Jim McLennan's Essential Tennis Instruction: Recent Episodes
Jim McLennan | Tennis Instructor
Are there takeaways from this delivery that might help you (and I ) ? YES !! Observe his “dual leg drive” up and into the hit – by staying balanced and getting good use from his back foot he maximizes his leg drive Observe his head with reference to something behind him and note how […]
Mouse: cornered, no options desperate, will move first Cat: playful quick, waits for the mouse to move then pounces And for sure on court it is fun to be the cat! To play very well, you must hit sound shots and move quickly, and very little else. But … the real time connection between hitting and […]
With apologies I am still processing this video, but for sure Jannik Sinner plays well within the top 10 and has the skills and coaching staff to move much much higher Elements of the serve below are really the classic/modern motion Note the position of his right hip and knee in his physical drop – […]
This lesson is “borrowed” from Batting Basics – a wonderful book on baseball batting technique written by a bona fide physicist – using concepts of gyroscopic stability and precession – he argues that baseball batters who “over-stride” have less rotational force in their swing. The same happens on the court – many players I see […]
Quantum from Latin for “how much.” How much effort do you use when driving the forehand or delivering your serve?. Not your technique just how much effort. Some do play effortlessly, they appear fluid, with minimum muscular force they make our difficult game look easy. Others players have trained all the technical elements, but often […]
“Court sense” speaks to your awareness of the court, your awareness of your opponent’s options, and how you might best respond to those same options. Decisions about “what to do” based on your and the opponents court position, and decisions about “where to be” to identify and antcipate their most likely reply. You need to […]
The above is from David Bailey (do check out his site) a noted Australian footwork coach. “I was watching Alcaraz and believe the reason he is so quick and effortless is his use of anticipationary splitting steps……..see photos above This technique helps him keep his momentum and flow as against a reaction split step where […]
Thinking our loud here ……… Likely we have lost tennis games to players who appeared to have inferior technical skills And most have seen a video where an unorthodox left handed player skillfully competes against a well trained player – maybe even the leftie won There may be only two cardinal rules in the game […]
Hitting the Ball – Mechanics, Posture, Balance and Rhythm, Playing the game – only two cardinal rules Put the ball over the net (translated – hit up) Always be ready and positioned for your opponent’s return And as much as this means centering on the opponent angle of play it also means anticipation and the ability […]
Video courtesy Jim Fawcette ©jfawcette The following is research by Jim Fawcette “You had mentioned Ferero’s role in coaching Carlos Alcaraz. Searching, it looks like he came onboard in 2018, after being fired by Zverev. So … were Alcaraz’s strokes pretty much fully baked by then? I remember Fed saying something like “With serving, […]
Photo courtesy Jim Fawcette ©jfawcette More and more my observations are less “biomechanical” – just about basic positions that you can come to appreciate, and in some instances approximate on your serve Frame […]
A bit of history here, back to my childhood coach Blackie Jones. He specified that all my drop hits to start a rally, or to reply when another court called, “Ball please” be topspin backhands with a full backhand grip. And he told me, most attack the opponent’s backhand, in your case they will be […]
James Clear, “The highest level of mastery is simplicity. Most information is irrelevant and most effort is wasted, but only the expert knows what to ignore.” “Beginner = ignorant simplicity Intermediate = functional complexity Advanced = profound simplicity“ Certainly there is some obvious judgment in the beginner to advanced spectrum above, but for sure we can […]
Often a useful image is to point the butt cap at the ball And when aligned the player simply pulls the racquet into contact This pulling action occurs on the forehand and backhand and sometimes referred to as the “slot” Maybe this would be called leverage On the serve this “drop” occurs from a loose […]
For sure the game has changed, and will keep changing The same goes for the toss Years ago on Tennis Channel there was a clip of a doubles exhibition – with Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase. Just an exhibition, but I remember thinking they all had the same serve – rhythmic, […]
There is a lot here Rod Laver,”You are only as good as your second serve.” Pete Sampras about his 7 Wkmbledon titles, “I had the best second serve in the game.” Whenever possible the first and second serve deliveries should be similar And certainly when watching Federer, the first and second delivery appear remarkably similar […]
The following sequence is excellent – with very basic elements highlighted Within the 7 images please note the following He tosses with his weight on the back foot, his tossing arm is parallel to the baseline His body weight is centered as he extends his tossing arm but his right hip is lower He accelerates up […]
The drop shot Federer disdained the drop shot in his early years. But Roger believes it helped him capture the French Open in 2009 when opponents were often positioned deep to run down his shots At your end, if you are unable to hit through or around your opponent, or you are simply playing one […]
