PLAY BETTER TENNIS

A Power Baseliner is a tennis player who prefers to play the base from the baseline than the net. This type of player is the most common sight in a professional game.You can beat someone who tends to play from the baseline. The trick is to understand some simple tips. A professional player does not expect you to know these tricks. If you follow the tips correctly during your game, you can beat your opponent at his or her own game.Make sure the other player has to hit a number of balls throughout the match. By constantly running around to return the ball you have just hit, you will quickly tire your opponent.Watch your own shots. If you hit the ball short, the ball will be returned to you faster. By hitting the balls deep, you give yourself proper time to get back to the center of the court in preparation for the next volley.Usually, Power Baseliners have a comfort zone. Study the player on the court and determine the height at which the tennis player is most comfortable swinging his or her racket. When you hit the ball, make sure the ball goes out of his or her comfort zone.Hit many short shots so that the Power Baseliner is forced to move up to the net regularly. Try to keep the shots low so that your opponent has to struggle to get the ball back over the net. This pulls the other player out of his or her comfort zone and changes the dynamics of the game.Vary your ball speed and spin. Keep your opponent guessing on what he will be chasing with the next volley. If he or she cannot predict your power and timing, the player is far more likely to blow the game.Do not watch your opponent during the game. Instead, keep your focus on the aim of the ball. Use the angle of the ball to draw your Power Baseline adoring opponent out of his or her zone.Try to hit low shots that come in near your opponent's feet. Odds are high that he or she will fail to get the ball back over the net. A Power Baseline player wants balls that are high and long.Use a top spin to ensure your balls go high and then drop in barely after passing the net. This will not be what your opponent wants or is used to.If you move forward and return the ball before your opponent expects it, you will disrupt his or her plan of attack.Beating a Power Baseline player at his or her own game is the key to winning. Remember that they want the ball to be high and deep. Keep them from their ultimate plan by mixing things up a little, and you are guaranteed a win.

Thinking of starting to play tennis? Tennis is a great sport that requires mental preparation and physical agility. The first part of being able to play the game properly is understanding the rules, and in this article, we'll be discussing what are commonly agreed upon as the official rules of tennis. The rules that we will discuss are based on the provided courtesy of the International Tennis Federation.THE COURT - Tennis should be played on a court that is built to certain specifications. The court should be 78 feet long. For a singles match, the court should be 27 feet in width, and for doubles matches, the court's width should be 36 feet. The net should be composed of a net with a cord of metal cable supporting it at a height of 3 and a half feet. Service lines should be placed 21 feet from each side of the net, designating the area in which serving should be performed.THE RACKET - The rackets used in tennis should only have one pair of crisscrossing strings. Vibration dampening devices are allowed on the rackets, but they can only be placed outside of the strings. No devices that incorporate batteries to help your play are allowed.THE SCORING - Tennis is a unique game in that it has special names given to the various points awarded. When calling out the score, the person serving the ball should always say their score first. A score of zero is called out by saying Love', and from there, the points go to 15, 30, 40, and game. If both players get a score of 40, the game must become a tie-breaker, and a 40-40 score is announced by saying Deuce'. In a Deuce' situation, if a player gets a point, they are said to have Advantage'. If a player with an Advantage' gets another point, the game is over. If a player gets a point while the other has Advantage', the score is reset to Deuce'. When a game is won, another game is begun until someone gets the best of 7 games. One catch is that they must win by two. If, at the end of 7 games, a player is up 4 to 3, another match must be held as winning by two is necessary. If a player takes the best of 7 games, winning by 2, they are said to have won the match.

