What are the basic parts of a forehand or a backhand ground stroke? Many factors may go into the essentials of successfully beginning and completing either ground stroke.
Footwork & positioning of the feet and the body for the stroke
Grip tension
Tracking of the ball
Intended target and direction of the ball
Desired spin and arc of the ball
However for the stoke itself, here are 3 key components:
The Preparation or Turn - getting the racquet in a position to prepare for the second step
The Contact or Touch - the impact moment where the racquet and the ball make the connection. The preparation of the racquet to approach the ball from above or below will help determine if the ball is to be contacted with underspin or topspin. The racquet angle and direction of the racquet face at the moment of contact with decide the direction, arc and spin of the ball as it leaves the racquet
The Finish - the continuation of the racquet motion following contact until the racquet has sufficiently de-accelerated
A simple way to remember is to have “TTF” forehand or backhand (Turn, Touch and Finish).
7 Habits of Highly Successful Tennis Professionals 1. Be "Pro" Active Sure you have been teaching for years and may not need a lesson plan. But just as you would prepare to play a match, you still would need to review. So, have a game plan for your student or opponent and think about your last......
Racquet Mail: Trusting Your Strokes This is the first of hopefully many Racquet Mail posts. I received an email with a question about trusting your strokes, and wrote this article in response. Trusting your strokes is a skill that is obviously quite mental in nature. In my program, called Defeating the Monsters in your Mind,......
Know Your Court - Terms Every Tennis Play Should Know Tennis Court—Where the game is played. 78 feet long - 36 feet wide for doubles and 78 by 27 for singles Love- Score when a player has no score 15- Score when you win the 1st point 30- Score when you win the second point 40 - Score when you......
7 Reasons to "Stencil" or Logo Your Racquet Strings? Ever thought about why your racquet comes with a "stenciled" logo on the strings. Wilson has a big red"W", Prince has a big black "P", Yonnex has a big "YY", Dunlop has a "D" inside a circle with a pointed arrow and etc. This "branding" is applied with a particular......
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
Inside every chief exec, there's a Soviet planner | Business | The Observer Inside every chief exec, there's a Soviet planner | Business | The Observer. Macroeconomic central planning failed in the Soviet Union, but every company is a management planning factory. If work is fragmented so that people have no direct line of sight to the customer, people have to be driven......
Babolat Aero Pro Drive Cortex Tennis Racquet Racquet - Babolat Aero Pro Drive Cortex Tennis Racquet Length - 27 inches / 69 centimeters Head Size - 100 square inches / 645 square centimeters Weight - 11.3 ounces / 320 grams Balance Point - 12.875 inches / 33 centimeters Construction - 23-26 mm Composition - High Modulus Graphite......
Tips for Teaching Tennis The bottom line when it comes to coaching or teaching tennis is that if you have a strong beginner's tennis coaching program, then you will be able to develop a long term, sustainable training operation. Putting together a tennis coaching program for younger players that is both exciting and challenging......
Congratulations to Roger Federer on his success at Monte Carlo and at the French Open! We have all recognized his great qualities for many years now. What was so special at the French was to see how the fans reacted to his impending achievement.
We as Americans are often quick to build up a champion then decide they have won too often, and that it is now time for them to lose. How many times have you pulled for the underdog just because the other player has won enough in our minds? That is one of the several reasons we become Dallas Cowboys or Los Angeles Dodgers haters.
What is great to see is not only the greatness of Roger Federer but people around the world still like for the guy to win. Even the finalist at the French said he hoped Roger could win his Career Slam. Seldom do you see someone continue to win, be on the verge of breaking records and the majority of people still pull for the champion instead of the underdog. Did you see the amount of celebrities in attendance at the French Open from other sports?
Congratulations to Roger on his Career Slam (1 of 6 to achieve this title), winning the French Open, and being presented his trophy by another Career Slammer - Andre Agassi. Most of all congratulations on being a winner that has earned the appreciation and respect of tennis fans around the world. The action of the audience and tennis fans tells you what a true champion and person you are. Their actions speak louder than words.
5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 2 Welcome to part two of 5 Winning Keys to Lobbing. Below are tips three and four. 3. 5 Tips on where to Lob 1. Always aim lobs over the opponents backhand side (notice if they are left handed) 2. Few players have the strength or timing to power a backhand......
3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 1 [caption id="attachment_69" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Tennis Talk"][/caption] This is the first post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #1 "Tennis Talk" - What to say and when to say it! Before the match: Decide with your partner ahead of time if you want to......
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 2 [caption id="attachment_73" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Learn to do the tennis dance."][/caption] This is the second post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #2 "Tennis Dance" Where to move & when to move there! Dance of the server's partner: Find the middle of the service......
Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
Rafael Nadal to Pull Out of Masters Cup Giving reasons of fatigue due to his knee injury as the reason for the surprising action, the world's number one tennis star Rafael Nadal has decided to withdraw himself from the Tennis Masters Cup. The athlete stated that the decision is a very difficult one for him to make, not......
PGA Champions Tour Win Goes to Allen After playing for two solid decades without winning a serious big tournament, Michael Allen decided to set his eyes on the prize for real upon debuting at the PGA Champions Tour. After taking the win with a 3 under 67 on Sunday, allowing him to take the Senior PGA Championship......
According to Uncle, Nadal is Doubtful to Return to the Davis Cup Final World No. 1 tennis player Rafael Nadal has been injured, and it is not sure right now whether or not he will be able to recover in time to return to the game for the Davis Cup final in Spain. Being held in Argentina, the Davis Cup would be a......
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Jim Cramer vs. Jon Stewart If you are a fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, you are probably aware that for most of this week, there's been something of a war or words between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer (the host of Mad Money and author of numerous investing books). And if you......
When you go to the court to play your next doubles match, take control of the match from the beginning.
Introduce yourselves to your opponents.
Spin the racquet before beginning the warm up so you will be on the correct side when warming up and know the serving order as to who will serve first, second and so on.
Immediately be the one who “spins” the racquet to decides who will have 1 of the 4 options (don’t spin the racquet on the ground as it often takes too long, scratches the end of the grip when it falls to the ground and depending upon how it is picked up the racquet you can control the be “up” or “down” call. Just spin the racquet in your hand with the butt of the racquet toward your waist until they make their call, “up” or “down” then show them the butt of the racquet to see who won the spin.
If the opponents win the “spin” and choose to serve, make them serve from the sunny side of the court first and prepare to lob them a lot during the first game of the match.
In the warm up, the first server for each team will take a lot of practice serves as they will begin the offense for their teams initially. The third and fourth servers will take a lot of overheads, a few serves and focus on returning the servers as the first two servers warm up. This is important as the third and fourth servers will play several games before serving and have opportunities to be warmed up before actually being called upon to serve. However they can play an important part of their teams success by focusing on returning well early in the match.
You and your partner need to have a plan before the match starts. This gives you confidence and a purpose for what happens early in the match.
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
Serve and Volley or Rush and Crush Formations These players love to get to the net at any cost, hit strong volley winners and overheads. Don’t be afraid of the charging team. Reasons for the serving team to use this formation: 1. The serving team is both good volleyers. 2. The serving team has good overheads and likes......
GPTA Keynote Speaker I was invited to speak at the Georgia Professional Tennis Association's winter meeting at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The club is the home of the famous golfer, Bobby Jones. They have a trophy room with all his trophies, pictures and memorabilia. There is even a statue of......
3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 3 [caption id="attachment_71" align="alignleft" width="160" caption="Aim for Your Target!"][/caption] This is the last post in our series for tips to win doubles tennis. Secret #3 "Tennis Targets" Where to hit & when to go there! Serving as Simple as A-B-C: When serving, tell your partner where you plan to serve -......
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Sharapova Nears Return, Plans to Defend Australian Open Crown The former World No. 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova plans to be 100 percent healthy by the upcoming tennis season, and assures fans that she will be poised to defend her Australian Open title as soon as January rolls around. According to Maria Sharapova's agent, Max Eisenbud, Sharapova has a......
Tennis Racquet String Considerations Just as important as your racquet itself is the tennis racquet strings that you use. Unfortunately, it is all too common for people to spend too little time researching what types of tennis racquet strings they should be using. Many players who are just getting into the game of tennis......
Canucks Win vs Rangers Big win in the Big Apple After a great first period, the canucks scored 2 more to make it 4 nothing before the rangers poured on the offense, however it wasn't enough to beat the Canucks. The Canucks beat the Rangers 6-3. This was Markus Naslund's first game playing against......
The last thing I want to hear as a player when I come off the court is a dissertation about the match I just lost. I dread hearing about how well I played, what happened when I almost had the match and all other well intended comments. Give me a few moments to come out of my “competitive zone” and enter back into my real life zone.
When your young player comes off the court, offer encouragement and support in a positive manner. This is not the time to go over all the mistakes you saw them make.
Allow them a “come down” time that permits them to leave the competitive zone, relax and have a rational view of what transpired. Coach Wayne Bryan of the world’s #1 ranked doubles team always said his first question for the boys was, “where do you want to go eat?” The next day he would devise drills that worked upon the errors he saw during the match. Now I am sure there was a few other comments that would transpire at a later time about the match as well.
Help the player focus on a couple of simple skills they can work on and achieve positive results quickly to rebuild their confidence. Focus on the positives you saw in the match or progress made toward new skills they had been working on the past few weeks. An example would be to mention that they got 75% of their first serves in play or they managed their time between points really well in the match.