Balance Rhythm and Efficiency – your keys to an Effortless Service Delivery The following materials are suitable for juniors and adults The primary target are those who are young and developing service habits, or those who are older and are willing to try something different I will be using Roger Federer and Serena Williams as […]
The most difficult aspect of the game, may be the ability to play in “open” areas Meaning, closed skills are repetitive – the serve, bowling, movements that are repeatedly similar Open skills are totally random, each event may be different from the previous – and for sure when learning how to follow your shot to […]
Your back knee – as in, “the knee bones connected to the hip bone” In golf, as you finish your swing, you are able to easily walk down the fairway Similarly, Tom Stow (who taught the game based on the form of a 3/4 nine iron) trained that on the follow thru if you so […]
In this photo Djokovic demonstrates perfect posture, and how his body (dog) has truly pulled the arm and racquet (tail.) So how to synchronize the arm and body? Getting the racquet back is not the issue, but rather the rhythm of the racket back and the rotation of the body. Do you take the racquet […]
The following is meant to be visual, with very few words about how to serve, which grip to use, or really anything else. I am choking up on the racquet so that positions of the butt-cap highlight various moments in the action. I am demonstrating with a slow swing, the toss is exaggerated well to […]
How I got here At 11 years old I would bicycle to Acalanes High School, sit in the shade amidst the trees, and watch Blackie Jones give lessons. He was firm, he was gruff, but equally he loved the game and his students. His lessons were interspersed with questions to see if the student was […]
We are, as likely are you, sheltering in place. Quite a bit of time for me to revisit 10 years of work on this site, and the previous 20 years of work on TennisOne. One of the teaching notes I have been given reads, “A good teacher tells you where to look but not what […]
In physics, a quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. […]
Jack Kramer (hopefully you have one of the old Wilson Kramer autograph wooden frames) played deep and down the middle when in a rally. Note, with his serve and volley game, rallies were less frequent, but if he was stuck in a neutral position, he favored deep and down the middle. Deep and down the […]
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – from an excellent camera angle One of our best coaches once described simply 4 keys to hitting the ball Early preparation Quick light steps Contact in front Finish on balance And though this is an intentional oversimplification – use your eyes to capture how Tsonga seems to dance to the ball, make […]
The keys to improve your volley include Simplify the preparation – on the first move the strings must face the ball Use a brief but solid blocking action Finish with the racquet face in an identical alignment – means no wrist actio Certainly there are exceptions that vary with the nature of the incoming ball […]
For me, the phrase “place the toss” describes accuracy But more than that, this dialogue is about whether you swing at the toss, or toss the ball into the swing. (This was one of Blackie Jones’on court lessons) Your answer will always be influenced by the height of your toss Use the repetitive videos to […]
The following is yet another attempt to “keep it simple” Notice the following: The toss appears to PEAK within the contact area – which years ago was the norm The tossing arm begins parallel with the baseline As he turns away his elbow is bent and well “back” As he unwinds the elbow travels up […]
The short answer is YES The longer answer may lead you yo examine (or reexamine) your point of view. Whether discussing tactics, footwork, ball striking, the mental game, and more – there are myriad online presentations. A new student/friend aptly described, “It is so hard to know where to start” And when she and I […]
Dominic Thiem plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the ATP World Finals on Sunday We will enjoy a demonstration of full throated one handed topspin backhands Heavy crosscourt exchanges And the match may revolve around the boldness and precision when either threads the needle up the line Both have deadly forehands – but the backhand exchanges will […]
What is your first move when you read the incoming ball? Move your feet? Racquet back? How soon? When in relation to the bounce of the incoming ball? For Tom Stow, the first move may have been the most important aspect of the shot. He said, “If it starts correctly, and finished correctly, probably it […]
Agility – the ability to move quickly and easily Perhaps we overlook this basic training approach – nothing about force, power or even strength Just about posture – turning hips and shoulders to the ball as the leading foot drops just a bit and preparing the racquet when about to hit instead of running with […]
From the archives (yes I do look younger) – and as usual this is about hitting up instead of forward or down on the serve! Badminton – Many parallels exist between the badminton overhead clear and the up and out snap on the serve. And I have found that experienced badminton players ALWAYS serve extremely […]
There is a story here. Some many years ago a talented high school senior filmed “The Secrets of World Class Footwork” (sowcf) He had been a tennis student – and this was Jon M Chu If you have seen Crazy Rich Asians you may know of him, of his vision, his talent – and for […]
Winning matches will not always lead you to work on your “weak spots” But for sure, there is stark reality if those same weak spots cost you the match. And, in those instances, are you able to go back to the practice court with renewed focus?