Sometimes we like someone or something so much that we want things to happen that are unrealistic. Is this type of group phsycosis happening in tennis today with Roger Federer's feats? Do we all like Roger Federer so much that we want him at all costs to be the best player ever? It's possible.Nevertheless, as much as I like Roger Federer, his game, his tacticts, his nimbelness around the court, his fantastic eye, his fluid style, the reading of his oponents game and intentions, in spite of all those fantastic assets and all the exploits that Federer has accomplished, I have to accept math and unless math is wrong:Bjrn Borg is the undisputed best player ever!Bjrn Borg, retired from professional tennis at 25 years and 4 months old and had already won 61 ATP events. Among those wins are 6 Major Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon on grass, 5 of them consecutive and 6 titles at Roland Garros on clay, 4 of those titles were consecutive, which is unanimously considered as the hardest surface to win in any Grand Slam!Borg is the only player to have won in three consecutive years both Wimbledon and the French Open. An accomplishment considered by many experts as "the most difficult double in tennis". Besides that superb feat, Borg seriously handicapped his record because, unlike most top players of the last 25 years, Borg chose not to make the journey to the Australian Open, except only once in 1974 at 18 years old!Imagine what would have happened to the book of records, if Bjorn Borg had chosen to make the journey to the Australian Open more often or had played until the ripe old age of 32 or 34 years old like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi did!"23.Oct.2006MADRID, Spain (Associated Press) - Roger Federer called himself the best player in tennis.Nobody can argue with that."Well, I am the best right now," Federer said after beating 10th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez 7-5, 6-1, 6-0. "But in history, I guess we'll never know except if I break all the records there are, but there's still a long way to go."Roger Federer certainly does not know, because:Today 23.Oct.2006 Roger Federer who many mistakenly claim to be the best player ever, at 25 and 3 months, one month short of Bjrn Borg's retirement age, has won "only" 43 ATP events and is rapidly running out of time!If we do the math Roger Federer would have to win 18 ATP events in the next 5 weeks until he reaches 25 years and 4 months, or otherwise Bjorn Borg will remain the best player ever!Bjrn Borg's last serious ATP tournament attempt was Tokyo Open 26.10.81 at age 25 and 4 months. Borg played half-heartedly non ATP, WCT Monte Carlo 1982 and 1983 events, perhaps just to please the Monaco crowd since he was a resident there at the time. Bjrn Borg won 61 professional tournaments!Today Roger Federer at age 25 and 3 months has won 43 ATP events!In my mind from the best players of all time, only Rod Laver can share the honor of the best player ever with Borg. Laver is the only player ever to win twice "The Grand Slam" by winning in singles all four majors (Australian Open, French Open/Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open) in the same calendar year in 1962 and 1969. It ranks up at the top of tennis dominance with Bjrn Borg's performances.After all I might be wrong and perhaps there is still hope for Roger Federer to be the best ever by winning "The Grand Slam" twice in the next few years! I for one believe he can.Srgio Cruz

Here is a good question: did I find the right coach, is the guy that I'm playing with, or my child is playing with, good enough? The question is clear but the answer is not that simple. One coach can be perfect for a player but total inappropriate for another. In order to explain we have to look at the level and the age of the tennis player.

For beginners
First of all, the right coach has to have very good teaching skills. This is the stage when the tennis player gets introduced to the basics of tennis, learns the rules and more important the basic strokes (forehand, backhand, vole, smash and service). It's very important that he learns correct, because correction in a later stage it's a very difficult process, sometimes even an impossible task.
He has to have a good experience in teaching young players. If he has good results with junior players it doesn't mean that he is also good with beginners.
Another important quality is that he likes working with children. Young players are difficult to control they get bored quite easy and for this job, a nice and patient person is needed.
Last but not least: fun, fun, fun. The player's feedback is very important, and if you ask a 6 year old how was his footwork or if he was able to put more spin in his forehand he wouldn't know what to answer, but if you ask, was it fun? Will you want to go again tomorrow? You will have a sincere and accurate answer.

