Some Interesting Tennis Statistics

Last week I asked a select group of my readers to answer the following question:

If there was ONE thing that I could improve about my tennis game,

it would be:____________________________________________

I spent the weekend going over the emails and the response was enormous! Most of the people who responded had one particular thing in their game that they wanted to improve. Here are the results of the answers that 69 of them gave to the following question:

If there was ONE thing that I could improve about my tennis game,

it would be:____________________________________________

1. My Serve 23 (33%)

2. My Backhand 11 (16%)

3. My Mental Game / My Mental Toughness (10) 14%

4. My Volleys / My Net Game / My Overheads (9) 13%

5. My Strategy (8) 12%

6. My Footwork / My Level of Fitness / My Forehand / All Others 8 (12%)

These are some interesting statistics! I also asked respondents to list the benefits they would gain from improving these areas of their game. Here's the breakdown:

What's the benefit you'll gain from it?

1. I would gain confidence. 54%

2. I would be more consistent. 18%

3. I would win more matches. 14%

4. I would have more fun / enjoy the game more. 12%

5. I would be more competitive / all others. 2%

No surprise to me that their Serve came in as the number one response. Being that it's the most important shot in tennis (and rightfully so), the serve is the one shot that over 1/3 of my readers want to improve.

I applaud them for being open and honest enough to share their tennis goals and challenges with me. I honor them. A lot of people are never willing to step up to the plate and seek out what it is that just may put that extra oomph in their game, and take it to the next level.

One interesting statistic that is missing from the above list (it didn't appear anywhere) was My Return of Serve. The return of serve is the second most important shot in the game of tennis, and yet it didn't make the list. The absence of the return of serve in this poll is interesting from a logical point of view - it should be there - but totally understandable by Yours Truly, because the return of serve is not a 'cool' shot for most players. Most players (time to be honest) will attribute a poor return of serve to something magical that their opponent did with their serve; or perhaps brush it off as a fluke. Often times when a player misses a return of serve, they either

1) Congratulate their opponent on a great serve, or

2) Berate themselves loudly on the court for missing a return that they can't pass off as a great serve by their opponent.

Oh, how the ego rears it's ugly head on the tennis court!

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not here to put anyone down, but rather to clarify and enlighten you on the best way to get the results you want. That's what it all really boils down to, right? Results. Results matter. Results are what we want. So let's take a closer look at how to get them.

In order to get the results you want on the tennis court, you've got to figure out why you want them. There were some fine answers listed above: Confidence, Consistency, Winning More Matches, Having Fun, Enjoying the Game of Tennis, Being Competitive...outstanding responses. These are all benefits of gained by the improvement in one single area.

Let's peel away the layers here for a minute and see what those benefits might lead to in a personal way.

If, for example, you want a better serve because it would allow you to win more matches, then stop and think about the benefit of winning more matches. What does that mean to you personally? Does it mean respect and admiration from your friends, parents, fellow tennis players, teammates, coach, etc?

That's where you want to go in your mind. Go to the place where you see the personal benefits of improving your tennis game - not just the 'on-court' benefits. When you focus on the personal benefits of improving your game, you have left the realm of wishful thinking and entered the world of Possibility Thinking. This gives you the mental fuel to focus on doing the work necessary to get the results you want on the tennis court.

So how would you feel if I told you that you could possibly get the great feeling of __________ (fill in the blank) if you were able to fix the parts of your tennis game that are broken? Great or really great? This is where the rubber meets the road. The personal benefits you get are what you really desire. You can do this! The key is to improve in the areas of your game that you need to fix, and focus on the personal benefit you will gain from it.

Now I know it's easier said than done, but you really can get to where you want to be in your game. One big step you can take is to open up a dialog with yourself that might go something like this:

Okay, I know I need to improve my ___________. If I improve my __________, I will win more matches, feel more confident and play more consistently. This will personally benefit me in the following ways: _____________________________.

Now, what's the one thing I can start doing today that I really don't want to do, but if I do it, I know that I will move one step closer to my tennis goal of ___________?

Ask yourself these questions. This is the stuff that takes you to the next level. Show me a person who is frustrated with why their game is not where they want it to be, and I'll show you a person who is not asking themselves the right questions. I don't want that to sound harsh - I just want you to really think about it.

When it comes right down to it, you know and I know that you have a great tennis player inside of you just waiting to burst out! So many of you are just one inch away from your tennis goals. The more time you spend focusing on all the possibilities exist for your game - and taking the steps you need to get there - the quicker things will happen for you.

