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Most good players have a plan when they step on the court. Usually it is a combination of what they do well, and something that they believe will be effective against this specific opponent. The top players will try to play the first point of the match like this.  As the match goes on, it…

return, were all hit trying to keep my opponent from hitting the ball back. I never even realized this was happening. My competitive instincts did not allow me to follow the idea to hit the first few shots to set up the point. As a result, I lost to a lot of players who were…

If you are looking towards your opponent when playing a match, you can see most, or all, of the court with your peripheral vision. As the ball is coming towards you, the amount of the court that you can see gets smaller. This is one of the reasons why we have such a hard time…

There is no cookie cutter recipe to create the perfect player. Each player’s strokes are different, their style is different, their mentality is different, and even their movement is different. It is important for a coach to let the player develop along the lines of their own individual characteristics. If a coach can give a…

Almost everyone who plays the game of tennis has one baseline shot that they prefer. Most players favor their forehand, but as the level of the player increases, many develop stronger backhands. Regardless of which shot you would rather hit, you can use the other shot to help set up the point. The first step…

Often, we are worried that if we try to hit the same shot  that was used in a winning point, our opponent will be ready for it. If you hit a great inside out forehand that wins the point, try to hit that same shot again. If you hit this same shot, you are likely to…

The ready position is extremely important when preparing to react to a shot. Keeping the racquet head up will allow you to use your upper body turn with shoulders and hips to get the racquet in the correct position to move to the ball. This technique helps keep your wrist firm on the backswing and…

Taking time away from your opponent can make it very difficult for them to hit their shots well and execute their strategy. Hitting the ball faster is the most common way that players try to take time away from their opponent. However, there are several other ways to do this. One is to adjust your…

There are a lot of tennis players who are able to hit the ball extremely well. This is especially the case with groundstrokes. Most practice time tends to be spent rallying and hitting from behind the baseline so many players are comfortable bashing balls back and forth. If most points are being played from the…

It is important to focus on the things you can control on the tennis court. This starts with your serve. The serve is the only shot you hit that is not affected by your opponent. Find a serve that you feel good about, can hit consistently, and helps you get control of the point. Direct…