Tennis Notes

Notes from recent tennis lessons

Serve

• Toss should be single fluid motion
• Align the toss with your body (don't toss wide or body can't get behind the serve)
  
• Upon tossing keep tossing arm up pointing at ball, eyes on ball, keeping your head up
  
• Hit 'over' the ball to get it to drop
• Pronate to get more speed
• Tuck left arm in holding stomach to aid balance
• Don't over rotate, should land on left foot
  

Forehand

• One preparation (rotate body and ready racket once in a single motion)
• Elbows up, moving to ball (get 'around' the ball, right foot behind the ball)
  
• Stop
• Follow ball in with left hand (can you tell what brand of ball it is?)
• Swing. Left arm kicks back and catches racket
• Shorter contact with ball (brush up the ball), fast racket head speed
  
• Front foot moves heal to toe as you step into the swing
  

Backhand

• One preparation again but pinching the racket with your left pulling the racket up to your shoulder, elbows raised, racket grip turns in right hand until knuckles line up with racket frame.
• Move to ball (small adjustments)
• Stop
• Swing low to high: drop the leading shoulder, extend your arm through the swing making contact in front (don't hit too late)
• As right arm swings, extend left arm backward
• Leading foot pointed towards target (weight moves back to front)