Winning tennis tips - from warm up to match point

Summary:
Follow these 10 tennis tips that will guide you from the warm up right to the match point. Learn how to adapt to outer conditions, how to groove your strokes and how to adjust your game to your opponent's play. The final tip shows you the typical mind traps that you may fall into. When you are aware of them you can then avoid them.

There are probably thousands of tennis tips, but here are 10 great ones that begin at the warm up and end at the match point.

Tennis tip #1
When you start your warm up before the match you first need to get used to the conditions and your feel and form for that day. It's not realistic to expect that you'll be feeling superbly well every day.

So check the conditions - windy, sunny, hot or something else and adapt your shots and tactics accordingly. Then check your feel for the ball and racquet, your general mood and look to improve on them.

Tennis tip #2
When you start the match you furthermore need to get used to your opponent's play. Most of the players don't play the same in the warm up as they do in the match. So you are very likely to see and feel new speeds and spins of the ball.

Don't panic if you can't adapt in the first minute. Your brain is getting the information, unless you're too emotional. Remember previous matches, how you found your timing on returns or volleys or whatever caused problems at first.

Just watch the ball well and notice what is happening - are you late, too far, is the ball too high and then gradually adapt. Don't force it - it will happen if you are relaxed.

Tennis tip #3
The most important shots which define how the point will be played are the serve and the  return. If you have a weak serve and return, then you'll be on defense the whole point.

A good serving tip is to first find your serve. Don't blast your first serves in the match at your full power. Start at 75%, then increase the speed and see where is the best feeling and percentage of shots.

The same rule applies to returns - start with medium paced returns down the middle and then add speed and placement when the match progresses. The main goal of the return on the first serve is to get it back deep down the middle and on the second serve to make your opponent run - so preferably a cross court return.

Tennis tip #4
The game is obviously based on forehands and backhands - hence "groundstrokes". You need to find them also when you start the match. Start with long cross courts 2-5 feet over the net and aim 5 feet from both side and baseline.

When you find good length, start utilizing short cross court and down the lines shots to make your opponent run.

Tennis tip #5
The same principle applies to volleys and overheads. It may take you 10 or 20 minutes before you play your first volley or overhead, so don't expect a perfect shot. Or maybe you can expect it but don't get too upset if it doesn't happen.

Actually if you often play at the net you're maybe aware of this fact: you need to develop the feel and timing for your volleys too. You might play a couple of poor volleys or overheads first but don't let that discourage you.

You're showing your opponent that you are not afraid to come to the net and you are also adapting to his shots. Imagine how good it will feel when you hit excellent volleys and overheads towards the end of the set.

Tennis tip #6
This is actually a summary of the above mentioned tips: first deal with the tennis game and conditions on a given day. And when you get reasonably comfortable with the tennis game and conditions, start thinking and dealing with your opponent. This is my primary tennis playing tip whenever I start the match.

Tennis tip #7
Now you are trying to figure out how to outplay your opponent. Ask your self - where are his weaknesses and where are his strengths? Look to exploit his weaknesses with your strengths and try to avoid your weakness against his/her strength.

It sounds so logical but in my experience I don't see many players actually thinking logically on court. They are usually too emotional. You need to learn how to get out of emotional states quickly and start thinking smartly and positively for the next point.

Tennis tip #8
When you finally see what your opponent's weaknesses are you must first check with yourself whether your level of play realistically allows you to play certain shots. If you your opponent moves very slowly towards the net, is you drop shot reliable enough to use it?

Don't change your game too much or into areas that you don't master. Adapt your game so it is very difficult for your opponent, but stay in your limits.

Tennis tip #9
If you did a good job using the above mentioned tips, you are now probably ahead in the match. This is one of the biggest traps in the game. You might try to defend the lead. You'll start thinking: "I don't want to lose this lead now."

And since our brain does not understand the word NO, it hears: "I want to lose this lead now." and it will help you do it.

Does this sound familiar? You need to think what you want: "I want to finish the set." or "I want to extend the lead."