Perhaps the most important element in the game is to PREPARE But for sure there can be many ways to turn and get ready My childhood coach, Blackie Jones (pictured at the left) at Acalanes High School in Lafayette California taught me to line up for the ball by pointing the bones in my […]
We hosted a USPTA sponsored specialty course at Fremont Hills, Sunday November 4th from 1 to 5pm. Four prominent local tennis professionals shared their experiences with, and teaching methods derived from their lessons with Tom Stow. The following pages can be used as reference material for the specialty course, and hopefully will also provide interesting […]
Bianca the problem solver. Belinda Bencic on Bianca Andreescu: “She won Indian Wells, Toronto, she’s final here. I’m not very surprised about this. She has put together great results. For me it’s not a surprise. I think she’s a very smart player on the court, plays different than other players. That’s why she’s good.” Her […]
Yes I am a tennis nut – and have played taught and studied the game for a long time I am now believing that the single most misunderstood element of the game has to do with court position and shot selection. Said more clearly, players have more options when moving forward and fewer options when […]
The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey- perhaps the best tennis book… He described multitasking and mindfulness in the 1970’s before either term was popularly used Gallweys idea was to focus totally on the ball, and that any thoughts on how to hit the ball would interfere with the shot Minimalism – classically so Tom Stow was […]
Having lunch with the famous Vic Braden at a USPTA conference in Carmel Valley 1989, someone walked by and asked Vic to give a tip on the serve, to which he (famously) replied, “FIRE THE EXTENSORS BABY” It may be that Vic called many “baby” but the memory has stayed with me. As regards extensors, […]
Allow the tossing arm to rotate back (not out in front) to move the weight into a balanced position The most common problem occurs when players shift their weight forward doing the tossing action Federer releases the ball at eye level […]
For the scissor kick overhead, the player drifts back, pushes off and up strongly from the back foot A tricky maneuver but very helpful for players who lose their balance forward when serving. Similarly, Federer keeps his weight back on the serve, even dropping his back hip and shoulder Then he pushes up, his hip […]
The martial art form “Jujutsu” involves manipulating the opponent’s force against themselves. Phrases that arise include flexible, pliable or yielding. I see so much of this in Federer’s game. Especially his low, short skidding slice. Yet somehow I find a lot of the material on the internet is about bigger shots, more power, more spin, with very […]
The one handed under spin backhand can be a weapon Ken Rosewall drove his nearly flat under spin backhand with ruthless precision to the corners of the court. “Muscles” as he was called. Steffi Graf knifed her under spin backhand, keeping the ball low to ultimately open up the court for her dominating forehand. And […]
Photos courtesy Jim Fawcette ©jfawcette Federer astounds on the half volley He makes the most difficult of shots appear simple And this has nothing to do with so-called NO MAN’S LAND, for certainly the ball can land at your feet no matter where you are positioned. Want some simple keys to improving your half volley? […]
This is perhaps a “thought” piece For certainly some will push the serve, some will snap the wrist (impossible with a cast on) and some will rotate their forearm. At this point – I believe all methods work. This one, for better or worse, is far different. In my studies of the serve, and the […]
Overhand throwing might be a lost art Whether male or female, adult or junior – some throw much better than others. How come? Permit me a guess… Some whip the ball, and others use a subtle pushing motion And for better or worse those two types have similar serving actions Mike Krukow, former Major League […]
There are many ways to play this game, many ways to hit the ball, and truly many ways to use your legs when serving. The USTA has an 8 stage model of the serve – which finishes with a pronounced back leg kick (featuring Andy Roddick, the previous model was Maria Sharapova) But what of […]
Are there takeaways from this delivery that might help you (and I ) ? YES !! Observe his “dual leg drive” up and into the hit – by staying balanced and getting good use from his back foot he maximizes his leg drive Observe his head with reference to something behind him and note how […]
Stan Wawrinka holds three Grand Slam titles – Australian Open, French Open and the US Open. He owns a brilliant backhand, heavy, penetrating, and truly dominating. But this article and video is about his serve – from a camera angle that shows simplicity. Including …… A pinpoint stance but where Stan gets entirely rebalanced after […]
The following five shot sequence identifies key elements within the serve (as demonstrated by the redoubtable Roger) but importantly – these elements are part and parcel of a fluid and effortless delivery And a definition – I am calling UP and Down the moment when the racquet head is UP and the body is DOWN […]
