Improve Your Tennis Technique

Better tennis technique and strokes can make the difference between being an average player and a great player. The keys to improve your tennis technique begin with understanding the fundamentals of world class tennis strokes.

There is not much difference between a 4.0 player than a 4.5 player, other than the 4.5 player usually has better tennis technique. Tennis technique can be described as the way a person swings or uses their body to hit the shot. The way to improve tennis technique is by having a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the technique. This will allow a player to add the proper technique into his or her repertoire.

Roger Federer's Forehand is an example of a great shot. And when you watch Federer's Forehand on TV, it's astounding how he is able to create winner after winner with his forehand. This is due to none other than having proper and efficient tennis technique. So what do average players have to do to improve tennis technique?

First, watch the technique of the pros, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. Watch some slow motion videos of them playing tennis. Watch how Nadal's forehand shapes into the powerful bomb at contact. Watch Maria Sharapova's forehand and backhand and see how explosive and smooth it is.

Tennis Technique is one of the most important areas for any player wanting to improve. Note that all great players have proper technique and its no longer a mystery why they can produce the excellent shots they hit. So if you want to play better tennis, focus on developing tennis strokes that do not break down under pressure. Proficient tennis technique means having a stroke that is biomechanically efficient, adaptable to various conditions and explosive.

Proper forehand and backhand tennis strokes is a commonality shared by all high level players. At the pro level, most pros have flawless technique, and this allows them to hit great shots time and time again. For the recreational tennis player, they will need to spend time working on developing proper tennis technique. This may mean working on the fundamentals first and then solidifying them. With quality practice and hard work, a tennis player can be on the path to improving tennis strokes.

There are 3 areas of tennis technique and tactics to use that will allow a player to improve their tennis game:

First, positioning and preparation is vital. This is true for every stroke in tennis. On the groundstrokes, the forehand and backhand are the main areas to focus on. The forehand for example, should be initiated with a full body turn, rather than a backswing. On the backhand, the same principles apply. A backhand is not just a stroke but a dance routine in which you need to do the Twist. The backhand requires trunk mobility and if executed correctly, the ball comes off your tennis racket properly with the right pace.

The tennis technique on the forehand and backhand doesnt require great strength, just proper tennis technique that will provide the good results on every shot. Mastering the key elements of preparation on the groundstrokes will allow you to hit much better shots on a consistent basis which will make your opponent in trouble.

The second part of tennis technique is critical to reach a higher level of play. It's important to utilize your whole body to hit every shot rather than just the arm. In order to develop a true weapon, learning to incorporate the entire body into every shot will maximize the power of every hit. Tennis is unlike the sports of squash or badminton. The entire body must be incorporated into the tennis stroke, and any excessive wrist flick will lose you the game.

Position and balance together with the correct tennis technique is key, as you learn the techniques of the game you can introduce new tactics. I like to follow a key rule, the start of the rule is important. This is to "return the ball in the court" and focus on making fewer unforced errors and then that's your opponents problem. Eventually you can become smarter with more advanced technique and tactics.

The third area of tennis technique involves the tennis tactics. Tennis tactics are a essential part of the game of tennis. I like to think about tennis strategy as if I were a chess player. A good tennis tactic is to constantly make your opponent guessing and off balance, so he won't know your next shot. This will keep your opponent off balance. Tennis tactics involve how will you play the next shot. Tactics such as where do you want your next shot to be in relation to where your opponent is on the court, are examples of what it will take to win the tennis match.

Watch Nadal or Roger Federer, they do not run across the court chasing each ball without a set purpose and without a sound understanding of tennis tactics. Their technique is flawless because they run the shot selection. This is also because they do the basics excellently which is something that players at all levels should strive to do.

With lots of purposeful practice on these areas of your game, attaining the proper strokes are about quality practice and repetition. Only perfect practice makes perfect, so be certain to practice with one hundred percent intensity on each and every session. By doing so, you will be practicing the correct methods and eventually removing your old habits on the court.

So get started on the right path to play from day one. Always make sure to practice with full intensity permitting you to obtain the correct techniques sooner and rid yourself of the incorrect methods. This applies to all aspects of the game.

Learning the right technique from a certified coach will be beneficial for your tennis game, as you will improve quicker and much easier without the same trial and error.

Coach Ed is a former nationally ranked player and coach. More instruction and tips are available at Optimum Tennis

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Tennis Serve Tips and Technique

The tennis serve is an important part of the game of tennis. Besides the groundstrokes, a good serve can begin the point on the player's own terms. The groundstrokes are often practiced by club players every day, but the serve always lacks adequate practice. Many tennis players neglect their serve. Player's who do lack the ability to serve with both power and spin start the point at their opponent's mercy. The irony is that the tennis serve technique is entirely in our control.

A tennis player with common sense should look to gain a advantage by improving their tennis serve. If you are looking to improve the tennis serve technique, have a weak serve, or just looking to develop an already good serve: here are some tips to help you improve.

Tennis Serve Tip #1 - Focus on placement

Before you start your service motion, a player should know exactly where they want to hit their serve. If you have better aim, you can hit better placements with your serve. If you want a great serve, think about where you want to hit the ball. This will help you regain focus and help take some pressure off yourself.

Make sure your body position is aligned correctly to hit the tennis serve. If you are aiming to the right, finish your service motion to the right. If you are playing a righty, you will mostly want to aim to your right, because usually players' backhands are weaker than their forehands. When you make contact make sure you are hitting the correct side of the ball. If you are aiming to the right, you will want to hit the ball at 11 o'clock.

