Hi everybody!

We have some really exciting news ! We now have a new team member Peter Tramacchi. He and I are working hard to bring you information that will help you enjoy and improve your tennis.

Peter and I are also working on a few interesting tennis projects. We are going to be answering all your questions and having conference calls with guest speakers.

To do all this we have setup 2 sites.

http://dailytennistips.com which will be replacing this web site

and http://tennisminicourse.com

We are getting a fantastic response to our work so far and would love you to join us. So please follow us over to DailyTennisTips.com

To ensure you do not miss anything - go to these web sites and subscribe to Daily Tennis Tips and the Mini Tennis Course.

We are in the final stages of creating the Mini Course (editing the videos). Numbers will be limited and because this is free, we expect it to fill quickly. Make sure you are on our early notification list.

Thanks and talk to you all soon

Michael

Here is a bit of information about Pete

Professional Experience

·         Former Touring Professional (1989-2001)
·         Australian Davis Cup Team Squad Member (1998-2000)
·         High Performance Consultant Coach for Tennis NSW (2002-2003)
·         Australian Junior Davis Cup Captain/Coach/Manager (2004-2008)
·         Tennis Australia contracted National Touring Coach (2002-current)
·         T.V. Tennis Commentator for Fox Sports (2004-current)
·         Corporate Speaking for Optus Australia (2005-current)

Professional Affiliations

·         Certified Tennis Australia High Performance Coach
·         Alumni member of the ATP
·         Member of the International Lawn Tennis Club of Australia

Career Highlights

·         Highest singles ranking – 127
·         Career High doubles ranking – 44
·         Member of The Australian Davis Cup Squad (1998-2000)
·         World Record 29 wins and only 9 losses as Captain/Coach of Australia’s Junior Davis Cup Teams which is the best in the History of the Competition
·         Winner of 3 ATP Tour Challengers in Singles on three different surfaces
·         Winner of New Haven ATP Tour Event in Doubles
·         Finalist Dubai and Finalist Rotterdam
·         Winner of 5 ATP Tour Challengers in Doubles

Played as Coach/Player in German Team Tennis as No. 1 player for 7 yrs

We worked very hard, played very well and we won the first set. We then went out and worked very hard for the first four games in the second set. We are up 3-1. suddenly the end of the match is in sight.

This usually is a dangerous time for most players.

What do we do what we find ourselves in a winning position in a match?

We tend to start to think about the outcome - winning the match. We start to think about how good it would be to beat this person. There are many examples, even at an elite level when players admit they started thinking of winning the match. If it is a major final, some players start thinking about the speech and who they should thank. Some players think about the trophy, maybe photos with the trophy.

These thoughts are the worst thoughts you can have at this time.

There are actually two things going on at this time.

* you are focusing on an outcome

* you start to defend your win

Let’s look at the both in more detail

Error 1 - Focusing on an outcome

Fact: You cannot act on an outcome. You can only act on the process to achieve that outcome.

What do I mean by this? If all you have in your mind is of the outcome you are no longer thinking about how to achieve that outcome. You may be only three games away from winning the match, all three points for that matter. However, you must concentrate playing those points and games to achieve the outcome.

Therefore, you must focus on process oriented goals, not outcome oriented goals.

Examples of process oriented goals are:

* Make this return

* Look for the short ball

* Win next point at the net

Error 2 - Defending the lead

Suddenly, the a win in your grasp. Many players at this point start to defend their lead. Players start to wait for the match to be given to them. They wait for their opponent to make unforced errors, they hope the opponent serves double faults. Often the player in the lead will play more conservatively, they will take the pace off the ball and play closer to the middle of the court to allow more room for error.

There are so many reasons why this is the wrong thing to do.

Firstly you should never change a winning game. Playing like this is not the strategy that got you in the lead therefore, it will not keep you in the lead.

Second. Your opponent has very little to lose and everything to gain. Therefore, they usually start playing more relaxed and going to their shots. It only takes them a few points, a game or two and their spirits could be lifted. They might think they have a chance of winning this match. (Refer to my article about momentum for a more in-depth discussion about this)

Thirdly. Playing negatively is a recipe for disaster. If you need to remember the words from that Midnight Oil song “it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees”. keep your chin up and play positively.

