Abdominal Muscle Strain (pull)

 Here is a great article on abdominal muscle strain and recovery technique.  This usually occurs from serving with out warm up.

http://www.stms.nl/download/AbdominalMuscleStrain.pdf

Tons of free high quality Tennis instruction video

I bumped into this site and found majority of these videos very useful. These site has around 60 free video clips on Tennis instruction.

http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instructionvideos/index.aspx

Basic Forehand Volley

Volley is the most important shot when approaching the net and net play. Here are 2 demo videos on forehand volley.

The first video best describes the process. Other videos below built upon it.



Tennis:
How To Master The Forehand Volley

What happened to US Open TV coverage?

Short Ans: Based on my understanding, USA Network did not renew its TV Coverage rights ($22 million), thus ESPN bought the broadcast rights to US Open.

However since NASCAR / College Football are more popular ESPN decided not air the games during weekend. To fill in the gaps USTA (USOpen.org) and The Tennis Channel were showing those games.

The issue is that not everybody can afford Cable/Dish. Other cable providers are packaging The Tennis Channel for additional fee ($3.95 ~ $8.95).

If you feel ESPN / CBS would make money by broadcasting The US Open then feel free to contact them.

ESPN : http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/index

CBS Sports: http://www.cbssports.com/info/about/contact_us

Shot selection and Court Positioning

The free videos are from legendary Nick Bollettieri on correct shot selection and court positioning.

Part 1


Part 2



Part 3

More then practice, Building Points and Tactics

Here are some amazing video of building points and Tactics during game from legendary Nick Bollettieri.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

From NY Times an Easy Fix for Tennis Elbow.

The video shown below:



Other Tennis Elbow article:
Read the original article at http://www.tennis-elbow-treatments.com/pages/tennis_elbow_exercise.php

Tennis Elbow Exercises

Tennis elbow is primarily considered a Repetitive Stress Injury( RSI ), the first course of action is to rest the elbow so that it can begin to heal itself.

If you are suffering from tennis elbow, you should first try to identify the movement causing the inflammation. Sometimes this is simple. If you are an avid tennis player, then swinging a tennis racquet is the most likely culprit.

Think about what activities you were involved during the time that you first notices the tennis elbow pain. The most common movements leading to tennis elbow are repetitive motions and/or very strong gripping movements, squeezing objects and heavy lifting.

The rehabilitation process can be divided into 3 phases, each with different goals and objectives:

Phase 1

Immediately after the onset of pain, your focus should be dealing with the damage:

• decreasing inflammation and pair
• promote tissue healing
• minimize muscle atrophy

During this stage of the injury, called the Acute Stage. In this stage of the injury, you should follow the R.I.C.E. principle.

What is R.I.C.E.?

REST

Avoid all activity that aggravates the injury. It is important to maintain your activity level. Absolute rest should be avoided as it may lead to additional muscle atrophy. It also de-conditions the tissue. High activity levels contribute to an increased blood supply to the area, all of which helps the healing process. Listen to your body. Pain will be the best guide as to what is an appropriate level of activity. If it hurts, don't do it.

ICE

Icing the affected area is recommended as long as the inflammation is present. The cold temperatures help to slow down local metabolism in the elbow. Depending on the type of injury, you may want to continue icing the area for as long as inflammation is present. This may mean icing the area during the entire rehabilitation process. It may be particularly beneficial to ice the area as you return to more strenuous activity.

There are many ways that you can ice your elbow. There seems to be 2 different methods:

• ice the area with a cold pack
• ice massage

The most common way is to simply put and ice pack directly on the area. You can fill a ziploc bag with ice and just put that on the area, or you can use a gel cold pack. You can buy these in many drug stores. It may be a good idea to wrap the ice pack in a light cloth so you don't freeze your skin. It can happen, so you have been warned.

My preferred way is an ice massage. The way we used to do this is to freeze water in a styrofoam cup. You then tear enough of the cup off so that you can massage the affected area with the ice. As the ice melts, you tear off more of the cup.

Since you will need to ice your arm often, I prefer to use a CryoCup instead of a styrofoam cup. It's recycleable and less messy than styrofoam. The CryoCup is a 2 part plastic cup. You join the 2 parts, fill with water and freeze. After frozen, you simply run the cup end under warm water and the plastic slides off leaving a comfortably warm plastic handle with which to massage you arm.

Ice massage is great because it:

• massages the area while minimizing swelling
• doesn't feel as 'cold' as a cold pack, I think this is because it's moving.
• No more cold fingers!

Simply rub the area with the frozen ice for 15 minutes. It's probably a good idea to do this even if you are not feeling any pain. The ice should reduce inflammation in the area. The less inflammation, the faster your body will be able to begin healing.

When you ice massage, you may want to place an absorbent towel in your lap because the melted ice will drip.

COMPRESS

Compression helps limit swelling, which slows down healing. Some people may notice pain relief from compression as well. A common and easy way to compress the area of the injury is to wrap an ACE bandage over it. If you feel throbbing, or if the wrap just feels too tight, remove the bandage and re-wrap the area so the bandage is a little looser. Cutting off the circulation to your lower arm would be a bad thing.

ELEVATE

We want to keep the swelling as light as possible. Fortunately, we have 2 powerful tools, compression and elevation. Compression works by minimizing the volume. Elevation takes advantage of the natural forces of gravity to assist venous return of the fluid causing the swelling. This is fancy way of saying that the gravity makes the blood run down the arm versus pooling in the swollen area. This helps to keep the swelling to lower levels. Less swelling means less secondary trauma to the area.