For advanced players
Well, advanced players are the players that have past the beginner stage, now besides the basic strokes, the player gets introduced to other strokes (slice, drop-shot) the physical condition is playing a more important role and also the competitions come into play. So until the professional level when every part of the player's training will be looked upon by a specialist, the tennis coach will also have the role of a physical trainer, sometimes a sparing partner, a nutritionist and even the role of a psychologist. Knowing this we can say that the right coach for the advanced players should:

• insert physical training into the players program
• give advice regarding the advantages of a good nutrition
• continue the development of the basic strokes together with the increase of control and power
• encourage the player to start playing tournaments, but in the same time, neither the coach nor the player or parents should consider the results as of great importance
• accompany the player to as many tournaments as possible and analyze his match performance
• monitor the player's progress in physical and technical training, and also in competitions, discuss the problems with the player and make the necessary adjustments to the training program
• try to help the player not only with his tennis problems but also with the personal ones like school or family

A coach with, at least, these features can be consider the right coach, but like I said in the beginning one coach can be perfect for a player but total inappropriate for another, so the way that the player feels during training is very important, if we have a talented player that likes playing tennis and likes training, who is helped by a good coach then we will see good and fast results.

So what's all the fuss about, there were no mini tennis balls around when Pete Sampras learnt the game and it didn't seem to cause him too many problems!

Is tennis just like modern education, just because something is tough, lets make it easier so the children don't feel inadequate. Why should we pamper to our juniors today and 'dumb down' the sport, keep them on a full size court and see if they can handle a full size racket and hard tennis ball.......it will sort out the really keen ones from those who are not really 'bothered'.

Well that is definitely one viewpoint that I have heard, nevertheless, it is not mine!

I love tennis and still find the sport exciting years after I first picked up (or should I say, tried to pick up) my dads Dunlop Maxply Fort. Unfortunately, I developed a limiting game, with many technical issues that I wish had been addressed years ago. I have also coached for the past 15 years and have seen how tough the sport can be for beginners. I want more people to experience the highs of hitting an ace on a big point or having a punishing baseline rally finished off with a drive volley winner. In reality though most people who try the sport for the first time get bored because they have no rallies and are forever picking up the ball from over the fence; in a recent survey by the LTA, boredom was the main reason for people giving up this great game.

Never fear though, help is at hand and with a concerted effort tennis coaches can do a much better job in retaining and exciting people new to the sport. We can help children develop the skills that will make playing tennis a joy rather than a grind, in my opinion, if you are good at something you are far less likely to give it up.

The video clip below is the first in a series of three video's that discuss the necessity for using a relevant ball for the individual's skill level. In the UK these are called mini-tennis balls, they come in three different colours, sizes and compressions. Using different kinds of balls can have a significant effect on the development of effective technique and the confidence to attempt different kinds of tactics ie taking the ball early and going to the net.

Part I shows the technical similarities of a number of world class ATP and WTA Tour players. Are the players you coach on their way to developing a game that will be able to handle the pace of the modern game?

A Power Baseliner is a tennis player who prefers to play the base from the baseline than the net. This type of player is the most common sight in a professional game.

You can beat someone who tends to play from the baseline. The trick is to understand some simple tips. A professional player does not expect you to know these tricks. If you follow the tips correctly during your game, you can beat your opponent at his or her own game.

Make sure the other player has to hit a number of balls throughout the match. By constantly running around to return the ball you have just hit, you will quickly tire your opponent.

Watch your own shots. If you hit the ball short, the ball will be returned to you faster. By hitting the balls deep, you give yourself proper time to get back to the center of the court in preparation for the next volley.

Usually, Power Baseliners have a comfort zone. Study the player on the court and determine the height at which the tennis player is most comfortable swinging his or her racket. When you hit the ball, make sure the ball goes out of his or her comfort zone.

Hit many short shots so that the Power Baseliner is forced to move up to the net regularly. Try to keep the shots low so that your opponent has to struggle to get the ball back over the net. This pulls the other player out of his or her comfort zone and changes the dynamics of the game.

Vary your ball speed and spin. Keep your opponent guessing on what he will be chasing with the next volley. If he or she cannot predict your power and timing, the player is far more likely to blow the game.

Do not watch your opponent during the game. Instead, keep your focus on the aim of the ball. Use the angle of the ball to draw your Power Baseline adoring opponent out of his or her zone.

