Getting the low ball back

A lot of people have trouble with balls that stay low or are going to be low by the time they get to them. They tend to hit them into the net. Let’s look at the solutions to this problem.

The racket face needs to be open or tilted up. The best way to accomplish this is to use a Continental grip…(hold the racket like a hammer).
With the racket face tilted up, the bottom edge needs to get under the ball. To accomplish this you may have to really bend your knees.
If you are running to make it to the low ball, get the racket out in front of your body, so that you make contact out in front and use your body momentum for power.

Practicing these pointers will ingrain the form you need to pick up those low balls and you’ll stay in more points. Have fun on the courts.

March 16, 2019March 9, 2019

Did you know that more traffic accidents happen at slower speeds? Why? Distractions. The mind wanders when it thinks it has plenty of time to react. Tennis players fall victim to the same problem when hitting slow balls.

When hitting a faster ball, you automatically focus on the incoming ball and the task of returning it. When “waiting” on a slower ball you might start considering all the options and lose concentration. Given enough time, some players even start doubting their strokes and short arm the shot(tighten up and swing tentatively).

Set up a practice match with a friend that you know hits slower shots and work on your focus and concentration. Remember, keep your feet moving(see previous tip Move those Feet) and practice focusing on the slow ball so you can avoid “accidents” on the court.

March 9, 2019March 9, 2019

Lob the Service Line

To get your lobs deeper, lob over the service line not the net player.

How to lob against aggressive net players — How to lob the net man

If your lobs are consistently landing short, focus on making the high point(apex) of the lob happen over the service line.

Most people focus on lobbing over the net man. This makes the high point of the lob happen over the middle of the service box, or roughly, where the net man is standing. With a couple of steps, the net man can move back and hit the overhead from the service line. Not a desirable out-come for you.

By lobbing with the service line as the apex, you make the net man shuffle back to almost the base line to hit the overhead, or better yet, chase the lob and hit a defensive shot back.

So remember to lob against aggressive net players, use the service line as the focus.

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019

Clay Court Tennis Tips

As the pros are about to start the clay court season, this seems like a good time to talk about some of the particulars of playing on the surface. Making the transition from hard courts to clay courts can be a challenge. Here are a few simple rules to help you succeed quickly on clay.

You must get a high percentage of first serves in. Second serves are much easier to take advantage of on this slower surface. Use more of a kick serve or a slice to help your percentage. See previous tips Kick(serve) some Butt!/ Kick(serve) some Butt(2)!/
Always hit behind your opponent in a ground stroke rally. In other words, don’t hit to the open court unless you can hit a winner. Also hit higher over the net with topspin for consistency. See tips Hit “de fence”, stay on offense/ One more ball
Lastly, once you have control of a point and can hit a winning volley, make sure you move forward through the shot. On clay, the ball doesn’t penetrate like it does on a hard court, so it’s important to keep you body weight going forward to add power to the shot.

Practice these techniques on the clay and watch your winning percentage go up!

February 16, 2019February 9, 2019

Play tennis like a dog

happy dog — play tennis with joy just like a dog

Last week we mentioned focusing on the ball like a dog to help you move your feet. I’d like to use the dog analogy a little more this week to help you see how to live in the moment on the court.

What do I mean by “live in the moment” and why is that important? I’m glad you asked.

“Living in the moment” means not worrying about past or future mistakes or outcomes and playing each point confidently and fluidly
Why is this important? Because you play your best tennis when your mind is unhampered by negative thoughts or expectations

Back to the dog analogy. Have you ever seen a dog chase a squirrel? Sure. Have you ever seen a dog catch a squirrel? Probably not. But every time they chase a squirrel, you can tell they fully expect to catch him this time. And they do it with free abandon. It’s obvious that they aren’t thinking “I’m so slow!..He always beats me to the tree!..What do I do if I catch him?”..etc..All that dog is thinking is, “That squirrel is mine!!”

Now compare that to what goes on in the average tennis player’s mind…”My backhand sucks (today)!..Her serve is too much for me..I always choke!..I can’t hit anything in today!..I’m letting my partner down.”..etc. There are a million negative things that go through your mind. I’m sure you can recall some of your own.

