Proform Tennis - Tip Of The Month

Superstitions by definition are irrational beliefs based on ignorance and fear. Superstitions often arise because we humans are wired to look for patterns, even when they are not there. Due to this tendency, winning ways often become associated with things that are not actually connected. As a result, athletes associate winning with “lucky” clothes, “lucky” things to eat, “lucky” places to eat, “lucky” pre-match activities, and “lucky” personal hygiene and hair maintenance (or lack of it). In this way, athletes create limitless examples of superstitions. A slight downside to superstitions, however, is that they often come about in a way that was not consciously chosen, and for this reason it is possible to get stuck with unreasonably silly, or worse, “lousy” superstitions.

As an example, Bob and Mike Bryan have described a superstition relating to eating at a certain Chinese restaurant every day for weeks, even though the food was terrible, because they associated winning with eating there. Perhaps they were exaggerating the story, but they described losing about 15 pounds because the food was so bad. On the positive side, this superstitious streak seems to have encouraged mental states that aided them in winning the French Open, and fortunately for them there are apparently no long-term repercussions, but to dwell on the winning alone would be to miss the point that superstitions can have problems even to the point of being harmful.

Superstitions typically come about in a way that is akin to accidental, and for this reason they can have their challenges, but they do offer the advantage of aiding in achieving particular mental states. What if you could choose your superstitions? In this way, if you select and control what gets you into the proper mental state, then what might seem like a superstition becomes more like a ritual. As an example of the difference between a superstition and a ritual, consider the example of eating at a specific restaurant on the day of a big tournament. The act of eating at the restaurant can be either a superstition or a ritual depending on the motivation behind it. If you eat at a restaurant but would rather eat somewhere else, then you are likely acting out of superstitious fear that only exists because you created it. Knowing this can help you simply shrug off the superstition and choose another restaurant. If you do in fact like the restaurant though, and you feel that it helps you relax and get properly fueled to compete, then eating at the restaurant can become a positive ritual. When it comes to match time, it is not the eating at the restaurant that is useful or not, it is the mental state that is initiated that is important.

The best rituals help you achieve desired mental states, but as to what those rituals are, they are as individual as you are and you must choose them yourself. To learn more, however, you can watch some touring pros to see if you can detect their rituals. As a hint, almost every pro has a predictable pre-serve ritual. The reason that pros can imitate each other so well, in fact, is that each pro enacts behavior over and over that puts them into a winning mental state. Rafael Nadal, for example, is particularly ritualized on court. He arranges everything associated with his gear very precisely, including his water bottles. As another example, John McEnroe, in his autobiography You Cannot Be Serious, makes clear that untying and tying his shoes was a calming ritual for him. Andre Agassi, in his autobiography Open, describes how arranging his tennis bag and its contents were an important part of his mentally calming pre-match ritual. Examples from the tour, of course, could go on and on.

Once you have become familiar with some of the pros’ rituals, consider what you have done when you have happened to play well. This information will become the initial round for selecting your rituals for the sake of improving your ability to access your winning mental states. You can add and subtract from your rituals over time as you see fit. And remember, you are in control of the rituals. Improving control over mental states is a mixture of skillfully selecting rituals and enacting those rituals, and while this process can never be perfectly mastered, with certainty it can be improved.

I think there are more words used to describe how to hit a volley then any other stroke in tennis i.e. “Punch”…”Block”…”Don’t swing”…”Keep your hands in front of you”…”Don’t lose sight of your racquet” and many more. But despite that, I believe the word “catch” will help you tremendously. If you throw a ball to one of your students and ask them to catch it (forehand) or let it hit the back of their hand (backhand) they all do the same thing…Hold out their hand and let the ball come to them. Nobody ever “punches” or swings their arm to catch a ball!

When you are positioned about 10 feet from the net or less, you don’t have to swing for the ball to go over the net! It is a two ounce ball and even if it is coming to you at one mph, it can hit the strings on a perfectly still racquet and still clear the net! The volley is about a 6 to 10 inch stroke depending on the length of your arm and related matters. On a forehand volley, your arm path will basically be “bent to bent." Your arm starts bent and finishes bent. Again like a catching motion. On the backhand, the arm path may go a little more from bent to straight (Not locked elbow straight!) particularly as you become more confident with the shot. Other than some strength issues, I find most tennis players have less challenges with the backhand volley in part because the hitting arm/shoulder is in front of the body whereas any body rotation on the forehand puts the hitting shoulder behind the body.

