Tennis tips wanted....?

Question

I just picked up tennis again and I need pointers.
My forehand and ground strokes seem to always go too high and my drop shots always seems to miss the net. Also I need tips on how to serve better and to do spins. Please give me the tips in as deep a detail as possible.

ok, I am pretty much getting back to my game. but I don't know exactly how to get a perfect grip or how tight I should hold the racket cause I get blisters on my hands. Also my drop shots are getting better but I still haven't gotten the concept of making it go over the net. Also if anyone have tips on how to add side spin or do a cut serve it'd be appreciated.

Answer 1

your groundstrokes are going too high because you are hitting the ball with what is called an 'open face' meaning the strings are tilted slightly upward toward the sky at contact. this is a common mistake and something you need to practice and overcome before any other stroke advice will be of any use to you. the face of your racket should be square to the ball at contact, perpendicular to the ground, or just slightly closed (tilted downward) if you are hitting with topspin. use the net as a visual reference, your racket strings should be as straight up and down as the net strings when you hit the ball.

once you are able to control the racket face, then you can start fixing your strokes because you have removed this key variable from the equation. tennis strokes should be relaxed and graceful, all of them, using your body's natural power to hit the ball rather than trying to muscle it.

generally on groundstrokes you want to swing low to high to lift the ball over the height of the net and generate a bit of topspin to help it come down onto the other side of the court. put a tennis ball on the ground at your feet and roll it across the room. see that spin? topspin should rotate in the same direction (just a bit faster). so imagine trying to impart that same type of spin using your racket. visualize the ball 'rolling' through the air.

as you prepare to hit each ball think to yourself, get beneath it and hit through... get beneath it and hit through... and think of your racket as an extension of your arm that reaches to hit and then carries the ball out toward your target in a long fluid motion. fluid, relaxed movements are so important in this game.

the drop shot is an advanced shot and requires a lot of feel for the ball, which you will develop as you learn to better control the racket face and learn to apply aggressive backspin or slice by cutting under the ball with the face slightly open. again, this is advanced so don't give yourself a hard time if you are inconsistent right now. you can work on it by working on your slice, since the drop shot is an abbreviation of the slice groundstroke. a slice creates underspin (backspin) by the racket starting above the ball and hitting down through it, again in a long fluid motion. it should not be a vicious chop.

serve is probably the hardest shot of all to truly master. you should take some lessons from someone who can walk you through the proper steps. the relaxed, graceful rule applies here. the ball is struck not with brute force but with elasticity. obviously the motion resembles a throwing motion so you can practice by throwing a ball and trying to emulate that general shoulder motion. but again, it takes instruction to put all the pieces together.

good luck. enjoy the game.

Answer 2

For your forehand, try and get some topsin on it by putting your raket below the ball and then brushing up on it. Also, something I do that seems a little stupid is I put my free hnad in front of me and then move it while I swing. It is hard to explain but If you think you know what I'm saying, it helps alot! Also, try to step in with the opposite foot of the hand your holding your raquet with. (example, right hand left foot) It helps you get power on your shot and the topspin will keep it in. But if it is next to you and not in front of you, step with the same foot as the hand your holding the racket with. That should help your forehand. Now for your backhand. Try doing the same brushing up on the ball technique to get some good topspin. I have a two handed backhand so I'll tell you about that. I should have said this about your forehand too, but always bring your racket all the way through until it is over your shoulder. That will generate more power. Step into the ball if it is in front of you. If it is outwide, run to it then take your foot that is on the opposite side of the ball and step across your body. Then hit the ball. For your serve, If your a beginner I wouldn't get too fancy. But try doing this. Throw the ball up then bring your racket behind you. Then snap your wrist as soon as you hit the ball. It will get it in with some power. If you can not do this though, just simply tap it in. Serves should be the last thing on a beginners mind. If you really want a better serve, I suggest a private lesson with a trainer at your local tennis center. Seeing that your a beginner, I would not try hitting any slice shots until you have perfected your regular strokes. Once again, for help with them go see a trainer at your local tennis center. Good luck!!! (wow my fingers hurt!!!)

Answer 3

For your forehands and backhands:
Hit with topspin. This will give the ball net clearance and go in the court and then bounce high. When you are in position waiting for the ball to come, have your racket one foot below the ball, and hit the ball in an upward sweeping motion. Low to high, basically. But have the racket face parrallel to the net, or facing more towards the ground. Never have the racket face facing upwards. You have to judge how much topspin to use depending on how high the ball is and where it bounces. For example, if the ball bounces at about shoulder level, don't use too much topspin. Use SOME topspin, just lessen the low to high motion. If you are closer to the net, don't use too much topspin. You have to be able to judge.

For your serve:
I'm assuming you use the continentel(aka backhand grip) grip for your serve. So what you do is you bring the racket down then up behind you so that the racket is behind you back in the "trophy position" and as you bring the racket back you throw the ball up. Since you just started again, start with the flat serve but use the continentel grip, also known as the backhand grip. Don't worry about the pronation right now, that'll come later. After you're in the trophy position, look up at the ball and when it seems to be coming down, bring your racket back and your elbow up in a "Scratch you back" kind of move and move the elbow forward, bring the forearm forward and snap your wrist. Start slow and you can go faster later. After making contact with the ball, bring your racket down to you left side if you're a right-hander, vice versa if you're a left-hander, and around to your left side. It might help to throw the ball higher so you have more time to prepare. Don't add any fancy stuff like slice and topspin and don't jump and hit like the pros do yet until you got down the basics. Also you can go on youtube.com and look up videos of slow motion serving or the pros serving. It'll help if you have an experienced player to help you and give you tips.
To get slice, curve your racket around the side of the ball, and to get topspin, you have to throw the ball a little behind you-not too much though. Bring the racket back and "brush up"with your racket when you contact the ball while still pushing the ball forward. That might have been confusing, and it's easier to understand if there's someone showing you directly, so if you know any experienced tennis player(s), ask them to help you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

For the ground strokes being high: try taking a larger backswing, bending your knees in the direction you want the ball to go, and and brush the ball instead of tapping it.
For the drop shots, use less force and move closer to the net.
For the serve; keep a loose and relaxed wrist, and whip the ball instead of stiffly pounding it.
For the spins, think briefly before hitting the ball and contact your racquet with the ball based on what spin you want.

Answer 5

One of your problems could be your grip on the racquet. Most players now use a semi-western or eastern grip. Get a book or video to learn the proper grips and strokes. As one of the above answers said, the face of your racquet is probably not vertical when you are striking the ball, but it should be, and moving upwards for topspin or slightly downward for slice.

Answer 6

show your genuine enthusiasm and have some conversations with your coach every once in a while so he will get to know you better. on the courts make sure you are not being lazy or just rallying. take the initiative to improve and emphasize on consistency and control. if you can win matches against other people on varsity then you know you belong there. another thing is improve your grades. always being eligible to play/ getting good grades is always a plus to coaches. Last thing, always be courteous and kind. doing something commendable would definitely impress your coach. best wishes and hope you make the varsity team.

Answer 7

Start with your racquet head higher on the backswing and check your grip. Most people who have this fault are starting with the racquet head low and therefore the racquet comes up to meet the ball, sending it upwards. The grip may be at fault. Holding the racquet incorrectly changes the angle of the racquet head.
You drop shots should miss the net - the aim is to go over it :)

Answer 8

For your forehand/backhand you need to keep the racquet even when you swing. Most likely your tiltting it upwards hence the shots going up high.... My serve really isn't that good but sometimes I can ace people but don't really know how to spin the ball or anything.... I just play for fun so...