So, what do you do?

ATTACK THE WIN

Play positively and go after the match.

Do not wait for the match to be given to you.

Go and take what you deserve.

Think about think you can act on like

- on match point win the point at the net

- make every return for the rest of the match

- hit every volley crosscourt

Anything to keep your mind on the PROCESS of winning not the OUTCOME of winning.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts !!

Play Tennis To Win !

Michael

In every tennis match there is a force which commonly goes un-noticed. Momentum.

Sport psychologists will point out to you that each point should be independent of the previous point. However, this theory breaks down when the human brain is turned on. Momentum in a match can be built up between points, between games and between sets.

The momentum can be your friend or it can be your enemy. We will talk about both. However, let’s first talk about how to identify momentum.

Lets define momentum by winning back to back points, back-to-back games all back-to-back sets. As an example, lets say the score within the game is 30-30. The player who won the last point, has a little bit of momentum however, if they were down 30 love they would have more  momentum. With this momentum they would be more likely to win next point. Momentum is basically when one person is getting upperhand on the other person.

We all know how it feels when we are say up 40-love in a game, then loose the next 2 points. This may have been by our own sloppy play OR the other player may have hit some great shots. However, for some reason the next point is ‘our last chance’ to win the game. We had 3 points. Not we only have 1. The opposition saved 2 game points. In actual fact it would ‘feel’ better to have the score at 40-30 after 30-30 rahter than 40-0.

Now in reverse, If you were down 30 love and you win the next two points you are feeling uplifted and more confident to win the next point. Your opponent on the other hand, would be feeling negative having had such a strong lead.

Are you starting to see the difference – the same score – differnet momentum?

Some points are SO significant that they become ‘turning points’ for the match. We will talk about turning points in another article.

Now lets talk about games. When a player wins a few games in a row, this can have a very powerful effect. This type of momentum can swing an entire match and can sneak up on either player.

Momentum is a very powerful force, it can be your friend or it can be your enemy. Once you realise you have momentum either on your side or against you, you need to take action.

When a player looses a few games in a row there is actually an amplified effect.

1)    The player winning the games becomes more confident in their game, plays more relaxed and likely to continue to play better

2)    The player loosing the games becomes agitated. They start doubting themselves and their game plan. Usually they will ‘try’ a few things to see if they work. Usually they abandon their game plan and either go for plan B OR stary trying to create a new one. That is very dangerous  See our other article called ‘Don’t Think During A Match’.

What to do when Momentum is on your side.

When momentum is on your side you must nurture it. You must keep the momentum flowing. Do not over analyse the situation.Stick to your plan and do not take much notice of the opponent trying to ‘dig’ themselves out’ of the hole they are in.

It is the time to concentrate and not let your opponent back into the game set or match. Do not play any loose points. Also do not go for any spectacular winners. Never change a winning game and therefore simply play good solid tennis and maintain your game plan.

Having a nice lead is NOT a time to relax because, by definition, the momentum may swing back against you. In which case you’ll find yourself having to stop the momentum in the other direction.
When momentum is on your side you are trying to hit your opponent while they are down. You do not want them to get up off the ground. Did not open the window for them to jump through. Keep it tightly closed until the end of the match. You have the control, you have them confused and scrambling for ideas.

Tips that will help you keep momentum:
•    Do not waste time between points. Move efficiently between points, do not rush, but do not waste time. Keep the momentum going and get as many points under your belt is possible. The stronger the momentum the easier the points.
•    Move efficiently between games. do not waste time and quickly get the balls down to the servers end. On the change of ends, only take a short break and keep going. Start the next game as soon as possible.
•    In between sets, again move efficiently. Take the shortest amount of time possible, try and start the set as soon as you can.
•    Finish off every point – keep concentrating intil the ball bounces twice – do not relax on easy put away shots. Finish every game and set.

