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How To Become More Agile For Tennis

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Improving agility helps players move around the court quickly and maintain overall balance while increasing endurance and cardiovascular strength. Footwork drills should be included in any tennis training regimen to improve sport-specific movements and fitness.

Plyometrics are explosive exercises aimed at increasing speed, power and balance. By loading and unloading specific muscles rapidly, plyometrics contribute to strength and elasticity while making tennis players more light on their feet. Players who are light on their feet compete with a fluidity and grace that correlates with better performance.

The speed ladder is a popular piece of plyometric equipment that targets footwork. Tennis players run and jump in the speed ladder with specific foot placement to increase speed and agility. Cone drills are also beneficial to tennis players due to the sudden stops and turns required in the sport. Cone drills require players to sprint to specific sports and stop quickly or change direction.

Plyometric exercises alter a tennis player’s muscle memory. Quick footwork, sudden stops and sharp turns become habitual after routine training and practice. The muscular system becomes stronger and more balanced, resulting in less trips and stumbles during an actual tennis match. Joints and ligaments also benefit from ladder and cone drills through a higher range of motion and lower risk of injury.

Starting Off Right: Your Game

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

If your interest has been sparked in the gentleman’s sport by watching one too many matches on DIRECT TV, it’s time to get out there and play! Here are a few of our most useful tips for a new amateur tennis player no matter their starting skill level
Get the Right Equipment: Make sure you’re ready to play with the right gear. This means white soled shoes as well as a mid-range, titanium racket with new strings – don’t forget the balls and a tennis bag, too, if you don’t want to look like you’ve never played before.
Get Some Lessons: Most towns have a pro or two offering lessons to the amateur player. You can get lessons for as little as 20 a pop and you’ll feel more confident when you’re actually playing which is a major plus.
Sign Up for a League: If your area has a beginner’s league, sign up! Nothing will improve your skills like playing often with someone you don’t know and who knows, maybe you’ll meet a new friend or a sparring opponent to practice with!

How To Increase Speed For Tennis

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In order to increase speed for tennis, you need to practice your ground strokes on a consistent basis. It is preferable to find a hitting partner who is slightly better than you are, but you can also sign-up for lessons or purchase a ball machine. After you practice your motion over a significant period of time, your muscle memory will kick in so that you have impeccable form. Once you have your form down, you can begin to hit the ball with more pace. Most of the pace generated on your shot comes from a good hip turn. It is important that your shoulders start off perpendicular to the court, then turn parallel to the court as you hit the ball. This rotation of your hips will greatly increase the velocity on the ball.

It is also important that you follow through in order to maximize speed. By hitting through the ball, you are hitting the ball with greater force. This translates into more pace and also causes the ball to land deeper in the opponent’s court. This means they will have a more difficult time returning your shot as well as being out of position for your subsequent shots. You also need to make eye contact with the ball through your shot. If you take your eye off the ball even if a split second before contact, you risk not hitting the sweet spot. If you miss the sweet spot, the velocity of the ball drops and this causes an errant shot. By keeping your eye on the ball, you utilize the part of the strings that are tighter to increase pace and accuracy on your shot. It is important to find somebody who enjoys playing on a regular basis because repitition is the key to improving your pace.

What Are The Best Training Techniques For Amateur Players?

admin — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Amateur players may not have access to expensive training equipment or personal coaches, but numerous exercises can be performed for free without any equipment.

Simple racquet strokes can help amateur players strengthen their arms and train their muscle memory. A player can practice their backhand, forehand, and serves with or without a ball.

Amateur players can practice their footwork in any location. Simple exercises could be shuffling from side to side or sprinting forward and backward for a set number of paces. Advanced amateurs can work on their backpedals, wedel steps, or practice returning a ball while moving.

Arm strength exercises can help any amateur player improve the power of their strokes. Although a pushup lacks the glamor of an expensive fitness machine, the exercise will increase arm strength for free. Pullups are another simple exercise that targets the muscles in the arms and shoulders, but players will need a bar at a set height.

Leg strength exercises should improve a player’s short bursts of movement and overall stamina. Short sprints prepare players for sudden movements, and long distance runs improve a player’s overall fitness. Amateurs should be able to maintain a consistent level of energy for an entire match.Related Article : Amateur hour at Nationwide event in Ohio

How Do Tennis Players Become Professionals?

admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Tennis is a fun athletic sport that many people all over the world participant in or watch. Becoming a Professional tennis player takes lots of practice, years of training and tons dedication just like any other sport. When you think you are ready, you must enter to play in tournaments, leagues, and on teams. You can do this by signing yourself up for the USTA (United States Tennis Association). Getting a good coach is a must because he/she can help you learn different tennis moves, such as back hand, fore hand, smash, ace, let for serve, deuce, advantage, top fault, spin, slice, chop, and double-fault. Next is to choose the racket that fits your need. For example, pro players will get a racket that is for advance players. You would have to buy a racket based off the way they swing, their power. You would also have to look for certain head sizes, the length, grip size, and the stiffness. The best way to know what you are looking for is to try a couple out before purchasing. Feel the texture, swing a couple of times and if you think this is the right racket for you buy it. Basically, the racket has to fit your needs rather you are a beginner player, intermediate player or, advance.

What Are The Best Tennis Rackets For Beginners?

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Finding the right racket for beginners in tennis, you should consider a lightweight racket, one with a large oversize head, a medium to stiff flex, and something which feels right in your grip. First off, a lightweight racket offers players to get the most power and spin on the ball, which tends to help beginners who have slower swings. Lightweight rackets also are easier to manuever, get a faster swing speed, and create more power, so that when a heavier racket is used, it will be an easy transition.

Also a large oversize head will increase power, help you find a larger “sweet spot,” and offers better aim, even with off-hit shots. The flex should be medium-to-stiff. A stiffer racket flexes less, meaning it depletes the ball; a flexible racket has more give. Therefore, for beginners, a stiffer racket will allow more power in the swing, however, can be a little less comfortable to use. A medium flex racket will offer power and control, and absorb the ball’s impact to avoid fatigue.

Some highly rated beginner rackets are the Wilson n1 and Head Liquidmetal 8. Both offer all three features lifted above, and allow for you to easily manage and control your swing.

What The Pros Know That Amateurs Do Not

admin — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When people watch professional tennis players, they cannot believe how easy the game looks. The remarkable thing is that the ball is going twice as fast as most amateur’s can hit, yet the players still look like they are walking around on the court. People want to know how professional players can possibly look so effortless on the court, especially when they are playing the best competition in the world. There are some things amateurs can work on to improve their level of play.

Professional players spend hours a day working on conditioning. They do a lot of cardiovascular and agility training, which allows them to increase their stamina.Is this new to you? Catch up here Professional players also practice at a high level of intensity. They all have a coach that will put them through challenging circumstances. The coach will always keep them running all over the court, as this will put them through more stress than an actual match. Professionals also spend hours working on power and accuracy drills. They have an excellent idea in regards to where the ball will land each time. Amateur players simply swing as hard as they can, and hope that the ball lands somewhere in-bounds. Amateurs need to work on their swing technique, as well as doing some conditioning, and they will see their game improve.