Ask their opinion as to what they think they should work on based upon their last performance. Be specific with skills like footwork, technique or strategy that need work.
Staying positive in a match that you care about can be very draining. You are feeling all the same emotions as the player with no real way to release them as a spectator. Players will notice when you grimace, turn your head away or show disappointment. This can have a very negative impact on their already suffering psychic.
When you are watching their match, be positive and offer encouragement. Saying things like, “Come on, you can do it” and “Let’s go” are good supportive comments.
Racquet Mail: Trusting Your Strokes This is the first of hopefully many Racquet Mail posts. I received an email with a question about trusting your strokes, and wrote this article in response. Trusting your strokes is a skill that is obviously quite mental in nature. In my program, called Defeating the Monsters in your Mind,......
Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 2 [caption id="attachment_73" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Learn to do the tennis dance."][/caption] This is the second post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #2 "Tennis Dance" Where to move & when to move there! Dance of the server's partner: Find the middle of the service......
A Handful of Strategy... [caption id="attachment_45" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="5 Handy Tips"][/caption] When you are involved in a match and need help deciding what to do, look to your hand for the answer. Make a fist and then follow these simple directions: P = In Play Stick up the thumb - the most important part......
The Hour Glass of Momentum in Tennis Imagine you have an hour glass in front of you. The top half of the hour glass represents the momentum in your tennis match when you are winning. The bottom half represents the player who is losing. The person who is winning has a wealth of information available to them......
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What are the secrets of power? - Not trying but let it flow….
1. Just the thought of hitting “hard” will make you tense up and grip the racquet tightly. This does the exact opposite or what you are trying to achieve - it takes away your power.
2. Tension (level 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5) in the hand can cause the feet to not move appropriately.
3. Inappropriate footwork will not allow you to get into the correct position. This in turn will not let your hands be in the correct place to use your natural “kinetic” chain that creates a powerful and effortless flow.
4. In turn, these factors can make you grip the racquet even tighter and lead to a tenser swing and faster frustration.
Little kids hit the ball hard even when they have little or no muscle. Because they cannot “muscle” the ball, they find a relaxed grip tension and rely on their natural timing to swing the racquet so the momentum of the swing generates the power. They also use the speed of the incoming ball to reflect the opponents power right back at them.
Your ability to swing easily and naturally begins with the “eyes”. Seeing the ball well (see the rotation of the ball) helps you to accomplishes this:
1. Keeping the mind and eyes on the ball not the opponent is primary.
2. Once you see the ball well, you will understand “where” the ball is coming and “how” fast it is coming.
3. This will allow you to positioning your feet correctly for the direction you want to redirect it and help you know when to prepare your swing toward the ball.
4. Grip tension is about a #2 on a scale of 1-5 which keeps the tension out of the swing. This tension will allow you to “naturally” use your powerful “kinetic” chain to meet the ball without fear and create the best speed “you” can generate.
5. It is difficult to judge the speed of your own shots. Most players assume their ball is slower that their opponents - this is not always true.
The eyes are the timing device for the body’s coordination. Most stroke errors and footwork errors are a product of the “disconnecting” thoughts experienced prior to the ball getting to the point of contact. Those thoughts influence your ability to get your feet into proper position and your hands to move the racquet to the point on contact.
Here are some simple techniques to help with tracking skills:
1. See the spin on the ball as it comes over the net.
2. See the “shadow” on the ball. The light, natural or artificial will cause a shadow on the ball. Seeing the sunlight and the shadow creates a balance in the mind.
3. Count as you contact the ball by saying “one” then count “two” as you contact the ball to develop better tracking and focus skills.
Want to discover more power? Ease you grip tension, track the ball early and to the contact zone and use your kinetic chain to produce a natural power.
The Hour Glass of Momentum in Tennis Imagine you have an hour glass in front of you. The top half of the hour glass represents the momentum in your tennis match when you are winning. The bottom half represents the player who is losing. The person who is winning has a wealth of information available to them......
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor.......
One Up and One Back Formations When teams play this formation, they can be the easiest to beat – if you play smart. This formation leaves lots of holes in their defense and can make their net player a target for the other team. Don’t be afraid of the net. Reasons for the serving team to......
The 3 Parts of a Ground Stroke - "TTF" What are the basic parts of a forehand or a backhand ground stroke? Many factors may go into the essentials of successfully beginning and completing either ground stroke. Footwork & positioning of the feet and the body for the stroke Grip tension Tracking of the ball Intended target and direction......
What to do when things go bad? My forehand/backhand keeps missing wide? Select a target rather than just cross court. Select a safer target 2-3 feet inside the lines. Keep you eyes still until you see the blur of your racquet go past your eyes - looking up re-directs your shot. Align your feet to get......
