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How good you want to become depends on the
amount of time spent on the tennis courts. Picking up bad habits on the your
fundamentals is the easiest way to fail. The game of tennis requires that
you understand the basic fundamentals. Once you grasp the mechanics of the different strokes you can become a
good quality tennis player.
-
Forehand
- learn the proper technique to develop this stroke.
-
Backhand
- This stroke is the easiest to perfect.
-
Volley
- A great weapon.
-
Lobs_and_Drop_Shots - Something to
practice a bit more.
- Serve - A steady
serve can be tricky to maintain.
- Topspin - Developing the
ability to hit topspin strokes will improve steadiness.
-
Slice -
A way to break the pace of you opponent's ground strokes.
- Approach Shot - One
of the most important shots in tennis.
In practice, some players try too many irregular motions.
This inhibits muscle memory in your strokes. It's a good idea to keep it
simple to build your stroke consistency.
THE GRIP: Shake hands with the racket. (eastern
grip) Extend your index finger in a trigger fashion.
WAITING POSITION: Stand facing the net, knees
slightly bent, weight evenly distributed and forward on the balls of your
feet. Hold the racket in front of your body, elbows-in, and parallel
to the ground. Support the racket with your free hand.
TURN: The shoulders and hips pivot. The right
foot turns toward the net post as you transfer your weight to that foot. The
forearm is parallel to the ground and the racket head angle with the forearm
remains the same.
BACKSWING: From the turn position, the racket goes
back until it is parallel to the ground, the angle between forearm and
racket still remains the same. The butt of the racket is pointing toward
the net and the racket on edge.
STEP AND HIT: The left foot steps toward the net
with the weight shifting on to that side. The ball is contacted opposite the left
leg, approximately waist high. The arm is relatively straight and the wrist
firm.
FOLLOW THROUGH: For right handed players, the follow through is a long,
continuous sweeping motion finishing high with the racket butt opposite the
left eye. The weight is now altogether on the front
foot with hips and shoulders turned into the stroke, The reverse is true for
left-handers.
Experiment with changes in your grip by trying
continental or western after you have grooved your classic forehand. Try
chipping and drop shots as well to build a variety of strokes.
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At practice, some players try too many irregular motions.
This will inhibit muscle memory in your strokes. It's a good idea to stay
with the basic fundamentals to build a constant stroke.
THE GRIP: Turn your hand from the forehand grip
until your first knuckle is on top of the handle. Extend the index finger,
your thumb may be either across the handle or curled around it.
WAITING POSITION: Stand facing the net, knees
slightly bent, weight evenly distributed and slightly forward on the balls
of your feet. Hold the racket in front of the body, elbows-in, and
forearm parallel to the ground. Support the racket with your free hand.
Once you have the backhand grip, the racket should be pointing toward the
sideline, not toward the net.
TURN: The shoulders and hips pivot so that your
weight shifts onto the left foot and the racket hand touches the left hip
bone.
BACKSWING: The left hand slides down the racket to
cradle the right hand. The racket is on edge and the angle of the racket and
forearm remain the same throughout the stroke.
STEP AND HIT: The right foot steps toward the net
with your weight shifting onto that foot. Make contact with the ball a bit in front
of the right leg, about waist high, and the arm is moderately
straight and the wrist is firm.
FOLLOW THROUGH: The follow through is a long,
continuous sweeping motion, finishing high, with the arm fairly straight.
If you are right handed, the butt of the racket is past the right eye. This
is the reverse for left-handed players. Your weight is now completely on the front foot and your
hips and shoulders have turned halfway toward the net.
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Ron Manilla, director of Racquet Sports,
Boar's Head Sports Club, and president of the Charlottesville Tennis Patrons
Association, says this about volleys:
"You've just approached the net, have the
perfect setup and bam, you hit the volley 10 feet wide. Chances are, you
over played the ball or tried to do too much. I always tell my students less
is best. Keep it simple, no back-swings, try just to block the ball. Always
move the racquet first toward the ball and then step in behind the contact.
