🎾 Tennis - Magazines - 40 - Best - Tips¶
Giới Thiệu¶
Tennis - Magazines - 40 - Best - Tips — tài liệu 14 trang từ thư viện sách tennis.
Chủ đề chính: Volley, Wrist, Racquet
Tóm tắt nội dung (trích từ tài liệu gốc): MAGAZINE'S 40 BEST TIPS FROM THE NATION'S TOP INSTRUCTORS 1 2 1. MAINTAIN THE ANGLE Instructors always tell you to keep your racquet head above your wrist when you volley. It's good advice, but when misunderstood it can lead to awkward, ineffective volleys on low balls. Rather than worrying so much about your racquet head, concentrate on maintaining the same angle between your racquet and forearm--in the correct position, it's about 120 degrees--for all volleys, no matter how high or low.--PETE COLLINS, PTR, AUGUSTA, GA. 2. POINT IT OUT On the forehand, point your 3. SWING WITH NO nonplaying h
Lưu ý: Nội dung dưới đây được trích xuất tự động từ PDF gốc tiếng Anh, giữ nguyên ngôn ngữ để bảo toàn độ chính xác kỹ thuật.
Nội Dung Gốc (Tiếng Anh)¶
MAGAZINE'S
40
BEST
TIPS
FROM THE NATION'S
TOP INSTRUCTORS
1 2
1. MAINTAIN THE ANGLE Instructors always tell you to keep your racquet
head above your wrist when you volley. It's good advice, but when misunderstood it
can lead to awkward, ineffective volleys on low balls. Rather than worrying so much
about your racquet head, concentrate on maintaining the same angle between your
racquet and forearm--in the correct position, it's about 120 degrees--for all volleys,
no matter how high or low.--PETE COLLINS, PTR, AUGUSTA, GA.
2. POINT IT OUT On the forehand, point your 3. SWING WITH NO
nonplaying hand at the ball while it's on the way STRING Racquet
to your side of the net and track it with your acceleration, or swing
hand toward your desired contact point. This will speed, is the key to hitting
promote a good shoulder turn while you bring harder shots. One way to get
your racquet back and coil your upper body. the racquet around faster is
to relax your hitting hand and
--ANNI MILLER, USPTA & PTR, LAKE OSWEGO, ORE. arm enough to swing freely.
Here's a trick that will help
CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES you learn to do it. Bring two
racquets to the court, one
strung, one unstrung. Hit three
balls with your strung racquet
and then "hit" three with the
unstrung one. When done
correctly the ball will simply
pass through the open racquet
face. Keep alternating between
the strung and unstrung
racquets until your swing
speed with both frames is the
same.--JOE DINOFFER, USPTA &
PTR, DALLAS
4. DRAW THE LINE Changing the direction of the ball and going down the line
at an inopportune moment in a rally is an elementary mistake. You should only
choose to go down the line if three conditions are met: Your opponent hits a short
ball; you reach the shot in a balanced position with the ball in your hitting zone; and
you feel you can hit an outright winner or put your opponent in serious trouble.
--JACK THOMPSON, PTR, WILLIAMSBURG, VA.
1 2
5. GET HIP To learn where to make contact with the ball on an open-stance CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES
forehand, place your dominant wrist at your hip on that side and have someone
bounce a ball to you. Catch the ball at hip level without moving your hand--you'll
have to get your back foot behind the ball. Next, add the racquet and hit the ball,
keeping your wrist near your hip. This forces your stroke to be out in front, producing
more power and enabling you to push off your back foot for a quicker recovery.
--JOSEPH THOMPSON, USPTA MASTER PRO, ROLLING HILLS COUNTRY CLUB, GOLDEN, COLO.
NO YES
6. DON'T SPIN OUT It's a common mistake on the one-handed backhand to
open your hips as you hit the ball. This causes you to swing across the ball and
produce an unreliable stroke. Here's a quick fix: Hold a hopper full of balls with your
off hand and have a partner feed balls to your backhand. The weight of the basket
will keep your hips from flying open and force you to use your shoulders to drive
through the ball. If you don't have a basket of balls, use a heavy tennis bag.
--DR. LOUIE CAP, PTR, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.
7. DIVIDE AND CONQUER I like to divide a set into thirds. In the beginning, I hit
crosscourt, following the natural hip and shoulder rotation of my body to get a rhythm,
and feel out my opponent. In the middle, I try to play my strength to my opponent's
weakness. At the end of the set, when it's time to close it out, I think "aggression with
discretion" and play aggressively but under control.--RICK VETTER, USPTA, MEQUON, WIS.
8. GO THROUGH THE
WINDOW One key to
winning more matches is
to minimize your unforced
errors. The net is your first
obstacle to overcome, and
the easiest way to beat it is
to imagine a window that's
2 or 3 feet above the net.
