, I tried to build a lot of my drills based around "live ball" or "match like" drills rather than just feeding drills. The more point based drills you do the more comfortable you will be in a real match as these drills simulate match play that includes the unpredictability rather than the predictable ball fed by a coach.

Practice Partners:
Train with players better than you! If you are a 4.5 - are you always playing with 4.5 players? If so and you want to get to a 5.5 then go out and play with those better players who will help to raise the level of your game. If your practice partner is not pushing you hard enough then find a new one. Join a drill session that has these better players. You will soon be forced to raise the level of your game in order to compete with these guys.

Many clubs have a Saturday morning group training session for men. You could ask your club coach what other drill sessions you could join.

Variety:
If you practice with the same players all the time then you will become one dimensional and become accustomed to their game styles. Unfortunately, when you are in a tournament and face a totally different game style you will not know how to play them. So, get out there and play as many different players as you can. Some the same level as you and some better at the 5.5 level.

Consistency:
Way too often matches are lost by the player making too many simple and unforced errors. First become a strong consistent player and then work on the big shots. If you continuously beat yourself with simple errors how do you ever expect to win? Force your opponent to beat you. Reduce your errors by making having shot selection.

Big Shot:
Once you have developed consistency then you may just need a "big shot" to beat those 5.5 players. Ideally work on a big serve or a big forehand. Even developing a great kick serve can be used as a weapon. A big shot will intimidate your opponent.

Drills: When training use more live ball or match play drills. Set specific goals for each session and then use our GSC drills to build on your strengths and also improve on those weaker areas. There are hundreds of new drills in our eBooks or on our site so use them! If your coach just wants to feed all of the time then you will not be reaching your full potential. Choose drills that are based on point play and simulating match play. The transition into real matches will be much easier for you.

Summary:
Improve on the following areas:

Game plans

Routines

Improve on the "mental aspect" of the game

Concentration

Goal setting

Play more matches

Improve shot technique

Play against various players

Improve your speed, strength, flexibility, reflexes and footwork

Improve consistency

Develop a big shot

Join an extra league for more match practice

Add more shots to you game (eg. slice backhand, kick serve or drop shot)

Scout future opponents to get a jump on them

Play with better players than you to help raise your level

Find a great practice partner with similar goals to you

The beauty about the game of tennis is that there is always something to work on. The hard part is to know when you are wasting your time on the wrong things. Are you a match player or a practice player? Quite simply, conduct a review of your entire game and then analyse each area. When I worked with elite athletes as an Exercise Physiologist I would have to conduct what we called a "Needs Analysis" which was quite simply conducting and reviewing every area involved with the athlete and their sport. Then devising a plan to improve every aspect or variable.

Good Luck and take control of your own destiny!

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Developing A 'BIG' Forehand for Tennis Players

Posted on 4:01 PM by doublefour

When you watch young tennis players in tournaments in the U/10, U/12 and U/14 age groups you will find that it is often the more consistent players who do well. At this age the athletes are still physically developing and the male players are just entering a growth stage where they will start to increase on their strength and power quite significantly.

As the player enters their mid-teens you will find that those players who dominated during their younger years due to their consistency start to have a tougher time. As they transition into the higher age groups they will also need to develop bigger shots, in particular the serve and forehand. These players find that they can no longer just hit the ball over the net waiting for their opponent's error. If they do they are finding that their opponents are hitting back more penetrating shots or even winners.

The difference between many players comes down to who has the bigger shots combined with consistency. Obviously someone who just crunches the ball without control will be very inconsistent.

To develop a big forehand in tennis several issues need to be addressed first:

Is the player ready to work on this shot?

Do they have the correct technique?

Do they have the correct footwork? (i.e. know how to step around for an inside-out forehand)

Do they have enough strength?

Do they have they understand why they need to develop a big forehand?

Do they have the potential to develop a big forehand?

Do you, the coach, know how to teach this shot?

Do you know the best drills to use in order to teach this shot?

