Tennis appeals to so many people because of the unlimited situations, strokes, shots, strategies, techniques and other aspects of matches. These many facets of the game expand when you take into account your level of skill, power, conditioning, footwork and other unique skills and talents. Despite these many aspects of tennis, you win or lose many points for a few simple reasons.
Follow The Five Priorities
Tennis federations around the world teach coaches to share five priorities with their students; in order of importance, they are the following: get the ball in, move it left and right, move it deep and short add spin and add power.
It doesn’t matter how hard you hit the ball if it goes in the net, out or right to your opponent. Power comes last, even at the pro level. During the course of a multi-hour match, top players are able to win points with winners only because they’ve set the point up first with several other shots. Learn to get the ball in. Hit to your opponent’s forehand and backhand. Bring opponents in and back them up. Add slice and topspin as you improve your technique. When you can do all of this consistently, add power.
Get Your First Serve In
Your first serve usually is harder than your second, but that’s only one of the benefits of a high first-serve percentage. Your opponent will be more defensive on a first serve and more likely to move in and be aggressive on a second. On big points, take some pace off your first serve to make sure it goes in. Your opponent will start out defensively, and by the time she realizes your serve is a bit softer, it will be too late to attack.
Hit Up, Not Down
Many players hit the ball with a downward swing trying to get power. This results in balls going into the net or landing short in the court. Swing up and let topspin bring hard shots down. When you hit groundstrokes, swing from low to high, catching the racket in your hand in front of you or finishing over your shoulder. When serving or hitting overheads, hit the back of the ball as your racket travels upward, rather than trying to hit the top of the ball downward. On volleys, keep your wrist cocked and racket head up to prevent your racket face from pointing down, sending balls into the net.
Aim For a Spot Over the Net
Recreational players hit more errors into the net than wide or long. When you stand at the baseline, you look at the opposite court through the net. When you aim for a spot on the court, you look directly at it through the net, aim your shot at it and often hit into the net. Aim for a spot along the net where you’d like your ball to pass over to guide your shots to where you want them to go. This will help you accurately hit cross-court and down the line. The higher your ball passes over the net, the deeper it will land in the court.
De-Emphasize Aerobic Training
Tennis is an anaerobic activity, and aerobic workouts, done near your season, can decrease your tennis performance. Aerobic exercise uses your slow-twitch muscles fibers. Tennis uses high-twitch fibers. Aerobic exercise burns more fat, while tennis burns more glycogen. Aerobic workouts don’t help you build your ability to recover; during tennis matches, you rarely get tired during short points: It’s in between points when you struggle to recover.
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