The Forehand Drive in Tennis

The forehand drive is the opening of every offensive play in tennis and should be most carefully studied. There are certain rules of footwork that apply to all shots. To reach a ball that is a short distance away, advance the foot that is away from the shot and thus swing into position to hit the ball. If a ball is too close to the body, retreat the foot closest to the shot and drop the weight back on it, thus, again, being in position for the stroke. When hurried, and it is not possible to change the foot position, throw the weight on the foot closest to the ball.

The receiver should always await the service facing the net, but once the serve is on the way to the tennis court, the receiver should at once attain the position to receive it with the body at right angles to the net.

The forehand drive in tennis is made up of one continuous swing of the racquet that, for the purpose of analysis, may be divided into three parts:

1. The portion of the swing behind the body, which determines the speed of the stroke.

2. That portion immediately in front of the body which determines the direction and the pace of the shot.

3. The portion beyond the body, comparable to the golfer's "follow through," determines spin, top or slice, imparted to the ball.

All drives should be topped. The slice shot is a totally different stroke.

To drive straight down the side-line, construct in theory a parallelogram with two sides made up of the side-line and your shoulders, and the two ends, the lines of your feet, which should, if extended, form the right angles with the side-lines. Meet the tennis ball at a point about 4 to 4 1/2 feet from the body immediately in front of the belt buckle, and shift the weight from the back to the front foot at the moment of striking the tennis ball. The swing of the tennis racquet should be flat and straight through. The racquet head should be on a line with the hand or, if anything, slightly in advance. The whole arm and the racquet should turn slightly over the ball as it leaves the racquet face and the stroke continues to the limit of the swing, thus imparting top spin to the ball.

About The Author

Edward Pena is a tennis fanatic that loves to play tennis as often as he can. He runs an informational website to help tennis players improve their game. His sites offer free articles on tennis and other tennis products. To take advantage of all this cool stuff and more, be sure to check out Ed’s site at Tennis Guide

Tennis Volley and Overhead Smash

The net attack is the best offensive strategy of tennis.
It is supposed to crush all defenses. As such it must be regarded as a
point-winning stroke at all times, no matter whether the shot is volley
or smash.

Once at the net hit from the point of the first opportunity given to get the
racquet squarely on the ball. All the laws of footwork explained for
the drive are theoretically the same in volleying. In practice you
seldom have time to change your feet to a set position, so you avoid
trouble by throwing the weight on the foot nearest to the ball and
pushing it in the shot.

Volleys
are of two classes: (1) the low volley, made from below the waist; and
(2) the high volley, from the waist to the head. Other classifications
are the two styles known as (1) the deep volley and (2) the stop
volley. All low volleys are blocked. High volleys may be either blocked
or hit. Volleys should never be stroked. There is no follow through on
a low volley and very little on a high one.

You
will hear much talk of "chop" volleys. A chop stroke is one where the
racquet travels from above the line of flight of the ball, down and
through it, and the angle made behind the racquet is greater than 45
degrees, and approach
90 degrees. Therefore I say that no volleys should be chopped, for the
tendency is to pop the ball up in the air. Slice volleys if you want
to, because these shots are made at a very small angle to the
flight-line of the ball, with the racquet face traveling almost along
its plane.

To read the rest of this article please go to: The Tennis Volley and Overhead Smash

About The Author

Edward Pena
is a tennis fanatic that loves to play tennis as often as he can. He
runs an informational website to help tennis players improve their
game. His sites offer free articles on tennis and other tennis
products. To take advantage of all this cool stuff and more, be sure to
check out Ed’s site at Tennis Guide

Tennis and the Psychology of Match Play

The first and most important point in match play is to know how to lose. Lose cheerfully, generously, and like a sportsman. This is the first great law of tennis, and the second is similar, to win modestly, cheerfully, generously, and like a sportsman.

The object of match play is to win, but no credit goes to a man who does not win fairly and squarely. A victory is a defeat if it is other than fair. Yet again I say to win is the object, and to do so, one should play to the last ounce of his strength, the last gasp of his breath, and the last scrap of his nerve. If you do so and lose, the better player won. If you do not, you have robbed your opponent of his right of beating your best. Be fair to both him and yourself.

Playing tennis is the important thing and in match play a good defeat is far more creditable than a hollow victory. Play tennis for the game's sake. Play it for the players you meet, the friends you make, and the pleasure you may give to the public by the hard working yet sporting game that is owed them by their presence at the match.

Many tennis players feel they owe the public nothing, and are granting a favor by playing. It is my belief that when the public so honors a player that they attend matches, that player is duty bound to give of his best, freely, willingly, and cheerfully, for only by so doing can he repay the honor paid him. The tennis star of today owes his public as much as the actor owes the audience, and only by meeting his obligations can tennis be retained in public favor. The players get their reward in the personal popularity they gain by their conscientious work.

There is another factor that is even stronger than this, that will always produce fine tennis in championship events. It is the competitive spirit that is the breath of life to every true sportsman: the desire to prove to himself that he can beat the best of the other man; the real regret that comes when he wins, and feels the loser was not at his best.

To read the rest of this article please go to: Tennis and the Psychology of Match Play

About The Author

Edward Pena is a tennis fanatic that loves to play tennis as often as he can. He runs an informational website to help tennis players improve their game. His sites offer free articles on tennis and other tennis products. To take advantage of all this cool stuff and more, be sure to check out Ed’s site at Tennis Guide