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Steven White's Articles Tagged 'lessons' (33)

Can you actually hit "through the ball" ?

The notion that we should hit “through” the ball has been around for decades, but what does it really mean? Can we really hit through the ball? How long is contact? With lighter racquets and faster racquet head speeds, is this instruction still relevant? If you’re curious to see if this instruction should be sent to your recycle bin, read on.

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Added by Steven White on October 18, 2012 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment

Is "Racquet Back!" Still Relevant?

TennisOne's Joe Dinoffer says that the one-time joke on tennis pros used to be, “Racquet back, bend your knees, that’ll be twenty dollars please.” And I'm inclined to agree. At least in the old days, this was more or less the standard of teaching tennis. After all, it worked quite well for millions of players in the 1960s and '70s, didn't it?…

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Added by Steven White on June 11, 2012 at 4:26pm — 1 Comment

JUST RELEASED! Bring Your Racquet 2

Bring Your Racquet 2: Tennis Essentials For Up & Coming Juniors

Serious young tennis players are constantly striving to improve their game. While there are many ways to learn the game and to improve, the basics of tennis are unchanging. This book concentrates on the fundamentals of the game for the young, the beginning, and the improving player. Readers learn the basics of the game from easy-to-follow instructions combined with anatomically correct…
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Added by Steven White on January 27, 2012 at 4:39pm — No Comments

8 Essential Steps to Improve Your Stagnating Game

Every up-and-coming tennis player, I’m sure, knows those frustrating periods when his or her game simply stagnates or falls flat. That seems to be because tennis is a sport with various plateaus of learning. After playing a year or two, your game appears to be stuck on pause. No matter how hard you try, the same players keep on beating you and you never seem to get beyond the early rounds of a tournament. That happens to professional players too.…
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Added by Steven White on December 10, 2011 at 8:16am — No Comments

Playing the Big Points

As your level of play increases, simply keeping the ball in play may not be enough to win matches. The amount of control you have over the ball then becomes an important factor. Your shot placements can make all the difference. Maybe your opponent has good ground strokes and is able to effectively stay in every rally with you. If you have the ability to hit the ball short to…

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Added by Steven White on November 23, 2011 at 3:57pm — No Comments

Un-groove your opponent

Some players like to camp out on the baseline and send back a steady stream of deep crosscourt shots. When you are facing such an opponent, never let him get in a groove – he’s just waiting for you to make the error that’s going to give him the point. Remember that most tennis matches are decided by who makes the least errors, not the most winners. So, instead of trying to…

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Added by Steven White on November 10, 2011 at 6:23pm — No Comments

Selecting the right shot at the right time

Raw, young, talented players can often hit a variety of shots but have little sense when it comes to shot selection. This underestimated and under-practiced skill is so important that it alone can separate the levels in tennis.

Your mind will begin to operate much like a computer. For it to be able to work to your benefit, it must first be turned on, and then,…

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Added by Steven White on November 5, 2011 at 2:09pm — No Comments

How to slide into a forehand

This takes some practice, and you want to start gently, because sliding the wrong way can easily turn an ankle. One important tip is to keep your front foot pointed somewhat into the direction of your slide. It's the one that's likely to catch in the clay and suffer a turned ankle. The back foot can afford to be sideways, because it will skip over any catches in the clay instead of getting jammed into them. Here’s a good illustration of how to slide into a forehand on clay. Note how the…

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Added by Steven White on October 28, 2011 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

“Cut back on your errors”

Most of the points in a tennis match are over after only three or four hits. At every level, the majority of points are lost and not won. This means that most of the points are won due to errors rather than winners.