Both Roger Federer and Bianca Andreescu square the face to the incoming ball – though still moving forward they have both “aligned the wall to the ball.” Tom Stow often introduced the simplicity of the volley technique by using a stool or chair such that the […]
40 years experience as a player teacher and student of the game foundational point of view students describes my approach as “brilliant simplicity” far far less sales pressure, deadlines and special offers more about content, and our relationship if you love the game you owe it to your self – check out Essential Tennis Instruction […]
This magnificent picture was taken by my friend Jim Fawcette – shot at the Laver Cup in Chicago I want to highlight a number of aspects of his form captured in this photo And for sure […]
To review, Jackie Reardon in Mindset compares story thinking to action thinking. Story thinking is about what we expect, what we fear, what we judge, how we can live totally in our heads with thought. Action thinking, a bit like Nike’s “Just Do It” is about being in the preset, about playing freely. And she […]
The following are some of the articles in the “Mental Library” within the ETI Network Continuous Learning – willingness to change Andre Agassi – how I beat Boris Becker The Super Fluid Swing Information and Knowledge The Space Between Stimulus and Response Setting a Trap Growing your “CQ” but only if you are Curious […]
Okay – the game keeps changing. The racquets, the training, the speed of the game, and yes for sure the technique. Once it was common, and even a rule, that the server would have to keep one foot on the ground during the delivery. Then the rule was changed (though I am not sure when […]
I learned this method from Don Kerr, former Tulane tennis coach, but interestingly a badminton coach who brought his material to the tennis world. He and I developed the Whistler, a biomechanical teaching aide, which led me to a Masters program at the University of West Florida where I studied motor learning as applied to […]
There is a connection here. The second shot pass is a basic strategy when your opponent takes the net – for your do want information about their volleying skills This play works best when the volleyer is centered which then reduces the volleyers natural angles. But in the main, this play creates pressure, challenges the […]
Singles You have no on court coach available No doubles partner for support The winning and losing is all on you We know the feeling And more, we have won an occasional match and not known why, but equally we have lost (perhaps more than a few) matches and not known why The factors include […]
Many players change their rhythm between first and second serves. A one-two-three count creates a swish in a particular location and with a recurring tempo. But when introducing the toss, the rhythm may become disrupted. Either the starting tempo becomes too quick, or just the opposite, an overly high toss creates an extra beat when […]
On Court Exercises The following exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so forth. Snap down Positioned at the service line, […]
On Court Exercises The exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so forth. Swing Off-Line to Create Sidespin To create sidespin […]
On Court Exercises The exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so forth. Locate the swish point Practicing without the ball, […]
On Court Exercises The following exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so forth. One two three rhythm – without […]
On Court Exercises The exercises identify specific elements of the serve. Do not attempt all exercises at once, but rather, start with the first exercise, and take as much time as needed until you feel comfortable, then progress in sequence to the next one and so forth. Serve within a box Find […]
Todd Ellenbecker, Vice President, Medical Services ATP World Tour, “Tennis teaching professionals can identify players of all ability levels, even high level players, who have less than optimal biomechanics on their serve. Often ……. their throwing mechanics also are less than optimal and have many similar characteristic patterns. Some of the same inherent deficiencies occur in […]
http://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_network/ETI_TheOtherSideOfTheNet.mp4 Download this Video Some time ago I was in Sacramento watching the Power Shares tour event – Courier, Sampras, McEnroe and Blake. James Blake beat John McEnroe in the finals – Mac having beaten Courier, and Blake easily beat an injured Pete Sampras (who was looking very slow on court compared to the other […]
Running patterns requires knowing your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Rather than learning as the match progresses – what if there is a way to get that idea much much sooner
No judgment, one shot at a time, where the “winning takes care of itself.” Well in the 1970’s before we ever knew of multitasking or mindfulness – those concepts were developed in a breakthrough book – The Inner Game of Tennis. Are you mindless or mindfull on court? Want more – check out Mindset by […]
How tight, or loose should your grip be? Common sense suggests tight. This experiment, done by real “tennis scientists” confounds the issue. Enjoy
The common problem I see at the club, as well as on television, is where the server flexes at the waist at the hit - more or less jackknifing to create a little more ball speed.