The path of least resistance is to keep the momentum flowing. You will be off the court in the shortest amount of time if you just put a little more effort into keeping the momentum flowing.

What to do when Momentum is against you.

This one is simple, you must stop it!!
There are many ways to stop momentum. They are actually the opposite of what I mentioned in the previous section. The goal is to change the environment. You must do something to break out of this spiral. Here are a few tips:
•    take a long time between points
•    straight in your strings
•    tie your shoelaces
•    change racquets
•    stretch your muscles
•    take a toilet break
•    discuss something with a referee or umpire
•    take time to gett the balls down the servers end
•    revert to plan B

Now some not so subtle actions which are sometimes used in desperate situations. These are not necessarily sportsman like – however these may be used against you. I know these have been used against me and were very effective in creating a distraction.
•    argue over a line call
•    hit a ball out of the court so it takes time to retrieving the ball
•    talk to your opponent on a change of ends.
•    find something to say to enter their mind
•    call for injury time
•    use every second of time you are allowed between, games and sets
•    start aiming for the opponent when they are at the net – this may rattle them

I do not recommend using this last list of actions for 2 reasons. Firstly they border on unsportsmanlike behavior and secondly they can Distract You More than The Opponent.

We will discuss momentum in a lot more detail in future articles. But for now just be aware of it in your matches and matches that you watch other people play.

Michael

The basic law of doubles is that doubles is won at the net. The majority of the game of doubles is about intimidating your opponents and closing out the net. The first pair to reach the net, has the greatest chance of winning the point. This is why every server, should be following their serve into the net. Very rarely does the server stay back on the baseline. The net player should also be following the serve in.

When your partner is serving, move towards the net as the serve goes past you. One or two steps is enough. Your partner will be following his serve in, and therefore you both moving toward the net together will create a feeling of strong intimidation.

In addition moving forward is already preparing you for a volley. You already have forward momentum, and therefore a more likely to execute your volley well. Some net players a standing flat-footed. They have very little time to react to the return, and therefore are hitting a defensive volley.

An active net player also gets many free points for the team. Why?,You create uncertainty in the returners is mind. The returner will feel more pressure on their shot, knowing they must to hit a great return to keep the ball out of the net players reach.

It is ok to get passed down the sideline once in a while. The return on investment is worth it.

You are forcing the returner to play the 2 hardest shots. Down the line over the highest part of the net only about 1 meter away from you OR heavy crosscourt to the shorter part of the court to keep it away from the net player moving across.

In summary, the benefits of following your partner’s serve in are
•    Intimidation
•    Better Prepared for a volley
•    Uncertainty in the returners mind
•    Free points over the entire match

Try this simple tip. After a few points or a few games you will find that your opponent’s will feel the pressure on their returns. They will start to go for bigger returns and take more risks to keep you out of the point.

Enjoy, Michael

Every stroke has 3 basic - and obvious - parts. The Backswing, the acceleration, the follow-through.
When you watch the top tennis players they look like they hit the ball effortlessly. They hit the ball so clean and crisp and have large and smooth strokes. In this article I am going to talk about the backswing in particular.

The backswing plays a major part in how would you hit the ball, and most importantly how consistently you the ball.

The transition between the backswing and the acceleration phase is extremely critical. There should be no pause between the backswing and the acceleration forward. The racquet head should not stop moving.

Usually when people start learning to play tennis the stroke is jerky. Players wait too long before taking the racquet back, then quickly take the racquet back and flick the shot. This results in ‘muscling the shot’. Because the racquet stops and starts you use your muscles the whole time to generate any power. These players do not give the racquet a chance to do the work.

Also, if you take your racquet back too early, and you pause at the back of the swing the too long, you will find that you have a very jerky swing. You will also find that you try use your body to accelerate the racquet. This usually results in ’spinning out’ of the shot. The ball will usually have an ‘inside out’ flight path.

Give the racquet a chance to do the work. What does this mean? Ok, an example.

