Volley Tactics

If you are learning to volley, the main thing to keep in mind when using it during play is to hold back on your first volley and save the angles and speed for close in volleys.

Attempting to win the point from the service line when volleying generally loses the point. Work your way forward with a deep volley if possible and one that allows you to easily cover the angle of return from your opponent.

Save the full swinging volleys for high and slow returns commonly known as floaters.

Learning Tennis

Finding the right way to learn Tennis


How do you start yourself or your kids on the way to learning Tennis?

Taking private lessons is the fastest way to get improvement, but it is the most expensive approach. Group lessons can accomplish your objective to improve while keeping the cost of your new sport under control.

Here are a number of reasons why group lessons make sense.

It is a great opportunity to meet other players of equal ability.

Group instruction presents a more social atmosphere than private lessons.

A regular weekly schedule for classes commit you to learning when you have prepaid for a series of lessons, and this is the method most group instruction set up.

It is much less expensive by the hour to learn in a group format where usually the rate is between $10- $20 per hour per student versus private lessons that go from $50 on up to past $100 per hour depending on the market and the background of the teacher.


One of the most important aspects of finding a tennis coach, instructor, or Pro as they are often called is to determine their background in teaching as well as their playing skill.

The term Pro is also used to describe the professional teacher in each of these sports, and has been used interchangeably for both players and teachers.

I often use the phrase term tennis teaching pro to make sure there is no misunderstanding as to what my actual background is when talking to someone. Many very good players never played for money in a professional tournament, but have played college tennis and amateur tournaments. These players make up the majority of the Tennis Teaching Pros throughout the world. Often, the past professional players get into coaching college teams or work at high-end resorts and private clubs where they can claim with some level of authenticity that they were among the best in the world. This cachet is even more valuable with name recognition, and thus you will find many past great players with their own tennis training facility and their names visibly advertised. Still, many of the pros that work at these type of operations come from the vast ranks of college and amateur tennis players that find teaching tennis as a great outlet for their enthusiasm and desire for a tennis lifestyle that it presents.


Instructor Qualifications:

Look for someone with some level of certification from either of the two major Tennis Teaching organizations worldwide, either the Professional Tennis Registry or the United States Professional Tennis Association. Both have Professional certifications that will guarantee that your teacher is a skilled player and has extensive teaching background and knowledge.


Basing your choice of instructors simply on their tournament record is not a sound approach to learning the game. Many highly skilled players have not acquired the specific knowledge necessary analyze strokes and effectively impart playing skills to others. These are distinct areas of preparation that do not necessarily match those found in top athletic performers in tennis.

If you are a beginner it is best to find an instructor that will focus on your ability to acquire the basic skills needed to develop a sound game and hiring a world class player to teach you as a beginner is akin to renting a supercomputer to total up your shopping list when you could do the same with a low cost calculator. It is not only a waste of money and resources, but also most top level coaches generally prefer to work with advanced players rather than beginners.

Here are some characteristics to look for when choosing a Tennis Instructor.

Experience: How long has the instructor been teaching and playing and where? If your instructor is a club Pro at a private or public facility it is more likely they have extensive background.

If you go to many recreation and parks programs you may find that the instructor is a high school student working on a summer job with little experience beyond playing high school tennis, so look for some certification.

Personality: Find one that suits you, be it a fitness coach style with a drill sergeants bark, or someone with more understated demands who will work with you and generally not criticize or require much other than that you hit lots and lots of balls during a lesson. Try to avoid the talker that spends all of their time talking and little demonstrating. Better teachers vary between explanations, demonstration, feeding balls, or running drills with you and the class. If you want a talker you can simply buy or check out a video at the library, or better yet, read a book on the subject. Talkers generally don’t know they are, but haven’t taken the training to avoid this malady.

Methods: Some Pros like to hit balls with you and spend little time on technique while others are technicians that focus on developing your strokes in a methodical fashion. Somewhere in between are those that know the technical requirements needed for developing a good stroke and use simple graduated methods and parcel out your stroke into components that will eventually build your game.


Equipment:

It is not necessary to spend $300 on the latest racket technology that is currently promoted for you to learn the game. Rather than spend this amount, if you can find a racquet that is less than 10 years old with a mid to oversize frame it will most likely work as well for you as the top price models. Spending your money on court time and group instruction will be a much wiser investment than a high priced new racket. A good pair of tennis shoes that offer strong lateral support is a must. Many running shoes do not offer this and can be a source of ankle injury risk.


Ok, so you have your tennis racket and are ready for lessons. Once you begin your classes it is best to remember that it is essential to practice in addition to the time spent in lessons. Not only will this rapidly increase your playing skill, but also you will be able to learn more as your skills increase.



Here is where to find group instruction in Tennis.


Summer group lessons are found at local community colleges, county recreation and park programs, and USTA programs.

Summer camps are a compressed way to get the kids into tennis and depending on the size of the groupings it can be either simply a day of exercise and recreation or a focused way to introduce them into the sport of tennis.


Finding a Pro for private or group instruction is available through online sources.