Tennis tip #10
You are now at match point having played masterfully through the whole match. There are many mind traps here. See if you fall into one of them:

- If I miss this opportunity, I won't get another one
- If I win this, it won't be fair. He/she is actually a better player.
- I don't want to make a double fault now.
- This is it. (and you make a historic event in your mind about one point in a tennis game)

If any of these thoughts enters your consciousness, smile at them, say: "Yeah, right." and then play your match point decisively and with courage. Then go shake the hand of your opponent. :)

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

Basic Tennis Lessons for Starters

If you are a beginner, an important tennis lesson that you should learn is how to serve. Developing this skill and learning the different ways to hit the ball will give you a competitive advantage over other players.

There is a series of motions involved in making a serve but the main objective is to hit the ball in a well-timed manner to be effective. The stroke of the serve includes how to properly hold the racket, how to throw the ball, how to position the body before the racket hits the ball.

The flat serve, topspin , and the slice are the three basic serves that you need to know and practice so that you can use them in an appropriate time when you play the game. The flat serve or basic serve is when you hit the ball on a flat trajectory making moderate spin. Next, the topspin is done by doing high arcing trajectory and with high strong bounce. The last one is the slice. This type of serve is made by doing a combination of a side spin and a bit of topspin to make the ball swerve in the air following the bounce.

Here are the elements of the serve before the racket hits the ball:

Service Stance – Adjust your stance according to the appropriate service you’ll make. Remember to have your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, your front foot not stepping on the baseline and it should be two feet away from the center mark.

Continental grip – This is the ideal grip which allows you to have maximum wrist action for a powerful stroke.

Ball Handling – You should hold the ball between your thumb and all four fingers.

Feet Position - Align your feet with your toes pointing toward the target area.

The Ball Toss – Toss the ball in front, slightly to the right, and a little higher than your racket could reach so it is just in time as it reaches the ball.

Now that you know the basic elements of a serve, you can now follow these steps to develop a good basic serve.

1. Begin with the service stance and hold the racket using the continental grip.

2. Push your weight on the ground while keeping your front knee as you part your racket arm and your tossing arm. Twist the serving shoulder a little so the racket arm and tossing arms align.

3. Do the ball toss by releasing the ball slightly in front of the shoulder while the racket is facing downwards and is terminally retracted. Bend your racket arm elbow to elevate the racket while the left arm remains pointing at the ball.

4. While the ball is at its highest point, prepare for a throwing position by dropping your racket and keeping your elbow high. As the ball falls from its peak, gradually drop your left arm away from the side.

5. Then, straighten your legs by pushing your weight upwards and forwards behind the racket arm. When the ball has fallen 4 to 6 inches, hurl your racket up to hit the ball

6. While your racket arm is fully stretched and your weight is channeled on your front foot, hit the ball.

7. As you create a forward momentum, continue swinging the racket in the direction of your chosen target.

8. Do a follow through by swinging down your racket at the left side of your body while your foot slowly comes down to a finish.

Basic Tennis Lessons can usually be found at very inexpensive rates any any local tennis club. Sign up and start playing tennis immediately.

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

Equip Yourself with Tennis Tips

So you decided to take tennis seriously. First thing’s first. In order for you to become a really good tennis player, you must have the equipment. It is like a knight marching off to a battle with the best weapons.

The basic tennis equipments are racquets, balls, shoes, socks, caps, hats, sunglasses and towels.

This article will share tennis equipment tips a newbie has to know:

1. Save Your Strings

String savers are those tiny plastic pieces inserted in the section where the strings touch the racquet’s sweet spot. These prevent the strings to rub against one another. It also aims to achieve a long string life.

In a tennis match, having string saver are not illegal because the ball does not really touch these.

String savers are used by players that have gut strings. These are effective in prolonging string life. But there are those players who don’t like String Savers primarily because it gives their racquets a stiff grip.

If you wish to prolong the string life of your racquet, use a thick gauge string. We highly suggest that you replace your strings several times a year, that if you play frequently.

2. What You Should Know About Your Strings

- Lower string tensions equate to more power

- There is more ball control with higher string tensions

- Lower string density caused by fewer strings equate to more power

- the thinner the string, the more power

- the more elastic the string, the more power

- the softer the coating, the softer the string, therefore the less tendency to vibrate

- thinner strings produce more spin

- fewer strings equate to more spin

3. What You Should Know About Your Tennis Racquet

The general rule for tennis racquets is that the stiffer the frame, the more power it generates. This is because:

- the heavier the frame, the more power it generates

- the heavier the frame, the less it vibrates

- the stiffer the frame, the more power it generates

- if the frame is stiff, then it transmits more to the arm

- a stiff frame entails a more uniform ball response against the swing of the racquet

- the larger the frame, the more power it generates

- the larger the frame, the more resistant it is to twisting

4. Safe Racquet Storage

It is necessary that you do not leave your tennis racquets in the car. If your racquet has synthetic strings, then it begins to lose its tension at about 43 degrees C or 110 degrees F. Always leave your racquet at a cool storing place in order for the strings to stay intact.