Aim every shot into that
space for a greater margin
of error. Take a similar
approach when dealing
with your other obstacle,
the lines. Again, imagine a
zone 2 or 3 feet inside the
lines and keep your shots in
that area.--JORGE ANDREW,
USPTA & PTR, LEXINGTON, S.C.
1 2
9. OVERHEAD BREEZE You have a strong breeze at your back, but you just
hit an overhead into the net. Surprised? Don't be. Wind at your back can cause your
opponent's lob to hang up in the air and throw off your timing. You end up hitting
the ball too far out in front and dumping it into the net. The next time the wind is
at your back, concentrate on hitting your overheads deep into the court. You'll be
less likely to hit into the net and give your opponent free points.--DR. LOUIE CAP,
PTR MASTER PRO, VAN DER MEER TENNIS CENTER, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.
10. GO LEFTY 1 2
FOR A BETTER
BACKHAND
Assuming you're
right-handed, your
left hand should
drive the stroke
when you hit a two-
handed backhand.
To get used to this
feeling, practice
hitting left-handed
forehands (right-
handed forehands
for lefties).--ROBERT
LANSDORP, FORMER
COACH OF FOUR
WORLD NO. 1 PLAYERS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MANUELA DAVIES/DOUBLEXPOSURE (2); CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES (4) 11. POUR IT ON
To learn how to follow
through on a topspin
forehand, imagine that
you have a cup of water
in your dominant hand
and a cup perched on
your opposite shoulder.
Your goal is to swing all
the way around until
you could pour the water
from one cup into the
other.--JEFF HAWES,
USPTA, BURLINGTON, N.C.
12. REACH FOR THE STARS
When your serve isn't working, you
may become tentative and let your
toss drop below the proper contact
point. This will only make things worse.
Whenever your serve goes astray,
force your tossing arm to extend
upward completely before releasing the
ball. Then reach for the stars and strike
the ball before it drops.--WILL HOAG,
USPTA, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.
13. VOLLEY SOFT AND DEEP
When you come forward and your
opponent hits a low passing shot,
try to hit a high, lofty ball without
much pace. This will achieve three
things: First, the higher the ball goes
over the net, the deeper it will land
in the court, driving your opponent
back. Second, most players dislike
returning a soft ball because they
have to generate the pace. Third, if
your opponent lobs from far back in
the court, you'll have time to reach
the ball and put it into the open
court.--JIMMY PITKANEN, USPTA & PTR,
KNOXVILLE, TENN.
14. INCREASE YOUR RACQUET-HEAD SPEED
Perhaps you've seen those colorful foam balls that many
instructors use with kids and beginners. They are often
called transition balls because their purpose is to help
novices improve at rallying. But they can also help more
experienced players of any age increase their racquet-
head speed, which is critical to generating power. The
idea is simple: Because the foam balls are larger than
regular tennis balls, they travel more slowly and cover
less distance. This allows you to swing faster without the
fear of hitting the ball long. When you go back to regular
balls following a session of using foam balls, you should
find you're hitting deeper ground strokes with more
pace.--JEFF HAWES, USPTA MASTER PRO, ALAMANCE COUNTRY
CLUB, BURLINGTON, N.C.
15. SERVE TO THE RHYTHM Get better timing on your serve by counting to
three. Say "one" with the backswing; pause a beat and say "two" at contact; then say
"three" as you follow through.--KEN DEHART, USPTA & PTR, SAN JOSE, CALIF.
16. TWIST YOUR WRIST To produce underspin for a deadly drop shot, you
need to open your racquet face beneath the ball. Here's how you practice it: Place
your racquet head across the top of the net, with the bottom edge of the racquet
head resting on the net. Keep the same grip and allow your wrist to turn with the
racquet as you drag it along the net. Move the racquet toward the net post until
both sides of the racquet head touch the net and the racquet face is flat. This is the
proper technique for the forehand drop shot. To practice the backhand drop shot,
turn your palm down until the racquet head is on top of the net.--GENE HOLLAND,
PTR, WHEATON, ILL.
1 2 3
1 2
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MANUELA DAVIES/DOUBLEXPOSURE; CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES (6) 17. AIM YOUR PALM One reason players make errors on the forehand volley is
that their wrists don't stay firm during contact, resulting in misdirected shots. To cure
this problem, point the palm of your hitting hand in the direction you want the ball to
go and freeze it there.--WILL HOAG, USPTA, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.