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The 10 Commandments of Money This week, The Vatican released 10 Commandments for Driving. The 36-page document is titled "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" and was brought about because Catholic officials felt the need to address the moral and ethical aspects of driving. A quote from the Vatican release: Cars tend to......
Keep you eyes still until you see the blur of your racquet go past your eyes - looking up re-directs your shot.
Align your feet to get better position so your swing is more in line with your target.
Focus on the part of the ball you want to hit to make the ball go toward your target (outside, behind or inside of the ball.)
You may be contacting the ball too early - be patient or too late - prepare for an earlier contact point.
My forehand/backhand keeps going in the net?
Pick out an aim point that is about the height of your opponents head above the net, about 3-4 feet above the net.
Be sure to allow your racquet head to get under the ball so you can “lift the ball” over the net instead of driving it the same height as the net.
You may be contacting the ball too late - shorten your backswing and meet the ball sooner to get the upward arc.
You looked at the net - so your hand guided the ball to your target.
Extend the finish of your stroke - up and out.
Release the tension in your hand as you finish your stroke to avoid pulling the racquet down before the complete finish of the stroke.
My forehand/backhand keeps going long?
You are not applying enough topspin to bring the ball down.
Keep your eyes still while contacting the ball - looking up will make the fence become a target.
Finish your swing - pulling off will make the ball sail.
Take more adjusting steps to get better position - out of position can cause you to alter your swing pattern and lift the ball too high.
Stay down, keep a wider stance so you can rotate into the shot instead of lifting with the legs too early in the swing.
My grip is incorrect?
Mark the correct position for the index knuckle and the heal of the hand for a forehand and backhand.
Hold the racquet by the throat with the non-hitting hand and keep the grip hand relaxed so the non-hitting hand can turn the racquet to the correct grip position for you -forehand or backhand.
Study your opponent and lock in on their pattern of shots so you can anticipate whether they will most likely hit to your forehand or backhand. This “anticipation” will give you a head start to getting the grip position early.
Start with the grip that is most difficult to get to - it’s always easy to get to your favorite grip.
My timing is off?
Timing is an eye function - usually you are not seeing the ball well. Look for the shadow of light and darkness on the ball, say “bounce” when the ball touches the court and “touch” when you make contact As more balls are lost between the bounce and contact.
Take more adjusting steps (8-10 steps - the pros average 10-12 steps between their shots) between each shot you make. The extra movement will raise your attention level and your focus level.
The adjusting steps help you to establish a better position to meet the ball and produce a better quality shot.
Soften your grip. When your timing is off, your grip may be way to tight. This tension greatly affects your ability to time your movement, swing and relaxed eye focus.
When you feed the ball back to your opponent so they can serve, use the drop and hit effort to practice the “feel” of how you want the stroke to feel in the up-coming point.
A Handful of Strategy... [caption id="attachment_45" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="5 Handy Tips"][/caption] When you are involved in a match and need help deciding what to do, look to your hand for the answer. Make a fist and then follow these simple directions: P = In Play Stick up the thumb - the most important part......
Ken DeHart Presents "Strategy and Tactics of Tennis" at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......
The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below......
5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 3 Welcome to our third and final part of Keys to Lobbing. Number five, the last tip in this set is below. 5. 7 Tips to practicing the lob 1. Practice tossing the ball up, letting it bounce then directing the lob to a 9 foot by 9 foot area in......
5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 2 Welcome to part two of 5 Winning Keys to Lobbing. Below are tips three and four. 3. 5 Tips on where to Lob 1. Always aim lobs over the opponents backhand side (notice if they are left handed) 2. Few players have the strength or timing to power a backhand......
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Whenever we enter into a competition, our greatest opponent can be ourselves. We will misguide ourselves into thinking we are doing something we aren’t. For many, when faced with the realization that this is happening, will bridge the gap and improve greatly as an athlete and player. The one thing that is vital for finding balance is to start from a position from which you know exactly how you are moving and how you need to react. The entire basis is that the body starts from a neutral state, which relaxes the body and works to eliminate stress. This sort of technique is utilized in many sports, as well as theater, martial arts, and more.
The goal is to place one’s body in a position that is relaxing, yet permits the greatest yield in performance. For the game of tennis, one can find the posture as the professionals all know it by heart, whether they are aware of fact or not. Look at a professional match, and note the players posture before serving, returning the ball and setting up their shots. Try to memorize the posture, without picking it apart. The idea is you want to subconsciously memorize the posture, so that the next time you are in a game, focusing your thoughts there will allow the body to fall into the posture.