5. Racquet Stringing Frequency

Tennis players wonder how often they must have their racquets re-strung. Answer it should it must be re-strung at least twice a year, even if the string remains in tact or it breaks. The player must always restring his racquet as many times in one year as he plays in a week. For example, you play four times a week, then have your racquet re-strung four times a year.

Tennis is a sport worth investing on. Whenever you play, it keeps the blood pumping and also exercises your reflexes. Just stick to these tips and soon enough you’ll notice what a better tennis player you’ve become from the time you first held a racquet. 

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

Play Tennis to Keep Your Health at Its Peak

If you are considering having a sport, choose tennis. There are many healthy benefits you can get from playing this sport. 

You don't only get physically fit, you mind gets well too.

Here is a list of physiological reasons why you will be excited to play tennis.

1. It burns your fat and boosts your energy levels by increasing your metabolism and tapping your energy stores.

2. It gives your cardiovascular system a good work thus improving your circulation which leads to having better blood supply to the body.

3. It enhances your oxygen muscle consumption whenever you engage in intense activities.

4. It increases your ability to accelerate through sprinting, lounging and jumping.

5. It trains you to have a quick reaction time and allows you to anticipate movements.

6. It develops your speed whenever you do your sprints and side steps to hit the ball.

7. It strengthens your legs through the number of jumps and lounges you do in the court while chasing the ball.

8. It generally develops your body coordination when you move from one position to the next or whenever you need to adjust your whole body to hit the ball.

9. It also develops your gross motor control especially when you need to use your large muscles like your legs and arms to strike a ball.

10. It also improves your fine motor control when you do drop shots, lobs and angled-volleys.

11. It enhances your agility whenever you need to change your direction for a number of times in a few seconds whether during tennis match or training.

12. It gives you a dynamic balance beginning with the stance, serve and countless of different other movements when hitting and chasing the ball.

13. It gives you variety and a whole new way to improve physically when you are an athlete who excels in another sport.

14. It strengthens your bone and improves your bone density allowing you to have a healthy skeleton far from bones diseases like osteoporosis.

15. Because you are exercised by playing tennis, you develop an overall wellness including having a strong immune system that gives you optimum resistance to diseases.

16. It also fosters having good nutritional habits because you develop the discipline of eating properly before a game to have enough energy and after a competition to properly supplement the energy that you have lost.

17. It also develops good eye-hand coordination when judging when to hit the ball.

18. It helps you to be flexible because of the never-ending stretching, twisting and turning to strike the ball toward the other court.

Meanwhile, here is a list of psychological reasons to play tennis.

18. It develops your sense of work ethic because you need to foster dedication and the value of hard work to learn the lessons in tennis.

19. You also develop discipline because you need to practice a lot and to control your movements, your timing etc.

20. You learn to manage mistakes not just in tennis but also in other aspects of your life by realizing that you need to manage and minimize your mistakes in the game to be successful.

21. You learn to be competitive and adjust to the highs and lows of winning or losing.

22. You become more responsible as you accept the fact that it is your responsibility to practice your skills, check your equipment, and eat right when preparing for a match.

23. You manage to adapt to various situations by learning to adjust to things beyond your control like the weather.

24. You can adjust to stress easily and effectively because you have already dealt with a lot of stress affecting various dimensions of your self. 

25. You learn to be strategic as you plan your attack and anticipate the moves of your opponent.

26. You develop you skill in problem solving since tennis is a sport that uses geometry and physics.

27. You learn to be a sport as it teaches you to be courteous and fair with your opponents.

28. You learn how to be humble when you win and dignified when you lose.

29. You learn teamwork and camaraderie as you play in doubles.

30. You develop your social skills by interacting and constantly communicating either with your teammate or other players. 