Phase 2

After the elbow has healed, you want to begin working to increase strength and endurance in the muscles, tendons and ligaments. You will also begin to gradually return to functional activities and return to normal function.

• Stretching
1. Focus on the gentle stretching exercises. You should work on increasing the range of motion during wrist flexion, wrist extension and wrist rotation.
2. Make certain that the elbow is extended and the arm is straight. Keeping the arm straight increase the range of the stretch.
3. Hold each stretch for 20 - 30 seconds
4. Focus on feeling the muscles gradually relax into the stretch.
5. Repeat at least twice a day.
6. Stretch only to the point of comfortable motion.
7. REMEMBER you want to help the area, NOT re-injure it.

Stretch 1 - Forearm Flexors


Stretch 2 - Forearm Extensors


• Strengthening
  • Perform the following exercises with the wrist supported and the elbow bent.
    1. Wrist Flexion
       

    2. Wrist Extension
       

    3. Forearm Pronation / Supination
       
    4. Finger Extension with Rubber band
       

    5. Ball Squeeze
       
       
  
  

Gradually increase the amount of work that you are doing. Make sure to begin with a very light weight. Ideally, you should begin with a 1 pound dumbell. Begin with perform 10 movements in a row. Repeat this sequence 3 times. This is called doing 3 sets of 10 repetitions. With time, this movement will become easier, then you can increase the numper of repetitions to 15. Increase the weight when you can easily do 15 repetitions for 3 sets. Remember, you want to work the muscles and ligaments only as long as the movement is comfortable.

Phase 3

After your pain symptoms have disappeared and you have full range of pain free movment of your arm, you are now ready to begin more sport specific rehabilitation. While Phase 2 focuses on gradually increasing the work capacity of the elbow. Phase 3 begins gradually incorporating the movements of your sport or activity. In many cases, you are now returning to the activity that created the injury. It is very importatant to gradually work up to prior activity levels. Make sure that you are using a heavy, head light tennis racquet. Some of the new racquets are head heavy and can really damage the elbow.

It is very common for people to reinjure themselves at this stage by subjecting themselves far too much strain before the tendons have fully healed.

During Phase 3, continue stretching and strengthening exercise from Phase 2.

Below, we have created an example of how a tennis player with lateral epicondylitis should progress back to high activity levels. Most commonly, a tennis player will develop tennis elbow in their dominant arm. This progression takes that into account.

Work Load Progression
Week 1	15 minutes forehand only
Week 2	30 minutes forehand only
Week 3	30 minutes forehand and two handed backhand
Week 4	45 minutes forehand and backhand
Week 5	45 minutes all strokes
Week 6	Begin Incorporating Serves
Week 7	Full play
Week 8	Competitive play

Guide To String Machine

Original article: http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/articles/2008/08/2008_guide_to_stringing_machin.html

2008 Guide to Stringing Machines

Buying a stringing machine is one of the most important purchases you can make for your business. It is also one of the most difficult. With the plethora of machines, technologies, and features available, selecting a machine is a daunting task.

Our Stringing Machine Selection Guide will guide you through the minefields and help you choose the best machine for your business. Below we explain the essential machine features, and the chart on pages 38 to 41 displays the features of almost every professional machine on the market.

MOUNTING SYSTEMS

The chart lists machines with 2-, 4-, 5-, or 6-point mounting systems. This refers to how many places they support the frame. There are many subtle differences in mounting systems. The three most common types of mounting systems are the 2-point, 4-point and 6-point, though each of them is safe.

6-Point Mounting. Fans of 6-point systems will tell you that more points of contact must be better. Six-point systems do support the frame in more places, which means it is a little easier to lock the racquet in place so it does not slide back and forth during stringing. It also allows a better view of the grommets at the head and throat of a racquet. Six-point systems can require fewer adapters for frames of different shapes. Finally, some of these systems have side arms that can be adjusted simultaneously, making it easier to center a racquet.

2-Point & 4-Point Mounting. Fans of two-point and four-point systems suggest that it is quicker to mount a racquet on a these machines because there are fewer mounting points to be adjusted. They will also say that these systems offer more support at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, (the two most important points to support), because the amount of surface contact with the frame is greater at these locations.

Turntable Lock. This allows you to stop the turntable in one position. Helpful for calibrating, tying knots, and stringing O3 and Rollers frames.

360° Rotation Turntable. Allows you to turn the racquet all the way around during stringing.

3-D Rotation Turntable. Allows the turntable to tilt so that each string gets pulled straight through the grommet. This is designed to reduce the friction of the string against the grommet when tension is being pulled.

TENSIONING SYSTEMS

There are two main types of tensioning systems available today — lockout and constant pull. Lockout means that the machine pulls the string to the desired tension and then locks the length of the string until you clamp it and release the tension head. So, as soon as you lock the length of the string, it starts equalizing and losing tension. Constant-pull machines pull the string to the desired tension, but when the string starts to equalize and lose tension, it pulls a little more to stay at reference tension. Constant-pull machines generally achieve slightly higher stringbed stiffness (we find the difference to be about 5 percent to 10 percent).

Drop Weight. These machines use a lever (with a weight attached to it) to pull tension on each string. Moving the weight on the bar determines how much tension it pulls. These machines qualify as constant pull because the weight continues to pull the string as the string stretches.

Hand Crank. Tension is pulled by hand crank. These machines lockout when the desired tension has been reached.

Electric. These machines require electricity to pull tension. Most of these machines are constant pull, but a few allow you to choose between constant-pull and lockout modes. Some offer multiple pull speeds and a prestretch mode.