Lets pretend we are watching someone use an axe to cut some timber. What do picture people doing? Holding the axe right at the end, lifting the axe slowly and smoothly, there would be no pause between the back swing and the acceleration, then using the momentum from the backswing and body weight to accelerate the axe.

It would not be whippy, or jerky, there would be no pause. Why? Well in this case the axe head is too heavy to whip around – so it forces you to not stop and start it.

Tennis strokes are the same. If you every want to get the ‘feeling’ you can do one of 2 things.
•    hold two racquets in your hand and try your strokes. Forehand, backhand and serve
•    use a weight on your racquet. For example a dog toy ring. Put it over the handle and push it up to the throat.

The extra weight will force longer smoother strokes. These are also good techniques to warm your muscles up before a match.

Decades ago the technique was to prepare yourself early, take your racquet back, plant yourself for the shot and then accelerate through the shot. In today’s game, the technique is more like one single action.

The older technique was ‘straight back – straight through’.Back and forth on the same swing line. Now more modern technique has a loop at the back of the swing to ensure the racquet does not need to stop.

To achieve an effortless swing, Focus on the delaying the backswing to ensure there is no pause at the back of you stroke. You want the backswin to be slow and smooth. You will find your body can stay in position for longer, your stroke will become smoother, and you’ll gain more power.

This is applicable to forehands, backhands and the serve. On the serve, the acceleration phase starts when your racquet is down the middle of your back. Your backswing and the height of your ball toss are important in having a smoother serve.

Try these few tips and let me know how it goes.

Michael

To learn when to come to the net, imagine that the court is divided into three colors, like a traffic light. The zone that the ball lands in should determine your response.

The back court is the red zone. Do not move in when the ball lands in this area. The middle part is the yellow zone. If you get a ball there, proceed only if our opponent is out of position or you can hurt them with your approach. The front third of the court is the green zone. When the ball bounces here, get in as quick as possible.

Glenn Irwin - Noosa Springs Tennis Centre

Okay, firstly, the strength to winning matches is the ability to hold your serve. Usually, a set is won by holding every service game, then breaking your opponent serve. When this is the case  wind the set 6-4.

If you serve the first game, you must to break at 5-4. If you serve the setting game you must break at 4-4.

Therefore, holding serve is the most important thing in a match. If you do loose your serve work VERY hard to break them straight back. You must put in 120% effort to break them immediately otherwise the whole match can change around in a few games.

Therefore your second serve is the anchor for the match. Potentially the second serve will be one of the major influences in the outcome of your matches.

You need to work hard to develop a solid second serve you can rely on in ANY situation.

We often ignore serving practice. However we are guaranteed to need to hit that shot and hit it well !

There are many serving drills which will improve your consistency. The biggest issue to overcome is confidence. You need to practice enough to build your confidence for a match situation. Technique is only part of the Winning formula. Therefore, in practice try and stressful situations.

Here are a few examples:

* You must get 17 out of the next 20 serves in

* Convince yourself the score is 3-3 15-40

* You must serve 15 balls in a row before you are allowed to leave the court

The better you get the higher you can push these numbers. Imagine being able to say ok the next 30 serves are going in. If not I am going to go and give that person over there $50. That would be confidence !!

Enjoy ! Michael

Even kids need a strategy. This is something I see all the time. People learning to play tennis are so focused on the technical aspect they have very little direction in a match. Children, in particular are focused on technique AND VERY vulnerable to distractions.

So, parents, here is a great tip to tell your children, just before they go out on the tennis court to play match.

* win the first two points of every game.

* hit two balls to the backhand, then one to the forehand.

By telling children to focus on just these two simple things, they now have a plan. When times get tough in the match they have a friend. Their plan.

People learning to play tennis do not have distinct strengths and weaknesses, therefore your opponent of equal ability really has no massive strength or no massive weakness. Therefore a basic plan really focussing on yourself will be the most effective.

Let’s talk about the two tips in more detail.

Win the first two points of every game. This actually applies to players at every level however it is very important to beginners who need to understand the importance of getting in front in an individual game. Beginners in particular are more likely to have a negative reaction to losing the first two points. They are more likely to throw the towel in, have a tantrum, drop their bundle. Especially kids.