What will happen is that the back will straighten, breathing will be easier, the head will be better supported, and your confidence will boost greatly. With greater confidence, comes greater game play, and you will relax even more. The benefit to assuming good posture results in quicker and more accurate serves, faster response times and more powerful returns on tennis serves. It is mostly about not tensing up, since to do so will end up putting extra strain and fatigue on you while you play.
It is somewhat difficult to put so much value into something as simple as posture, but watching the pros, they all have it. It is the secret that can help people improve their game, so long as they put the work in. Failure will come often as the newer player will lose their posture easily. Getting it back is just as easy, but it will result in the chance for an error to occur. Practice in employing the posture, and maintaining it, even as you are running back and forth on the court trying to keep up.
Being able to maintain posture is a great way to improve one’s tennis game. It not only builds the confidence that a tennis player can need, but also their technique in placing themselves for a return, adding power to their serve, and other skill boosts. That is the first key to your better tennis game. Make sure that you practice, and that you don’t forget to keep you posture while playing. In the early stages, you body will tend to revert, but once you have made it a part of your game, it can do nothing but help.
Tribute to a Hall of Fame Teacher: Dennis Van der Meer Early in my career as a tennis teaching professional, I was living in Nashville, Tennessee and teaching tennis at the Sequoia Swim & Tennis Club. A friend of mine, Thay Butchee, the Director of Tennis at the Belle Meade Country Club talked me into driving to Sarasota, Florida to participate......
Both Players Back Formation When playing both players back, the serving team or receiving team both start together on the baseline. Reasons for the receiving team to stay back: 1. The serving team is too strong with the serve and it is difficult to return the ball past the server’s partner – fear factor.......
The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below......
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Rituals are automatic responses to a situation. In life we have rituals for getting up, driving our cars, eating and sleeping. In tennis we have rituals as well when we serve that help us to operate on an “automatic” or non-thinking level.
The value of rituals in serving are many, here are 7:
They remind us of sequences to performance
They create a comfort zone for us
They help prevent us from forgetting steps that can influence our success
They assist us in performing on an automatic level under pressure
They can calm us under pressure
They can prevent us from rushing during a match
They can assist in defeating the “Mental Monsters” of success and failure
Rituals are habits that we develop consciously or unconsciously. Depending upon situations and perceived results, they can become superstitions.
When they approach the superstition level we feel we need them to be successful. Tennis players will not shave during a tournament as long as they are winning, they will eat the same meal as long as they are winning, wear the same clothes, play with the same racquet, wear the same shoes, stay in certain rooms, avoid stepping on lines or certain parts of the court.
We have all seen Djokovich as he demonstrates some rituals of top level players. They can become quite unusual and almost funny when we see some of the steps people perform to ensure their success. I will bet you have seen some funny rituals in the players you have met as well.
Players rituals are mostly routines that they have been coached to follow or discovered on our own to provide a feeling of familiarity and consistency in their preparation for performance.
What are some of your rituals you use when you serve?
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Sure you have been teaching for years and may not need a lesson plan. But just as you would prepare to play a match, you still would need to review. So, have a game plan for your student or opponent and think about your last lesson or match with this person and what needs to be done for this encounter to be special.
*See the Road Map - Check your day timer to visualize your schedule for the day so you can “see” your roadmap for the day. Be ready by arriving early to get your teaching basket, cones, targets and toys in place and take them to the court before your first lesson ever arrives.
*A State of Mind - when you have your equipment ready and your road map for the day in your head, it is time to prepare both the mind and body. Prepare for the day like you would for a tournament match. Get warmed up by going to the gym, ride the stationary bike, hit the rowing machine or do some dynamic stretching as you teach your students. Prepare for today’s performance with your mind and body engaged for the events of the day.
*Get the Team Involved - Be sure to notify the front desk or staff of any expected guests who may come by to see you during the day. Tell the desk where to send them and what time you will be available to meet with them. Have a copy of your schedule available so staff can fill lesson times for you. They can advise clients when you will have breaks to answer questions. The front desk and staff do not like to be surprised by questions they cannot answer. If you cannot meet with other teaching staff members before you start, leave them notes as to things you need done, or items to be aware of during the day or changes to previous plans.
2. Prevention -The Best Cure
Injuries often come quickly but they are usually a result of cumulative effects of many small dings and nicks. Most often injuries occur because of the lack of a proper warm up that prepares the body to move quickly and in balance. A small injury here will put stress there and recovery time begins to add up, affecting your confidence level and your desire to stay on the court.
*Get it warm - Get it right. Even the way you walk can be a warm up. Walk on the balls of your foot, lift teaching equipment as though it were a heavy object with your feet apart, back straight and using the legs to lift. Go through the motions for all your strokes (physical rehearsal) to loosen up and prepare the muscles you will be using in your lessons.
*Safety always. As you begin your warm up with the students, move your feet like you ask and expect them to do. Take 8-10 small adjusting steps between each volley and groundstroke like the playing pros. Be aware of loose tennis balls in your area of movement as well as the area around the students.