Linear Pull & Rotational Tensioners. Machines that pull tension in a straight line away from the machine are said to be linear pull. The alternative is a rotational tensioner, which wraps the string around a spool, then rotates the spool to pull tension on the string.

Diablo/Nosecone. The string is wrapped around the diablo or nosecone before it is put in the tension head, allowing the tension head to grip the string more gently and ensuring the string enters the tension jaws at the same angle each time.

Foot Tension. Foot-activated tension head.

Manual Calibration. Allows you to adjust (correct) the pulling force manually, as opposed to a few machines that are designed to calibrate themselves automatically.

Diamond Coated Tension Head. Grips the string with less pressure.

Tension Sets. Three types: dial tension set, +/- key tension set, and numeric keypad.

Knot Tensioning. The machine can be instructed to pull the last string before a knot tighter than the reference tension to allow for the tension that is lost between the clamp and the knot.

CLAMPING SYSTEMS

The clamping system is meant to hold strings in the racquet under tension. If clamps slip, or allow strings to slip through them, a string job can be ruined. There are many different clamps, but all will fall into one of three categories.

Flying Clamps. These clamps are not attached to the machine. They use one string to hold tension on another string. They generally do not hold tension as consistently as the other two types of clamps. The low price tag makes them attractive to new stringers testing the waters.

Fixed Clamps that Swivel. These clamps are attached to the machine and can be turned in any direction, especially helpful when stringing fan patterns. They also allow you to switch from main strings to cross strings without having to remove and replace glide bars. There are two kinds: dual swivel, dual action fixed clamps that require you to lock two levers to clamp a string; and dual swivel, single-action fixed clamps that require you to lock one lever. 360º glide bar clamps are clamps that rotate 360 degrees, but they are mounted on glide bars. Single swivel fixed refers to machines with only one clamp attached to the machine. Machines with this type of clamp will generally require a starting clamp or flying clamp for part of each string job.

Fixed Clamps that Don’t Swivel. These are clamps that are attached to the machine by glide bars, but can only be turned in two directions (90 degrees and 0 degrees). These require removing and repositioning glide bars to switch from main strings to cross strings.

Diamond Dust. Holds a string with less pressure, avoiding string crushing but can scar surface of string if they are adjusted too loosely and allow the string to slip through them.

WEIGHT

Categories indicate whether the machine weighs less than 50 pounds, between 50 and 75 pounds, or over 75 pounds. Heavier machines can be more stable and solid, but they can be less convenient when moving or traveling.

TOOLS INCLUDED

This final category indicates which supplies and tools are included with the machine. For descriptions of each tool, see pages 9-10 of the USRSA Racquet Service Techniques book.

Tennis conditioning by Ron Waite, USPTR

Read the Article at http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_99_12.html

Feet Don’t Fail Me, Now

"You can’t play winning tennis without good footwork." This is a sentence I hear myself repeating quite frequently when I coach collegiate players. In fact, the pre-seasons I run as Head Men’s Tennis Coach at Albertus Magnus College consist of lots of foot drills. Not only do these drills get my players in shape, they actually enable them to move more properly on the court.

Most tennis players do not pay enough attention to developing good footwork. So, I thought I would dedicate this month’s column this essential aspect of the game.

Before I get to specific drills and exercises, I need to clarify what proper footwork is. First, tennis is a game of primarily small steps. Granted, when one is running wide to get to a ball she or he may be running at full stride. However, this is the exception…not the rule. Actually, tennis is a game of short sprints, and frequently quick changes in direction. It requires the ability to move from side to side and forward/back with equal proficiency.

When footwork is well developed, the player moves with quiet feet. With exception of an occasional sneaker squeak, you should not be able to hear your feet as you move. Players with poor footwork make lots of noise with their feet as they move around the court. Whenever I notice that my opponent has "loud" feet, I make certain that I run him as much as is possible.

Why? I know that sooner or later his poor footwork will force him to lose form and make errors.

Regrettably, many tennis players think that the only kind of footwork training that is necessary is distance running. Every other day, they will run two, three, or even five miles in the hope that this will make them faster and more agile in their movement on the court. Unfortunately, they never really achieve either goal.

Good footwork training involves a variety of exercises and movement drills. Most of these should replicate the movement on a tennis court…short sprints. Some of these should develop speed, some should develop strength and others should develop endurance. Distance running usually develops only the latter of these three.

If you are serious about improving your tennis game, I assure you that a six-month commitment to these drills and exercises will make a marked difference. You need to practice footwork deliberately, regularly and consciously! The idea is to train so well that you never have to think about your footwork during a match. The last thing you want to do in a competitive match is to take your mind off the ball and the opponent. So, you need to make good footwork second nature.

Before you begin these drills and exercises, you want to make certain that your physician approves. This is a good idea whenever beginning any new exercise regimen.

There is one set of sprints, which I have labeled as "Saddlebrooks" because I learned these when training at the famous resort/academy some years back. My college players dread these sprints because they demand so much of the body in such a short span of time (just as tennis can). It is best to begin these sprints at 3/4 pace and to attempt only one complete "Saddlebrook" set per day. As you become stronger, and more important, as your "wind" capacity increases, you can move to two or three per day. Never exceed three Saddlebrooks per day! In addition, I recommend running these sprints every other day rather than every day.

