On Top Of Tennis

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2011-08-17T18:27:00.001-07:00

I love tennis, but as of to date: I feel like I have a lot more experience than I did before. Since my last post, I have been on a college tennis team and played a few USTA matches. It is a great sport, but the comrodery is not as good as I had expected. It seems that everyone is eager to make a top ranking. You get rankings through tennis leagues that are part of the USTA or local league teams. Basically, it is all about score-If your score looks good...you keep rising.

I was very niave to the fact that people could be so cut throat. I witnessed people changing the score card right in front of my eyes.

I like to say that the good always wins. That league that cheated never made it to be photographed in the USTA team agenda, and our team did. >>>although by that time I was so fed up and never went to be photographed.

I started smoking cigs. Mostly, I do it out of rebellion. In a world where I feel everyone wants to control this or that about me, at least I have a cigarette to ward them off...and it works. >>Though I plan to quit again soon and start tennis once again.

Watch The Pros

2009-08-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

There Is No Substitute For Hands On Practice. The More That One Begins To Play Tennis, The More That You Will Realize That It Is Not Only A Very Rewarding Sport, But Also Very Tempermental. This Being That It Relays A Great Deal On The Weather And Environment.

To Play The Best Game, You Need Perfect Conditions. This Is One Reason Why Tennis Has Been Known To Have A Very Silent Crowd At Matches.

When You Are Not Able To Practice Hands On, Try These Ideas To Keep Yourself Sharp.

1.) Watch The Pros. Even When The Weather Is Nice, You Should Make Time For This. Have You Ever Wondered Why Federer Has Been Called So Amazing On His Feet? You Tube Has A Wealth Of Knowledge To View At No Cost. I Suggest That You Keep Notes As Well. It Is A Well Known Trick To Ease Drop In On Your Competitors. All Tennis Players Have A Weakness. The More You Play, The More That You Will Begin To Notice Them. For Instance, Your Opponent Has A Very Powerful Forehand, But A Very Weak Backhand. Use This Information To Strategize Your Points.

2.) Watch What You Are Eating. Tennis Players, As All Athletes Have To Adhere To A Good Diet. My Diet Consists Of High Protien, Vegetable, And Fruits. Plenty Of Water. Low Fat, Cholesterol, And Sodium. I Only Eat Carbs In The Morning Because They Take Longer To Digest And Cause You To Become Drowsy. This Diet Keeps Me Alert, And I Am Able To Practice Almost Everyday Eating In This Way.

3.) Run! I Suggest That You Find An Alternative To Being Outdoors ASAP. For Instance, There Are Plenty Of Gyms That Are Competing With Eachother Right Now Which Means A Great Deal For You! Find A Gym That Has These Things As You Will Find Them Very Useful And Beneficial In Your Game. * A Treadmill. * Plenty Of Empty Space, For Practicing Footwork. * A Good Weight Room.

Tips To Become A Better Player

2009-07-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

No Space Or No Time Are No Longer Excuses For Not Playing

Three Great Ideas:

1.) If you are practicing your serves, go to a court that is located in a private park. Here there is less of a crowd so that you can concentrate.

2.) Practice your serving aiming to the opposite corner if you are sharing the tennis courts with others. This will prevent your balls from interfering with their play.

3.) It is best to go early morning or during dusk for at least an hour each day.

4.) If there is no practice wall, practice dropping the ball, stepping forward and hitting against a fence. The ball will roll back to you if you hit it correctly with a good swing.

5.) If the courts are full and you feel uncomfortable, find somewhere to run in the meantime. You will need lots of running in before you play tennis well.

6.) Practice forehands and backhands by tossing the ball high into the air and hitting it in different areas of the court. This will strengthen your eye hand coordination and footwork as well as strategizing. Be sure to toss extra high and low for lob and volley practice.

7.) When finished with serves and forehands/backhands, run around the court several times practicing focus, footwork, and quickness. Please be mindful of other players. Try the court run exercise only if there are no other players on courts on either side of you.

Easy Ways To Improve Your Tennis Game

2009-07-02T17:12:00.001-07:00

We've All Wondered How To Become A Better Player. Here Are A Few Tips I've Learned Along The Way That Really Are A Benefit.

1.) How To Create A Perfect Serve:

* Practice Practice, PRACTICE! Often when there is no room for me to hit or I am in a pickle for time, I will practice my tosses. Tosses should be off of your fingers and high. The ball should not move to the sides, forwards or backwards ; but straight up into the sky. This is a great way to improve your serve conditioning and can be done practically anywhere!

** Bring 10 balls to any wall of tennis court and practice your serves ten on each side-switch to other side of court and continue. This exercise helps balance your technique no matter what side of the line you are on.

**** When practing on an empty court; try practicing your footwork, your serves and your swing.

Footwork: Run around the court several times. Slide down the baseline back and forth. Practice running to the ball forwards and backwards with racket in correct positioning along with correct body alignment. At first this might sound or look silly to you; but these are some of the very key components of a good game.

Serves: Start on the right side of the baseline. Keep your feet near the middle marker. Your right foot should be at an angle with your toes pointed to the left side of the net post. Bend your right leg. The more often that you practice you will notice how your entire body will move to a natural positioning for a good serve. Ideally, your entire body makes a unified motion. Toss the ball off of your fingertips. The ball should go straight up, not to the sides or forwards or backwards. Toss high and hit the ball with the middle of the racket. Keep your eye on where the ball and racket meet. Follow through your serve by swinging across your body with the racket landing on the side of your left leg. A good serve feels like shooting an arrow.

Swing: Toss balls high and low. Practice running to them, positioning your body correctly and following through with your swing. Remember that the correct swing makes a pop sound. Toss the ball far from you to practice your footwork. Toss high to practice high balls, and toss low to practice low balls.

Topic: What If I Don't Have A Tennis Partner To Play With?

2009-07-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

7/1/2009 - Tennis Is About Having Fun, Hard Work, and Good Friends!

Today's Topic Is : What If I Don't Have A Partner To Play With?

Here Is A Review Of Some Good Wall Practice Techniques:

Drill One:

Forehand Volleys and Backhand Volleys

Definition. Forehand Volleys are used for tennis balls that do not touch the ground.

* Postion yourself in the middle of the court four feet from the wall. Practice your forehand and backhand volleys by using correct swing, footwork, and using the middle of the wall as the target. Using the center of the wall as the target improves your placement.

Drill Two:

Ground Stroke

Definition. A ground stroke refers to the player hiting a ball that has touched and bounced off of the ground.

* Practice your ground strokes by staying behind the baseline. Drop ball and hit; practicing your follow through. Practice your placement by using the center the wall as the target.

Drill Three:

Serves

Definition. A shot to start the point.

* Practice your serves by simulating a real match. Start on the right side of the baseline closest to the middle marker. Serve two, then switch to the left side. Continue doing this. A good serve should hit the wall in the middle of the opposite side from where you are serving. Ball should return itself to you when good.