3. Be Effective and Efficient
*Effective Ways to Feed - change your position. Avoid feeding from the middle of the court near the service line all the time. In a match, the ball seldom comes from that depth or position in the court. Adjust your feeding position so the next feed ball comes back to your student from the angle that an actual rallied ball would be coming from. If you feed a ball cross court to a student and ask them to return the ball down the line then your next ball to them should come from the down the line position, not from the initial cross court feed position.
Feed the ball as a volley if the student would be seeing your match play ball come to them as a volley and not a groundstroke. If you are feeding from a position that would be a ground stroke, feed from a bounce and hit feed position.
*Effective Ways to Reduce Stress When Feeding - hold your body in a balanced or neutral position of posture. Avoid slouching over with your shoulders rotated inward and your hips tucked under your body.
As a right handed feeder, feed balls with the right foot slightly forward of the left foot. Place the feed ball forward of your right foot and right hip using your left hand to feed. This will create a contact point that will allow you to use your core, legs and hip rotation and not just your forearm. Now your feed ball can be contacted in a match play point of contact. Keep your shoulders back and your head centered over your body for a stress free feeding position.
*Efficient Feeding Tension. When feeding, the tension level in your hitting hand should be around level 1 or 2 on a scale of 5. As you feed balls to your students, practice feeding with an early point of contact. Try to fully extend your arm on ground stroke feeds after point of contact. Use your lower body to help propel the stroke instead of just your hands and arms. This will take the stress out of the arm and elbow and distribute the work load to larger muscles like the core and lower extremities.
*Efficient Positioning of the Teaching Cart. For a right handed feeder, keep the basket on your left hand side so you do not have to reach across your body to get the next ball from the basket. Keep the teaching cart square to the net so that balls returned by your students do not bounce inward and hit you. Never feed with the cart directly in front of you as balls may bounce off the cart and contact you in the eye, chest or face.
*More Efficient Positioning the Teaching Cart. Move the teaching cart with you as you go around the court so you can have immediate access to balls to demonstrate a point or feed a ball to a player. Use a “Slinghopper” on your hip that can hold up to 30 balls when you are coaching so you do not need to be tied to the teaching cart. This item allows you to roam around the courts with tennis balls at you’re your immediate call. Place the teaching cart well behind a group of players so they will have to move directly back to get balls for the next drill. This will keep them from walking into the path of racquets or moving players. This also keeps drills moving quickly and safely.
4. Making Teaching a “Moving Experience”.
*Move for Realistic Feed Drills. Move around the court when you feed so players can receive balls from the same direction as they would be returned by their opponents. This moving to feed can keep you from getting stale and stiff. Players who only receive balls fed from one position on the court seldom can react well to points played in a match. All of a sudden balls are coming from angles they never experienced in their lessons.
*Experience the Movement in Private and Group Lessons. Move your feet as though you were playing the point. This would mean 6-10 steps between each ball that you feed or hit to your students. You will be amazed how your conditioning improves - while on the court. And your students need to experience a ball coming from an opponent who is moving instead of standing in one place to play shots. The extra movement by you is part of training them to focus on the ball and avoid the distraction of seeing the opponent moving.
*Proper Position for a Proper View. When students are feeding their own drills or hitting “live” balls with another player, walk around the court to observe each student from the side and behind. You will be amazed at what you can see from different angles. This also allows you time to use your softer private lesson voice in a group situation as well as your more commanding group voice.
*Stay Involved Every Hour. Think of how many hours you are on the court teaching each day. If you are moving as a player, in balance with small adjusting steps, you will teach your way into shape. Seldom is there a more “stiffening” activity than standing and teaching for 6-10 hours a day. You can hardly move at the end of the day. When it is pick up time, do “split step and pick up” drills with your students or “lunge and pick up” drills. Your students will learn the dreaded “spit step” with out realizing in and you will stay loose and add strength to your own legs. “Do as you ask them to do!”
*Keeping a Cardio Record. Wear a cardio watch that tells you when you are in your cardio zone and how many calories you burn in an hour. You can keep a record for the day and even download it onto your computer daily. This will amaze you and motivate you to stay in motion on the court. Try a Pedo-meter that tells you how far you walked today - get moving.
5. Eye Awareness
*Protection from sun and balls. Wear special glasses designed for tennis. The kerosene red lenses are great for tennis. They do not reduce depth perception and they highlight the color yellow with out affecting your ability to drive on the highway with them. They even allow you to see the ball in shaded areas and are often used by cyclist who needs to see objects in the road when riding in and out of shadows.