If you step or turn your shoulder first, you
will always hit the ball late. Volleys hit in front of your body use very
little effort and most of the time are winners.
In practice, avoid the classic volley to
baseline drill with your partner. Instead, try hitting all winners,
practicing better angles and consistent depth. Soft hands always win more
points. Ball machines are great for practicing volleys. Remember, keep it
simple and have fun hitting more winners."
Patrick Kearns of the Farmington Country Club
writes:
"You are approaching the net wishing to make
an offensive volley. About halfway to the net you realize that it will not
be possible to volley the approaching ball. The ball is going to bounce
close to your feet, thus forcing you to hit a half volley. Here are several
tips to make hitting the half volley easier:
1. Prepare quickly with a compact back-swing
2. Flex your body and knees to get down to the shot and stay there through
the stroke
3. Move the racquet head smoothly to lift the ball over the net
4. Let the your racquet continue naturally in the direction of the ball
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Have you ever tried to slash a winner off of someone's lob
while you were 8 feet behind the baseline? Trying to hit a slow paced high
bouncing ball for a winner only asks for trouble. When you are
behind the baseline retrieving a lob, remember this, one lob deserves
another.
In the middle of a point when your
opponent throws up a lob the dynamics of the point changes. Now, you
have a ball most likely to bounce higher than your head. So how do you return such a
lob, assuming you can not get underneath it to hit an overhead? Return a
lob with a lob!
Throw back another lob, but make
your lob a bit more offensive. Hit the lob with a lot of topspin so the ball
with bounce high and with some velocity, almost more of a moon-shot rather than a
lob. This allows time to get back into position and wait for the
return. By throwing up an offensive lob you are increasing your
chances of getting a short ball in return.
Learn to love the drop shot. What better way to undermine
somebody's confidence than this one simple shot if your opponent is not
comfortable there? Play with
their mind as you force them to cover every inch of the court. Use the drop shot as an
offensive shot in which you know will result in turning the point into your
point to win. In most cases, using the drop shot in desperation results in a poor drop shot from a lousy position.
Most likely, you will not win the point.
Always be in a favorable position to hit a
drop shot. Never attempt to hit a drop shot when you are well
behind the baseline. The ball has a longer distance to travel
before it crosses the net. This gives your opponent more time to react. The best position
from which to hit a drop shot is inside the baseline.
One of the biggest weapons you can have when you are going
to hit a drop shot is the element of surprise. Anytime you telegraph the drop shot you
are in
trouble. If your opponent gets there while the
ball is high enough, gives them an advantage. To keep from telegraphing your shot,
bring the racquet back like you would normally to make it look like you are
going to hit a ground stroke. The longer you can make your
shot look like a regular stroke, the better the opportunity for surprise. The slice ground stroke lends itself beautifully to the drop
shot. There is almost no difference in the stroke until you hit the ball.
What is a good drop shot?
1. Is hit with slice/backspin.
2. Bounces 6 times before it reaches the service line. A
great one never makes it to the service line.
3. Is one in which the ball is on it’s way down as the ball
crosses the net.
4. Is one that your opponent does not expect.
Why do you hit a drop shot?
1. To make your opponent run.
2. To take control of the point.
3. To bring your opponent to the net.
4. To win the point.
Where is a good place to hit the drop shot?
1. In the service box furthest away from your opponent. Always hit to one
side or the other, never down the middle. This gives your opponent a
longer distance to run and opens the court up for you.
2. Hit the drop shot behind your opponent so he/she will have to stop and
change directions before they start to run to the ball.
When is a good time to hit the drop shot?
1. When your opponent stands well behind the baseline to return your shots.
2. When you drag your opponent well off of the court deep to one side or the
other.
3. When you are standing on or inside of the baseline.
4. When your opponent is not expecting it.
5. When you are hitting into the wind.
6.When the balls are getting old.