Try to hit low shots that come in near your opponent's feet. Odds are high that he or she will fail to get the ball back over the net. A Power Baseline player wants balls that are high and long.

Use a top spin to ensure your balls go high and then drop in barely after passing the net. This will not be what your opponent wants or is used to.

If you move forward and return the ball before your opponent expects it, you will disrupt his or her plan of attack.

Beating a Power Baseline player at his or her own game is the key to winning. Remember that they want the ball to be high and deep. Keep them from their ultimate plan by mixing things up a little, and you are guaranteed a win.

A good tennis player who understands strategy and tactics knows how to deal with tennis demands first and only then tries to outplay his opponent. Learn basic and advanced neutralizing and offensive tennis strategies that will help you win more matches.The first rule of tennis strategy is not to beat yourself. That means that your first goal when playing tennis is to keep the ball in play.But just pushing the ball over won't do it if you are playing against quality players. Your shots need to be deep, with good pace to prevent your opponent from setting up for the shot and they need to be directed into open court to keep your opponent on the move.So your first opponent in tennis is actually tennis. You are dealing with tennis challenges - judging the ball flight, moving to the ball, timing the shots and trying to hit that big square over that 1m high net.That's tennis and its demands.Only when you are quite comfortable and consistent in not losing to yourself - or the tennis game - only then can you start playing against your opponent.Now you are looking for general tennis strategies with which you will try either to neutralize your opponent's advantages or to take advantage or their weaknesses.Let's see first the neutralizing strategies:1. Prevent opponent from attacking with their strength - Majority of players have one shot better than the other and that is the first thing you need to notice. And most players prefer forehand against their backhand so playing to their backhand more would be a simple way of neutralizing their better forehand.2. Prevent player getting in a good attacking position - A good attacking position is when the ball is short and at the right height, the ball could be off center so that the attacker has a good angle of attack, or the ball is simply not forcing your opponent to move so they can be more precise with their shots.Good neutralizing strategies are logical: play deep, down the middle or keep your opponent on the move.There are of course more neutralizing strategies and tactics but for now let's just master the simple ones before we move on to the advanced and expert tennis tactics.Offensive tennis strategies are sometimes very similar to neutralizing. The only difference is your intention and sometimes the speed and precision of the played shot.1. Take advantage of opponent's weakness - This is usually their weaker shot but can also be movement. By playing aggressively to their weaker side you can force a mistake or get a short ball which you can put away. Opponent's weakness can for example be their net play. You can then bring opponent to the net by playing short and then taking advantage of their poor volley and overhead skills to win the point.2. Take time from opponent - This is the favorite strategy of players at all levels but many of them do not know how and when to use it to best effect. Most players just try to hit the ball hard which is one of the tactics to take time from opponent. Another tactic is to play the ball early like Andre Agassi used to play.These are just two of the offensive tennis strategies that you can use to gain advantage in the point.Remember - your first goal when playing competitive tennis is to be consistent and not lose to tennis itself. Only when you can play tennis consistently with very few unforced errors should you start thinking about trying to outplay your opponent.

