Beginning Tennis​​

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Relax. Tension & stress only lock you up. Stay in motion. b) Get to the ball early. The root cause of 90% of errors in tennis is being out of position when the reaches you. c) Have fun! 2. Contact: a) Watch the ball! b) Let the ball fall into your hitting zone (about hip level). c) Think "forward". Beginners should hit deep. 3. Follow Thru: 1) Do it. Many players forget this last 1/3 of their stroke.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) "Shake hands" (Eastern) grip. b) Shoulder turn to wind up power. c) Get racket back sooner. 2. Contact: a) Swing through the ball low-to-high to generate top spin. b) Generate initial power from loaded legs. c) Shift weight smoothly and meet the ball early. 3. Follow Through: a) Tip of racket passes toward net, ending with racket hand behind ear. b) Back foot balances. c) Recover!

____________________________________ Double-handed: 1. Prep: Point your hitting shoulder towards ball as it bounces towards you. 2. Contact: Swing low-to-high to lift ball over the net. 3. Follow through: Finish strong over your opposite shoulder, chin almost touching shoulder. Single-handed backhand: 1. Prep: Rest free hand on throat of racket as it comes back to insure that your body moves. 2. Contact: Swing low-to-high. 3. Follow through: Up, out & across your body.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Continental grip. b) High toss. c) Service motion rhythm is "down (1), up (2), and (&) hit (3)." 2. Contact: a) When the ball is at it’s highest, you should be at your lowest. b) c) Swing at ball with blade. 3. Follow Thru: a) Continue reaching for ball after toss. b) Pronate. c) Sheath your racket like you would a sword, across your body.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Low, athletic stance. b) The faster you can react, the better the return you'll have. c) 2. Contact: a) Keep strings towards target. Avoid over rotating. b) Be assertive if possible; even if it's fast. c) "Hop into it" if it bounces high. 3. Follow Thru: a) It's good practice to hit deep at your opponent's feet. b) In singles, try to return deep, to your opponent's weaker side. c) In doubles, hit cross-court so the net player can't smash it.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Racket tip up (wrist around 45-90º) for better consistency. b) Strings stay forwards. c) Power feels like it "pops" from your legs, out your shoulders. 2. Contact: a) For topspin, start with racket above the ball and move down thru sweet spot. c) Contact should feel like a "catch". 3. Follow Thru: a) Aim at the open court or your opponent's feet. b) You're closer so recover faster. c) Bend knees.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Don’t overcook it. b) Forehand & backhand grips. c) Take a short backswing. 2. Contact: a) Hit off back foot. b) Racket slightly more open facing than groundstrokes. c) Swing low-to-high with a scooping motion to lift & spin the ball just over the net opponent's head. 3. Follow Through: a) Aim for back ⅓ of the court. b) If your ball is low, aim deeper & lengthen your follow-through. c) Reduce backswing if deep.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) “Palm down” (Continental) grip. b) Get there early! c) Hips and shoulders sideways to net. 2. Contact: a) High reach to hit, contacting ball up and in front of your body. b) Hips and shoulders rotate as wrist naturally snaps. c) “Kill” at the net. “Wound” behind service line. 3. Follow Through: a) Swing fully through shot. b) Racket moves away from body, across, and then down. c) Move closer to net if the opponent.

____________________________________ 1. Prep: a) Prepare like groundstroke. b) Open racket face (continental grip shift last second). c) Take the racket back further than a volley. 2. Contact: a) Carefully "carve" through the ball, high-to-low. b) Slice or put backspin on the shot to keep ball away from opponent. c) Ball bounces racket head backwards, taking some pace off your opponent's shot. 3. Follow Thru: a) Muted racket motion. b) Anticipate hard angle for next shot.

____________________________________ Prep: (First, give yourself plenty of time to measure your shot and send your opponent running.) Begin your swing with your racket originating higher than normal. Contact: Make contact at the highest point off the bounce. This takes time away from your opponent. Follow Thru: Try ending your follow through with your racket frame facing forward. This should offer more control.

____________________________________ Prep: Bend those knees. Get low! No golf swings allowed. Contact: The most important thing is to focus all your attention on the moment of contact. Because everything is abbreviated, you have less time to make mental measurements. Follow Thru: Topspin (brush up the back of the ball) if you're standing deeper in the court. Use slice/backspin, if you can, closer to the net.

____________________________________ Prep/Follow Thru: Mental toughness is EVERYTHING in tennis. Stay focused on the current point by saying things like "right now!" and "Come on!" Don't get hung up on a bad hit. Make a mental adjustment and move on with + energy. Contact: Commit to Consistency. Choose "higher percentage" shots that have a better chance of going in. These include cross-court shots (over the lowest part of the net), using topspin, and targeting further inside the lines.