Who do I hit the drop shot against?
1. Who doesn’t run fast
2. Who doesn’t like the net
3. Who stands too far back in the court
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The consistent serve can be difficult to maintain; however,
it is helpful to key on a few basic points. Let your body do the job and
concentrate on these simple keys:
- Grip: Continental, you should be able to bounce the
ball with the edge of your racket.
- Stance: Stand sideways to the net with your feet
comfortably apart and your weight on the back foot. You should be able to
draw a diagonal line from the toes of your back foot to the toes of your
front foot to the service court. You should hold the racket in front of your
body, arms-in, and supported with your free hand. The racket is on
edge and pointing to the service box.
- Back-swing and toss: Down together, up together
rhythm. Toss the ball straight up from your extended left arm. Swing the racket
down past the right hip and then up behind the back.
- Point of Contact: Reach up as far as you can,
making contact above your head, slightly in front and to the right.
- The Slice Serve: The primary purpose of the slice
serve is to pull the opponent wide. The
lower and further to the right one makes the toss, the more effective the
slice becomes.
- The Spin Serve: The spin serve is really a
combination of the slice and the topspin. The stroke
can easily be disguised by imparting both over-spin and slice at the same
time. The ball can either curve wide or kick high enough to present an
awkward shot for the receiver.
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Developing the ability to hit topspin ground strokes will
improve consistency, depth, and pace from the baseline.
Topspin causes a tennis ball to drop into the court at a faster rate
than a ball with slice or no spin at all. This means, you can hit your
shots higher over the net with the confidence the topspin will bring
the ball down onto the court. Also, as important, topspin causes the ball to
burst out off the bounce, making the shot harder to
return.
There are three keys to hitting the topspin:
- Your racquet
must start below the ball with the face of the racquet closed. (Closed
means that your strings will be facing directly down toward the ground when
the racquet is back). Be sure the palm also faces down during the
back swing to ensure that your grip is correct.
- Swing from low to high through the ball as your
weight transfers to your front foot.
- Finish the swing with your racquet over the
opposite shoulder.
This is only a guide. Consult your
tennis professional for more information on how to crush your opponents with
topspin.
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The way a ball spins when hit can
greatly effect a large part of your game as well as that of your opponent.
Your opponent may have trouble returning high bouncing ballsl. Perhaps your opponent has problems hitting balls that
stay close to the ground. Balls can also bounce side ways.
In whichever case, there are different types of spins and several ways to
use them to advantage. Slice is the opposite of topspin. You
produce the slice by hitting the ball with a high to low motion with the
racquet. A ball that is sliced has backspin. This backspin does
not allow the ball to bounce high. The ball stays
fairly low when it hits the ground, and slows down as well. Two good examples of a slice shot
are Steffi Graf's and Jana Novotna's backhand.
The slice is a fluid motion and does not need to be
hit hard. A slice shot is good for placement and keeping the ball low.
You can
use them mainly for approach shots, either forehand or backhand, depending
upon the
situation. Do not chop at the
ball. Use a smooth motion, swinging forward, with a little high
to low motion of the racquet. The more high to low you strike the ball, the more
backspin you create and the lower the ball will bounce. If you hit enough
high to low, the ball may bounce backwards. Usually this procedure is reserved for drop shots.
Slice is great weapon to have, especially if your opponent
has trouble hitting balls that bounce low. Using the slice affords a
way to mix up your shots. Even if you don't use the slice a lot, it is good to
know. Players with a two-handed backhand sometimes have to let
go with one hand. This is when a slice comes to good to use. The
slice allows you to keep the ball lower and hit a better return when stretched out.
One of the most important shots in tennis is
the approach shot. Your thoughts on strategy should be get to the net as soon as
possible to score the point. Charge the net and be aggressive.
Use the approach shot to set up your volley. Depth and placement are the
important
keys for an effective approach shot. As you get better at depth and
placement then you can think about pace and slice.
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