You can run these sprints on tennis courts, in a gym or on a large field. If you are running on tennis courts, you want to run the equivalent of 2 1/2 court widths for each sprint. I usually begin at the center service line on one court and then run until I reach the far sideline of a court that is two courts away from the starting point (thus, 2 1/2 court widths). If I am running in a gym, I run the entire length of the basketball gymnasium for each sprint. If I am running on a field, I try to run approximately 35 yards for each sprint. You can vary the distance of the sprints to suit your conditioning level.

A "Saddlebrook" consists of 10 sprints with a jog back to the starting point in between each sprint.

The idea is to never stop running or jogging. Do not walk back to the starting point in between sprints unless this is absolutely necessary. The ten sprints should be run in the following order:

1. Sprint from the starting point to the end point at full pace. Then without stopping turn around and jog back to the starting point…make certain you jog…do not run.
2. Repeat step 1 with another full pace, straight ahead sprint…jog back.
3. Now "sprint" using a side step. Using quick-paced sidesteps, "run" to the end point at full speed. Do not use crossover steps. Rather bring the feet together as you move sideways…jog back. Football players who play the line frequently practice this type of movement. Try to keep your body low in a somewhat crouched position as you do these sidesteps.
4. Repeat step 3 but this time turn around before you begin your side steps. Because you have turned your body around (if you were facing North in step 3, you are now facing South in step four) you will in effect be"sprinting" in the opposite direction…jog back.
5. Now, you sprint backwards making certain to stay on your toes and to pump your arms as you move. Be careful that you path is clear of any debris before you run this backwards sprint as you will not be looking in the direction that you are moving. Pay attention to when you have passed the end point. Stop. Then, jog back.
6. Repeat step 1 with a full out, forward running sprint…jog back.
7. Now we will do a sideways sprint as in step 3, but this time we will use crossover steps. A crossover step is when one foot moves in front of the other as you move sideways. Frequently in tennis we need to use a crossover step when we recover quickly from being pulled wide by an opponent’s shot. Don’ t be afraid to really try to move fast as you do this sprint…jog back.
8. As was the case in step 4, we want to move sideways, but in the opposite direction. To achieve this, simply turn around and do the crossover step . As was the case in step 4, because you have turned around, you are effectively moving in the opposite direction…jog back.
9. Repeat step 5…jog back.
10. Repeat step 1…jog back.

By the time you have completed the "Saddlebrook," you will have run 4 straight-ahead sprints, 2 sidestep sprints, 2 backwards sprints and 2 crossover side movement steps…10 sprints all together. In addition, you will have jogged back to the starting point after each sprint.

Now, I know that this "Saddlebrook" does not seem challenging. Believe me it is. You may find yourself struggling to get your breath if you sprint too hard at first. Take it easy until you know with certainty what your fitness level is. This is why you should not run back in between sprints. You want to let the body slow down a bit before you sprint again. This replicates the extreme nature of tennis…running hard, then idle…running hard, then idle…etc.

There is no better way to improve your speed, coordination and "wind" than by running "Saddlebrooks!"

Another way to develop your lungs’ capacity to work under strain and to develop leg strength is to jump rope. Now, I have never been good at jumping rope…Muhammad Ali I am not! But you don’t really need the rope to jump rope. Rather, you can pretend you have a rope and go through the rope jumping motions…it will do the same job. Regardless of whether you jump rope or pretend to jump rope, usually 3 minutes of jumping rope is a maximum to strive for at any one time. The pros regularly jump rope to stay in shape. Since you are on your toes the entire time you jump rope, you will find that staying on your toes when playing tennis will become easier and second nature.

The quadricepses are very important in tennis. These "thigh" muscles allow one to get down low for volleys and make that first step to move to a ball more powerful. Thus, it makes sense to develop these muscles. In addition, strong quadricepses will help minimize knee discomfort…as a former baseball catcher, I know about knee pain.

To develop the quadricepses, I recommend the following:

1. Riding a bicycle or stationary cycle for 1/2 hour. (Ivan Lendl used to use the exercise bike as a primary conditioning and leg exercise). Try to pedal at a fairly fast pace.
2. Doing leg lunges (about 10 for each leg constitutes a set)…three or four sets. A leg lunge is very similar to a leg squat except that one foot is about 4 or 5 feet in front of the other, as you lower your body. As you lower your body downward, you should feel the tension in the top of your thighs (quadriceps).
3. Using a stair stepping machine or running up stairs in a football/sports stadium. 20 minutes on a stair stepping machine (at a medium level of difficulty) should provide a good workout. Running stadium stairs is good, too. The number of stairs in the stadium will determine how many of these upward sprints you run. If you run stairs in a stadium, you have the added advantage of being able to run down the stairs. I don’t recommend doing either of these activities if you have bad knees.

As an aside, I encourage you to avoid using an elevator whenever possible. By taking the stairs throughout your workday, you are automatically developing your quads…in a very convenient way.

Another good exercise that you can perform throughout your workday is "toe risers." Here, you simply go up on your toes…hold the position for 2 or 3 seconds…then, go back down a normal standing position (both feet flat on the ground). A set of 10 or 15 of these two or three times during the day will greatly improve your ability to stay on your toes during a match.

Finally, we come to distance running. There is a place for this activity in tennis. Distance running does help develop endurance. However, the distance one runs should be limited. 1-1/2 miles to 2 miles are for me the maximum distance a tennis player should run. If possible, these miles should be run on something other that concrete or other hard surfaces. I like to run on a cinder track, a rubberized track or on dirt trails. The more cushioned impact on these softer surfaces allows my knees to handle this type of running with less discomfort.

In putting this all together, let me give you a sample regimen that is based on a six-day exercise week. It is absolutely essential that you take at least one day off from any exercise each week! Also, it is imperative that you stretch before and after training. You can read my earlier article entitled, Stretching It to the Limit, if you need to learn how to stretch.