Anyone who is clueless when it comes to tennis (that sport with the fuzzy yellow ball!) can benefit from this list of tennis basics.To properly learn how to play tennis, it is best to go out to the tennis courts with an instructor or a friend that already knows how to play and who can give you some pointers. Of course, if you want to get a good idea as to how to play tennis before you hit the courts, here are some pointers:The main pieces of equipment needed when learning how to play tennis are tennis racquets, tennis balls, and a tennis court.A regulation tennis court as a few different lines on it the tennis net goes across the very middle of the court. The closest parallel lines to the net (on either side of the net) are called the service lines. The parallel line furthest from the net is called the baseline. The two long strips on both sides of the court, perpendicular to the net are called the alleys.In singles tennis, the alleys are considered out if the ball bounces in them, it does not count. In doubles tennis (tennis with two teams of two, one team on each side of the net), the alleys are in.A game starts with a serve. The serving player starts behind the baseline on the right-hand side of the court (his right-hand side) and hits the ball into the service box on the other side.The service box is the box on the opposite side of the court both over the net, and on the servers left-hand side (the returners right-hand side). The service box is between the alley and the middle of the court, between the service line and the net. The ball must bounce once in this box for it to be considered a good serve.If the server misses the box, he gets one more chance to get it in. A server always gets two tries. If he misses, it is the opponents point.If the serve goes in, the person returning must hit the serve either before it bounces (if he knows that the ball would be in) or after it bounces once if it bounces more than once, then it is the servers point. The person returning must hit the ball over the net, and it can bounce anywhere on the opponents side of the court (remember that the alleys are out, though).The two players hit the ball back and forth until one person misses either by missing the ball when it bounces on his side, or by hitting the ball out of bounds onto the opponents side. The person who did not miss gets a point.The server switches sides for every serve the second serve will be served on his left-hand side of the court and into the opposite side service box (on the opponents left-hand side).This article on how to play tennis will not get into scoring (love, fifteen, thirty, forty, deuce, etc.) except to say that a player wins a game after scoring at least four points and wins by two.The next game, the other person serves and they continue to switch off, game after game, until someone wins the set. Generally, to win a set, a player must win at least six games, and two more than his opponent.A match is made up of a number of sets (often 5 or so), and the player that wins the most sets wins the match.These are only the basics on how to play tennis. Again, if you really want to learn how to play tennis, it is best to go out and play with someone who already knows how. Although, it can be very fun to simply go out and hit a few balls back and forth with a friend, regardless of whether or not you know how to play tennis properly.

Nobody wants to get tennis elbow! Fortunately, there are some things that you can do to prevent the occurence or reoccurence of tennis elbow in the future.Tennis elbow is an affliction that many tennis players will face in their lives, either as a temporary pain or a chronic pain. Of course, the irony is that the majority of people who are faced with tennis elbow do not necessarily even play tennis! This article will provide you with some tips on how to prevent tennis elbow, regardless of why you might have it.As a tennis player, you can expect that you might be afflicted with tennis elbow. Fortunately, there are some treatments that can cause a lot of relief. Of course, if you get tennis elbow, the most important thing that you can do is rest your arm.However, nobody wants to get tennis elbow in the first place. So here are some tips on how to prevent tennis elbow:Stay in shape.Do not overwork your elbow if you have not played tennis for a while, take it easy. It may take a few weeks before you can play the kind of game you used to play.Strengthen the muscles of your arm, then they can take away some of the stress that would normally befall your elbow. Be sure to strengthen your shoulder and upper back, too.Do not overuse your arm repeated movements can injure your tendon. Try switching arms when possible. If you are practicing your serve, be sure to take a lot of breaks.When lifting things, keep your palm facing your body. Lifting things in this way does not cause as much strain on your tendons.Stretch before playing tennis or participating in any other activity that might cause pain.Use only equipment that is appropriate for your ability and your strength.Make sure that your technique is down the better your technique, the less likely you are to injure yourself.Try out a counterforce brace. This kind of brace is worn below your elbow, and it distributes pressure throughout your whole arm, thereby easing the pressure on the tendon. Make sure that you do not allow it to cut off your circulation, though.If you do start to feel pain, stop doing whatever action causes the pain!Apply ice to where you felt pain.Take a lot of breaks.Tennis elbow is something that nobody wants to get, but many of us will. Following some of these tips, though, can reduce your chances of getting tennis elbow.One of the most important things that you can do to prevent tennis elbow is to listen to your body if your body is aching, listen to it. Figure out why you ache did you forget to stretch? Have you been repeating a single motion? Are you overusing your arm. Any of these reasons (and many more) can lead to tennis elbow.