Tennis Lessons.com

Professional Tennis Registry

United States Professional Tennis Association


Reprinted with Permission from: www.BrentHerrick.com - Copyright 2008

Federer is Back

Winning the US Open in straight sets proves to me that Federer has found his game. The surface at the Open contributed to this of course, and his run for more slam titles is not over. He may never win a slam, but a long list of titles will solidify his position as one of the greatest in the game.

For students of the game, I would have to say that watching Federers feet move across the court, isolated from the rest of his game still gives you an idea of how effortless he makes the game look. He glides while others lunge.

His backhand and forehand are both superb but in the final even his volley began to take on the look of mastery.

Congratulations Roger, it was great to watch you play.

Serena Williams defeats Jelena Jankovic for 08 USOpen

Serena Williams did her usual and overpowered her opponent. There is not much to say regarding her game other than wow, powerful. It was a great match, but I would have liked to see Jankovic win the 2nd set to make them play a 3rd. Selfish of me, I know.

Regarding Jankovics game, those double faults, uh. I grieved.

It is amazing to see the second best player on the women's tour struggle with her serve. With a great serve she might have won this match. Instead she gave away critical points with double faults.

Free advice to Jelena:
Lower your toss, put the ball out in front, and shorten the time interval between the toss and hit.

US Open 08 - Murray Defeats Nadal

This was a great match. I missed the first two sets yesterday, but was rewarded with a tremendous effort by both men today. I am pleased that Murray won with the interesting final it predicts, but found myself cheering for Nadal and sad when he was unable to hold back Murray's aggressive play. Nadal worked his usual 200% and it seemed as if Murray was unfazed by Nadal's speed or strength. As is was, Murray carried the power and regularly broke the rhythm with slice backhands and off-speed forehands. His angled two handed backhand was superb and remained a threat against Nadal throughout the match. He seemed to have an answer for any of Nadal's usual weapons and attacks.

Murray had a unique combination of one handed slice backhands to slow down the pace or for wide reaches, and his amazing two handed backhand. This is an area worth emulating for junior tennis players that want to build a long term weapon off of the backhand side.

I have a great respect for Nadal and his unbelievable sportsmanship. Many players that lose in such a hard fought and important match walk away bitterly and humilitated. Nadal showed none of these, but instead was gracious to Murray at the handshake and even spent time signing autographs.

Murray may have completed his breakthrough match that will give him future success in grand slam events.

Great Match.

Congratulations Murray

Roddick Loses to Djokovic

I admit that I was rooting for Roddick I suppose because he was the underdog and also because I can see what he was facing. Djokovic can move unbelievably well and this ability to retrieve almost everything allowed him to come back from his loss of momentum. Still, it was great to see a match of this quality and this only promises to make the match between Djokovic and Federer one to remember.

Roddick VS F. Gonzalez

Roddick is crushing the ball tonight against Gonzalez. Watching his serve reminds me that a great serve can carry you through even the toughest days on the court. Stan Smith and Pete Sampras both had days where their serve is what kept them alive.

This match is now over in less than an hour and a half. It's great to watch Andy when he is playing well.

Federer is Back, I hope.

I'm watching Federer make quick work of Gonzalez in the U.S. Open. His sluggish start is seemingly gone and the 70+ percentage of his first serve going in is his strength. He seems to be sailing through the match. His forehand is back on track for this match and I hope this is a portent of his results in this tournament.

In less than an hour and a half he won the match. Watching Federer trade strong groundstrokes from the baseline and then fluidly move to the net to close the point is reminiscent of some of the best of the past eras. As much as I like to see Nadal become a strong rival I hope that Federer can again reach number one.

Two Handed Backhands

Standard Two Handed Backhand Grip

Grips used for each of these can vary, but here are examples. The most common one is the continental grip combined with an eastern forehand grip. The dominant side generally holds a continental while the opposite side uses an actual forehand grip, usually eastern. This method allows flexibility in the finish, offering greater wrist mobility and the option of moving to a one handed backhand for a hard to reach ball. The continental also sets up the possibility of a slice backhand for high balls or very wide ones. (Continental=serve grip, grab the handle as if you would use the edge of the frame for the head of a hammer.)

There are a number of reasons to learn a two-handed backhand. Foremost for younger players is the lack of strength many have for holding the racket for a one handed backhand. Adults learn with this for similar reasons or to feel power that they cannot find with poor timing they might have initially with a one handed backhand.

Tennis elbow can force this for adult players and require them to learn a whole new approach to playing tennis that include a loss of reach and more rotation of the body. This rotation may bring about back or disc issues for older adults and should be a consideration when choosing the type of two-handed backhand to develop.

Picture Agassi or Connors with their very rigid rotation of their bodies when hitting the backhand. Both of them developed back problems over the years and it is likely that their backhands contributed to these problems.

Imagine Borg with his loose free flowing stroke, and limited rotation. This type of backhand is ideally suited to adults, especially those with existing back issues. Much of the racket velocity is accomplished by the forearms and upward lift versus the rotational velocity derived from the firmly held two handed backhand.

