Saturday, January 4, 2014

Winning The Set Against Tennis Elbow

File:Ernests Gulbis Serve 01.jpg
IvanAndreevich

Winning The Set Against Tennis Elbow
By Shem Ouma 


One of the most common injuries among tennis players is tennis elbow. Usually this very painful condition has seen many people give up on the game. The problem affects players of all ages and the severity often differs from one person to the next. If you want to continue enjoying this great game, there are things that you can do to prevent or treat this condition.

1. Understanding the condition

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a condition that affects the humerus bone. It occurs when the tendon becomes inflamed, irritated or damaged causing pain in the elbow. While the condition is common among tennis players, it also affects people who lift heavy weights using the elbow.

Some symptoms of the condition include elbow pain that extends to the forearm and tenderness on the outer elbow. Any movement of the elbow causes pain and while the pain might subside overnight, it usually comes back any time stress is applied to the elbow.

2. Preventing tennis elbow

One of the best ways to prevent the condition is by learning the best techniques. Having a good backhand and enhancing your strokes will help to prevent injuries. Having poor form during the game will cause you to go off balance or to hit the ball late, which causes more strain on the arm instead of on the torso.

By overworking the tendons near the elbow, you risk causing injury. Unfortunately, not everyone can be an overnight expert and it takes training and practice to play well. It also helps to strengthen the muscles, which will allow the tendon to withstand more strain.

3. Treating the condition

If you suffer from tennis elbow, there are some things that you can do to relieve the symptoms. Using the right equipment can go a long way in preventing tennis elbow. The racquet you use will have a huge effect on how you play. The idea is to reduce the vibrations that reach the elbow and for this, you need a racquet that has softer strings.

Large, lighter tennis racquets can also help to reduce this vibration. Modern technology is used in designing equipment that can prevent tennis elbow. If you begin to feel the effects of strain on your elbow, changing your racquet can help.

4. Medical attention

If the pain in your elbow persists, it is a good idea to get medical attention. Anti-inflammatory medication can help to reduce pain and the doctor can also recommend intra-articular steroids. Physiotherapy and splints can also help to deal with the condition and you should avoid straining the arm during the treatment process. The condition is treatable and you can soon go back to enjoying the game you love.

Training with a good instructor is the best way to ensure that you enjoy the game and avoid injuries. The instructor will offer relevant advice about the best equipment and techniques, so that you can enhance your skills. The specially designed racquets might be more expensive than the regular equipment, but the investment is worth it if you want to avoid injury and become a better player.

To improve your tennis forehand and enjoy the game, visit www.tenniscoaching.com/public/The-Tennis-Forehand.cfm

Article Source: Winning The Set Against Tennis Elbow

How To Improve Tennis Skills

File:Ivanovic Serve San Diego (1).jpg
Ana Ivanovic

Improve Your Tennis Skills Quickly With This Unconventional Tip
By Martin C Kerr

Would you like to improve your tennis skills in the shortest time possible? Silly question I know. Most people go about this the wrong way though. They might go to more training sessions. In a match they might try to hit the ball harder or at a tighter angle. They'll go for riskier shots and attack at the net more. While these things are good and if done in the right way can yield some benefits, there is a better way to improve your tennis skills.

You ready? Read about tactics! Once you reach the intermediate level this is the fastest way to improve your game and start winning more matches. It is often said that knowledge is power and this is so true in tennis! if you know sneaky things to catch your opponent out (all completely legal of course) you will gain a massive edge

You could be at a tournament or playing a match against someone at your club, and there will be a high chance that they have a limited knowledge of tactics. This person may be much better than you technically. Their forehand could be stronger than yours, their backhand more consistent and they may be unbeatable at the net. However, if you are strong tactically, you will know not only how to find their weakness, but how to exploit it over and over again.

It's not enough just to read. You could spend a month reading about every tip, tactic, technique and nuance of the game. Just because you know a lot doesn't mean you can do it. After all if you learned everything but had never picked up a racket before, you still wouldn't be a good player.

As you practice and play matches, start to implement what you learn. Don't change everything at once but one thing at a time. Play attention to the tactics you are using in these matches.

Perform drills that help you to learn them and perfect them so that when it comes to play a match, and you spot your opponent is weak at the net, you will know how to force him to the net as much as you like. A series of tactics you know how to execute over and over again is the best investment of time you could make to improve your tennis skills. Spend some time learning this and I promise you will win more matches.

