Tuesday Tennis Tip: Watch Tennis on TV

It doesn't seem like a real tip, but I've found that I never play better than when I watch professional tennis on television.

Actually, it does several things for you...

1. It renews passion for tennis. When you see people playing at the highest level, especially if you see a great match like the Nadal-Federer finals at Wimbledon, or the Roddick-Federer final last year, you feel awesome to both have been a part of the match (by watching) and to be a tennis player yourself. And then the next thing you want to do is go and play.

2. You learn how a point should be played. Professional tennis players have studied the strategies of our game to their limits. They do almost everything the way that it is supposed to be done. From the warmup (where they hit the ball to each other, but keep their feet moving), to the serve, to the emphasis on the cross-court shot; they do everything right in framing a point.

3. You see how important footwork is. There isn't a player on the professional tour who doesn't have great footwork. They all have solid technique, and most of them are fast on top of that. And watch a player who gets on a role at a tournament, their feet will be flying all over the court. And if a talented player is in the process of being upset, watch their feet. I guarantee they are reacting slowly and allowing their feet to slow down or stop.

4. You have the ability to learn. From watching for yourself to listening to the commentators, a tennis match on TV is a tennis player's virtual classroom. Watch the way that Roddick rotates his hips and body on a serve if you are having trouble generating power. Watch the way Federer stays down and in position over all of his shots. Watch the way Nadal fires himself up when having a difficult match. Watch Murray's preparation for his return. Watch Djokovic's impressions of other players (because they are funny).

When I was in high school, I was a baseline player. Exclusively. I hated coming to the net, it was intimidating to me and so I decided that I was only a singles player. But inside, I loved the beauty of the putaway volley. My favorite player was Pete Sampras, and he had the beautiful strategy of serve and volley, which is all but extinct now (go Taylor Dent!)

My senior year, I realized that I was going to be headed to college to play tennis. And in college you have to play both singles and doubles to be a full member of the team. And to play doubles I was going to have to volley. So I watched Sampras serve and volley. I watched his legs. I watched the way that he never bent at the waist to get down to a volley, but instead he would bend his knees. I watched his unbelievable ability to watch the ball right into his racket, and his head was almost always level with the ball as he made contact. It was amazing. Then I picked up my racket and headed to the garage wall that I used to bang tennis balls against. Over and over I tried to bend my knees and pick up low shots, hit crisply with the head of my racket up, all like Sampras.

And that's how I learned to volley. Honestly. I only had like 6 sessions of private lessons, and all we focused on was my serve and my forehand. I learned the backhand from books and my volley from Pete himself.

What have you learned from the pros? Who do you like to watch on the television? Do you think it can really help?