Double Forehand Grip

This method of gripping the racket changes a few things. One is reduced flexibility, though it can be a more powerful stroke, and it is often the one used by the rigid rotation backhands. The downside of this approach is the poor grip, very weak, for reaching volleys and wide balls that require a reversion to a one handed reach. Try hitting a backhand volley or ground stroke with one hand using an eastern forehand grip and you will be convinced of this problem.

Court Surfaces

The various court surfaces available are different in texture, bounce, and speed.

In terms of playability, each surface has a advantages over the other depending on need and circumstance.

Clay courts have a slower and often unpredictable bounce, but offer less shock to the legs and more time to get to the ball. This surface is especially suitable for older players since it is easy on the joints and back. I prefer clay for that reason, if no other.

Rubberized Base courts have a slow, almost hollow bounce, but give the cushion to the legs that hard courts do not. This is my second choice for playing while trying to prevent joint wear and injuries.

Hard courts offer a reliable bounce, fast response, and low long term maintenance effort. I used to love them, but do see that these courts favor the young, fast, and flexible. If you have back, joint problems, or arthritis, these courts let you know it quickly.

Continental Grip - The all around tennis grip.

With the big looping forehands in use today by the top players and many juniors it seems as if the continental grip is discounted as a relic of the past. True, it is no longer the grip of choice by professionals since the serve and volley game has almost disappeared while slower surfaces are dominated by heavy topspin western grip ground stroke players.

Where does this leave the lonely continental grip player? They are not necessarily lost. A doubles player can play a whole match with one grip if the grip is continental. Moderate topspin, easy slice and lobs, and natural under-spin volleys and drop shots are just a few of the benefits. Fast exchanges are handled easily when grip changes aren't needed. Lack of power is not an issue in most league or amateur doubles matches since guile and control carry equal weight.

Singles players used to playing against loopy forehands are often so befuddled by the flat and under-spin variations from continental grip players that it has an effect of wrecking their timing. It sometimes pays to be that lone dinosaur out there with a bag of tricks not regularly seen in the past two decades. Also, most players that have played continental can still work up the topspin when needed.

As a teacher, I can tell you that I generally use this grip on all shots to reduce spin and speed generation when working drills with students.

How to get a continental grip. If you know how to drive a nail, you know how to get a continental grip. Visualize using the edge of the racket as a hammer. This is also known as the serve grip.

To sum this up, if you have always used this grip, staying with it is not much of a handicap unless you are going on the tour. For the rest of us, it adds another dimension to what has become a one dimensional approach to tennis, the heavy topspin format.

If you want to become an all court player, learn to use the continental.

How to develop and use a slice serve.

To develop an effective serve it is best to learn control and deception through the use of spin. First learn to slice the serve by using a clock face for visualization. Toss the ball to the normal contact point for a flat serve but instead move across the ball with a 9 to 3 motion with a standard finish. A slice is a great serve to use when playing in difficult weather conditions such as wind or midday sun. You can always drop the height of the toss to limit the effect of wind.

The benefit of a slice serve is to add deception to your serve. If your opponent has begun to run around their backhand when you are serving to the deuce court, it is very possible to take them off the court to the right with a strong slice to the forehand. This would cause your opponent to move back to the center of the receiving area. A slice to the backhand corner of the deuce court that would curve into the body of your opponent would then add the impossible job of handing a ball in the stomach just as they were preparing for another wide forehand.

Your job as a server is to keep your opponent guessing so here is the best way to get there. Learn a slice serve, a flat serve, and a kick serve. With these three weapons in place you have the makings of a weapon.

Mix in some flat serves and kick serves to the backhand and you are well on the way to having a match winning serve.

Drop Shots

A drop shot only has to be as good as the player you are trying to catch in the trap. How do you judge it? If your opponent never comes to net, make them. Drop the ball short, but more importantly low with under-spin and test their net game with a lob. This sequence can be repeated as often as it gains points. It will also force your opponent to play closer, thus allowing you to apply pressure with deep ground strokes.

One-on-One Doubles

Try this for a great new aspect of the game of tennis. Play only half of the court width that includes the doubles alley. Serve as normal, return cross-court only and play only cross-court. This is a superb way to practice your doubles skills while playing with only one partner. The main idea is serve and volley only, though for less skilled players it is possible to play without that requirement.

Check out this video to view how it is played.

Also, here is a nice doubles blog site you might want to visit.

Ice Pack Methods

Here is a great ice pack method for form-fitting ice around joints such as elbows and knees, or just about anywhere you need something that is not a solid block of ice. Try a bag of frozen green beans inside a t-shirt or towel. Don't put the plastic bag directly against your skin since it does get very cold.

The bag can be refrozen multiple times.

Here is a diet tip too: :)
Rather than toss them, try cooking the beans in a microwave for healthy snacks. I prefer mine with Parmesan cheese on top. The cooking method that works for me is just to drop them into any type of microwave safe covered bowl and cook for 3 minutes or more depending on the serving size. I use a top on it to create steam with no need to add water.