You may not read a lot of tennis articles like this - and there's a reason for that. A lot of people that teach tennis (tennis pros, coaches, etc) are uncomfortable talking about subjects like these. They tell you:

Just keep practicing and coming to the clinics / lessons / camps, you'll get the hang of it...

A lot of them are giving you what they think you want - and making you pay a lot of money to get it.

Does that mean I'm against working with your local pro? Absolutely not. A good coach or pro is worth more than you can imagine. The point I am trying to drive home is this: I've been down the teaching tennis road, and I know where it leads a lot of the time - to that little town called Frustration, and sometimes it's hard to get a ticket out of that place. I am not trying to sell you anything in this article other than an idea. That idea is that YOU need to take responsibility for seeking out and improving the parts of your game that you know, in your heart of hearts, you need to improve. Are you stuck in Frustrationville? Can't find a ticket out? Then grab your racket, clothes and shoes and start walking. Move out of there. Start moving to where you want to be. One step at a time. There are new places and experiences just around the corner. I won't give you the promise of a free first-class ticket on an airline that doesn't exist. But I do promise to point the way, so to speak, and give you what you need - so that YOU can go out onto the court and get what you want.

I encourage you to take it to the next level - whatever that next level is for you. Seek out the possibilities for your tennis game. Don't settle for less than your best. Make yourself a little uncomfortable and stretch yourself - that's where the growth comes. There's an old saying:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.

Find your weak areas and improve them. Don't stop. Don't quit. Press on. I'm watching you, and I can't wait to see the tennis player you'll become! I'm with you all the way!

To Your Massive Tennis Success,

Coach Kyril

Kyril Popoff is a former NCAA Div1 All-Conference Tennis Player, Instructor, Coach and Author.

His books include THE TEN LAWS OF TENNIS SUCCESS and FOCUS & WIN: WHY YOUR TENNIS GAME ISN'T WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE, & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!

You can sign up for Coach Kyril's Tennis Lessons, Tips & Tricks newsletter at: http://www.coachkyriltennis.com

How to Bet on Tennis

After learning about betting point spreads, our favorite newbie bettor Emily wanted to know about betting tennis. There are no point spreads in tennis because there is no meaningful way to measure how much a tennis player wins or loses by. In tennis, all that really matters is who wins and loses the match, and that's where money line wagering comes into play. Following are tips on understanding tennis odds and betting tennis matches.

For example, Emily's favorite tennis player Serena Williams wins a majority of her matches. The chances of winning for Serena's opponent, let's say the 102nd-ranked player in the world, would be less than 50-50 for this very reason.

Thus, sportsbooks would make bettors wager significantly more money on Serena than her opponent because of the disproportionate likelihood of Serena winning the match.

In the case of Serena Williams versus an overmatched opponent, a reasonable money line would require Serena bettors to risk $400 to win $100; while a $100 bet on her opponent would win $360.

Here's how the money line would be listed: Serena Williams -400 / #102 Ranked Opponent +360

Every $400 bet on Serena nets a $100 profit if she wins (plus the return of the $400 risked). If her opponent pulls off the upset, $100 bet on the underdog would profit $360 (plus the return of the $100 risked). For more information on how this works, make sure to check out Reading and Understanding Money Lines.

Another popular way of betting tennis is picking the winner of each tournament before it starts. In fact, "Betting to Win" an outcome event like Wimbledon is the most common way to wager on tennis. Since tennis has multiple tournaments over the course of a year, "Betting to Win" obviously offers numerous wagering opportunities. It is very important to note that not all the competitors in a tennis tournament may be listed, so another tennis betting option is a "field" bet which includes all other competitors not listed.

The tennis odds on a "field" bet are typically comparable to a bet on the favorite in order to protect sportsbooks from taking a big hit if a major upset occurs. In exchange for a lesser payout, field bettors gain the advantage of having more than one entrant that can win for them. For example, the top 20 players going into a tournament might be listed with their own individual odds while the rest of the players are grouped together.

Some sportsbooks will also allow you to bet futures on the four major major tournaments, which is yet another way you can "Bet to Win" that can offer you appealing odds because you are betting far in advance of when the event takes place. For example, betting on the 2006 Australian Open now might get you much better value on Serena, who may be 10/1 at this moment but dip to 6/1 closer to the event if she is on fire. For more information on the value of betting golf futures, read How Future Bets Can Pay Off.

