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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