1. MONDAY: I run two miles on a cinder track. I follow this with approximately 1 to 2 hours of tennis.
2. TUESDAY: I begin my exercise day by playing 1 to 2 hours of tennis. Then, I run 1 or 2 Saddlebrooks. I end the day with leg lunges…approximately 3 to 5 sets of 10 for each leg.
3. WEDNESDAY: I jump rope for two sets (three minutes each set). Remember, I do not actually use a rope…you don’t need to either. I play tennis for only 1 hour (I limit myself to no more than this 1 hour). I end the exercise day by biking or using a stepping machine for 20 to 30 minutes. With my knees, I don’t use the stair machine all that often.
4. THURSDAY: I run 2 miles on a cinder track. I follow this with 1 to 2 hours of tennis. I end the exercise day with three sets of leg lunges (10 lunges for each leg in a set).
5. FRIDAY: I begin my exercise day with jumping rope (one, three-minute set); I play tennis for no more than one hour. I, then, run 2 Saddlebrooks.
6. SATURDAY: I begin my exercise day with 1 or 2 Saddlebrooks. I play tennis for 2 hours. I follow this with leg lunges. If time permits, I bike for 10 to 20 minutes…assuming my body is not aching.
7. SUNDAY: No exercise of any kind!

This schedule may not work for you. It may be too rigorous…or not rigorous enough. You may not have time to do all of these exercises. However, the idea is to do as much of this type of training as is possible, while still maintaining your tennis training. If you are a competitive player (collegiate, high school, other), you probably want to increase the tennis training and reduce the footwork training during your season. However, during the off-season, you will want to decrease the tennis playing and increase the footwork drills.

Some of these exercises and drills may appeal to you…some may not. The point is that you must train your feet. When you practice tennis, try to stay on your toes as much as is possible during points. No one can stay on her/his toes throughout every point. The idea is to do as much as you can. By focusing on this during practice, you will train your body to stay up on its toes during matches…without having to think about it! That’s the goal.

I am certain that if you can incorporate some sprint work, strength training and endurance running into your training regimen, in no time, you will become a tennis overdog!

How to reduce injury

A lot of Tennis related injuries can be reduce / prevented by doing few simple strength training exercise. Here is a list with video links

• Lunges for strengthening legs

• Air Squat

• Balance / Strength training circuit

Drill: Improving Accuracy And Decision Making Skills

Basic Tactical Tennis Drills
Improving Accuracy And Decision Making Skills

Please read the original article at http://www.tennismindgame.com/basic-tactics-drills.html

The following tactical tennis drills are best practiced with beginners and intermediate players who already have solid ball control and need to work on directions, better ball control with spin and decision making skills.

Basic tennis tactics focus on moving the opponent, and in order to do that the players must be accurate with their shots and know which options are possible (to which directions they can play the ball).

Here's how you can progress from simple drills to more complex ones that will help players improve their consistency with groundstrokes played in different directions and, at the same time, teach them how to make tactical decisions that they will face in competitive situations.

1. The Long Crosscourt

Both players rally long crosscourt

Both players rally from the deuce side and try to keep the ball over the service line (deep). Rally for three to five minutes, then change to the advantage side, which is the backhand side for right-handers.

2. The Long-short Crosscourt

Orange player plays the ball deep, white player plays the ball short crosscourt

Players again rally crosscourt (starting on deuce side), where player A (orange) plays the ball deep and player B (white) plays the ball short crosscourt, so that the ball lands near the outside corner of the service box.

Rally for three minutes and change tasks and then also change sides, rallying from the advantage side for a total of four times three minutes.

3. The Alternating Long-short Crosscourt

Orange player plays the ball deep, white player alternates between playing long and short crosscourt

Players rally crosscourt, where player A (orange) plays the ball deep and player B (white) alternates between playing the ball deep and playing the ball short. Players should rally for three minutes and change tasks. Make sure to change sides as well.

The optional, and more advanced, version of this drill is to let player B make the choice about when to go short or long depending on the ball received. If the ball from player A is very deep, then player B should play it shorter.(Player B should attempt a short crosscourt.)

4. The Long-short Crosscourt With a Down the Line

Orange player plays the ball deep, white player plays long cross court, short crosscourt and then down the line

The first version of this drill is a closed drill, which means that the players stick to the pattern. Player A (orange) plays the ball deep crosscourt three times in a row (and starts the rally). Player B (white) plays first long crosscourt, then short crosscourt, and then down the line.

For less skilled players, player A does not need to run for the ball, but can just let it go so that player B can focus on seeing where the ball landed and can make adjustments for the next rally.

For more advanced players, player A can move to the other side and play the ball crosscourt to the other side where both players repeat the same pattern on the backhand side (for right-handers). The goal for more skilled players is to keep the rally going while sticking to this pattern of play. Change tasks and sides so that both players practice all situations.

5. Semi-open Situation

In the semi-open situation, allow player A (white) to play only long crosscourt on every ball that player B (orange) plays. Player B on the other hand chooses by himself whether he'll play long crosscourt, short crosscourt, or down the line.

This is where learning to play tennis begins.


Player B must experiment with different decisions and see whether he is successful in the long term or not. Inexperienced players, for example, don't know yet that playing down the line when they are far behind the baseline is not a smart decision. Therefore, coaches MUST allow them to play that shot to EXPERIENCE what happens and learn by themselves.

Player B must now focus on memorizing which patterns work and which patterns do not, so that the decisions later will become more automatic.