Analysis / Biomechanics of a "Big Forehand" in tennis:

Technique and preparation

Modern players use the western forehand grip which allows the player to make contact just below shoulder height due to the racket face angle. This suits clay court players who like to hit the ball up high allowing for their racket to get under the ball and brush up behind it.

Footwork and stance

Unlike traditional coaching styles of having a closed stance, the modern players have an open stance that helps them to create balance, control and then an explosive and powerful rotation of the trunk as the swing forward.

During this stance the weight is transferred from the back leg which is flexed prior to the swing and then the weight is transferred forwards as the player swings. It is this force generated that will ultimately help the forward rotation of the right hip as the player swings to make contact with the ball.
Backswing and forward swing

It is during the backswing that the shoulders turn and rotate in preparing for power. It is during the backswing that the non-dominant arm acts to help create balance as well as being involved in the backswing.

It is during the forward swing that the back leg will push off developing power and as a result will straighten to create rotation. As a result the player will open up (be parallel to the net) and the shoulders rotate forwards just prior to impact. The shoulder and hip rotation plays a significant role in power generation. It is this rotation that forces the player to come up off the ground.

At impact the racket face is approximately at a 90 degree angle to the ground. The racket "brushes" up behind the ball generating topspin which is a result of a low to high swing.

The follow through

It is during the follow through phase that you will find the arm nearly parallel to the ground just after impact. The more traditional swings (players with continental grip) would force the player to follow through up over their shoulder.

Today, players whip through the ball forcing the arm across and to often wrap around the body rather than up over their shoulder. This creates certain problems when teaching youngsters the follow through who do not generate the explosive forward swing. Coaches still need to teach the more traditional follow through to beginner players in order to help them hit the ball up and over the net.

Recovery

The rotation of the shoulders and hip concludes with the player landing on their front left leg and recovering to anticipate the next shot.
General tennis coaching tips

As a coach, it is important to remember the individual stages of development with your players. You may try to teach a squad of twelve players the big forehand but you will be sure to find that some players do not have the correct technique to learn the shot and some are lacking the physical strength required to generate enough power.

In this situation you can designate one court to work on this "big" forehand and then group your players accordingly by level. That way the coach can set the appropriate drills for each smaller group of players. Live ball tennis drills are used when training a larger group of players.

To reach your full potential and reach the highest levels a player must develop a big stroke and often the forehand is a great shot to use to intimidate an opponent!

Get into the gym and start working out. You will be amazed what a little extra strength will do to your tennis game. One of neglected aspects in weight training for male players is the lower body and core. If you build strong legs and a strong core then you will notice the extra power on your shots.

The key to separating yourself from fellow club players is to develop a great forehand. It is recommended to take a few tennis lessons and have a coach take you though this process step by step before you go out on your own. If you are a keen tennis player then you will enjoy your game more if you consistently improve.

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Tennis : How to Master Your Weakness And Improve Your Tennis Game in 10 Minutes

Posted on 10:48 AM by doublefour

To improve your tennis game do not play against the same player too often unless he is the better player. Vary your opponents. By playing against the same man too much you soon learn each other's weaknesses and do not improve.

The strokes are the same all the time and each one knows where and when the ball is coming. If you play with different players, you will meet new strokes, fresh tactics, and varying temperaments.

Play as much as possible against men who can beat you. Beating will do you good from the start, as you will know you are getting good practice. When you know that you can beat a man, you will not be forced to your best, which makes you careless in stroke.

If one could remember to practice his weak strokes when playing against a poor player it would do a world of good. Do not be content to give him a bad beating.

For example, if you have a weak back­hand, leave openings in your backhand court for your adversary to put the ball. He being out to beat you will keep on putting ball after ball there. Thus you can get good practice. The opponent, being a poorer player, gives you more time, and is not forcing you on your strokes. You thus get time to correct your form and improve your game. If one's net game is weak he can get good practice by go­ing up on practically every ball.

Against a good player he would not dare go up so often.

The easiest way to learn strokes is to take a dozen balls on the court. Stand a foot behind the base line. Drop the ball so it will bound about knee or waist high and to one side of you. Judge it so you have a free swing and drive it over the net.