Before placing a future bet or any bet on any tennis player, it's important to find out their strengths and weaknesses. Some tennis players perform better on different surfaces, and it must be noted that the French Open is played on clay and Wimbledon on grass. Playing on clay was the biggest weakness for Pete Sampras, arguably the best tennis player ever. He won 7 Wimbledon titles but never brought home a French championship. Fortunately for Sampras, he also performed well on a hardcourt surface (the most common), where he earned the other half of his 14 career Grand Slam tournament wins.

Other possibilities for betting tennis include proposition bets on the number of sets a match lasts. There are several advantages to betting at elite online sportsbooks but the very best will give you the most wagering opportunities, so it's a good idea to shop around and find out what everybody has to offer.

If you are a knowledgeable tennis fan who has a good feel about how a match will likely turn out, then you should most definitely trust your insights and use them to find strong bets. For those of you with less experience, several sports web sites have power rankings for players which should give you a good idea of who's hot on the tennis court and who's not. Of course it's up to you to decide which driver you want to bet on, but the more you learn about tennis, the more prepared you will be when placing your bet. Hopefully now you understand the basics of betting tennis and how tennis odds work!

RJ Bell is the founder of Pregame.com - Where sports bettors get ready. RJ has been an expert contributor to Maxim Magazine, CNN.com, About.com, and ABC News - and has won 3 world handicapping championships! Located in Las Vegas, the Pregame.com team works at adding to your betting confidence with powerful game insights and sportsbook reviews. FreePicksByEmail.com, the biggest daily sports betting newsletter, delivers help from famous handicappers.

Wilson NCode Tennis Racquet Reviews - A Buyers' Guide to Wilson N5 NCode Tennis Rackets

Wilson nCode tennis racquets has been a popular choice of tennis racquets of many tennis players. This tennis racquets has been specially designed to suit every tennis players including beginners and professional's tennis players.

The Wilson nCode n5 tennis racquets structure is the brand new updated version of the Wilson n5 racquet series. To ensure the performance of the racquets, it has been made with the new Wilson's nCode technology and the Wilson Triad technology for the racquet frame. With these improvements, the nCode n5 racquet quality has been greatly improved compared with the classic n5 racquets. Players can now enjoy the new racquets with the handle and the racquet head which are separated by a thin strip of iso-zord material which provide smoother and softer feels while using this tennis racquet.

In addition all Wilson n5 nCode racquets uses Nanofoam inside the frame, this stiffens the frame for better control with vibration absorption functions. With the combination of 3 advance technology from Wilson, therefore nCode tennis racquet provide tennis players with both great control, good feel, and play comfort.

Below are the Wilson nCode n5 Tennis Racquet Specifications:

Head Size:110 sq.in/ 710 sq.cm

Length: 27.25 in / 69 cm

Strung Weight: 9.7 oz.

Balance: 10 pts Head Heavy

Swing Weight: 329

Beam Width: 26.5 mm Dual Taper Volcanic Beam

Composition: nCoded Hyper Carbon, nCoded Graphite

Power Level: Medium

Swing Speed: Moderate

Grip Type: Micro Dry Comfort

String Pattern: 16 Main / 20 Crosses

String Tension: 53-63 lbs.

Suitability Level: Suitable for both intermediate beginners players.

Wilson's company has done a lot of research of improving the tennis racquets to make it more playable and comfortable. This is what n5 tennis racquet series made off. Tennis players will start to enjoy it after first attempt to use this racquets and some players even play for hours using nCode n5 tennis racquet.

The racquet is light weight but has the swing power and stability of a heavier racquet due to it's heavier racquet head. Since it is light it is also suitable for defensive tennis players.

Wilson nCode n5 tennis racquets usually comes with shinning red and black colors.

Raymond has great interest in playing tennis since 5 years ago. He enjoys every tennis games with his Wilson nCode tennis racquets.
Wilson nCode n5 tennis is among the collection of racquets he had. He love to watch Grand Slam tennis matches and his most admired tennis player is Roger Federer.

Where to Play Tennis in Phoenix? Tennis Court Location Guide to Phoenix, Arizona

With Phoenix's climate it is possible to enjoy tennis pretty much year round. Yes it does get unbearably hot in the summers for some, but that shouldn't stop you from playing, get out there early to enjoy 100 degree weather before 8 a.m. Throughout most the year the weather in Arizona is perfect for tennis maximizing your playing time with less rain than most cities around the country.