The semi-open rules of this drill allow player B to know where player A will always play, so that the player B can move slightly early without spending that much mental energy and concentration on reading and reacting to player A's shots, but can focus on choosing which direction he'll play (long crosscourt, short crosscourt, or down the line).

6. Open Situation Training

In the open situation, both players can play any shot at any time. Perhaps the only limitation that players can have is that they don't play drop shots, come to the net, or play any other special shots so that they can focus on learning which decisions from the baseline- long crosscourt, short crosscourt, or down the line-work best.

There's one more target to add, and you can decide based on your own judgment when you want to add it; that is a target in the middle, deep over the service line.

The white player has 5 targets to choose from for each of his shots. Tactical training enables the player to learn which shot is best used in each specific situation.

Playing in the middle can be very effective when attempting to neutralize the opponent from a defensive position, since the shot played in the middle doesn't open up angles from which the opponent can attack.

At the end, you can place four main targets (cones, or tapes) and one additional target on the court (see picture above) and have the player DECIDE with every shot which target he will aim for. When the player knows which target he is aiming for, his accuracy improves a lot and he keeps his focus throughout the rally.

Players should avoid hitting the ball over the net without an intention and should always look to either go offense (by moving the opponent) or to neutralize the opponent. To neutralize means that the player attempts to prevent attacks by playing deep, usually crosscourt or down the middle.

There are other ways of neutralizing, like playing high loopy shots of low slices but this can be the next step in progression in these tactical tennis drills.

On every ball that comes over the net, the player needs to first decide whether he/she can attack or whether he/she needs to neutralize. After this main decision, the player then needs to decide the direction and type of shot to use.

This progression of drills here will guide him/her to a quick understanding of the possible tactics and at the same time improve their accuracy and control of the shots. Through time and repetition, players will learn what works best.

Tennis Tips: How to Fix A Long Forehand

When playing tennis, do you find yourself always hitting your forehand well long? If so, this article is for you. In this article, we will be discussing how to tweak your forehand so you stop hitting the ball long, and start hitting it in the court, thereby greatly improving your tennis game.

One possible reason for your shot going long, is that you may be turning your racquet upwards just before impact with the ball. To correct this, try to grab the handle of your tennis racquet tightly just before impact with the ball, this will help you keep your wrist from turning and keep the ball down in the court.
Another method to keep your forehand in the court is to slightly tilt the face of your tennis racquet downwards on your backswing. The racquet face naturally opens up as you move through your swing, so when you make contact with the ball, the racquet should be practically vertical.

Another potential cause for a long forehand is if you drop the racquet head below the ball at the point of contact. The long axis of your tennis racquet should be horizontal at impact. If the racquet head is much below your hand, you'll tend to "golf" the ball upward. Keep in mind, you do want to begin your swing well below the ball, but at impact you want to be horizontal.

As with above, if you begin your swing low, you can create more top spin on the ball. This spin will make the tennis ball drop faster and more likely to land in the court. You can also try rotating your grip slightly clockwise (for righties), toward the western grip. This will make your racquet head open later in the swing, and therefore generate more top spin.

Also, try to hit off your front foot instead of your back foot, if you hit leaning back, the ball has a tendency to go long. Also, make sure to make contact with the tennis ball at the right place. You might be making contact to far in front of your body, try moving the contact point back and the ball may stay in the court.

Hopefully these tips will greatly improve your forehand and ability to keep the ball in the court.

Source: http://www.easytennistips.com/fix-a-long-forehand.php

Also:

Player to Player: How to Avoid Hitting into the Net

http://www.usta.com/USTA/Global/Improve_Your_Game/Player_to_Player/Feature/2009/0219_How_to_avoid_hitting_into_the_net.aspx

Tennis Tips: Advance: Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

If you’re ready for some tips to help your offensive game then read these tips.

General Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

1. Develop both forehand and backhand, and do not “run around” your backhand, particularly in return of service. To do so merely opens your court. If you should do so, strive to ace your returns, because a weak effort would only result in a kill by your opponent.

2. Do not develop one favorite shot and play nothing but that. If you have a fair cross-court drive, do not use it in practice, but strive to develop an equally fine straight shot.

3. Remember that the fast shot is the straight shot. The cross drive must be slow, for it has not the room owing to the increased angle and height of the net. Pass down the line with your drive, but open the court with your cross-court shot.

4. Drives should have depth. The average drive should hit behind the service-line. A fine drive should hit within 3 feet of the baseline. A cross-court drive should be shorter than a straight drive, so as to increase the possible angle. Do not always play one length drive, but learn to vary your distance according to your man. You should drive deep against a baseliner, but short against a net player, striving to drop them at his feet as, he comes in.

5. Never allow your opponent to play a shot he likes if you can possibly force him to one he dislikes.

6. Play your drive with the body sideways to the net. The swing flat, with long follow through. The weight shifting just as the ball is hit.

Top Forehand Drive Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

While there are many offensive tennis shots available the one that should be most studied is the forehand drive. It is used in the opening of every offense.

1. Never step away from the ball in driving cross court. always throw your weight in the shot.

2. The forehand drive from the left court is identically the same for the straight shot down your opponent’s forehand.

3. For the cross drive to his backhand, you must conceive of a diagonal line from your backhand corner to his, and thus make your stroke with the footwork as if this imaginary line were the side-line. In other words, line up your body along your shot and make your regular drive. Do not try to “spoon” the ball over with a delayed wrist motion, as it tends to slide the ball off your racquet.