18. KEEP A LOOSE GRIP Many players strangle their racquets when they
serve. How tight is tight enough? On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being loose and 5 being
a death grip, a 2 is about right. Another way to think about it: Pretend you have a little
bird in your hand. You want to hold it firmly enough so that it won't fly away, but not
so tight that you begin to squeeze it.--ANGEL LOPEZ, USPTA, SAN DIEGO
19. TURN SIDEWAYS FOR
OVERHEADS To put away lobs, you
have to move backward quickly. The best
way to do that is to immediately turn
sideways, point your off hand upward as
the ball goes up, and move back using
crossover steps. Turning sideways helps
you rotate your hips and shoulders into
the shot for more power.--MIKE VAN
ZUTPHEN, USPTA, MESA, ARIZ.
20. POINT TO THE SPOT
Successful volleying requires solid
control of the racquet face before
and after contact. As the ball comes
in, you need to line up the racquet
face with the ball's flight path
using minimal backswing. To gauge
your success in controlling your
racquet face, check to see where it's
pointing after contact. The strings
should be directed at your target.
--PAULA SCHEB, USPTA, BONITA
SPRINGS, FLA.
1 2
21. PRACTICE YOUR DISTANCE CONTROL When nerves strike or it's
windy out, players often have trouble controlling the depth on their serves. You can
practice your service depth by hitting from different locations. Try serving from a few
feet inside the baseline and behind the baseline to master hitting to various depths.
--JOHN RAKER, PTR, HARRISONBURG, VA.
22. GO TO THE 23. LOB AND CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES
FENCE Hitting a APPROACH In
topspin serve doubles, if you play
requires you to swing against a team that
up and out. Here's plays with the server
a good way to learn back and the other
how: Walk outside the player at net, you can
court, stand 5 feet take control by lobbing
behind the back fence, your return to the server
and practice hitting and moving in. Even
your serve over it by though the server can
brushing up on the easily return your lob, he
ball.--BILLY STEARNS, probably won't hurt you
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, with his reply, and your
side can take over the
S.C., FORMER COACH net.--JORGE CAPESTANY,
OF 21 ALL-AMERICAN USPTA, HOLLAND, MICH.
PLAYERS
25. TAKE IT EARLY High-
bouncing topspin shots at the
baseline are trouble. The next time
someone sends a high, looping ball
to your forehand, try this: Load up
early and launch yourself forward
and upward to play the ball in your
power zone. At contact, both feet will
be off the ground, and you'll land on
your front foot while your other foot
swings backward. This advanced
play will keep you on the offensive.
--TODD MILLER, PTR, BUFFALO, N.Y.
24. CATCH THE OVERHEAD To 26. WORK WITH WHAT
learn to get into the proper position for an YOU GET Recognizing the high-
overhead, practice by catching the ball in percentage play is key to performing
your nondominant hand with your arm well at net. If someone hits down the
extended. This forces you to get underneath line with pace, that's an opportunity
the ball, critical to hitting a smash. to volley firmly crosscourt. If
someone hits down the line softly,
--PAULA SCHEB, USPTA, BONITA SPRINGS, FLA. go for a sharper angle.--NICK SAVIANO,
SAVIANO HIGH PERFORMANCE TENNIS
ACADEMY, SUNRISE, FLA.
27. VARY YOUR STANCE You can add variety to your serve by altering your
position on the baseline to create different angles. The same serve delivered from
near the center hash mark looks different to the receiver when delivered 3 or 5 feet
toward the sideline.--PAULA SCHEB, USPTA, BONITA SPRINGS, FLA.
28. POLE POSITION
It's an axiom in tennis that
good doubles begins with good
service returns--they need to
be more precise than in singles.
To improve your returns, stick
a pole through the net next to
the center strap so you'll have
a tall target. If you don't have
a pole handy, use a squeegee,
broomstick, or anything else
that will extend the center
strap into the air. Then work
on hitting your returns
crosscourt to the opposite
side of the pole. When the
serve is hit down the middle,
hit the ball away from the pole
toward the server's doubles
alley. When the serve is hit
out wide, try to dip the return
into the opposite service box
so the net man can't gobble
it up. With a pole and a little
practice, you'll be hitting great
returns in no time.--JOSEPH
THOMPSON, USPTA MASTER PRO,
ROLLING HILLS COUNTRY CLUB,
GOLDEN, COLO.
29. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR If you prefer your forehand volley over your LEFT: MANUELA DAVIES/DOUBLEXPOSURE; RIGHT: CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES (3)
backhand volley, increase the likelihood of hitting it when you serve and volley by
standing in the middle of the court when you serve from the deuce side (ad side for
lefties). Two-thirds of your opponents' returns will likely go to your forehand side. In
the ad court (deuce for lefties), stand out wide to give yourself more forehand volleys.
