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Tennis 101
Tennis Tips
Are you a beginner and would like to improve your tennis game? Here is a tennis tip from one of our tennis professionals, Greg Howe.
Tennis Tip: Make Your Serving Toss Repeatable
One of the biggest issues for many recreational players is having a serve that is "streaky" which ultimately leads to being too conservative. A steady, reliable rhythm begins with a reliable toss. The ball toss is difficult to fix when thinking in terms like "throw it higher" or "lower" or "to the left or right" - these are intangible and inconsistent ways of fixing a ball toss. Chasing a bad ball toss leads to a disruption in the rhythm of your service motion which requires you to chase the ball.
Try these tips:
*Using a continental grip is critical. Without this grip your serve will be too conservative.
*Get your balance, and feel steady.
*In general, place your front foot at a 45-degree angle to the base line.
*Make sure your tossing arm follows the toe alignment of your front foot. Too many players have their tossing arm motion in a direction that isn't aligned correctly with their body causing you to chase the ball.
*Release the tossed ball from your fingertips, not the palm of your hand.
*Ideally the ball should not be spinning when it is in the air. If it is spinning, that is a sign that you have rolled it off your hand.
*If you find yourself chasing the ball, that indicates that you have lost your balance and the serve becomes unaligned. Remember, it's only a bad ball toss if you hit it. It is okay to catch the ball and repeat the toss.
Too many players waste time trying to do strong serves without the proper and repeatable foundation. Once you have a repeatable foundation, you can begin to build additional layers to your serve.
We offer a variety of beginner clinics. To learn more about your serve and other aspects of the game, please contact the Pelham Racquet Club at 205.621.3380.
Tennis Tip: Make Your Serving Toss Repeatable
One of the biggest issues for many recreational players is having a serve that is "streaky" which ultimately leads to being too conservative. A steady, reliable rhythm begins with a reliable toss. The ball toss is difficult to fix when thinking in terms like "throw it higher" or "lower" or "to the left or right" - these are intangible and inconsistent ways of fixing a ball toss. Chasing a bad ball toss leads to a disruption in the rhythm of your service motion which requires you to chase the ball.
Try these tips:
*Using a continental grip is critical. Without this grip your serve will be too conservative.
*Get your balance, and feel steady.
*In general, place your front foot at a 45-degree angle to the base line.
*Make sure your tossing arm follows the toe alignment of your front foot. Too many players have their tossing arm motion in a direction that isn't aligned correctly with their body causing you to chase the ball.
*Release the tossed ball from your fingertips, not the palm of your hand.
*Ideally the ball should not be spinning when it is in the air. If it is spinning, that is a sign that you have rolled it off your hand.
*If you find yourself chasing the ball, that indicates that you have lost your balance and the serve becomes unaligned. Remember, it's only a bad ball toss if you hit it. It is okay to catch the ball and repeat the toss.
Too many players waste time trying to do strong serves without the proper and repeatable foundation. Once you have a repeatable foundation, you can begin to build additional layers to your serve.
We offer a variety of beginner clinics. To learn more about your serve and other aspects of the game, please contact the Pelham Racquet Club at 205.621.3380.