Phoenix has many local locations for tennis players of all skill levels to find some quality court time. These facilities range from tennis centers to a couple of courts in a local neighborhood park. In all the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department maintains a total of 140 tennis courts around the city, many of these courts are free on a first come first serve basis.

The city also operates two tennis centers, The Phoenix Tennis Center and the Mountain View Tennis Center with 22 and 19 courts respectfully. The court fees at these facilities are quite reasonable at $2/90 minutes for adults and $3 for lighted courts. The Mountain View Center is a little bit cheaper with their rates. These tennis centers offer features such as locker rooms, lighted courts, ball machine, hitting wall, and if you are interested in getting some instruction and improving your game there are lessons offered for all skill levels.

The surrounding area of metro phoenix and Maricopa county also have a large selection of both public and private tennis court locations in nearby cities Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, Chandler, and Surprise to name a few.

Surprise Arizona is located in the northwest area of the valley and the city recently built the Surprise Tennis Complex. This impressive facility has had people talking ever since it's opening in 2007. It has been host to many events professional and non-professional since that date, including the quarterfinals of the women's Fed Cup and the CTCA Outback Classic Champion's Tour event featuring Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Mats Wilander.

Below is a list of some popular facilities in the surrounding Phoenix area:

Phoenix Tennis Center - Phoenix
Mountain View Tennis Center
Wigwam Resort - Litchfield Park
Surprise Tennis Complex - Surprise
Phoenix Country Club - Phoenix
Arrowhead Country Club - Glendale
Paseo Racquet Club - Glendale
Gainey Ranch - Scottsdale
Indian School Park - Scottsdale
La Camarilla Racquet Club - Scottsdale
ASU Whiteman Tennis Complex - Tempe (Arizona State Universty)
Village Racquet Club - Phoenix
Gene Autry Sports Complex - Mesa
Chandler Tennis Center - Chandler
Kiwanis Park Recreation Complex - Tempe
Ahwatukee Tennis Complex - Phoenix
Encanto Park - Phoenix

View a map of the metro Phoenix tennis court locations.

Visit AllAboutTennis.com for tennis racquets, shoes, apparel, grips, strings, accessories and everything else for the tennis enthusiast.

Tennis Elbow - Are You At Risk?

Tennis elbow affects people who are in the age group of 35-65 years, usually associated with a pain on the outside of the elbow, tennis elbow as the name might suggest, does not affect only tennis players, in fact 95% of all reported cases in the Unites States alone are not reported by tennis players. A better understanding of the various groups of people more susceptible to tennis elbow actually aids faster diagnosis, and there is a high probability that such people might not know they are part of the high risk category, affected people usually ignore tennis elbow symptoms till it becomes a chronic problem.

Based on the occupation/sports that a person is engaged in there are two major group of people that are susceptible to tennis elbow:

People engaged in Manual Labour

There is a strong co-relation between the type of activity a person engages in and tennis elbow, since manual labour involves lifting of heavy weights, or involves more than normal stress on the writs, arm and elbow, people like labourers, carpenters, plumbers are usually a high risk category for tennis elbow. In addition tasks that involve long durations of wrist and elbow movement like painting also can lead to tennis elbow.

Apart from manual labourers, there are also weight lifters that are a part of this high risk category, especially professional weight lifters that have been lifting weights since a very young age, make themselves susceptible to tennis elbow.

Athletes

Tennis elbow is called so because, tennis players were one of the first group of people who reported the problem, this does not mean that only tennis players are afflicted by tennis elbow, however people who are engaged in racquet sports like badminton are also equally susceptible to tennis elbow. Athletes like golfers and those competing in more weight oriented sports like the shot put and the discuss throw have also been known to be affected by tennis elbow.

Essentially athletes that are susceptible to wear and tear of the forearm, and elbow. Or those that require extensive wrist movement are susceptible to tennis elbow.

Since certain activities are more likely to affect a particular part of the elbow or arm, the symptoms experienced by people suffering from tennis elbow also vary, where as pain on the outside of the elbow is a common symptom other than that the, symptoms can vary from shooting pain in the forearm, to pain while lifting weights or pain during simple activities like using a wrench.