Start well back with the swing and finish out your stroke. Keep this up until you send all the balls into the other court. Then go in the other court and return them. Do this for a half hour or so a day. In this way you are not hurried on the stroke. The trouble with beginners is that they like to play instead of practice at the start. Then when they play they return the ball "any old way," so long as they get it back. Thus one acquires faults and bad habits.

Learn your strokes well first; you have a life-time in front of you to play. You cannot learn your strokes and play at the same time, for the reason that your adversary is out to beat you and is forc­ing you on all of your strokes.

Some faults and habits that a beginner acquires through playing before he has learned his strokes are:
1. Covers his weak strokes instead of playing them.
2. Does not learn to anticipate where the ball is going to drop and hence cannot judge it correctly to hit at the right time.
3. Hurrying his shots, which makes him overrun the ball.
4. Not taking proper swing.

If a beginner would only have the patience to practice more from the start, he would learn to make his strokes correctly, to judge the ball, and to meet it at the right time and distance from him. His stroke is also corrected, as he is not being hurried. He soon gets so he can put the ball in any part of the court he wishes. He also learns the angles of the court and has better control over his ball. When one gets so he can put the ball into any part of the court, that's time enough to begin to play.

In playing one has to anticipate where the ball is going to drop. Judge it so you are in good position to return it. Take it on one side of you so you have a free swing. For volley practice have some one drive balls to you. Have a boy throw balls up for you to smash. Serving you can do all by yourself.

The reason I recommend dropping the ball and putting it over the net instead of practicing against a wall or in a squash court is that one learns to get the right height on each shot and to put it over the net instead of against a wall at any old height. He learns the angles of the court better. He learns to place his ball. He can see if his return is good or bad.

It is very good practice, however, for ex­perienced players to try strokes against a wall or in a squash court. I would not advise this for beginners, as they would acquire a squash stroke, more or less, instead of a tennis stroke. From my experience of squash and tennis the strokes are not alike.

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Tennis Lesson Tips - Perfecting Your Swing

Posted on 4:37 PM by doublefour

There are a lot of things to learn when taking up tennis, but one of the main fundamentals that must be taught is how to swing. Perfecting your swing may make the difference between being able to handle yourself on the court, and never quite learning how to play a decent game of tennis.

Want to know how to improve your swing? Follow these important guidelines:

Step #1: Get Ready For The Hit!
Keep your racquet back at all times. Once the ball has left your opponent's racquet, you must move into position. It's important to keep your racquet back while positioning yourself to enable a clean shot.

But, before heading toward the incoming ball remember to...
1. Recognize that the ball is going to your forehand side.
2. Establish a balanced sideways stance as you begin to position yourself for the stroke by letting go with your non-dominant hand. At this point your racquet should be pointing away from your intended target and positioned about waist high.
3. Move into final position for the shot by maintaining enough space between your body and the ball. This will allow for a more fluent stroke. Position your body to enable you to hit the ball when it is waist high. If the ball happens to be below your waist, bend your knees to lower your waist height.
4. Next, move the racquet towards the ball and remember to keep the "head" of the racquet at the same height as your hand as you initiate your stroke. DO NOT bend or straighten your arm or move your wrists. Begin to rotate your shoulders while keeping your eye on the ball.
5. It's time to make contact with the ball. The point of contact should be somewhere around your front foot. Be sure that the "face" of your racquet is square to the ball at contact. Remember to rotate your shoulders through contact. This will allow you to keep your racquet face going in the right direction throughout the entire swing.

Step #2: Follow Through!
Correct follow through ensures that the prior phase of your swing was executed in a smooth manner. Similar to the backhand, correct follow-through creates an arcing motion that rises from the point of contact with the ball to an area just above your opposite shoulder. A smooth follow through is a direct response to a smooth contact. Brute force alone can't create a powerful swing. The key here is a smooth execution of both the stroke and its follow-through phase.

A strong follow through consists of these steps:
1. Lifting the ball over the net while keeping the arm and wrist fixed.
2. Finishing the shoulder rotation. If your chest is facing the intended target you are positioned correctly.
3. Being sure that your racquet face remains perpendicular to the ground through the entire follow through.
4. Be sure to keep your rear toe planted while the heel raises off the ground. Lifting your rear foot will result in a poor follow-through.