4. The forehand drive is made up of one continuous swing of the racquet that can be divided into three parts for analysis:

a. The portion of the swing behind the body, which determines the speed of the stroke.

b. That portion immediately in front of the body which determines the direction and, in conjunction with weight shift from one foot to the other, the pace of the shot.

c. The portion beyond the body, comparable to the golfer’s “follow through,” determines spin, top or slice, imparted to the ball.

5. All drives should be topped. The slice shot is a totally different stroke.

6. All drives should be made with a stiff, locked wrist. There is no wrist movement in a true drive. Top spin is imparted by the arm, not the wrist.

How To Hit A Shot Down The Sideline

1. Construct in theory a parallelogram with two sides made up of the side-line and your shoulders, and the two ends, the lines of your feet, which should, if extended, form the right angles with the side-lines.

2. Meet the ball at a point about 4 to 4 1/2 feet from the body immediately in front of the belt buckle, and shift the weight from the back to the front foot at the MOMENT OF STRIKING THE BALL.

3. The swing of the racquet should be flat and straight through. The racquet head should be on a line with the hand, or, if anything, slightly in advance; the whole arm and the racquet should turn slightly over the ball as it leaves the racquet face and the stroke continue to the limit of the swing, thus imparting top spin to the ball.

4. The hitting plane for all ground strokes should be between the knees and shoulders. The most favorable plane is on a line with the waist.

The Back Hand Drive Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

1. The backhand drive follows closely the principles of the forehand, except that the weight shifts a moment sooner, and the R or front foot should always be advanced a trifle closer to the side-line than the L so as to bring the body clear of the swing.

2. The ball should be met in front of the right leg, instead of the belt buckle, as the great tendency in backhand shots is to slice them out of the side-line, and this will pull the ball cross court, obviating this error.

3. The racquet head must be slightly in advance of the hand to aid in bringing the ball in the court. Do not strive for too much top spin on your backhand.

The Volley Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

The net attack is the heavy artillery of tennis. It is supposed to crush all defence. As such it must be regarded as a point-winning stroke at all times, no matter whether the shot is volley or smash.

Once at the net hit from the point at the first opportunity given to get the racquet squarely on the ball. All the laws of footwork explained for the drive are theoretically the same in volleying. In practice you seldom have time to change your feet to a set position, so you obviate trouble by throwing the weight on the foot nearest to the ball and pushing it in the shot.

Volleys are of two classes: (1) the low volley, made from below the waist; and (2) the high volley, from the waist to the head. In contradistinction to the hitting plane classification are the two styles known as (1) the deep volley and (2) the stop volley.

All low volleys are blocked. High volleys may be either blocked or hit. Volleys should never be stroked. There is no follow through on a low volley and very little on a high one.

You will hear much talk of “chop” volleys. A chop stroke is one where the racquet travels from above the line of flight of the ball, down and through it, and the angle made behind the racquet is greater than 45 degrees, and many approach 90 degrees. Therefore I say that no volleys should be chopped, for the tendency is to pop the ball up in the air off any chop. Slice volleys if you want to, or hit them flat, for both these shots are made at a very small angle to the flight-line of the ball, the racquet face travelling almost along its plane.

In all volleys, high or low, the wrist should be locked and absolutely stiff. It should always be below the racquet head, thus bracing the racquet against the impact of the ball. Allow the force of the incoming shot, plus your own weight, to return the ball, and do not strive to “wrist” it over. The tilted racquet face will give any required angle to the return by glancing the ball off the strings, so no wrist turn is needed.

Low volleys can never be hit hard, and owing to the height of the net should usually be sharply angled, to allow distance for the rise. Any ball met at a higher plane than the top of the net may be hit hard. The stroke should be crisp, snappy, and decisive, but it should stop as it meets the ball. The follow through should be very small. Most low volleys should be soft and short. Most high volleys require speed and length.

The “stop” volley is nothing more than a shot blocked short. There is no force used. The racquet simply meets the oncoming ball and stops it. The ball rebounds and falls of its own weight. There is little bounce to such a shot, and that may be reduced by allowing the racquet to slide slightly under the ball at the moment of impact, thus imparting back spin to the ball.

Volleying is a science based on the old geometric axiom that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. I mean that a volleyer must always cover the straight passing shot since it is the shortest shot with which to pass him, and he must volley straight to his opening and not waste time trying freakish curving volleys that give the base-liner time to recover. It is Johnston’s great straight volley that makes him such a dangerous net man. He is always “punching” his volley straight and hard to the opening in his opponent’s court.

A net player must have ground strokes in order to attain the net position. Do not think that a service and volley will suffice against first-class tennis.

Strive to kill your volleys at once, but should your shot not win, follow the ball ‘cross and again cover the straight shot. Always force the man striving to pass you to play the hardest possible shot.

Attack with your volleys. Never defend the ball when at the net. The only defensive volley is one at your feet as you come in. It is a mid-court shot. Volleys should win with placement more than speed, although speed may be used on a high volley.

The Overhead Smash Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

The overhead smash is closely related to the volley but in no way is a volley stroke. It is the long range shot that should always score.

1. The rules of footwork, position, and direction that govern the volley will suffice for the overhead. The swing alone is different. The swing should be closely allied to the slice service, the racquet and arm swinging freely from the shoulder, the wrist flexible and the racquet imparting a slight twist to the ball to hold it in court. The overhead is mainly a point winner through speed, since its bounce is so high that a slow placement often allows time for a recovery.

2. Do not leap in the air unnecessarily to hit overhead balls. Keep at least one foot, and when possible both feet, on the ground in smashing, as it aids in regulating the weight, and gives better balance. Hit flat and decisively to the point if desired.