And this action creates both forward and downward forces - and is generally associated with netted serves.
Habits, Injuries, Resistance to Change – and Overhand Throwing Technique Todd Ellenbecker, “Tennis teaching professionals can identify players of all ability levels, even high level players, who have less than optimal biomechanics on their serve. Often … their throwing mechanics also are less than optimal and have many similar characteristic patterns. Some of the same inherent […]
Agility = moving quickly and easily. We know when we are gliding, we know when we are moving heavily. Equally, when can see on the adjacent court who moves well and who does not. But often more than strength training or explosive movement, the secret can be in a subtle unweighting where the body leads […]
Pete Sampras, "I won 7 Wimbledon titles because I had the best second serve in the game."
The second serve is about spin that will make the ball curve down as it crosses the net. Yes it may corner the opponent and either swing them wide and out of court, or kick up into their backhand.
Consider the critical 24 inch hitting zone when creating topspin on a forehand or on a serve – to create this spin the racquet must be swung up from beneath the ball (12 inches) but carry upward after impact (another 12 inches) to create the rolling spin that more and more of us want in […]
Ball control – ours is a game of accuracy, of consistency, but equally it is a game of timing for the opponent will send us shots of varying spin, speed, length and difficulty. Timing describes the relation between the incoming ball and the swinging racquet – and certainly the entire game revolves around the moment […]
https://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_podcast/ETI_042_Measure_Twice_Cut_Once.mp4 The carpenter measures twice to cut once, to make sure the cut is accurate, for if too much is cut off that mistake cannot be undone. In tennis consider measuring as preparing first to the side for the incoming ball, but then to measure precisely the height of the backswing such that the racquet […]
Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves to the hips, and then to the torso, and then to the shoulder, then the arm, then the forearm, then the hand, and finally the fingers?
John McEnroe – 78 ATP doubles titles, and 77 ATP singles titles – could this record be greater than any accumulation of doubles titles only (the Brian Brothers) or singles titles (Federer, Sampras, Nadal …) But through it all there was and is a simplicity to McEnroe’s game – highlighted, as usual, with his on […]
Rotational body power But, is there a way to separate the hips from the shoulders as one winds up or unwinds The “X” Factor shows how to get a little more stretch and release
A few years ago I was encouraged to take a class in improvisational theater. It took me months to find the courage (stage fright and more) but I finally enrolled and then thoroughly enjoyed this class within the Stanford continuing studies program.
The 3 R's of tennis - ready, read (where the ball is going) react!
As to your reaction - what precisely is your first move? What moves first, what initiates your preparation?
Really an important question.
80% of the points in professional end with an error, 20% with a winner.
As regards unforced errors, if your opponent never misses and is patient as the day is long, would you consider missing a routine forehand in the 12th shot of a rally a forced or unforced error.
I am now believing that errors are simply errors, and the distinction is unnecessary.
Three factors control your tennis shot - not your feet, not your eyes, not your balance (though all of those do help) but the only three elements are; Angle of the racquet face, Swing Path and Tempo.
Simplify Hold your ground Take the ball early Certainly easier said than done But if you explore “time and angle” in these pages, a great deal of the game, if not the most important part of the game, is to learn how to use the court, and how shot selection varies with court positioning In […]
At the 2022 Australian Open finals, Rafa Nadal used this shot to neutralize Daniil Medvedev, slow down the play, and essentially center Medvedev To my eye Medvedev is more dangerous from the corners if not on the run, but as the match wore on somehow he became more cautions with his shots And these floaters […]
Swing path, type of spin, power, 3d playback (with Zepp) but perhaps the most interesting as well as the most useful is the data that shows where you make contact on the racquet face.
And before going further, one of the most important (IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT) skills in the game of tennis is concentration, focus, and closely and continually watching the ball.
Take a few moments with the following report card - a method to either evaluate your own skills, or use this with your coach or regular practice partner.
The idea is to take a deeper look at your "Use" - the broader issues that influence all you do on court, your awareness, the elements that make you a strong player, but equally perhaps the element that is holding you back.
Consider the elements in a strong and fluid overhand throw - and how the actions of the hand and elbow can be used or even copied in the modern forehand as well as certainly the serve.
Once when racquets were heavy and wooden, we could see (and still see now and then) a type of pendulum swing - back and forth with little whip or acceleration. Interestingly McEnroe still uses such a forehand to truly devastating effect.