While all of these techniques and tricks can definitely help you to improve your tennis swing, the most important element to improvement is practice, practice and more practice.

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How to Perform A Tennis Serve

Posted on 4:18 PM by doublefour


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Improve My Tennis Game

Posted on 12:13 PM by doublefour

Thousands of tennis beginners ask themselves – How can I improve my tennis game? This article will present to you the do’s and don’ts on how to improve your tennis game.

Do’s:
Do acquire a tennis gear that suits you the best. Try out, or “demo” a couple to see which fits you and you feel comfortable wearing/to use. This applies to all of your possible tennis accessories.
Do stay relaxed on the tennis court, this is easily done by shaking out your arms and legs. This will improve your performance and make you enjoy tennis a little bit more.
Do educate yourself in the psychic part of tennis, to withstand frustration on the court. This is a major factor in a tennis match and is really important to understand.
Do play many different opponents, experience loads of new techniques and strokes. This will let you evolve into a great tennis player and certainly improve your game.
Do remember to keep your foot-work active, side-step as much as possible, preferably after each stroke back to the center of the court.

Don’ts:
Don’t focus on anything but tennis when standing on a tennis court. That will only serve as a distraction.
Don’t over-think your moves when playing tennis. Decide what you’re going to do rapidly and perform. Over-thinking will only lead to failure and disappointment.
Don’t forget to stretch your arms and legs before playing tennis. That could very well result in a serious injury.
Don’t service you first couple of serves in a match with a 100% power. Try starting at 75% then increase as you get more and more familiar with the move.
Don’t worry about the skill level of opponents. Always expect an opponent to be at the same skill level as yourself, that way you won’t over/underestimate anyone.
I’m following these guidelines myself to help me improve my tennis game, you should too!

Are you asking yourself - How do I improve my tennis game?

We've found the absolute best resources on how to learn tennis and improving your game.

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How Do You Play Tennis?

Posted on 12:10 PM by doublefour

Always wanted to learn how to play tennis but don't know where to start? Don’t worry, there’s a bunch of different ways you can learn how to play tennis online. Books is a great way to explore what tennis has to offer, not to mention videos which is even better since you get to see all the moves and techniques get preformed in front of you. So how do you play tennis? This article will teach you the basics of tennis, reveal the tennis scoring system, discuss court differences and hopefully give you some insight on the subject.

Technique in tennis is just a little part of the abilities and skills required to play tennis. I’ve encountered many instructional videos and books which hasn’t understood this. They are all about how you play tennis, and how to make the correct move with your arms or legs, not twisting your wrist etc. when you actually might have problems with judging the balls landing spot or getting into position for the ball within the time limit. How do you play tennis? You study the rules of the game, learn the basic moves and perform them over and over again until you feel like you can evolve and try performing some more advanced techniques that will let you get that score advantage against your tennis partner.

To describe the tennis scoring system as simple as possible, a player must win four points to win a game, six games to win a set, and two or sometimes three sets to win a match. Game points will be counted 0(love)-15-30-40-game, and if the score between two players is 40-40 it’s called Deuce. To win the game at deuce, a player must first acquire an advantage by winning a point, and then win the following point. If a player gains an advantage but loses the following point, the score is reset back to deuce. The first player who wins six games by margin of two points wins a set, and the first player to win two (or sometimes three) sets wins the match. The outcome of matches can often depend on which type of court the match is played on, so it is important to know the differences between them.

There are many types of courts used for tennis, but do you know what a fast or slow court is? A fast court is a court which has a faster surface, in other words is slowing the ball down less then a slow court. The ball also generally bounces higher on slower surfaces then on faster surfaces and vice versa. As expected the fast court surfaces suites a big server and serve-and-volley player best, although shorter strokes are easily executed on a fast surface compared to longer strokes. Slow court surfaces are baseliners favorite courts with their long strokes and/or a consistency based game. To sum up, slow courts makes you run less while fast courts make you run more, which by the way is a good thing as a game of tennis is a fabulous workout opportunity.