3. Most missed overhead shots are due to the eye leaving the ball; but a second class of errors are due to lack of confidence that gives a cramped, half-hearted swing. Follow through your overhead shot to the limit of your swing.

4. The overhead is essentially a doubles shot, because in singles the chances of passing the net man are greater than lobbing over his head, while in doubles two men cover the net so easily that the best way to open the court is to lob one man back.

5. In smashing, the longest distance is the safest shot since it allows a greater margin of error. Therefore smash ‘cross court when pressed, but pull your short lobs either side as determined by the man you are playing.

6. Never drop a lob you can hit overhead, as it forces you back and gives the attacking position to your opponent. Never smash with a reverse twist, always hit with a straight racquet face and direct to the opening.

The Lob Offensive Tennis Shot Tips

Closely connected to the overhead since it is the usual defence to any hard smash, is the lob. A lob is a high toss of the ball landing between the service-line and the baseline.

1. An excellent lob should be within 6 feet of the baseline.

2. Lobs are essentially defensive. The ideas in lobbing are: (1) to give yourself time to recover position when pulled out of court by your opponent’s shot; (2) to drive back the net man and break up his attack; (3) to tire your opponent; (4) occasionally to, win cleanly by placement. This is usually a lob volley from a close net rally, and is a slightly different stroke.

3. There is (1) the chop lob, a heavily under-cut spin that hangs in the air. This, is the best defensive lob, as it goes high and gives plenty of time to recover position. (2) The stroke lob or flat lob, hit with a slight top spin. This is the point-winning lob since it gives no time to, the player to run around it, as it is lower and faster than the chop. In making this lob, start your swing like a drive, but allow the racquet to slow up and the face to tilt upward just as you meet the ball. This, shot should seldom go above 10 feet in the air, since it tends to go out with the float of the ball.

4. The chop lob, which is a decided under cut, should rise from 20 to 30 feet, or more, high and must go deep. It is better to lob out and run your opponent back, thus tiring him, than to lob short and give him confidence by an easy kill. The value of a lob is mainly one of upsetting your opponent, and its effects are very apparent if you unexpectedly bring off one at the crucial period of a match.

Source: http://www.tennisanalyzer.com/offensive-tennis-shot-tips

Day 1. Hitting the Tennis ball.

Developing eye coordination and arm synchronization is the first step.

Swinging the Racquet: First step is to learn the proper way of swinging your Tennis racquet. One of the major misconceptions is that Tennis swings are like squash/racquet ball or badminton.

In tennis wrist needs to stay steady. Most of the force needs to come from the elbow (biceps/triceps) and shoulder muscle. The momentum of the racquet needs to be built from big swings.

See the video below on correct forehand swing technique and swing the racquet through the air (without ball) 10 times using continental grip. See the video below.

Make some adjustment and repeat 10 more times.

Repeat swinging until a good composure and correct forehand swing is in place.

Stand at the base line and take a case / basket of real Tennis balls (75 balls) and place it next to yourself. Pick up one ball at a time from shoulder height. Let the ball bounce off the ground and then try to hit it with the racquet. Initially there will be a lot of miss swing, ball flying low and high.

Once all the balls are used up refill the basket and try again. Repeat this for few days. The aim is to get 80% of the ball to land on the other side of the net and into the court.

Tennis Gears and Equipments

Bad workers always blame their tools. This is particular true for Tennis. In tennis your tools deserves all the blame for bad performance.

Gears are often over looked in Tennis. Having the right gear will contribute greatly to speed up your learning process. One analogy I use is a fish tank. Often time’s people start with a small starter fish tank and then they move to a bigger tank. But as we all know that a big fish tank is much easier to maintain then a small one.

• Tennis shoes: Tennis in hard court will put a lot of pressure on your knees and ankle. Without proper shoes you are prone to serious injury. One injury can take you out for a month. Remember, Tennis shoes are different then running shoes though they may look same. They are designed to soften hard impacts from rapid movement.
• Tennis balls: New players are not used to or able to sustain long rally. Therefore having lot of balls will cut down the time of collecting balls. You will be able to hit more balls by having a lot of extras at hand. My recommendation would be to get at least 75 balls.
• Tennis racquets: Tennis racquets are the life blood of the sport. Cheap racquets that are sold in discount stores (Walmart / Target) are very tempting. Some people think they should wait to learn Tennis first then buy a real racquet. But a real good racquet makes it much easier to learn. Also Tennis racquets are life time investment like your cast iron cooking set.

Before you start

Few things you should know about Tennis:

• Tennis is now the fastest growing classic sport in US. Here is an article from USTA .
• Be prepare to spend 90+ min per day. Tennis courts are located on most High schools and in some parks. Traveling to and from the court will require 30 min. A good Tennis workout will require at least an hour of play.
• Some initial investment will be required on proper gears. On my next post I will detailed what I consider is essential for playing Tennis.
• It can put strain on your muscle and joints (for first few months if you been physically inactive). Swinging a Tennis racquet in a wrong manner can cause serious injuries. It is crucial to get few starter tips from someone who has been playing tennis for a while or from an real instructor.
• Initial learning curve is very steep and be prepared to be frustrated for first few weeks. It is much harder then it looks on TV. Be prepared to hit the net or hit “home runs” while you adjust your game.
• Tennis is addicting: This is the best thing about Tennis. Once you learn the basics you will enjoy every swing you take at the ball. This will be the biggest motivator. The hard part is enduring first few weeks.