An excellent book, Man''s Search for Meaning, written by Victor Frankl, serves as a useful guidepost in living but equally when playing on court.
When Andy Murray hooked up with Ivan Lendl to capture his two grand slam titles, he was working at the same time with a sports psychologist (the same one who had worked with Lendl years before) to improve his attitude - to improve his emotional responses to the challenges he faced (and still faces) on court.
One of Northern California’s legendary teachers, as well as a dear friend and mentor to me, Fred Earle penned the following 5 keys – that he expected his players to answer with a resounding yes, each and every day at the end of practice or a game.
Squaring up – Hitting the ball true – precise contact on the back of the ball.
We all know about topspin – but have you ever tried to strike the ball with true topspin – where the ball rolls forward – precisely forward?
The following drop hit drill will improve your time spent practicing on court – and help you with your forehand and or your backhand.
Balance, holding your finish, placing your weight precisely against the ball.
Yes there are many ways to hit the ball, and many ways to play this game, but with all the variety of styles and technique – our best professionals are balanced more often than perhaps we readily notice.
Is there more to it than simply watching the ball?
Well, the answer is yes. But the answer is not readily apparent.
Scan and zoom describes two different visual orientations, both of which occur on court.
In your own game, are you better at scanning or zooming? Better yet, are you skilled at both?
Power Shares Champions Shootout. Great event. Let me repeat – great event. The format is brief, two one set semifinal singles followed by a one set final between the two semi winners. In this case Mac played Courier, Sampras played Blake – and then in the final the younger man beat the oldest man […]
Ready Read React – the all important "3 R's" of tennis.
But the question, once you have been ready and now have read the incoming direction of the ball – how do you react? What is your first move?
The first move is about quickness, it is about simplicity, but equally if not more importantly, it is about committing and reacting to only and simply what you have read.
If you want to be quicker and find more time to hit the ball – improve your first move.
Every club has one of these, a player who moves very well, makes darn few errors, often hits the ball softly or with unusual form, but over and over again this is a player who wins, and more than that this is a player that most dread. The term “pusher” is somehow derogatory, implying that […]
The game has changed from the old wooden racquet era. Next was graphite composite racquets. Then stronger and stronger players. Followed by more and more topspin (unfortunately from further and further behind the baseline).
The next era in our game's development occurs from the new "copoly" strings - essentially a polymer material, but somehow little or no friction between the strings.
You will note, no longer do the players walk around between points straightening their strings. That is because those strings move back and forth when meeting the ball - imparting much much more spin.
Play the ball to the open court. Run your opponent. Hit it where they "ain't" (sorry).
Too often we focus on moving the ball east and west, meaning from side to side. Another option, in some instances a better option, is to play the ball deep and short, very deep and very short. Think of this as moving the ball north and south.
Drop shots will do the trick. Backspin, finesse, stroking from high to low with an open racquet face. But, and this is most important, always meet this ball on the rise, from inside the baseline.
Three R's - ready read and then react.
Ready - feet spread, knees softly bent, weight on the balls of the feet
Read - as quickly as possible read the ball, see clearly is this ball coming to the forehand or backhand side
React - turn your shoulders and hips to the ball as quickly as possible.
We have positioned the camera at eye level, on the baseline, as though returning serve in the ad court. I nearly hit Antony on one of these serves, but no worries Mate, he is an Aussie. That said I think this camera angle gives you the feel for how this serve jumps up and away […]
Tennis ju-jitsu. Blocking, borrowing, deflecting the ball, playing with angles and change of pace.
The game is not always about power and winners. Just as easily the game can become one of rebounding the ball, using the opponent's force and incoming shot to create our own.
This style, ju-jitsu if you will, comes from shorter strokes, firmer grips at contact, and a willingness to look for angles, dinks, drops and more.
McEnroe was the unquestioned master of this - try it out for yourself.
Relishing the contest. Appreciating the opponent. Understanding (really) the rules of a contest.
To my mind, some matches are determined before ever hitting the first ball. We have all been in situations where we knew immediately that the opponent had no chance - and equally we have all been in situations where we knew immediately that we had no chance. None at all.
The fun occurs, when we play an evenly matched opponent. And in these contest, both players have an even chance to win.
Look for these opportunities. Keep your cool. You can be ahead and blow this lead, you can play from behind and catch up - but in any event there is chance, there is luck, there are a few balls close to the line.