Depending on the particular tendon group that is damaged and other deciding factors, differential diagnosis of tennis elbow is divided into categories like anconeus compartment syndrome, bursitis, cervical radiculopathy, radio-humeral joint dysfunction, lateral epicondyle avulsion, musculocutaneus nerve entrapment, non-union of radial neck fracture, osteoarthritis, posterior interosseous syndrome, posterolateral rotatory instability, radial nerve tension, radial tunnel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, strained lateral collateral ligaments and snapping plicae syndrome

The only thing to remember is that tennis elbow is curable and when diagnosed on time, the time taken to recover is less.

Be sure to check out my tennis elbow system when you are ready to cure tennis elbow from the comfort of home without any special exercise equipment.

To Your Health,

Geoff Hunt

The Gift of Tennis

Tennis was not always my first love. As a child I engaged in every sports activity available to me. My mother sent me for ballet and tap dancing lessons. I went roller skating and ice skating and bike riding with my friends. In the summers, we had a local pool for swimming or I enjoyed those special week long retreats in the Catskill Mountains where I could swim in one of the many lakes.

My athletic ability and love of sports has been a gift I had since my childhood. As a tomboy of sorts, I got down and dirty engaging in boy-girl wrestling matches, thrilling ice skating whips on the frozen lake (the end person was whipped around the curve), and dangerous sleigh rides down the steep "Suicide Hill" at Goose Pond Park near my home. On my street (in those days there was very little vehicle traffic), we played tag and hopscotch and softball with the boys and girls happily playing together. Then we created these adventurous walks through the woods where we wrote specific required activities at different checkpoints. My girlfriend, Diane, and I were champion handball and paddle ball players, champions in our neighborhood, that is. We would challenge all the boys and more often than not, we won. They used to be so surprised at how well we played that they often tried to hard and caused themselves to lose. Diane and I used to laugh at how much fun we had proving our athletic skills.

It wasn't until nearing my 20's that I first picked up a tennis racket. I remember playing singles with my college friend, Barbara, at Kissena Park in Queens, New York. Just recently, she reminded me that we had actually started, what became a lifelong love and appreciation for the game of tennis, at the indoor gymnasium at Queens College. When we began, both of us missed many more balls than we hit. So we set up a challenge. Whoever missed the ball would have to pay 1 cent. I don't remember what we did with that money or if we ever really paid with real money, but that got us started by creating that sense of excitement, competition and enjoyment of tennis. It also helped us to develop our tennis skills, along with some much needed lessons.

Shortly after graduating from college, I moved into Manhattan to enjoy an exciting singles life. Tennis in Manhattan was a bit more difficult. Although I found some local tennis parties and enjoyed lots of private lessons with local pros, my friend Barbara was participating in womens' tennis leagues in New Jersey. With that same competitive instinct intact, I found a way to first facilitate a regular Friday night round robin tennis event and then I found a tennis court, in the Bronx, where I could create my own tennis league. I called all of my tennis friends and actually persuaded 8 of them to come with me every Thursday night for a weekly tennis league. That's where I met my other life long tennis friend, also named Barbara. She was the only one I knew who would show up for a mixed doubles match with older men, just to enjoy the tennis. All the other women I knew were more hung up on meeting the love of their life then on the enjoyment of a sport.

Problem with having a love and passion for a physical activity, is that there comes a time when you are injured and cannot participate. What is wonderful about tennis, is that at those times when I have tennis elbow, a back spasm, neck or shoulder problems, I could still enjoy watching a good tennis match and learning a few pointers from a tennis pro or even reading about it in Tennis Magazine.

Do you have a passion or love for tennis or for some other physical activity in your life? Do you have a passion for some other type of activity (e.g., knitting, crocheting, gardening, building cars, collecting, painting, photography)? The type of activity does not really matter. What is most important is to find and nourish your passion and love for at least one activity. It takes all the pressure off your relationships and helps you to feel good about your life. I know tennis has done that for me.

Dr. Erica Goodstone, a Spiritual Relationship Expert, has helped thousands of men, women, couples, and groups to develop greater awareness of the issues in their relationships and their lives, to overcome and alleviate stressors and discords, and to revitalize their relationships and their own mind-body-spirit connection. As a former professor of health and physical education, she has enjoyed learning about and teaching tennis and many other sports and leisure activities. Read articles about love and passion and healing at http://www.CreateHealingAndLoveNow.com/blog and healing articles at http://www.HealthyBabyBoomersNetwork.com.