The grip on volleys should be exclusively continental. Using this grip has many benefits but the 2 most important are that you don't have to change grips between forehand volleys and backhand volleys, and secondly, the racquet face is naturally open because of the continental grip which allows you to have better control of the low volleys.

Practise these fundamentals on your volleys and experiment with different positions from the net(close in, middle of service box, on service line) and watch your volley improve!!!

It is often said that in the game of life, patience is a virtue. In the game of tennis, patience is what players separates players from pretenders. While players spend hours working on their “ huge” serves or their “ monster groundies”, they devote virtually no time developing what is undoubtedly the most important weapon a tennis player can possess---patience

Why is patience so important? Simply because in a match between players or teams of relatively similar skill level, the more patient the player or team , usually wins. Tennis is a game of errors as opposed to winners. Roughly 80% of all points played, at every level, are being decided by someone making an error.

In his fabulous book “Intelligence Tennis”, Skip Singleton describes the typical tennis match as 2 players giving each other games by making errors until finally someone will give away the match. Most matches are lost, not won. “The name of the game”, continues Singleton, “then becomes avoiding errors and playing consistently, though this may be the most basic of basics, it is often forgotten time and time again. Your ultimate weapon should be your consistency, no matter what level you play the game.”

Readiness when the opponent hits the ball may the most critical element within the game of tennis and equally the least understood. The modern game has become associated with tremendous topspin, and booming ground strokes. Dance like footwork that is sometimes furious and sometimes gliding and sometimes players move very little, but throughout there is a constant and continuous readiness each and every time the opponent hits.

Why does one split? The footwork paradigm can be described with the three R’s. Ready, Read and React. When the opponent hits I want to be ready to move. But before I can move I must read the ball, discern precisely where it is going. Finally, when I see where it is going, then I react. But Ready, Read and React occurs in a blink of an eye. So the split step is the attempt to become ready to read and react. Each and every time the opponent hits.

When does one split? At the club level, it appears that players split before opponents contact and when they land, they land very heavy and slow as they wait to read, or worse, they split early and guess. But by delaying their split(as professionals do), players gain more time to read the direction of the opponents shot and can then and only then, react accordingly with the most efficiency.

So the average club player can learn from watching the pros’ superb footwork. You must firstly be aware, knowing how important footwork is to playing the game at a higher level. Always try and watch the players ‘feet’ and not the ball during a rally to really see how much splitting they actually do. Develop your own awareness of how well you are or are not moving, as this will be the first step to improving your movement.

It is not “practice makes perfect’ but rather “perfect practice with a purpose makes perfect”. The good news about getting better is that anyone of any age who has average intelligence and coordination can get better, much better. According to performance experts, anyone of average ability can achieve world class skill levels (not best in the world, but world class).

The bad news is that getting better takes practice, but not just any kind of practice. It needs to be deliberate, deep practice. That means having your skill continuously evaluated and working relentlessly to fix any fault or weakness. This practice is however not mindless rallying with a friend, is not “play” and is not necessarily “fun”. This practice is going out and practicing with a purpose and that purpose needs to be clearly defined. (I want my slice backhand down the line a weapon!)

The other bad news is that getting much better takes a long time, and to get great, takes a long, long time. So to achieve world class performance levels of any skill requires a minimum of 10 000 hours of deliberate practice. That equals 4 hours a day, 5 days a week for 10 years. Also, given the need to recover from intensive deliberate practice, it becomes very difficult to achieve world class performance in less than 10 years. Performance experts have studied so called child prodigies and found that it took the likes of Woods, Agassi and Mozart a decade to achieve their world class levels of skill.

The return is the most under practiced shot in tennis though it is co-host of the "Most Important Shot in Tennis" title. The serve is also the only shot that the player has total control of from start to finish. This is a reason why the serve should be an advantage. All other strokes in tennis are dependent on the ball coming toward the receiver's side. All things being equal, making a high percentage of first serves increases the likelihood of holding serve. However, if this is not the case then a player needs to address their serve and find areas they can improve. Like the return on serve, there are factors other than technique that go into the serve: a routine, your intention/serve placement, and the following-up being ready for the second shot (or third shot - if you count the return as the second shot).

Before getting ready to start the point, go thorough a routine for the return of serve. Essentially, this gets you ready to start the point. Positive thoughts in the routine or use of imagery put you in the right frame of mind to start the point.