So now you see what it means to play like a dog. Doesn’t it sound like fun? Believe me, it is. So how do you push the negative thoughts out and “live in the moment?” For starters, see our previous tip Mental Focus for Tennis. You can also check out our page on the mental game of tennis for some more on the subject. Have fun and I hope you play like a dog from now on!

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

Move those Feet!

One of the most important aspects of your tennis stroke is foot movement. Every shot you hit will suffer if you fail to get into proper position. How do you get into position? Move those feet! There are two types of foot movement:

Moving to the ball- obviously you have to get to the ball
Adjusting to the ball- small adjustment steps to help track the ball

Unfortunately, foot movement is one of the first things to go when you are playing badly or tentatively. I’m sure you’ve had this feeling during a match….You can’t react fast enough to get to the ball or the ball gets to you too fast for you to hit the shot properly. That’s because your footwork has stopped.

To keep those feet moving, focus on the ball like a dog does. Have you ever seen a dog waiting for it’s master to throw the ball? They can’t wait! And they are totally focused on the ball. If you could hear what they were thinking, I’m sure it would be ball!, ball!, ball!

Adopt that mindset and active waiting style. Bounce on the balls of your feet, focus on the ball and be ready to go after and adjust to it as soon as it comes off your opponent’s racket. This mindset will give you the fast start to get to the ball.

Once you get to the ball, channel that same anticipation to your feet as small adjustment steps. This will keep you balanced and allow you to adjust your hitting position up until the ball arrives.

February 2, 2019January 28, 2019

Returns against Net Rushers

In doubles, attacking the net is a good strategy. When your opponents are serving and volleying and/or poaching, it can make it hard for you to get to the net. You want to make aggressive net rushers think twice about coming forward or poaching. Here’s how. (It’s a good idea to do this early, like in your first return game)

Hit a lob return down the line (over the net man). The server will have to get this and can’t serve and volley.
Hit a hard return right at the net man or down his alley. He’ll remember that and think twice about poaching.
Hit low and cross court at the net-rushing server’s feet

When one of these tactics works, keep using it and keep moving forward. Use these tactics to throw off your opponents’ attacking style, put your team on the offensive, and take control of the net first.

January 26, 2019January 26, 2019

Riding the Wave in tennis

Riding a wave — Letting your momentum carry you through your tennis match is like riding a wave.

Ride your wave in a match

Australia is renowned as one of the world’s premier surfing destinations. Right now you can watch players in the Australian Open surfing their own waves. In a tennis match each player has waves of good and bad play. You may run off a string of good games and then have a string of error filled games. The trick is to get through the bad wave quicker and be ready to ride the good wave. Here is some help on how to do that:

recognize the wave (in your game and your opponent’s) and realize it won’t last forever
stay positive and up-beat during the bad wave, keep your head up and your feet moving
stay loose and keep going for shots during your good and bad wave
above all else, have fun out there and enjoy the process not just the outcome

That last one can make your good wave in tennis last the rest of your life.

January 5, 2019December 29, 2018

The Overhead part 2

Last week we talked about footwork and preparation for the overhead. This week we exam the options based on what type of lob you’re given.

A high and short lob that drops straight down – let the ball bounce and use your quick feet to get in position to hit an angled overhead put away
A looping/topspin lob that’s also short – take this ball out of the air, if it bounces you may not catch it
A well hit lob going over your head – just try to get under it enough to tap the ball back deep and stay in the point, or if you are athletic – jump and hit the overhead a la Pete Sampras
A very deep, high lob – let the ball bounce, move into position and hit a slice overhead similar to a serve, or even hit an aggressive ground stroke to gain control of the point

Fast feet, early preparation, and proper shot selection will improve your overhead. As a matter of fact, those 3 things will improve pretty much every shot in tennis.

December 29, 2018December 30, 2018

The Overhead

Do you find yourself hitting the overhead late, and therefore, out? Preparation and shot choice make all the difference in a successful overhead. Today we look at preparation.

Footwork is the first key to executing the overhead. Move your feet quickly, with short adjustment steps to get into position to hit the ball.
Turn your body sideways and move with shuffle steps, or grapevine steps for longer distances.
Point at the incoming ball with your opposite hand and get your racket in the ready position..like you are scratching your back with it.
Just like the serve, reach up to hit the ball, don’t pull your head down.

Practice fast feet and early preparation to improve your overhead. Next time we’ll make more overhead improvements with shot selection based on the lob.

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