 

The best way to understand errors is to learn the four mistakes in tennis. They are:

  • hitting the ball into the net
  • hitting the ball over the baseline
  • hitting the ball wide to the left
  • hitting the ball wide to the…
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Added by Steven White on January 27, 2011 at 7:20am — 4 Comments

"Playing the big points"

As your level of play increases, simply keeping the ball in play may not be enough to win matches. The amount of control you have over the ball then becomes an important factor. Your shot placements can make all the difference. Maybe your opponent has good ground strokes and is able to effectively stay in every rally with you. If you have the ability to hit the ball short to him, high and low, in close and outside, then you will probably be able to discover more weaknesses as well as keep…

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Added by Steven White on December 14, 2010 at 4:09pm — No Comments

“Move your feet, control the ball, control the point”

One of the best ways to gain control of a point in progress is accomplished by gaining control of the ball and the direction you want it to go. And although all of the great players in tennis history have learned the importance of quick feet, they have also learned that once they reach the ball it is equally important to use the correct swing to direct the ball with control.…

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Added by Steven White on December 14, 2010 at 7:47am — 4 Comments

“Maintain a winning attitude”

Nothing can hurt your game more than a negative attitude and a lack of enthusiasm for what you are doing. Ask your self a question. Who is responsible for your attitude? Well, I’m here to tell you that it is you and you alone. Strive to form positive thoughts in your head and in your heart whenever you walk on the court.

The fiercest opponent you’ll probably ever face in tennis is a “bad attitude”. Tremendous abilities can be wasted when a bad attitude sets in. It can block…

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Added by Steven White on December 9, 2010 at 10:00pm — 1 Comment

Teaching Tennis to Children

Teaching young children is not as easy as you might think. It can be very challenging. There are some adults, coaches and parents who are born with the gift of being able to communicate with children with great ease. For coaches and parents with less teaching experience where small children are concerned, here are some general principles that you should…

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Added by Steven White on December 7, 2010 at 6:30pm — No Comments

About Modern Tennis

Although the traditional way of teaching youngsters is still the mainstream of introducing the game, a modern style of playing and teaching is beginning to raise its head even at the beginner level. The modern game is a variation that uses different techniques of preparation and ball striking. The recent explosion of “modern tennis” was and is still being created…

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Added by Steven White on December 6, 2010 at 8:12am — No Comments

Be goal-oriented!

When was the last time you walked onto a tennis court just to hit a few balls with a friend or practice partner without having a specific purpose in mind? To make the most of your court time, my advice is to use your practice time wisely. You would do well to remember this very important point – “aimless hitting” produces “aimless play”. Balls that are directed…

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Added by Steven White on December 5, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Teaching Tennis: Protocol for Instructors

The ability to play tennis at a high performance level is an acquired skill that takes years of experience to master. Acquiring the ability to teach the game with a high degree of skill can be just as difficult. In fact, helping other players to develop their skills can be more difficult than developing your own. Just because you were a better than average player doesn't mean that you have what it takes to promote the skills…

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Added by Steven White on July 1, 2010 at 7:41pm — 2 Comments

Use your own body for tennis-specific strength

Don’t bother spending a lot of money on gym memberships or fancy workout machines. One of the best pieces of exercise equipment is staring back at you when you look in the mirror. It’s not only free, it’s something that you already have. Without any added weight, your body can provide all the resistance needed for a functional strength-training workout. It’s also…

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Added by Steven White on June 23, 2010 at 3:26pm — No Comments

Learn to relax

Have you ever been nervous enough to worry about an upcoming match? Have you ever been so nervous that the game seemed more difficult than it does when you practice? One way to improve your performance when your mind seems to be full of worry is simply to “relax”. You don’t want to relax your mind, just the muscles in your body. You will find that most of your worries will stop once your body…

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Added by Steven White on June 21, 2010 at 9:12pm — No Comments

“Develop a routine”

One of the most common phrases yelled out on a tennis court is “Watch the ball!” This is often the result of a player attempting to focus his mind and concentrate on the match, not necessarily because he is mad for not keeping his eye on the ball. However, it is true that controlling your eyes on a tennis court can help you control your mind. Allowing your eyes to drift can cause your mind to…

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Added by Steven White on June 19, 2010 at 2:27pm — No Comments

Drill for consistency

Reaching your best playing level is your main objective, but if you can’t do it consistently, you still have work to do. To aim for consistent results with your game, begin by establishing consistent habits. Players who play the game within themselves, that is, the game they know they know they are capable of, develop strokes they can count on in practice. You…

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Added by Steven White on June 16, 2010 at 7:19pm — No Comments

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