Always have an idea of targets off both sides of the return. That way you have commitment to the way you want to return the ball. Yes, the kind of serve you will receive is not in your control, but you have a plan as to how you would like to play out the rest of the point. As a match progresses you have an idea as to what kind of serves you will be receiving if you have been observing the server. Let me give an example: My opponent has a very strong first serve that I have had difficulty returning. My plan woul dbe to block the return and be ready to neutralize the building or winner shot I will probably be receiving.

What you intend to do you with serve determines where you will stand, as will the type of serve you are receiving. If my intent is to take the serve early with a short backswing and follow it in, I will stand closer to the basline. Going back to my example in intent, an opponent whose serve is difficult to return will force me to back off a little to give myself time for example.

It's really up to you what you feel comfortable holding. My recommendatin would be for a two-handed backhand player to wait with the bottom hand in the forehand frip and the top hand in the backhand grip. If the ball comes to the forehand, you let for of the the top hand and you ahve the forehand ready to go. If the ball comes to the backhand, as you take the racket back with the top hand, you change the bottom hand grop to the continental grip. Single-handed backhand players generally can pick a comfortable grip.

The split step should be used to get your momentum going forward. As the server makes the toss, step forward and try to be in the air as contact is made with the shot. That way, when landing you can start you movement to the ball.

Stances generally depend on the time factor. The less time available, the more open the stance might be. The more time available, momentum into the ball is important. You may just have to reach and do you best.

General rule of thumb woul dbe to use as compact a swing as possible with a limited backswing. Let's go back to the example pertaingin to the intent of the return fo the serve. If my goal is to block the return of the serve, I would utilize a short compact swing with little to no backswing. If my goal is to set my partner up I might stand back a little farther (location) and use a little larger swing to allow myself to get a better arc on the return aloowing me to hit the ball to the server's feet.

immerdiately after the return, try and split step as soon as possible in a neutral spot to get ready for the next ball. A common mistake is to see if the return went in and then react from that location. If sue diligence is paid to the return of the serve, the returns - no pun intended - will pay off. Getting the point started goes a long way to giving yourself a chance to perform will and reap the rewards of success.

If you see how American kids play, I think the forehands and backhands and serves are as good as the players in the rest of the world, but in general they don't play as well in matches. When I watch juniors play matches they often seem “disconnected” from one shot to the next. I think this is because we don't emphasize point play enough. We don’t emphasize the reasons you should hit the ball to certain places at certain times, or where your court position should be. The way I see it American kids are more used to hitting balls than really playing matches.

The kids don’t play enough practice matches and they don’t understand what the actual meaning and purpose of these matches should be. We have kids that hit the ball as well as anybody, but they don't play as well when it counts.This problem could also relate to the fact that American juniors play mainly on hard courts. There is very little clay court play. When you play on fast surfaces the majority of the time, I think it's a little tougher to get the feeling of how to play because you have less time to figure things out.
In general Europeans are taught more patterns, and they are taught more about point play. The basic idea underlying this is that every ball that you hit has an effect on your opponent, either positive or negative. And what that effect is depends on how well you execute on every ball.

If you see a top 10 player hit with a guy that's 80 or 100 or 250, I'm not really sure you can tell who's who just by watching their strokes. To really evaluate a player I think you have to see them play. In general, better players have a better understanding of where they are in relation to their shots. When they start playing points, you can see that the best players hit the ball from the right place on the court. They hit the ball at the right height, with the right pace. They also hit it to the right place more often. Teaching a player how to play is a lot tougher than just teaching strokes. I would much rather work with somebody with lesser shots, but a good idea how to play than with somebody with good strokes, but no clue where to hit the ball.If a player has problems with a certain stroke, with a number of repetitions you can address that. But if he's got no idea how to play, it's going to take a lot longer to teach him how to play than to teach him how to do certain technical things better.

Let’s say you watch a kid play, and he typically hits the ball from a position 8 to 10 feet behind the baseline. Then one of his shots goes deep with weight. If he just maintains that position rather than moving up in the court, that pretty much tells me his mind is dead. To me he's not really playing tennis. He's just hitting the ball because the ball comes to his side. True, every individual player is different, and therefore their exact offensive and defensive positions will vary depending on factors such as their hands or their perception of the ball. But better players are always responding to the nature and effect of their shots, and the shots of their opponents.