Tennis requires flexibility and agility to keep up with the ball, raw strength for powerful shots, endurance to be able to play a whole match and a good mental mind to stay ahead of ones opponent. Tennis allows you to train all of this while having fun, relieving stress and energizing your spirit. Tennis shapes the body as well as sharpens the mind. Each time a ball is hit, one is forced to react and respond fast. Some might want to find a strategy to use against an opponent. This keeps your brain young and helps relieve tension. Hitting the ball with a racket for an hour or two will leave you stronger and surely tone and sculpt your entire upper body. Tennis players often have good core strength (abs and lower back muscles) because they do the hard work when hitting a tennis ball but also keeps you balanced when you run and provide power to your strokes along with your legs and upper body. And the fact that your legs will get a full workout should be apparent when playing tennis, but you might not have known that you stretch muscles all over your body, (increasing your flexibility) including a few you didn’t even know you had just by playing tennis. Your heart is also getting a piece of the action when you play tennis, interval training improves your heart function and you might well say tennis is interval training since you get a few seconds rest in between the points.

As you probably can tell this is only a fraction of the subject, but what you’ve read in this article is the basics of playing tennis. So if you’re still asking “How do you play tennis?”, maybe this game isn’t for you.

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Secrets In Improving Your Tennis Game

Posted on 5:18 PM by doublefour

So how do you improve your tennis game or kick it up a notch separating you from being ranked at the bottom to a top 10 tennis player in the world? Ok, that may sound a little outrageous and I may have left out that it would help immensely if you were a gifted athlete as well! So, in the world of sports most athletes understand that certain attributes will help their game in areas they need improvement.

This is the reason serious tennis players or athletes hire a trainer or coach that will design a program focusing on their strength, speed, agility & footwork, flexibility, and endurance to elevate their tennis game. A trainer will focus on how to increase racquet speed that is done through strength training, flexibility movements to improve a person's range of motion, and how to generate power from the legs to hips so strength or balance is being utilized. Every edge on your opponent counts or should I say every split second makes a difference if you are able to return that shot from the baseline in that final match point!

Alright, let me describe the following skills you need to focus in improving your tennis game.

1. STRENGTH-Your core strength is very important and I can contest that all athletes no matter what their sport profession is need to have a have a strong base or core balance for maximum performance. Having strong core training will improve your balance and ability to twist or rotate all angles. Common tools will be resistance bands, medicine balls, kettlebells, and stability balls to aid you in developing or strengthening these areas. Your strength training will mainly be focused in the off season (2-3 months) tailored for most athletes even though tennis could sometimes be all year around for those choosing that path. During tennis season, you can still maintain your strength by focusing on higher repetitions and lighter weight not overworking your body. When adding resistance training to your tennis, make sure they would be functional exercises meaning you are training multi-movements rather than just the muscle.

For example, in the gym you perform 3 sets of 10 reps of leg extensions strengthening your quadriceps. Now, one will assume it may help a tennis player's quadriceps but instead it is only designed to limit joint involvement isolating that muscle group for the purpose of building muscle. Most machines perform concentric contractions and in this case leg extensions are uni-planar, linear, and isolated. My point is that you have to target your attention to not only train the quadriceps but other muscles in conjunction with it such as the ankle, knee, hip joints, lower back, speed, acceleration, deceleration and stabilization. All of these play a major factor when implementing a strength training program for an athlete.

2. SPEED, AGILITY & FOOTWORK-To get fast you also need to be strong. The first component of speed is strength. The next component is speed, agility and footwork which need to be practiced constantly to get better. Often you'll see some coach's train their athletes combining an elastic band or tube around their waist that can be held by that person or training partner. You can perform explosive jumps in all directions with this added resistance. This is a great tool to build up a few attributes at the same time by getting faster and stronger simultaneously. To get fast feet you need to work on drills using a hula hoop or drawing a circle. From inside the circle you will jump out with both feet to each angle returning to the center each time. Perform this a few times and you can try with 1 or 2 feet. Agility involves quickness along with smooth graceful movements. You can set up cones in various patterns and change the directions for the athlete.