Tennis - Ideal For Beginners

If you have not been the sporty or athletic type but are keen to take up a sport as part of your goal to adopt a healthier lifestyle, tennis is a wonderful game to pick up.

Tennis can be played according to the players' preference - slow and steady for beginners, or fast and furious for advanced players and professionals.

Tennis is also one of the few sports that uses most of the muscles on your body, which means you get a very good overall workout, and it's great for your cardio.

For these reasons, tennis is ideal as a beginners' sport, even for those who have never been active in sports.

Tennis is also a very sociable game. It takes at least two to play tennis, just like it takes two to tango. You can chit chat with your partner in between sets. Unless you're in a competitive match, you can even trade jokes during the game!

For even more fun, when you're more confident in your game, you can invite an additional two players to make it a "doubles".

What do you need?

A tennis racquet

A pair of tennis shoes (or track shoes)

Some tennis balls

A tennis court

And a partner!

What you need to know?

Here are some of the things you need to know before getting on the court.

1. How to hold the tennis racquet

Assuming you're right handed, hold the tennis racquet on your left hand. Then open up the palm of your right hand, put it against the racquet handle, and slide it down to the grip and grip it.

2. Swings

There are several basic tennis swings that beginners need to learn, but the 2 most basic are the following:

a. forehand (position of your racquet is similar to an open palm on your right hand facing the net)

b. backhand (your right hand will be across your body with the back of your hand facing the net)

You can play a game just using these two swings as a start.

3. The Tennis Court

If you're playing Singles (2 players), the "in" area of the court is demarcated by the two inner vertical lines running from one baseline to the other.

If you're playing Doubles (4 players), then you will be using all the areas within the two outer vertical lines.

The ball is always served from behind the Baseline, the horizontal lines at the back of the court.

First Time on the Court

Now that you have the necessary equipment, some basic knowledge and a partner, you're now ready to get on the court.

When you get to the court, start with some stretching exercises, either alone or together with your partner. As tennis uses the muscles in your legs and arms, be sure to include some stretching exercises that target these muscles.

Once you've completed the stretching exercises, you can warm up effectively by playing "mini-tennis" for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. This means you and your partner will be standing just behind the service boxes, and start hitting the ball to one another slowly and steadily.

After the warm up, you can now move back to the baseline to start playing a game.

As this is your first tennis game, do not get hung up on the rules of the games or the proper swinging techniques. Just hit the ball to one another. Try to keep your ball within the court, so it'll be easier for you and your partner to return the ball to each other.

The main objective for your first game is to have fun, before deciding on whether this is the sport for you. And the more times you hit the ball, the more fun you will have!

Nora Yu is a tennis enthusiast who has been playing the game for more than 5 years. For more tennis tips, visit [http://www.TennisVideoLessons.net]

5 Reasons Quick Start Tennis Can Cause Bad Habits in Young Tennis Players

My opinion on the use of quick start tennis balls is that they are a great tool for tennis coaches to use in developing junior players.

Mini Tennis must be used in creating the correct habits for tennis on a full size court. However there are certain aspects that fill me with apprehension with the Short Game System that is currently being promoted.

As we all know once a habit becomes instinctive a blueprint of behaviour is automatically established and becomes very hard to alter.

We all know how hard it is to alter an ingrained habit like smoking. So why are the tennis federations insisting that tennis be taught this way?

Here are 5 bad habits I have witnessed junior players developing with this method.

#1. Serve Up Not Down

The adolescent player has to hit their serve down in order to get it into the quick start tennis court, which in actuality is the opposite of what you have to do in the real game on a full size court. Even Top Pro player John Isner, a mountain of man at 6 foot 10 inches has to hit his serves up to get the ball into court. Tennis is a vertical game!

#2. Serving And Volleying With The Wrong Grip

To get early success the serve and forehand volley is taught with a forehand grip. This is fundamentally wrong as the junior player will not develop spin or control on the ball and will find it hard when they progress to the bigger court with heavier balls. The continental grip must be used on these shots to create the habit of striking the ball with spin and control from the beginning of their development!

These grips are easy to implement with our simple Tennis in Minutes techniques which allow players to master and discover these shots with the right grips in next to no time.

#3. Regimented Posture and Restricted Movement for the Forehand

Young players are told to stand in 3/4 open stance for the forehand. This confine natural movement whilst starting in a natural 'square on' position, encourages natural movement to help them discover the ball. With beginners, the key thing is to develop automatic reception skills.