I think the role of practice matches is critical in learning to play. This is where you learn to make decisions. Practice matches are where you learn how to resolve problems. A practice match is as close as you get as playing a real match, so unless you were born with great instincts and a great eye and a great feel for the game, you're going to learn how to play by playing practice matches.

The warm-up for both practice and competition is an important period for preparing the body physically to improve performance and also reducing the likelihood of injury. A common mistake many players make is to believe that starting to hit balls from the service line is a sufficient warm-up for the body to help the muscles loosen up. The muscles are still cold and very tight even after hitting strokes for a couple minutes and the possibility of pulling a muscle is drastically increased. Furthermore, if a player is warming-up for competition, he or she will likely still be “warming up” for the match in the first few games of the opening set.

A good routine to have as a warm-up for either a practice or a match would be to begin a slow jog, steadily speeding up for a 2-3 minutes, while performing some tennis related movements. (i.e. shuffle steps, crossovers, one-legged jumps, and swinging movements with the arms. After that 3 minute period you should feel your heartbeat rising and yourself breaking into a small sweat. At this point, a player benefits greatly from a stretching routine for the entire body to prevent injuries. Static stretching has been a traditional stretch where a muscle is held at a certain length with no movement. Another form of stretching that has become common among many players is dynamic stretching. This is when a muscle is stretched under a controlled movement pattern. Here the muscle is elongated under a controlled lengthening and shortening process. For example, lifting your leg one at a time keeping it straight and touching your hands that are extended in front of your body would be one way to stretch out your hamstring. All of these dynamic stretches can be done while in motion and they are done controlled with absolutely no jerky movement. Moreover, the legs including the inner part of the thigh, as well as the lower back and shoulders are very key areas that need to be stretched before play.

If you can find a warm-up routine similar to this taking no more than 10 minutes each time you step onto the court, you will improve your performance and results. Also, the prevention of injury with stretching will help you to play tennis well into the future or at least reduce those nagging pains that we play through.

Most would agree that carbs, protein and fats are essential to the tennis diet. What people fail to realize is that the body requires a significant amount of salt before and after competition. As a tennis player, we are constantly moving,engaging different muslce groups and pushing our aerobic and anaerobic boundaries. As a result we sweat: therefore, causing loss of water ,electrolytes and possible dehydration.

Foods that are high in salts are some of the following: pretzels,pickles,soy sauce,types of crackers and sports drinks. If you add these types of foods to your diet you will not only perform better but prevent dehydration and muscle cramps.

So next time your ready to hit the court, make sure you have consumed at least some of the foods or drinks that contain salt!!

It’s been said that the overhead is the least practiced shot in the game. I’m inclined to agree. Therein lies the biggest difference between those who hit the overhead well and those that don’t. Why do so few players put legitimate practice time in on the overhead? I think the answer is simply that, while it’s expected to be THE killer shot, it’s just not that easy. (Imagine trying to hit your serve with a toss anywhere between 10 and 30 feet high that’s all over the map).

If you’re using the continental to volley, the first benefit is that you won’t need to change your grip as you ready yourself to hit the overhead. One of the most common errors in overhead preparation is to face the net and backpedal. That’s a very instinctive move, but there are two big negatives associated with it. The first is that when backpedaling you need to use very small steps to stay balanced. If you have to move back appreciably, it’s difficult to cover the necessary distance to swing comfortably. The second problem is that when you’re facing the net, your body is in the way of the follow through. This forces you to slap or push the shot. If you try to hit with a full swing while facing the net, you could wind up smashing your left shin, and I guarantee if it ever happens you won’t want to do it again. Ouch! When you swing, aim for the back of the ball and make sure you swing UP to it. Don’t intentionally swing straight ahead or down. This will make the contact low and you’ll either hit balls long or into the net. Your arm should be loose and relaxed and at the moment you strike the ball but also fully extended. Follow through on the overhead will depend on the difficulty factor. When you have good position and balance going in, your follow through should be just like that of a serve--down and across your opposite leg.

If you took a poll of tennis players, particularly recreational players, and asked what shot gives them the most trouble, the high ball would rank near or at the top. By "high ball" I mean a ball you play above your normal comfort zone, anywhere from mid chest to shoulder level, or even higher. High balls include groundstrokes both in the backcourt or the frontcourt. They also include high volleys and returns on high kicking serves.