A person can perform this without the racket and eventually adding it to the practice along with a tennis ball at the end. Using drills like this will help an athlete improve their agility since most tennis points aren't more than 15 seconds, players usually don't run more than 25 feet in one direction, and in a tennis point it usually involves at least 5 directional changes. Another aspect is to focus on your footwork patterns and similar movements to your on court conditioning because tennis involves movements in all directions. Make sure you include forward, sideways, and backward sprints.

3. FLEXIBILITY-Your flexibility involves movements that are dynamic that can be integrated as a warm up and cool down. Static stretching should be done after training or playing so muscles return back to their length preventing soreness from the lactic acid. There are two types of stretching receptors as one detects the speed of stretch and the other is the magnitude of stretch. The static stretching improves the flexibility and dynamic stretching improves dynamic flexibility. Static stretching can be done anytime during the day but not before a workout. This type of stretching relaxes the muscle increasing the possibility of injury and decreasing performance. It is performed by gradually easing in a stretched position and then hold for 6 to 30 seconds.

This type of stretching is best done after a workout when doing a cool down. Dynamic stretching is the opposite and can be done before a weights workout and after a cardio warm up. An example would be arm swings, shoulder circles, hip circles, etc. It is very common to see player use static stretching as a warm up. So, a good way to get your body loose prior to playing a big game is a bit of jogging, side shuffling, back pedaling, skipping for about 5 minutes followed by arm circles, chopping motions, torso movements, leg kicks, crab walks, etc. Basically your movements should emulate a lighter version of what you'll be doing before playing.

4. ENDURANCE-Some of us assume that tennis is an aerobic sport but it is more so anaerobic. Although the game may sometimes last 2-3 hours, the energy athletes expend is bursts of anaerobic energy. There is alot of stop and go with constant footwork involved exchanging shots from the baseline to running to the net for a volley or leaping for an overhead smash. However, an athlete should still be conditioned aerobically to last throughout the whole match or they will not survive a 3 or 5 set match. If an athlete's conditioning isn't as good, they will need to focus on cardio conditioning in conjunction with the anaerobic training.

So, the best type of training would be interval training by performing short burst of 15-20 seconds followed by active recovery of 30-60 seconds continuing for 25-45 minutes. Your rest period will increase to about 90 seconds after every 9 times producing a similar training effect. This will emulate a similar sequence in a tennis match by performing a 90 second rollover after 2 games. With high intensity interval training, the ratio is using a formula of 1:3 rest period ratio. For variety, this type of interval training can be carried over to cycling, biking, rowing, running, etc.

Other Added Tools:
There are so many tools out there to help you improve your strength by emulating your swing or movements to improve your footwork or reaction time, etc.

1. Strength-Some people use resistance bands building a more powerful swing associating with specific shoulder movements.

2. Agility & Reaction-Agility rings are quite effective and a very simple tool to use improving your agility, quickness, coordination and reaction. It's used for resistance insuring it is laid flat used for footwork drills.

3. Stretching-There are devices similar to a resistance band but you can adjust the length to fit your body's length and flexibility. You can increase the tension by adjusting your hand grip position. It's pretty good since you can monitor yourself in stages on your flexibility progress and strength.

4. Core-A popular one being used is a rotational torso training ball with rope at both ends. It's basically a medicine ball with a rope handle. It's great for rotational swinging, chopping and throwing drills and exercises.
As we now know a properly designed program is essential because it is based on what areas an athlete needs improvement, tennis schedule, and ensure they aren't being overworked or else they will not perform well during game time. Another thing I would like to mention and its something that is hard to be taught because it comes deep within you. What I would like to address is regaining back your train of thought or mental strength during a critical part in the game. Most times you may be in a slump and hitting shots wide, too deep, or a simple volley into the net.

You need to approach this positively and change your game around by remembering to take a deep breath, slow down the pace, or even if you have to lose a few points to readjust your timing and rhythm. Once you gather your thoughts during the game you are back on track regaining your confidence and eventually winning the game, set, and match! Follow my advice on how to improve your tennis game and you'll notice a dramatic improvement. Now, you can bring all these skills into your arsenal and confidently say you have an ace in your bag!

