Tips on Technique and Tactics
The following short video clips offer some tennis tips and ideas from various coaches, that might just help you to find opportunities to improve your game and give you an edge. However, there’s nothing like an actual coaching session with a real live experienced coach, to develop your game.
So don’t hesitate to contact our club coaches, Andrew and Kelsey, to enquire about either group or one-on-one coaching at East Croydon Kilsyth Tennis Club. They offer coaching programmes for all levels of player, from beginner to advanced.
Common Footwork Mistakes & How to Correct Them
Tips on Hitting the Perfect Forehand
Top Ten Reasons Why You Might Lose A Match
Playing Doubles Like a Pro
Drills For Becoming a Better Tennis Player At Home
Nick Bolletteiri - Seven Simple Ways to Improve Your Game
This is an extract of an article written by one of the most respected tennis coaches of the past 30 years, who coached Andre Agassi and Boris Becker to Grand Slam victories.......
I have been around the game for 60 years. I look, observe and I listen carefully to good players and successful coaches. The following are a few brief tips that I believe can help any level of player. My tips are simple and can be applied with or without a coach.
Whatever success I have had is a direct result of being willing to learn from people who knew more than me. Demonstrations are very important because so many people react to visual learning rather than just reading or being told what to do. Just try and remember that improvement comes from being willing to try new things.
Tip 1: Early Preparation
You cannot prepare soon enough- turn your hips and shoulders before the oncoming ball bounces on your side. GET THAT RACQUET BACK EARLY.
Tip 2: Exaggerate Your Follow Through
The majority of all people, no matter what sport they play, can improve by following through when you get a little nervous or your opponent is in control of play and moving you around. Exaggerate your follow through; do not think just hit the ball. AND MOVE YOUR FEET!
Whenever you rally, wherever you play, make up your mind that you will never let the ball bounce twice. Always run for the ball even if you think you have no chance to reach it. Richard Williams told Venus and Serena when they were six and seven years old, "Don't think, just run and hit the ball."..... Try playing on a court and imagining no lines, whatever comes to you, it is in play.
Tip 4: Hit-Recover
So many players will hit a ball and watch the ball and compliment themselves on the shot. From now on you must hit and recover. I suggest you watch the pros- it actually looks like the pros are recovering in the middle of their hit. I don't suggest going to that extreme. Just hit, finish and get back to position.
Tip 5: Foundation
I want you and your practice partner to start at the serve line but stand in between the singles and doubles lines. Rally or play points hitting only between the lines. As you gain confidence, move back further until you are on the baseline. It's critical that you have a solid foundation and complete balance in order to hit between the lines (also early preparation).
Tip 6: A Safety Target
So many players will overplay the ball, including playing the lines. Vegas spends billions of dollars building casinos. Why? The majority of gamblers do not play the odds, they go for it and they lose! ....... This is exactly what some tennis players do; they defy the odds and go for too many winners. Watch how the pros build points, they wait for the right time to play offensively and judge when to go for winners.
Tip 7: Boris Becker (He Had 4 Serves)
When I worked with Boris he taught me so many little things that helped me become a better coach. This is how he approached his serve: ......He would get into his ready position. then he went through imagining his entire serve motion including where he would serve to; He would do his 1st serve and repeat it all again if he happened to miss his first serve. This ritual slowed him down and instilled in his mind what he would do when serving the ball.
Check out our page on Mental Toughness. And if COVID-19 has been getting you down, you might like to also check out pages If You Need A Laugh and Coping With Self-Isolation
