SLT Boss
There is no such thing as a perfect tennis player – even at the professional level; there is always room for improvement, so I’ve listed just a few of my fave tips. Some of these you may already know, and some you might not… but all can help you hone in on your mad tennis skillz!
1. As soon as you hit the ball, move back into position. Don’t stand there and admire your shot while you wait to see what your opponent will do with it.
2. Get your racket back early. This allows you more time to prepare your shot and will help you to feel less rushed, especially against big hitters. This also also helps you to adjust for bad bounces or weird spins.
3. When running to a ball from one corner to the other, take a couple of large strides large at first, and then switch to smaller steps as you get into position to hit the ball. Those quicker, smaller steps will help you stay balanced and allow you to make necessary adjustments for bad bounces, wind, etc.
4. Always watch the ball go into your strings. Many recreational players look up to see where they’re going to hit the ball instead of watching the ball as they hit it, and when their eyes move up, their racket moves up too, which can cause those annoying miss-hits. Trust yourself to hit inside the lines and keep your eyes on the ball.
5. Don’t be afraid to lob. Defensively, lobbing can get you back into a point, and offensively, it makes for a great weapon.
6. Always aim for the baseline when hitting your groundies. Hitting your shots too short in the court can set your opponent up to attack.
7. Swing as hard at your second serve as you do at your first serve, but use more spin. The spin will keep the ball in the service box, while making it more difficult to return.
8. If your opponent has a big serve, DON’T take a big backswing. Instead, keep your backswing compact and short, which will allow you more time to adjust and hit the ball.
9. Use different spins on your shots to help keep your opponent off balance. Hitting the same shot and/or with the same spin every time will allow your opponent to get into a groove on their return shots.
10. Step into your shots. The forward momentum will help generate more pace on your ball, allowing you to hit the ball deeper and keep your opponent on the defense.
1 comment
Hey Jen,
Tennis is an ideal sport for someone like me, although it’s been a difficult task to learn as I was a bit heavy, which I am taking care of as I am conditioning my body in the gym as well as learning tennis. I have learned that the gym helps to strengthen the body for tennis, it is helping me play for longer periods and have power in my serves.
By the way, nicely written post, some good tips for beginners.
~ Beth