When you do get backhand volleys, hit them crosscourt, which is easier than going
down the line.--LYNNE ROLLEY, FORMER COACH OF GRAND SLAM AND OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS
30. TALK IT OUT Great doubles 31. SPIKE IT Many players have
teams communicate all the time, not trouble getting depth and power on
only with words but also with positive their volleys without overswinging.
body language and gestures. After The key is to keep your racquet
a point is over, move toward your traveling along the path of the shot.
partner to offer encouragement and To do this, imagine you have a spike in
show unity as a team. If your partner the center of your string bed and you
misses a shot, don't show frustration. want to stab the ball. This will
Instead, tell him something that will encourage a firm wrist and stabbing
keep him positive and get him ready motion, which will add punch to your
to play the next point.--JORGE ANDREW, volleys.--PAT WHITWORTH, USPTA,
USPTA & PTR, LEXINGTON, S.C. HAMILTON MILL, GA.
1 2
32. GO FROM THUMB TO KNUCKLES Forearm rotation is key to adding
power to your serve and overhead. To learn this motion, set up in the classic overhead
position, with your racquet hand holding the frame up and back. From this position
you should see the thumb of your playing hand. After you rotate your forearm properly,
you'll see your knuckles. The faster the rotation from thumb to knuckles, the more
power you'll generate.--BUTCH STAPLES, PTR, CHICAGO
33. LOB ON A CLEAR DAY The lob is always an effective shot, but on clear
days it's a killer. Why? Because there's no reference point in the background that your
opponent can use to judge distance. When there are clouds, most players find it easier
to perceive depth and hit overheads.--DR. JACK GROPPEL, USPTA & PTR, ALGONQUIN, ILL.
34. FIND THE IDEAL
CONTACT POINT
You've probably been
told to hit the ball "out in
front" on a volley. That's
misleading. You should
make contact between
your shoulders. If you
make contact at this
point, your arm acts as a
lever and pushes through
the ball for more power.
--PAULA SCHEB, USPTA,
BONITA SPRINGS, FLA.
1 2 35. PINPOINT YOUR
STANCE You have a smooth
service motion, a good toss,
and decent accuracy, but you
can't generate enough power.
Sound familiar? You may not
shift your weight forward
enough. Adding a step to your
serve might help. To master the
technique, which is called the
"pinpoint" stance, put thin
rubber targets, or poly spots
(available at tennistrainer.com),
at the baseline where you
normally put your feet to serve.
Stand on the targets, toss the
ball, and move your back foot
onto the front target alongside
your front foot. The forward
movement will shift more of
your weight into the stroke.
--MIKE O'CONNELL, HEAD TENNIS
PRO, INDIANA UNIVERSITY TENNIS
CENTER, BLOOMINGTON, IND.
36. STEP ASIDE One of the toughest shots in the game is the high one-handed CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DAVID KENAS (3); CHRIS TROTMAN/GETTY IMAGES (3)
backhand. Although it's difficult to make an offensive play, you can avoid needing to
go on the defensive by putting more distance between your body and the ball and
using a flat swing that's parallel to the court. Moving laterally away from the ball puts
you in a stronger ball-striking position.--JOHN RAKER, PTR, HARRISONBURG, VA.
37. ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD NO
In doubles, inexperienced players YES
often make the mistake of looking
back if their partner is at the
baseline hitting the ball. Don't do
that. Instead, keep your eyes on
your opponents. But which one
should you focus on? Imagine
two mean dogs live on your
street. One is in the house at the
end of the block and the other
is in the house next door. When
you walk down the street, which
dog do you pay attention to first?
The one next door. Always keep
your eyes on the dog who's most
likely to bite you--the opposing
net player.--PAULA SCHEB, USPTA,
BONITA SPRINGS, FLA.
38. HIT 'EM HIGH, HIT 'EM HARD To slow down
an attacking doubles team, hit one down-the-line lob return
and one hard return right at the net player during your
first return game. You'll give your opponents something to
think about and you may even earn an early break.
--DAVE HAGLER, USPTA MASTER PRO, PTR, LOS ANGELES
39. ORDER THE COMBO Think of your drop shot as a two-shot combo, not as
an outright winner. Use the drop shot to bring your opponent to the net, then lob or
pass him on the second shot. Always assume your opponents will get to your drop
shots. If they don't, consider it a bonus.--CHAN BEARCE, USPTA & PTR, GORHAM, MAINE
40. CATCH THE BALL IN A CAN How
many times have you missed a forehand volley
because your backswing was too big? Here's an
easy fix. Hold an empty ball can with your
dominant hand, have your partner toss a ball
to you, and catch it in the can. This will force you
to keep your hand steady and use your feet to
get to the ball.--DR. LOUIE CAP, PTR, HILTON HEAD
ISLAND, S.C.