Therefore if you can focus on winning the first two points they may be handed the rest of the game with easy points.

Hit two balls to their backhand, then one to their forehand. the goal of this tip is to basically have some direction with every shot that they hit. So many kids just hit the ball aimlessly. Everybody needs direction with every shot. In actual fact, it doesn’t matter where the ball ended up, just as long as you have a plan. I have chosen to to the backhand won to the forehand because usually players backhands are weaker than their forehands. If there is an obvious weakness, play two shots to that side and one to the strong side.

Recently I saw a great example of this work. The standard of the two young players was very similar. Before the match I told his father, to tell his son, to concentrate on those two tips. During the match, the opponent became very annoying on court. He was screaming “come on” on a double fault. For an innocent ten-year old this is very distracting. By having the basic plan - this gave him direction during hard times. He was able to focus during a very distracting match and beat this opponent.

Let me know what you think !! Enjoy, Michael

Here is a challenge to everyone. The next time you are out on the tennis court try to take a step forward after you hit every volley.

Why? There are two reasons.

The first reason is that it gets you going forward while you are hitting your volley. It forces you to go out after the ball rather than waiting for the ball to come to you.

The second reason, is that your opponent will feel you getting closer to the net. Therefore, every single volley will put more and more pressure on your opponent.

You will also gain volley angle options to finish the point from the net.

This both applies to singles as well as doubles. When you are watching the elite level doubles watch how each player moves closer and closer to the net.

When warming up at the start of the match many people stand too close to the net. Start on the service line and practice your volleys there. In reality that will be where you will be hitting most of your volleys.

After each volley in the same rally move slightly closer and closer to the net. Start back on the service line on every practice rally.

This is obviously a good drill to do in practice and the warm up before the match. Practice ‘making’ alot of volleys while standing on the service line. You will be forced to hit the ball below the net height and get down to the ball.

Look out for better players OR your opposition doing this.. Now you know why !!

Try this and let me know how it goes!

Michael

The tennis court can be a very lonely place for a singles player. In between points it is easy for our mind to wander and be distracted. People wandering around the behind court, planes flying over, other matches going on around you, all have the potential to take your focus away from the match.

It is impossible, nor is it recommended that you stay focused during the whole match. You need to have many breaks, in between points. The challenge, is to regain a high level of concentration quickly at the start of each point.

A technique, I am sure that you have seen the professionals do, is to maintain straight strings in your racquet. Keeping your strings straight makes very little physical difference, however is a great concentration technique.

You will see top players continually straightening their strings before each point. While they are straightening their strings their concentration is very focused. It gives them place for their eyes to focus while they think about the next point and how they going to execute their plan.

If you stick to this technique is easy to see when you are not concentrating. If you look down at your racquet, notice that all your strings are not straight, you need to concentrate more and take more time before points.

Try it out and let me know how you go!

Michael

When you are playing it a tournament at a tennis centre for the first time it is very important to make sure you know a few of the finder details about the centre.

Spending a little bit of time gathering all this information will make your time at the tournament much more relaxed. You will know how to prepare, you’ll know what to expect, and most importantly you will feel in control and settled in unfamiliar environment. This will allow you to focus on your match and your opponent and improve your chances of winning.

In the weeks leading up to the event find out the following information:

* How you are going to travel to the tennis Centre?
* What facilities they have at the tennis Centre.
* Do they have toilets and change rooms?
* Do they have restringing service?
* What is the turnaround time for a restring?
* Do they have a pro-shop?
* Do they sell consumables like grips, wristbands?
* Do they sell healthy food and sports drinks?
* Where are the practice courts?
* What time is another practice courts available?
* Do you need to book a practice court?
* What are the opening hours for the pro shop?
* Do they sell clothing? Just in case you run out of fresh clothes.
* Is the tournament being played at more than one tennis Centre? If so does the tournament arrange transport between the tennis centres?
* What is the surface of the courts at the tennis Centre? (and other tennis centres being used?
* If you’re travelling by car where can you park your car? Are there costs associated with parking?
* If you are relying on public transport know the timetables especially the last bus or train. is public transport safe?
* If possible get a map of where the tennis Centre is located.
* If possible also get a layout of the tennis Centre marking on it where the toilets are, food, pressure, tournament office.