There are two options for avoiding high balls: (1) hitting the ball on the rise before it reaches an uncomfortable height, and (2) moving back and letting the ball descend to a more playable height. Hitting the ball before it gets too high is something you see advanced players do routinely, but it is much less common at lower levels. This is because it requires exceptional use of your eyes, good footwork and positioning, and especially, good timing of the swing. Keep your backswing short and just try to bump the ball. As you become more adept you can add more length to the forward swing but continue to keep it short in the back.

A high ball can't cause you a problem if it's not high when you make contact. So the simplest solution--if not always the best tactically--is simply to move back and allow the ball to drop to your normal contact height. This is easier to accomplish at lower levels of play when the ball is hit with less pace and spin. Obviously when the ball is slower you have more time to move back and set up. Once the ball drops far enough it becomes more like a normal groundstroke. If you have enough time, you can step in, hit with a neutral stance and use your normal followthrough.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you absolutely have to do something with this ball. If your opponent stays back there's absolutely nothing wrong with responding to a high ball with a ball of your own. Stay patient and always wait for the ball to be in the right hit zone before doing alittle extra with it..

In today's game of big hitting and infrequent ventures to the net, the drop shot has made a comeback. This spin on a drop shot is primarily underspin, but there is also a sidespin component. Virtually all shots in tennis have some sidespin rotation. But on the drop shot, this sidespin component can be quite high. The swing is from high to low. But at the same time the swing is also from the outside in across the ball.

Whether it is a backhand or a forehand the proper grip is the continental. The exact placement can vary but, in general, the best drop shots land within two feet of the net and within two feet of the side line. For most players developing this ability requires real work. A great time to play the shot is when you have the opponent scrambling to recover to the middle. Now you have the opportunity to hit the drop shot behind him in the opposite direction of his movement. A basic mistake is to play a drop shot when you are too far back in your own court. In general your goal is to create a situation where your opponent is not only deep in the court, but also hits a short reply. Don't expect immediate, consistent success when you start to incorporate the drop shot in your matches. Like every new shot you have to be patient and keep trying it even when your results are mixed. Initially it's good to try it in games when you are up 40-0 or 40-15. Then the consequences of a miss aren't quite as negative.

Despite the great emphasis today on the topspin power game, the fact remains having a slice backhand is an absolute must, whether you hit your backhand with one hand or two. You can't be a complete player or a successful competitor without it. In match play you need slice in a wide variety of situations: to neutralize a heavy topspin shot, to mix up the pace of a rally, to keep the ball low, to buy time on defense, and play balls that are low, high, wide, or short.

The Continental grip is almost universally considered the best grip to hit slice. On the backswing, your hitting arm should bend to about a 45-degree angle. If you bend your arm much more than that you risk a late hit or a choppy swing. Avoid hitting from an open stance. Ideally you want to step into the shot, but if you're forced to step more across your body that's usually ok. Aim for the outside of the ball. The image of hitting across the ball helps solidify ball contact. The follow through should be outward toward the top of the net and upward toward the target. No matter what style you play, it will make your game more flexible and well-rounded.

Most people tend to hold their breath under stress. In tennis, surprising numbers of players, including players at the top of professional tennis are actually barely breathing during competitive play. At a time when your body needs it most, there is a tendency to deprive it of the oxygen that is central to good performance.

Restricting breathing disrupts the flow of the game. It leads to muscle tension, short constricted strokes, poor movement and generally erratic play. Players may unconsciously make errors or go for big shots just to get the point over, so that they can get their breath again.

Holding your breath is actually a powerful way to stimulate the choking response most players are so desperate to avoid. Developing a breathing rhythm is essential to maintaining harmony and consistency in your play.

Start by observing how you breathe when you strike the ball. Your goal should be to get your breathing perfectly synchronized with your hitting. Exhale through your mouth at the contact point. The flow of air should be aggressive and long.

If you are doing it correctly, you will naturally make the long sound of "ah" as you hit. It will feel as if you are attacking the ball with your breath.

To develop this breathing pattern, an auditory cue will make the learning process much easier. As you strike the ball in practice, pronounce the word "yes" at the contact point.

The result will be a more relaxed and fluid style. Note that exhaling at contact is not necessarily the same thing as grunting. Breathing correctly between points is as important as breathing correctly during points. Deep breaths are crucial to relaxing and recovering from the stress of playing points. They should be an inherent part of your between point behavior. Practice these techniques and watch how they can affect your play and enjoyment of the game.