Lenses that are too dark make depth perception difficult. Mirrored glasses make eye contact impossible and give the appearance of a highway patrolman. If you do wear sunglasses, take them off or drop them down when you talk to your students. Eye contact shows your sincerity and is essential in communication.
*Practice Match Play Eyes. When you are not feeding a fast paced volley drill, you can practice your “match play” eyes. Look at the ball as you drop it to feed a ground stroke or toss it up to feed a volley. See the ball or the “yellow streak” as it leaves your racquet just like you would in a match. There is plenty of time to see your student move, prepare and contact the ball after a feed. When your student sends the ball back to you, track the ball like in a match. Your secondary vision will allow you to read your student’s movement. You can still see all the essentials for teaching yet practice as you would read the ball and situation in a match
6. Develop a Synergized Team
*Plan time to celebrate with your staff. Whether it’s a birthday party, a successful event or special occasion, plan an event to get together with your staff. Congratulate them for all they do, help them to see where you are headed with your programs and how they can be a key part in the growth.
*Reward Outstanding Performance. Be quick to recognize staff that step up and go above the standard you have helped them to establish themselves in customer service. Post pictures of all the staff so members recognize them by name and face, post something about them - where they are from, where they go to school, or recent achievements.
*Keep the Roadmap in front of them. Have your mission statement posted, review your goals and mission in staff meetings. Let the staff be a part of helping to create the roadmap, they all bring different points of view to your business and how to grow it.
7. Networking for Your Safety Net
*Become the Resource Center for your Students. Identify key people at your club, school or center who might help your students. Attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, deep tissue professionals, real estate agents, mechanics etc. are examples of professions whom your students often seek recommendations. During lessons, the conversation can turn to needs your students have in their real life. You can become the information center for your students and increase your value in their eyes.
*Preparing for your Second Career. Just as many people prepare to leave their current jobs and retire to teach tennis, a teaching professional you may also discover your second life’s calling from all the people you meet. Because of their communication skills and extensive client base, tennis pros are often recruited by businessmen to join businesses outside of tennis. While I may never leave the teaching profession, I have recruited many of students to become tennis teaching professionals. In fact, 80% of all my teaching staff in my 35 years of teaching has come from club members. They have experienced success with my method of teaching, shown an interest in tennis, have displayed an aptitude for sharing knowledge and motivating others.
*Loving your Life. Can you believe it? Your friends come to visit and they bring you money. You are outside most of the day in the beautiful weather, incredible scenery and working with people who want to hear what you have to say.
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In today’s game “topspin” gets all the press. Everyone focuses how big the shots are, how much the pros use it and so most all the juniors and club players want to be like the pros.
When you listen to the talk about the really great ones who play the game you will also hear about how well they play defense to stay in the point and force the opponent to play uncomfortable shots.
Federer’s “chip” backhand return that lands about the backhand service line of the opponent is deadly. The opponent must move up into the court to retrieve it from below net level and decide if they will attempt to come to the net behind their shot or retreat to the baseline after their shot. When pulled really wide on the forehand, you will see the players use “underspin” to neutralize the opponent until they can recover position on their side of the court.
So what is the “otherspin” and how do you use in practice and match play?
There are 3 basic types of “Underspin Shots”. The name of the underspin can easily refer to the depth of the shot. Some shots will entail using more underspin than others and the amount of underspin you use can cause different problems for your opponent.
A low bouncing underspin can make it difficult to lift the ball deep into your court. The 3 types of underspin are hit from the same basic racquet position and therefore provide a great element of disguise. The 3 types of underspin are:
“Drop Shot” refers to an underspin ball that bounces close to the net and does not bounce forward very far.
“Chip Shot” refers to an underspin ball that bounces around the service line.
“Slice Shot” refers to an underspin ball that bounces near the baseline.
There are 7 basic reasons to use underspin:
Disguise - Out of the same motion you can hit any of the 3 type of underspin. The “up” position in the racquet preparation position allows you to hit topspin by allowing the racquet to “loop” down under the ball and hit topspin drives, loops and lobs as well as from the same position create drop shot, chips and slices.
Defense - Buy time as the underspin can slow down the speed of an incoming ball or slow down the speed of the ball you send back to your opponent. The underspin ball, because of the lower angle of entry over the net than the topspin will cause timing problem for the opponent as well.
Change the rhythm - By using the dropshot you can force an opponent to have to rush to the net to get the shorter ball and leave the security of their baseline. This opens up an easy lob return over their head on the next shot. The chip shot will have a second bounce low and near the baseline and often forces the opponent to bend low to pick up the ball and hit it up and short to you. The deeper slice can make the ball bounce lower and faster as it leaves the court and change the opponents timing as they have to adjust their shot from the normal ball they hit against.
Approach shot - a lower and shorter underspin ball can make it difficult to pass you when you come to the net because of the unusual spin and low bounce of the approaching shot.