It is a great idea to get the tournament a day before it starts if possible. Try and arrange a warmup practice hit at the tennis Centre start to familiarise yourself with the environment. This will help you relieve some anxiety coming into your first match of the tournament.

If you require accommodation, try to stay within walking distance of the tennis Centre. This is especially important if you have a late match followed by an early match the next day.

For most tournaments this tennis centre would become your home for a couple of days or maybe a week. You need to feel comfortable as soon as possible to increase your chances of winning early matches in the tournament. if possible, even try and find some photos of the tennis Centre to further familiarise yourself.

I hope that helps!

Michael

Ok, the title is not entirely true - however the point is DO NOT think TOO much during the match.

During the match is the time to EXECUTE everything that you have thought about before the match.

What am I talking about?? Ok. Before a match you would have trained and practiced. You would have worked on your technique across all your shots. You would have found great rythm on your serve and ground strokes. You also should have developed a clear plan / strategy on how you are going to play this match. Plan A and Plan B.

Do you see what I refer to when I say THINKING? During a match is the time to EXECUTE all these things. Forget about technique, you can not change that in a match. Forget about rhythm - it is your opponents objective to ensure you get no rhythm! Also forget about strategy.. it is pretty tough to work out a solid plan when you are in the middle of a match. Before the match is the time for that.

So, during the match you are relaxed and free to only think about executing your PLAN to beat this opponent. Focus on your plan, have confidence in your plan and most importantly STICK TO IT. Give your plan time to work.

So many people come into a match with a plan and then get discouraged because they are down in the first set. They go to plan B, which also fails.. What happens then? Then they are totally lost. When you are totally lost you are hitting balls aimlessly and points have less meaning. Then what do you start to think of? …. Technique, or creating plan C. During that time, game after game is slipping away and ultimately the match.

IF you PREPARE your plan well, be confident to EXECUTE it. Sometimes your plan may take a few games or set to take effect.

THINK before a match EXECUTE during the match..

Michael

All players should use different shoes for different surfaces. The main 2 differences are hard courts and ’slippery’ courts. (eg clay, dirt and synthetic grass)

On the weekend I watched a young player slip over on Synthetic Grass during the warm up for his match. Synthetic Grass has a layer of sand over it making it slippery. He slipped because of his shoes. He was wearing his 2 month old, hard court shoes. He had left his grass court shoes at home this time. After falling and taking some skin off he forfeited the match in the warm up!

(in an upcoming article I talk about what you SHOULD do if you injure yourself in a match)

Amazing, you can do all this training and practice and something simple like keeping 2 pairs of shoes in your bag can determine how well you play. Simple really! I personally always have both sets of shoes in my bag. Even if I am playing a ‘hard court tournament’ I will bring my grass court shoes just in case. Why? Well I know that if there is a delay sometimes other ‘outside’ courts are used. This may mean different tennis centers are used and potentially they can be a different surface.

Be strict with yourself. Never wear your grass court shoes on a hard surface - not even once. The hard courts just strip the tread off - you want maximum grip when you need it.

So why different shoes?

There are 2 main things to look for when deciding what shoes to wear when. Cushion and grip pattern.

On a hard court surface the pattern does not matter as much as the cushion. Having extra padding, cushioning, gel, air - whatever the technology - is important.

Elite players notice the difference between a good and inferior pair of shoes. Always purchase shoes with padding at the front as well as the heel. This subtle and overlooked difference can be the difference between you feeling light or heavy on your feet.

I remember playing in shoes which were the model down from the top model. It felt like I was playing in thongs. Tennis players spen alot of time on the balls of our feet - jumping for smashes, recovering from a wide ground stroke, going forward on our volleys. You really notice the difference with extra cushioning at the front.