It is also important to make sure your opponent can't read where you are trying to hit the ball. Therefore, you must disguise your serve. One way to practice this is the 1-2-3 drill. When practicing, divide the service box into three parts. Let's say the left division is 1, the middle division is 2, and the right division is 3. Have a friend call out one, two, or three right after you toss the ball. Serve to where your friend told you to. If you do this drill enough it will help you aim better and help you disguise your serve.

Tennis Serve Tip #2 - Incorporate your whole body into the serve

As you add more of your body into your shots, your service motion will become more powerful. Therefore, it is important to sometimes practice your serve without a ball. This is sometimes called "shadowing".

Make sure to lean your hip beyond the service line. Bend your knees. Make sure your shoulders and body are perpendicular to the net. Finally, when the toss has reached its peak, unleash all that energy you have stored into your body. Jump into the court as you hit the ball and prepare for the next shot with a split-step.

Tennis Serve Tip #3 Practice serving by throwing

A baseball pitch is much like a serve in tennis. If you ever get the chance to watch a baseball player, you should notice that their throwing mechanics is very similar to the tennis serve. A good serve is an accurate shot, but the serve should also have a lot of pace on it. You can throw a ball with a friend, or you can just get some tennis balls and see how far you can throw them from the baseline. Then, immediately try doing the same motion with a tennis racquet. The results will surprise you.

Final Tennis Tip

The best way to throw your opponent off on serve is to add different spins and paces to your serve. Try to serve kick, slice and flat serves into your service games. At 40-love and first serve, throw in a hard, flat serve for an ace. Occasionally serve a ball with absolutely no pace on it. This is effective when your opponent has been getting hard serve after hard serve.

Work on these tennis serve tips to improve your game and then your tennis technique may improve over time.

Coach Ed is a former nationally ranked tennis player and coach. Optimum Tennis offers tennis instruction, tennis tips and tennis tips at Optimum Tennis

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How to Model Your Tennis Technique After Pro Tennis Players

When discussing tennis technique in general, we normally refer to top players in the tennis. The important question is: Should a amateur tennis player attempt to copy the tennis technique of the pros?

The answer is a cautious Yes if the tennis player is looking to improve their tennis technique and tennis strokes. The takeaway from watching professional players is that something can be learned everytime you watch the pros practice.

World class tennis players usually always share commonalities in their tennis technique that you should model.

It's a bad idea to try to copy little nuisances and rituals of professional players. Things like John McEnroe's exaggerated rock back and forth swing before he serves, or Maria Sharapova's complex ritual before every point may look cute - - but it's far from what the average tennis needs to incorporate if he or she wants to play better tennis

When watching the pros and attempting to model their tennis technique, it's important to know what to look for in their tennis strokes and what is a matter of personal preference. Replicating important fundamentals of their tennis technique is the most vital - - and key to improving your own tennis technique.

For the forehand, a good model is Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Justine Henin Hardenne. All three of these players have exceptional forehand tennis technique and at the same time are the most efficient and clean forehands in tennis for the average tennis player to model. They are great models because their forehands are top of the game while still staying relatively simple.

Attempting to model Rafael Nadal's Forehand, or Andy Roddick's serve are two very complicated tennis swings. The reason these two tennis shots are not ideal models to copy is simple - - it contains very advanced elements that recreational and club players may not be capable of reproducing without a firm understanding of the fundamental tennis technique behind the strokes.

Nadal's Forehand is a powerful tennis stroke, with a massive topspin forehand. Not a bad forehand by any standards, but one that average player should steer clear of trying to copy until they have mastered the basic elements of a sound forehand. Looking at Nadal's Forehand, we see that his tennis forehand technique is technically sound, but very complex. His wrists, arm and racket goes through several stages just in the preparation phase of the forehand.

Andy Roddick's serve is another difficult tennis stroke to master. It is a tennis stroke that is only possible by first mastering the basic elements of a more classical serve and having exceptional throwing mechanics. The motion itself requires a great deal of upper body and arm strength, as well as athleticism.

Andy Roddick achieves his world class serve through a rapid abbreviated serve motion where the arm flies in and out of the trophy position faster than any other professional tennis player. The ability of his arm to load prior to contact in such a short burst is responsible for his tennis serve being more explosive than any other player on tour. The external rotation Andy Roddick's serve achieves is exceptional This tennis technique requires the player to stretch the body to it's upper limits. It's a serve that only advanced tennis players should attempt, and even so with caution.

Keys of Modeling Tennis Technique

In looking to model the tennis technique of the pros, it's important to look for the basic fundamentals behind the tennis technique. Avoid trying to copy any extreme elements and instead aim for simplicity when trying to emulate the tennis technique of the pros. Try to find a good model to base your tennis strokes off of and then let your natural technique emerge while sticking to the fundamentals of proper technique.

Visualize the correct technique you wish to solidify in your game and observe the strokes of the pros. By watching the pros execute their strokes, an unconscious process in your brain will develop, therefore burning the "perfect image" into your mind. This will help you ingrain the technique, because the brain will have a clear file on the correct technique.

Coach Ed is a former nationally ranked tennis player and coach. Optimum Tennis offers tennis instruction, tennis tips and tennis tips at Optimum Tennis

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