Return serve off a very slow, spinny or fast serve - the underspin will help you to avoid over-hitting the slow ball yet add a spin that can make it difficult for your opponent. Spinning a spin ball is a great way to neutralize an opponents shot and the shorter underspin motion can make it easier to return a fast in-coming serve.
Defense off a high bouncing ball - it is difficult to do much with a high bouncing ball that is rising as it crosses your baseline because of height or spin, especially if you try to hit a topspin ball back. Slicing off the high ball requires little effort and little racquet work to return the ball deep and soft to your opponent or to chip it short and slightly angled so they cannot hit a high deep ball on the next shot.
Offense - take time away by hitting a faster under spin ball that has a lower and skipping approach to your opponent making it difficult to get under the ball to return it to you. The ball will seem to accelerate as it comes off the court and rush your opponent.
Solving Problems/Selling Solutions:
Some players say they do not want to hit underspin because they can’t do it.
This is not to replace the shot you have but to add a new shot to your game so you will have more weapons to defeat your opponent.
All new skills are challenging but an understanding or how to hit the underspin, who to use it against, what it does to your opponent, where to hit it when to use it, when to use it and why it is important to use will give them confidence to practice it and slowly add it to their game.
Use underspin as a mid-court short court warm up shot instead of topspin or flat shots to be able to keep the ball in play more effectively against players who hit too hard in the warm up.
This shot is the same motion as your underspin volley and dropshot which you would use when close to the net anyhow.
The pros don’t use it:
The pros do use it for the same reasons we want you to use it: disguise, buy time, change the rhythm, defense, approach shot, drop shot and offensive approach when the opponent is already in position.
Notice that more of the pros not only use it on their backhand but several are using it on the wide and low forehands as well to get the ball back into play so they can look for another chance to go on offense later in the point.
Because a lot of the juniors do not use it they hate to hit against it. This is evidenced when adults who do use underspin play topspin juniors and they hate it when the “older” players hit drop shots, chip shots and slice against them - it messes up their timing.
I can’t hit underspin because I use a topspin grip:
Don’t give up your topspin grip, add a new grip to your game so you have more options. When you see a replay of a drop shot by the pros, the announcer will say, “see how he changed his grip at the last minute to hit the drop shot?”
All the pros use a variety of grips for different kinds of bouncing balls, different heights of in-coming balls and different kinds of spins they want to hit. This is true on ground strokes and volleys - just ask McEnroe or Roy Emerson what grip they use on volley and they will ask you, “what height is the incoming ball?”
I like to play an attacking type of game:
By using some underspin in certain situations, you can force weak returns that will allow you to move forward and play a more aggressive and attacking game.
Sometimes your opponent is as strong or stronger with the attacking game than you. You will need to keep them off balance to prevent them from continually attacking you. Play some shots that force them to defend or else create weaker returns by underspinning low and short or deep and slow so you can go on the offense occasionally.
I can’t play against soft hitters:
Soft balls have a downward trajectory off your racquet and using underspin helps to pick the ball back up over the net. Underspin can also help avoid over-hitting on slow balls while allowing you to place the ball back to your opponent to stay in the point or gain an advantage through an unusual spin or placement.
Resist the urge to “kill” the short and softer ball. You will usually try to swing harder than normal to put the ball away. If you must try to put the ball away, walk through the ball as you contact it so the power will come from the legs and not the arms.
I don’t like to practice and using new shots mess up my game:
Practice during the warm up by using underspin to warm up from the service line. This is the area you would normally use it in a match anyhow. The shorter motion allows you to keep your hands in front of you, see the ball and the racquet at the same time and even slow down balls that are too hard by your opponent in the warm up.
When you return a ball to your opponent during the match so they can serve, use underspin to give the ball back to them so they can serve. This allows you to practice while the match is in play and develop confidence in a new shot at the same time. If you just made an error, returning a ball to your opponent in a positive way helps to “erase” the error and replace it with the feel of making the shot.
A truly great player will develop as many weapons as possible for different kinds of opponents and situations. Don’t limit the growth of your game by forgetting the “otherspin-underspin”
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Congratulations to Roger Federer on his success at Monte Carlo and at the French Open! We have all recognized his great qualities for many years now. What was so special at the French was to see how the fans reacted to his impending achievement.
Whenever we enter into a competition, our greatest opponent can be ourselves. We will misguide ourselves into thinking we are doing something we aren’t. For many, when faced with the realization that this is happening, will bridge the gap and improve greatly as an athlete and player. The one thing that is vital for finding balance is to start from a position from which you know exactly how you are moving and how you need to react. The entire basis is that the body starts from a neutral state, which relaxes the body and works to eliminate stress. This sort of technique is utilized in many sports, as well as theater, martial arts, and more.
