The return of serve is one of the two most important shots in tennis—the serve being other. Most people can hit their serve faster than any other shot. In addition, the serve has to land inside the service line forcing the returner to hit the return of serve sooner than other shots. Because of…
It is such a big advantage to get your first serve in play. Your opponent has no idea how you are going to hit the first serve-speed, spin, direction, etc. If you miss your first serve, you have to get the second serve in. This means you have to give yourself more margin for…
It is very difficult to make the tennis ball your main focus on the court. Often, players try to hit the ball to the openings on the court as well as trying to anticipate the next shot our opponents’ might hit. This tends to result in watching the court openings or the players, rather…
The tennis ball is traveling faster and faster in today’s game. By reminding yourself to contact the ball at the peak of the bounce you will get to the ball more quickly, be able to use your regular swing, and give yourself the best chance of consistently hitting the ball more solid. Human nature…
Polyester string is all the rage on the pro tour. Most players use some type of poly or a hybrid of poly and synthetic gut or gut. The polyester strings are generally more stiff and allow the pros to get more spin and power because they can swing more freely without worrying about the…
Keep your thoughts as simple as possible. Here are a few technique and a few strategy ideas to consider. Try to execute one at a time. Watch the ball all the way through the point of contact on all of your shots. Get ready for the ball to come back after each shot. Follow…
Although the majority of players these days hit many shots with an open stance, tennis is still a sideways sport. The best players have their shoulders sideways (or even past sideways) to the net just prior to starting the forward part of the swing. This applies to all shots, even the serve. The best…
A good player tends to react to the shot that was just hit by moving their feet prior to the next shot. If the shot that they (or their partner) has hit is offensive, and/or hit well, movement forward happens prior to the opponent’s response. If the shot is more defensive or not hit…
Let’s face it-almost every tennis match you play will be a roller coaster ride. There will be lots of highs and lows. The longer you are on the court, the more likely this will be the case. If you look at both the Men’s and Women’s 2018 Australian Open singles finals, all four players…
The modern game tends to emphasize power and pace on your shots. This is very evident on the serve where even the good club player can now hit a serve with enough speed to give the opponent trouble-if it goes in! Being able to place your serve is a very underrated skill and can…