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Tennis Lessons for Beginner

Posted on 5:14 PM by doublefour

Concentration and Equipment

Your concentration can be maintained by focusing on each single shot individually. Do not focus too much on missed opportunities and acknowledge good shots by your opponent (even if only in your mind!). Break the whole game down into little bits: concentrate on winning a shot, a game, a set, and ultimately the match. It is no use focusing all of your energy on making it big in tennis and all you can think about on the court is the nice restaurant you are going to afterwards, or even the screams from the avid spectators (hopefully for your superb tennis display!).

When buying tennis equipment, do not try to be too stingy. Get a decent tennis racquet, tennis shoes, and of course proper tennis balls. No use trying to play tennis with balls lacking a consistent and regular bounce. You would not believe the frustration of having to play with ‘tennis balls' purchased at the local gas station. Also, do not use your quality tennis balls until they have lost all their hair - not all things get better with age (like wine)! I know decent tennis equipment can be pricy, but it is worth all your effort in the end.

When starting out with tennis as a beginner do not feel compelled to dress like a professional tennis player such as Roger Federer. On the other hand, do not play tennis in casual wear either. Dress according to the occasion and, in the case of tennis, dress comfortable to allow easy movement across the tennis court.

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Tennis - Ideal For Beginners

Posted on 4:58 PM by doublefour

If you have not been the sporty or athletic type but are keen to take up a sport as part of your goal to adopt a healthier lifestyle, tennis is a wonderful game to pick up.

Tennis can be played according to the players' preference - slow and steady for beginners, or fast and furious for advanced players and professionals.

Tennis is also one of the few sports that uses most of the muscles on your body, which means you get a very good overall workout, and it's great for your cardio.

For these reasons, tennis is ideal as a beginners' sport, even for those who have never been active in sports.
Tennis is also a very sociable game. It takes at least two to play tennis, just like it takes two to tango. You can chit chat with your partner in between sets. Unless you're in a competitive match, you can even trade jokes during the game!

For even more fun, when you're more confident in your game, you can invite an additional two players to make it a "doubles".

What do you need?
A tennis racquet
A pair of tennis shoes (or track shoes)
Some tennis balls
A tennis court
And a partner!

What you need to know?
Here are some of the things you need to know before getting on the court.

1. How to hold the tennis racquet
Assuming you're right handed, hold the tennis racquet on your left hand. Then open up the palm of your right hand, put it against the racquet handle, and slide it down to the grip and grip it.

2. Swings
There are several basic tennis swings that beginners need to learn, but the 2 most basic are the following:
a. forehand (position of your racquet is similar to an open palm on your right hand facing the net)
b. backhand (your right hand will be across your body with the back of your hand facing the net)
You can play a game just using these two swings as a start.

3. The Tennis Court
If you're playing Singles (2 players), the "in" area of the court is demarcated by the two inner vertical lines running from one baseline to the other.
If you're playing Doubles (4 players), then you will be using all the areas within the two outer vertical lines.
The ball is always served from behind the Baseline, the horizontal lines at the back of the court.

First Time on the Court
Now that you have the necessary equipment, some basic knowledge and a partner, you're now ready to get on the court.

When you get to the court, start with some stretching exercises, either alone or together with your partner. As tennis uses the muscles in your legs and arms, be sure to include some stretching exercises that target these muscles.

Once you've completed the stretching exercises, you can warm up effectively by playing "mini-tennis" for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. This means you and your partner will be standing just behind the service boxes, and start hitting the ball to one another slowly and steadily.

After the warm up, you can now move back to the baseline to start playing a game.

As this is your first tennis game, do not get hung up on the rules of the games or the proper swinging techniques. Just hit the ball to one another. Try to keep your ball within the court, so it'll be easier for you and your partner to return the ball to each other.

The main objective for your first game is to have fun, before deciding on whether this is the sport for you. And the more times you hit the ball, the more fun you will have!

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