31. The most important health lesson of all is you learn to have fun and enjoy.

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 Elbow…Aching Tendons

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is extremely aching tendonitis that sometimes badly affects an elbow subjected to too much stress, for instance related with tennis. Exactly what causes tennis elbow is unidentified, although it is thought to be for the reason that there are inflammation of the tendon and occurrence of small tears of the tendons that are attach to the muscles of the forearm to the arm bone at the elbow joint.

Symptoms of tennis elbow include tenderness over the inflamed area and acute pain when the elbow is stressed. The pain connected with tennis elbow more often than not has a gradual onset, although it may as well come on suddenly.

There are quite a number of ideas that tennis elbow is not just simply an "inflammation" of the tendons around the joint. Furthermore, it is thought of as related to a person's degenerative process. It can either be the result of becoming old or repetitive use.

It can be an outcome of an incomplete curative response in absence of good blood circulation. Consequently access to nutrients and oxygen that is essential for healing is deprived to the sufferer. This results to the deterioration of the tendon that causes the small tears.

Most sufferers of tennis elbow are between 35-65 years old. Both men and women have the same chance of being afflicted with it. Tennis elbow inflicts 75% of patient’s dominant arm. Any person is capable of being affected, but tennis elbow is in general noticed in two sets of patients, namely:

·               Blue-Collar Workers

 People who use their hands in working, manual laborers, they are in danger of being affected tennis elbow. Occupations that may lead to tennis elbow include plumbing, painting, gardening, and carpentry works. 

·               Athletes

Athletes engaging in racquet sports are most likely to develop tennis elbow. Most certainly about 1/3 of regular tennis players suffer from tennis elbow at any time in their playing career. In addition, tennis elbow is also evident in those engaged in playing golf, and fencing, to name a few. 

Symptoms and Signs

• Difficulty to hold, squeezes, or clasp things

• Point softness at or around area of the lateral or medial elbow muscles

• Forearm muscle stiffness

• Soreness, stiffness, or not enough elbow and hand action

• Not enough forearm useful power 

The disorder is treated by avoiding stress, or in severe cases, by immobilizing the elbow. Healing may be accelerated by anti-inflammatory drugs or by injection of an adrenal steroid preparation such as hydrocortisone. If someone has tried more than two cortisone injections with no relief, it is doubtful that additional injections will help the patient.

There are a number of ways to treat tennis elbow. No operative healing is doing well in majority of patients. Modification of lifestyle is vital for tennis elbow to be cured and to control its recurrence. Anti-inflammatory drugs are frequently used to relieve pain and swelling associated with tennis elbow. 

For a tennis player, racquets must be sized appropriately, as well as the grip size. Playing on hard courts add to the possibility of tennis elbow occurrence. Stroke technicalities ought to be assessed to make sure that the ball hit the ball at the middle of the racquet and also the racquet must not be lead by the players on bended elbow. 

Wearing of elbow orthotics or elbow clasp help the sufferer. The brace of the elbow clasp will pass on the pull of misaligned muscles. This clasp is proven to relieve the pain during activities. Easy exercises can be valuable in managing elbow tennis symptoms. These workouts must cause no ache, on the other hand, the exercise is supposed to be stopped if pain persists. The tendons and muscles must be strengthened as it helps keep away its recurrence.

Tennis elbow is a condition brought about by swelling of the tendons on the outer surface (lateral side) of the elbow at a bony prominence (lateral epicondyle) of the upper arm. It does not normally lead to serious harms. However, if left untreated, failure of movement can result to elbow and forearm malfunctions. The condition is not restricted to tennis players.

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 Footwork and Strokes

Today I want to tell you about tennis footwork and strokes. Getting in the correct stance and position is extremely important for your tennis strokes. You should anticipate where your opponent is about to hit the tennis ball so you have enough time to get there and setup properly for a good return shot. Remember to always shift your weight from your back foot to your front foot as you hit your tennis shot. For more information, please visit my site at: Real Tennis Unlimited


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

Your Tennis Serve is Very Important

In tennis, the serve is the one stroke where you have absolute control. Why not take advantage of this and put your opponent on the defensive from the beginning. A good serve not only lets you start the rally, it can put you in a good position to put away your opponents return shot. There are many different types of tennis serves that have been developed over the years. I will not cover all them in this blog. For more information on tennis serves and other strokes, please visit my site at: Real Tennis Unlimited.

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