The other reason why cushion matters on hard court is the heat of the court. Playing on a hot court in the middle of the day can be very draining. You need a large buffer between you and the court to keep that heat away from your feet.

Cushioning also - obviously - protects you from injury. By the shoe absorbing the impact - it stops you from taking the impact to your ankles, knees and leg muscles. You also want some ankle support.

Ok, now ’slippery’ surfaces. Clay, synthetic grass, grass etc. Cushioning and durability is less important. It is more about the tread pattern typically you want a shoe with the majority a heringbone pattern. The rubber can actually be softer so the shoe can mould to the surface of the court. The old Dunlop Volleys are a great shoe for these conditions - however - offer very little ankle support or cushioning.

NEVER wear your shoes on the wrong surface. You need your slippery tread to be fresh, not worn from use on a hard court. And Vice Versa.

Keep both pairs in your tennis bag if you are going to an event and there is a chance between playing on either surface. It can be the difference between winning and loosing.

I also recommend playing on both surfaces regularly. Playing on slippery surfaces is a completely different game to hard courts. They are both very enjoyable. We are going to discuss some surface strategies in an upcoming article.

Ok, I heard about this last night and tried it. This is a great little test and skill enhancer. We are not working on improving any stroke in particular however your whole game will improve.

The drill goes like this.

What you need - 2 players. One Serving and the other Receiving. 2 balls - one for the server and one for the receiver.

1. The Receiver starts the drill by bouncing a ball on their racquet, not letting it touch the ground.
2. The server serves another ball whenever he or she is ready. - Second Serve speed - about 80% serve.
3. The receiver must continue to keep bouncing the ball on their racquet, hit the ball the server served and continue bouncing the ball on their racquet.

It sounds difficult however you work it out after a few serves. What I worked out is - tap the ball gently only leaving the racquet about 1 foot. Just after the server makes contact with the ball tap the ball higher (not sure how high I was not watching the ball in the air - I was focussing on the return- maybe 3 meters)

This really trains you to work on your peripheral vision and after a while you are actually become quite relaxed and confident you can make the return and keep bouncing the ball on your racquet.

After you have finished that drill try hitting normal returns… How easy are they now !!!

By overloading your system you work on all your senses. An advanced version of this would be to have people throwing balls at you, random noise next to you, or obstacles you need to step around. When all these distractions are taken away and ‘all’ you have to do is hit a return it much easier !

What do you think? Leave a comment or let us know another drill you like and use

Michael

Make life easy for yourself and hit the ball on the rise. One of the challenges with tennis is that every ball we hit will come to us differently. Different height, speed, spin, distance from our body etc. Our challenge it to try and move ourselves into position to execute as close to the same shat as possible each time.
Let me give you a tip that will make a massive difference to your groundstrokes. Hit every ball on the rise OR at the top of the bounce.

As soon as that ball starts to drop your whole stroke needs to change to get the ball up and over the net. The stroke becomes much more difficult and you will hit the frame of your racquet more especially if you are trying to apply topspin.

The first picture shows how closed the racquet face can be if you hit the ball on the rise. The key is that you can hit the ball very hard and it will stay in the court. You are changing the direction of the ball. In the picture the ball changes direction by about 90 degrees. Lets see what happens with a dropping ball.

With a dropping ball you need to open the face of the racquet, and hit up to get exactly same ball direction. However in this case the harder you hit the ball the further over the fence the ball will go. In which case most people then back off the power and they let gravity bring the ball down onto the court.

Now you can picture in your minds 2 different pictures. High level players strike across a rising ball and other players tap a dropping ball back up and over the net.

High level players use mainly the wind resistance of a heavily spinning ball to make it land in the court, while other players rely on gravity for it to land in the court.

To see another compact explanation of this look at or think of people playing ping pong. The ball is hit with a closed bat, as the ball is coming off the table. They can generate massive power and still keep it in that little area.

Anyway I hope that has got you thinking. Move those feet, move forward, hit the ball on the rise and WATCH YOUR GAME IMPROVE !!.

Enjoy your tennis !