Article Source: Improve Your Tennis Skills Quickly With This Unconventional Tip

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

How To Improve Tennis Serve

File:Lisiki serve - Flickr - chascow.jpg
lisiki serve

How to improve Tennis Serve

Your tennis serve is one of the most important parts of your game. A good serve can make your opponent fearful and on their toes, while a bad serve can easily lose you the game. Always look for ways to improve your tennis serve, look at the professionals and see what they do. I promise you it will pay off in the end.

Relax your arm and wrist

If you keep your wrist straight during a serve, you'll lose a lot of power and control. Make sure to keep them loose, and you'll notice that your wrist will do a kind of whipping motion. This motion is key to your serving power, and to your control. Definitely make sure you practice at keeping your wrist loose, it's one of the secrets of a good serve.

Have a fluid motion (follow through)

Sometimes it's too easy to not follow through. This will make your serve choppy and uneasy. Not only that but it will make you inconsistent, plus it will take away some control and power from your serve. Always make sure you follow through and use your whole body in your serve. Keep the whole motion going, if you're having trouble try throwing the ball higher in the air, a lot of people find that that's their biggest problem.

Jump!

Try jumping in your serves, this gives you more power, accuracy, and it gives you some momentum as well. This is of course a more advanced technique, but learning how to do this will give you a good one up on competitors who do not know how to do a jump serve.

Practice

Practice makes permanent. Go out and practice your serve at least 30 minutes a day, you can practice more if you're looking at playing in a tournament soon. Try different strategies, and look up videos that can teach you more ways to change your serve. You could also consider taking a video of yourself, so that you can see what's going on with your serve, and how you can change it.

Conclusiopn

Never stop working on your serve, this is imperative to becoming a better player. if your'e still looking for more help you can check my post on Tennis Serve Tips.

Also I'd advice to check out my thoughts on a cool video about your serve, you can find it on my page about Improve Your Tennis Serve.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

File:Fernando Verdasco Serve.jpg
Emmett Hume

10 Top Tennis Tips For Coaching Junior Tennis Players
By Rufus Keown 


Mini Tennis, Pee Wee Tennis, Tiny Tots Tennis, Little Mozzies! Coaching Junior Beginners has been called everything. The bottom line for tennis coaches is that having a strong beginner tennis coaching program is the key to a long term sustainable business operation.

Putting together an exciting and challenging tennis coaching program for the young player should be a priority for any serious coach. These young beginners also need some special coaching methods to teach them to love tennis and stay in the game.

Tip 1 - Success equals Confidence equals Fun! Tennis is in the recreation business and coaches are fighting to attract young athletes to the sport so that grass roots programs flourish and we produce players at the elite level. Be constantly positive; play fun games which all players can succeed; create an atmosphere at your club that parents and children can enjoy. Do your best to keep children in tennis for life.

Tip 2 - Use modified tennis equipment. This relates to tip number one because by using lower nets, softer tennis balls, lighter tennis racquets and fun equipment we can help our students succeed and therefore enjoy tennis.

Tip 3 - Use cones to position players. Use cones or spots to position students for games and activities. This will give them a reference point and prevent them from wondering off.

Tip 4 - Refer to the names of lines and areas of the court. Use the names of lines and parts of the court when giving directions. This will provide a "full" tennis education and help when playing matches later on.

Tip 5 - Demonstrate before you explain the drill. Young children are fantastic learners. They learn best from observing and copying; as well as experimenting and feeling how something works. In your tennis lessons give the players lots of visual coaching and have them shadow swing so they can feel the correct stroke. This will be far more effective than explaining to a child with a very short attention span who may not fully understand the meaning of your words.

Tip 6 - Don't get too technical! This relates to tip number five. Technical instruction is wasted on young children but they do understand simple distinctions. For instance using higher or lower; softer or harder; to the left or right are effective words to guide a young player. This is one reason why the use of targets and cones can be a very valuable coaching tool.

Tip 7 - Use targets for students to aim at. The reason for using targets is to compel the players to use control over power. Many young players will associate success with how fast and far they can hit the ball. Studies have shown that in sports that require both speed and precision (like tennis) it is far better to learn slow, controlled moves and then make them faster; than learn fast uncontrolled moves and them slow them down. By hitting accurate controlled shots our players will become better at rallying (which should be foremost goal of any program.)

Tip 8 - Don't take private lessons too early. While some parents will expect us to dress up in a clown suit and entertain a 4 or 5 year old in a private lesson it is inappropriate at this age. The children at this age enjoy the excitement of playing with their friends and social interaction - the coach will soon become weary and lose passion for their job.

Tip 9 - Progress the program. Keep giving the students a reason to come back to the game. Progress from a mini court to full court; a mini racquet to a graduate racquet; low compression balls to championship balls; a 30 minute lesson to a 45 minute lesson. Keep challenging the students or they will feel they are not improving and find another sports which offers a pathway.

