I recently had a chance to read a book by Steven White titled Bring Your Racquet.

Steven is a professional tennis coach and a former satellite tour player and has in my opinion done a great job condensing and simplifying often complex and massive topic of tennis instruction.

His book is aimed at kids wanting to know more about tennis and is explained simple language. It’s also illustrated with cool Manga images which add the fun factor to the book.

What Topics Does The Book Cover?

Steven does a great job of covering important fundamentals of tennis technique in the first part of the book without making things complicated. (more…)

Roman R asks: In your article about tennis forehand and backhand technique you say: “at the point of contact the racquet is parallel to the ground and the arm is bent in the elbow.”

Please explain to me, how, this aspect of the stroke, which has been in the game for so long, and is still used by the majority of tennis players, except the best 2!, should be spread to new tennis players. Why not teach the way of federer and nadal.

They both his their forehands with almost no elbow bend. This gives them more fluidity, more acceleration, more reach, and less shoulder problems.

If you hit a forehand with a bent elbow, you end up hitting the ball using your rotary cuff as a substantial source of power – this is why many players have shoulder injuries. If you hit with your elbow straight, there is no stress on your rotary cuff – all the shoulder strain is on your bigger muscles, your pecs.

Golf, racquetball, baseball, all have you hit at full extention, and yet you are saying to hit with a bent elbow? Just cause many do it, doesn’t make it right. What makes it right is that the first people to do it are magically at the top of the game.

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Hi Roman,

I understand your point. I believe the reason why only 2 players (and what a coincidence, top 2 in the world) play like that, is because they are super talented and can control the ball despite letting go of their racquet almost completely. (more…)

Shot preparation is as important to making good shots as the actual execution itself. Without good preparation, your body isn’t as easily (if possible at all) able to get the power, balance, and control needed to hit an effective shot.

Good shot preparation is made up of two key elements- footwork and racquet preparation.

Footwork in shot preparation is basically getting to the ball. Most coaches will tell you that you should split-step, pivot the foot that is in the direction where the ball is heading, and get to the ball as soon as possible.

This article is about racquet preparation. Racquet preparation is the backswing taken before the point of contact.

It may not sound like much, but racquet preparation is a key to generating power because it is the source of your racquet head speed- an essential to a hard ball. Here are the keys of getting the most out of your racket preparation. (more…)

Hi Tomaz,

After watching your service video, I still can not completely understand it.

Here are my questions: In the video, first we should hit racket from low to high, left to right(parallel to net), to give the ball a top spin so ball can land on the other side’s court.

Then, when the racket reach the highest point, we do pronation to have racket hit ball at an angle to the net.

I followed your instruction and practiced pronation, but I always fell awkward and not natural. I feel that I first move racket parallel to net direction, then by doing pronation, I have to change the direction of my racket movement(at an angle to the net). Just like you are driving car on straight line, when you reach highest speed, you make left turn.

Not only you are slowing down, also you are not using your highest power. Is this right? Am I missing something? Can you draw a graph or explain more clearly about the correct racket movement? (more…)

Hi! I recently ordered your e-book on mental toughness and would like to ask a question about my tennis.

I have a wonderful forehand against the machine and my tennis coach.

However, during match play, every time I try to do things the “right way”, the ball goes long.

I’m pretty sure my issue is in my head and not one of technique. Any suggestions?

What “worries” me a little bit in your short description are the words “the right way”.

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Here are 3 questions and answers about tennis grips that I received recently.

1. What grip do you hold when you are returning a serve (backhand, forehand or in between)?

I generally don’t teach that. I leave it up to the player to find what is comfortable for them.

I personally hold a forehand grip since I find changing to backhand grip easier and faster than vice versa. And I play a one-handed backhand.

Most players with a two-handed backhand also use a forehand grip since it’s easy for them to switch to a continental grip with their dominant hand.

Some players with a one-handed backhand like to have their backhand grip ready since they receive more serves to the backhand than to the forehand side.

Another option is to use a continental grip which allows you to block fast serves on either side and you don’t have to change the grip much if you change to either a forehand or backhand grip.

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Reaction speed is one of the keys to playing great tennis at a higher level, where the balls fly much faster.

Quick reactions are also important at all levels of tennis doubles, where there are ball exchanges at the net when players volley at each other at shorter distances.

If your reactions are fast, you’ll have more time left to:

• get to the ball,
• make the right decision,
• balance yourself before the stroke
• perform your stroke

So how can you improve your reactions in tennis?

There are a number of steps this equation, and the first one is anticipation. (more…)

How do I avoid self-cluttering?

This happens occasionally when I get to the ball and freeze because my footwork stops.

After that I play a short ball which my opponent can easily attack.

Let’s try and figure out why you freeze. The most obvious reason at least in my experience is lack of decision.

You see a ball and then you start consciously thinking all the things you need to do “correctly” like:

• prepare early,
• get into the right distance,
• try and use the closed stance,
• keep your eyes on the ball and head still,
• etc.

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Tomaz,

A coach I know teaches a topspin groundstroke style that produces shots with a pronounced curved trajectory and land deep into the opponent’s court with an aggressive high bounce (above shoulder level on a hard-court).

This style seems to be very effective: it pins your opponent to the back court and often forces him to produce a weak or short reply.

However, I also see that most pros don’t play this way. They hit shots that have tremendous pace and spin, but don’t bounce up that high.

Is this because unlike us, the pros can actually produce a winner off of a high bounce, so feeding a high bouncing ball to them is actually giving them an opportunity?

Please write an article discussing the mechanics of hitting high bouncing balls. Thanks!

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Dear Tomaz,

I am very happy with my subscription to your Web Page and I am trying to implement by myself some of the things I learn from it.

I have practiced what you say on the serve in the page on How to Play Tennis Videos and what you say in The Ultimate Topspin Tennis Serve Video Guide.

In the page on top spin you add the leg movement and it is in my timing of the racquet drop and the leg movement that I am having trouble.

I think I am bending my knees too soon at the end of the backswing, so that I lower or drop the racquet immediately after or while I do the backswing and bend my knees. I mean, I am getting into the racquet drop position while my knees are bent and my right shoulder is still down.

In the pictures of professionals I have seen in John Yandell’s page I see that they lower the racquet a bit later, while they are raising their legs and their right shoulder. But I am neither a professional nor a beginner. I have played for several years and I already have some muscle habits.

Is my movement I described a bad one for a good serve? Could I get more power by dropping the racquet while my legs and right shoulder are going up?

If so, I assume I should practice a variation of the last exercise on the serve (serving from the base line) , combining my leg movement with your two parts of the serve, so that in the first part I go from the backswing to the trophy position while I lower my legs, and in then the second part I drop and raise the racquet while I jump or extend my legs.

I’ve tried this new second movement and I find it backward, I seem to rush, not to have enough time to lower and raise the racquet to hit the ball while I am raising my legs, and sometimes I am late hitting the ball, hit it with the rim, etc.

So, my question is: Should I stay with my present movement, (in which I make my full racquet drop immediately after or while I do the back swing, and bend my knees,), or should I try to delay the racquet drop so that it is timed to go with the raising of the legs and right shoulder?

Even if it will be difficult to change my habits I have the will to repeat the above exercise or any one you may suggest to have a better serve.

Thank you for your help.

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