A partially open stance encourages balance when driving the ball because it allows the dominant hip to 'torque' and produce power, but young players can only do this when the ball is in a certain position in relation to the player. So to wrap up, this is but one posture out of many! Tennis has to be a game of flexibility and natural movement not dictatorial restrictive sequences.

#4. The nets in Mini Tennis are too low!

Adolescent players can get away with whacking across the ball using poor technique, instead of hitting up like you have to on a full court. There is no sense of pushing up in their ball striking, whereas tennis is now very much a vertical game with racquets hitting up the back of the ball with topspin and players moving up as they hit.

#5. The Forgotten Shot in Quick Start Tennis

When did you last see a one handed backhand being taught in a mini tennis lesson? This is not taught because its thought of as a hard shot for junior players to master and that the player will not have the power to hit it yet. If a player is developing with lighter and slower quick start tennis balls there is very little danger of injury so there is no reason for not teaching this shot. After all not all players are natural two handers!

It's my belief that both one-handed and two-handed backhands should be taught at this stage and the junior player is then able to discover which works best for him or her. Our Tennis in Minutes methodology has junior players as young as 4 years of age hitting amazing single handed backhands. The simple progressions make the grip change a very simple habit to master.

To wrap up we are fans of Quick Start Tennis and use the varying low compression balls but we are also very sensitive of the dangers of teaching bad habits at the start of the young tennis players career.

John Littleford, Author of Tennis Strokes and Tactics to Improve Your Game is a well respected Tennis Coach in the area of tennis development Read more about his super quick but highly effective system of teaching tennis at his website http://playmoderntennis.com/ModerntennisDVDs.html

Babolat Aero Pro Tennis Racquet - the Best of the Best

As a passionate tennis player you must be aware of the fact that Rafael Nadal has opted for the Babolat aero pro tennis racquet. So what is so special about this racquet? Let's find out...

Originated in France, Babolat, which is now a brand name in the world of Tennis, has been making strings for the tennis rackets since 1875, and ever since then the company has adopted several high-end technologies in regard to the tennis rackets and equipments.

A product of the aero series - the Babolat aero pro tennis racquet makes use of the aero modular technology, and the AeroPro Drive is the most exciting stroke of tennis, so much so that this aero modular designed tennis racquet turned out to be the first choice of the Tennis pioneer, Rafael Nadal.

The legendry Tennis racket is known to provide a supreme quality racquet head velocity and spinning by means of its aero modular technology. This type of tennis racquet is a special type of aero pro series. There are, however, other series of Tennis racquets available in the market as well; the pure drive, pure control or control plus, pure storm make up part of a large selection to name a few.

The subject aero pro tennis racquet works wonders when it comes to playing bounces at a stretch and good spins. It offers a great accuracy from a solid response and better comfort due to its cortex system. This particular deisgn is the kind that Rafael Nadal uses and is 100 sq inch in its head size and 11.3 ounces in weight. This series of aero modular technology is the best as it offers an assortment of tennis racquets, namely, the AeroPro Drive Cortex, AeroPro Drive Plus Cortex, Aeropro Storm 2008, Aero Storm Tour 2008, Aero Storm Original, Aero Stike and Babolat Aero 112.

There are a number of renowned tennis players currently in the circuit using the subject tennis racquet. Among the men are Fabio Forgnini, Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez, Nicholus Lapentti, Carlos Moya, Rafael Nadal, Wayne Odesnik and Julien Benneteau.

While in the group of women tennis player bonded to this reknown raquet are Sofia Arvidsson, Sybille Bammer, Karin Knapp, Na Li, Pauline Parmentier, Nadia Petrova, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki and Timea Bacsinszky.

Undoubtedly the design of this tennis racquet offers a greater maneuverability, easy control and an excellent playing experience. Add to this is the fact that it is a light-weight racquet with a longer head and is a masterpiece in producing some excellent pops and spins! In this aero pro series; the advanced are AeroStrike and Aero112, while for the juniors is AeroProDrive junior.

Babolat aero pro tennis racquet is undoubtedly a superb attraction for the new era tennis star and the budding juniors. It certainly helps them keep up with their high technical standard and a perfect tool for their winning spree.

Alan Cunningham is a writer who loves expressing his thoughts in the written word. He primarily likes writing on romance and relationship related issues, and sometimes writes on other diverse topics as well. For more information on Babolat aero pro tennis racquet