Improve your tennis game by knowing the tactics of how and where to hit the tennis ball. How to hit it is described in tennis as 'technique'Technique is learnt so you will be better in a match.The first thing you will need in a match is to get the ball over the net and into the court.The following basic advice will help you get the ball over and in when you are hitting forehands and backhands - otherwise known as ground strokes.1. Hold the racket in a way that is comfortable for you. On the forehand, a good way is to hold it with the palm behind the handle (imagine you were hitting the ball with your palm, then put the racket there).On the backhand, you can use two hands or one hand. If you use two hands, probably best to have your dominant hand at the bottom and your supporting hand just above it on the handle, though not overlapping.2. Watch the flight of the ball. Move to where it will be after it has bounced and after it has stopped rising. Reading the flight path of the ball is vital to move to the right place. ...The right place involves the following...3. Stance - for beginners on the forehand and backhand, sideways on is good enough.........tennis is a moving game so try to get your shoulders sideways to the ball, even if you can't get your feet sorted out!4. Contact point - try to hit the ball ...a) comfortably at the side of your body, b) slightly in front of your body c) between waist and shoulder high5. Swing the racket at the ball .........from low along to high...make sure the strings are pointing where you want the ball to go as you swing - it is a bat and ball game, so use the bat to direct the ball!To serve, the following advice is the basic stuff:- Stand sideways on to the net.- Throw the ball into the air so that it hangs nicely in the area where you want to contact the ball (see below for where that is!). The throw-up is also called the 'placement' coz that's what it should really be.- The action of hitting the ball should be very much like a throw.- Try to contact the ball in the middle of your throwing action at full stretch, slightly in front of you, and above your hitting shoulder. This sounds easy! Trouble is you can't do it if you've just thrown.... or even placed (!) the ball backwards and three feet away!If you get to the net, volleys are without hitting the ball, and the action should be a simple blocking action. Because you are at the net, you can use the power.Where to hit itA 'tactic' is a plan to win the point.There are five basic tactics.First is to keep the ball in play - by getting the ball over the net into court. If your opponent can't do this and you can...you will win. If they can though....... Try to make your opponent move in order to hit the ball. Try to get them off balance or at least hitting on the move and test their skill on the move.Whilst doing this...you will be better placed to hit each ball if you maintain a good position on the court before and after each shot. Be like a goalie defending the gaps - do not get caught out of position to one side of the court or stuck half way between the baseline and the net.Once you can do the above tactics successfully, try to play to the weakness of your opponent ...this might be their forehand, but is usually their backhand.Equally, use your own strength/s as much as possible. If you can use your strengths against their weaknesses... would be a fiendish plan to bring off.

Many tennis players will not take a good look at the importance of their grip on the tennis racket. The expert will recommend that you restring your racket several times each year, but do not explain to the players that having the right grip is going to mean a lot when it comes to playing your game well and having the best tennis score as possible.When you are shopping for a tennis racket, it is so important to consider the stiffness and the head size of it. Once you have made the decision you should make sure that the racket is the correct grip size for you. The most available sizes start at 4 and will be increased by an eight of an inch.There are so many different ways to grip a tennis racket. Depending on the level that you are playing at, you may learn one or more of the ways to grip onto the racket. There is the western, eastern, and the continental way of gripping. One of the basis ways of holding the tennis racket is to act is if you are grapping someones hand to shake. You will see that this is a comfortable grip on the racket, which will allow you to have a better game. It may be weird at first, but once you learn it, you will get used to the feeling.If you are feeling the need to increase your grip size, you can apply and over grip to your regular way of holding the racket. This will save you on the wear of your grip and will also give you a better feel. The good thing about over grips is that are not expensive and you can try them till you find one that feels the best for you.It really does not matter if you are a professional or a beginner, you should understand the different grips and the options that are out there for you so that you can have a better game. If you are not comfortable with the grip that you have on your tennis racket, you may not have as much fun on the courts. You need to make sure that you have all of the information so that you can have fun and be good at the game too.You do not have to be a complete professional at holding the racket. All you have to do is be willing to give it a try and have fun with it. You will see that you can catch on to the game quicker if you are holding the tennis racket in the correct way. You are going to improve your game and have more fun at the same time when you have the proper form and grip.