Tuesday Tennis Tip: Shot Preparation

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting tennis tips from the beginning of a stroke through the end. That means we'll start with getting prepared to take up the proper court position, all the way through the swing and follow-through and ending with getting prepared for the next shot. This is a way for me to learn, as I have to look up all these things, and then you can come along for the ride... I hope you learn something!

Tip #1 - Anticipation
Tip #2 - Movement

So far, we have mentally prepared to hit the ball and moved our feet quickly to hitting position. At this point, we begin to get into swing mechanics. I'll begin with overall mechanics, that apply to either forehand or backhand, then move back to the specifics for those strokes.

So today's topic is shot preparation. What do you do to get ready to swing through the shot? As you move toward the ball, one of the last phases of initial movement is to take small, short steps and balance yourself for the swing. Here are the next steps.

1. Early racquet preparation - "Get your racquet back early!" It's the cry of almost every tennis instructor that I've ever had. It simply means don't run to the ball and then move your racquet back. You know whether it is a forehand or backhand as you are moving to the ball. Don't wait for the ball to bounce to start your backswing, instead begin when you begin to take the small balance steps. Take the racquet back to begin the swing.

2. Turn your hips - Power is generated by the entire core of your body, not just how hard you swing. Using your whole core also allows more stability in the shot, thus more consistency. As you find your balanced position, prepare for the shot by turning your hips back slighty, so they are prepared to come forward with your racquet when you swing.

3. Turn your shoulders - Along with your hips, your shoulders have to move back to give you the best ability to generate power and consistency. On groundstrokes, when your hips turn your shoulders turn. It's as if they are connected. In fact, the more that upper body (arm, hips, and shoulder) turn together, the better the shots that you hit.

Simple as that, 1-2-3, get prepared for your swing. Have you ever thought about this before? What type of backswing do you have? Ever notice that you that you don't have enough time to swing? Which players have you played against that make this really difficult? Hope to hear from some of you, and it will be good to see us put this into practice!