Why do we sometimes feel ashamed of the way we played? I recently congratulated one of our club players for winning two tournament events. She thanked me, but immediately said that she desperately needed a lesson. I was surprised by her expression of desperation, even more so after I found out she had won…
Many players tend to try to hit all of their shots away from the opponent during a tennis match. Try to use this idea instead: keep your shots deep and towards the middle at the beginning of a point. There are many reasons to start the point this way. Serving to the middle of…
It can be very difficult to convince yourself that starting the point in the middle of the court is a good idea. Most of us use getting the player on the run, or hitting it far away from wherever the opponent is, to win the point. In addition, if you hit the ball down…
Almost every player has one side that is better than the other. Usually, a player’s forehand is stronger but as the level of play gets higher, many players prefer their backhand. Once you have determined which side is better, try attacking the weaker side with your first shot—either the serve or return of serve….
Two of the best game improvement tools you should use on a regular basis are the backboard and the ball machine. Most world-class pros have used both of these resources in their careers and both are tremendous tools for your conditioning, footwork, consistency and form. Unfortunately, both of these resources are mostly underutilized. The…
Many problems in a tennis match occur because of indecision. A player is faced with many choices when they are about to reply to a shot that’s hit to them. Direction, speed, depth and spin are just some of the decisions that need to be made in a very short period of time. My…
The local tennis community boasts some of the top coaches in the world, and with this wealth of talent available, Long Island Tennis Magazine took the opportunity to pick the brains of some of these coaches. These instructors share their thoughts on a variety of tennis topics and issues, ranging from junior tennis to…
To become a better tennis player you need to know which of the four game styles you fall into. This will help you better understand what parts of your game will win you points and which parts you need to work on. Once you know what your trying to do on the court you…
There is a dirty little secret in the cloistered world of competitive junior tennis: Cheating and gamesmanship are rampant—and nobody is doing anything about it. For many children and parents, the first exposure to the junior tennis circuit can be a shock because junior tennis is one of the few sanctioned sports that has…
I have emphasized how important the serve and return of serve are in a tennis match. Most players have something other than these shots that they like to use to get the opponent in trouble, or to win the point. For some it is hitting their big forehand. Other players have a great backhand…