Tip 10 - Let them play the game. As coaches we are trying to teach players the game of tennis. Once the fundamentals have been taught modified game play should become an emphasis. While at a young age hitting the ball over the net seems miraculous, and returning an impossible dream; let the students experiment with a modified rally. The coach can help or make special rules so it remains enjoyable and the students can experience some success.

Follow these tennis tips to success in your own junior tennis program!

By Rufus Keown

Club Professional Coach

Co-founder http://www.globaltenniscoaching.com

The global website for tennis coaches and players with 1000's of tennis drills, tennis articles, tennis tips and tennis lesson plans.

Article Source: 10 Top Tennis Tips For Coaching Junior Tennis Players

Tennis Tips: How To Really Improve Your Tennis Game In Just Thirty Minutes

File:Novak Djokovic at the ATP Tennis World Finals.jpg
David Jones

Note: This article is a little old, but still really good!

Tennis Tips: How To Really Improve Your Tennis Game In Just Thirty Minutes
By Jay P. Granat, Ph.D.
The Australian Open is taking place now and avid tennis fans and tennis players will be tuning in early in the morning, (United States Time) to watch the world's best tennis players compete in this first major tournament of the year.

Highly ranked juniors and weekend warriors will be studying the players and the matches carefully and some will be hoping to pick up a few tips that will allow them to take their game to that next level.

I have coached many top players on the mental side of the game and have worked closely with some elite coaches. I am always intrigued by coaches who are great diagnosticians and who can make the game simple via the way they communicate with their students.

Sometimes, one simple tip can help a tennis player to elevate his or her tennis game.

One man, Oscar Wegner, the well-known tennis guru, has developed a simple methodology which can help skilled players, recreational players and weekend warriors.

Wegner, who has coached many of the top players in the world, encourages players to have three ideas in mind when they prepare to hit a tennis ball, when they strike it and when they complete their swing:

It is quite simple yet very comprehensive: Find it. Feel it. Finish it.

I have used these simple ideas in my own game and in helping others to play better.

Find it refers to locating the ball its pace, its direction, its height and its spin. Your feet will move almost automatically if you do a good job of locating the ball.

Feel it reminds players to impart spin and to keep the ball on the strings. Wegner, like most modern teachers understands and emphasizes the importance of topspin from the baseline.

Finish it encourages players to swing through the ball and follow through after you feel it on your strings. This facilitates and good weight transfer.

This simple method makes it easy to diagnose what you are doing wrong. For instance, if you set up late, you have not done a good job of following the ball.

Similarly, if you fail to impart spin, you have not done a good job of feeling the ball.

Thirdly, if you hit the ball into the net or weakly over the net, you most likely have failed to finish your swing.

In addition, Wegner's method can be applied to some extent to all of the shots in tennis. You can use these concepts are your serve, your volley, your half volley, you lob,your overhead, your slice, and your drop shot. So, this method has a lot of applications to it.

Give this approach a try and see if your tennis game improves.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D., is a Psychotherapist, Author and The Founder of http://www.StayInTheZone.com. Granat has appeared in many major media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, Tennis Magazine, TennisView Magazine, The BBC, The CBC and ESPN. He is the author of Zone Tennis and many other mental toughness and peak performance programs. He has recently formed a partnership with some of the top tennis pros in the world. Dr. Granat is available for private coaching and for seminars. He can be reached at 888 580-ZONE or at info@stayinthezone.com

Article Source: Tennis Tips: How To Really Improve Your Tennis Game In Just Thirty Minutes

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Tennis Serve - Tips And History Of This Tennis Shot


File:Elena Vesnina serve.jpg

Tennis Serve - Tips And History Of This Tennis Shot
By Jimbo Morris 

The tennis serve is an important part of any tennis match. It is the first action taken at the start of a game and the start of each point. It can be used to intimidate the competition and show off your power which makes it an important part of the sport to master. As it is so important it is not easy and it can take some time to become a great server, in fact some people never manage to learn how to make an impressive serve.

What Serve Do You Prefer?

There are four main types of serve that are most commonly used. The four serves are: the slice serve, kick serve, underhand serve and the flat serve. The differences between these serves relate to the spin of the ball, the direction the spin takes, the twist and if there is a kick (using a heavy top spin) or not. It is a good idea to practice and master all types of serves as they can all be used tactically in any game.

Breaking a Serve

One of the main challenges in tennis is breaking the serve of your opponent. The player that is serving is expected to win the point as the serve can be used offensively and it is possible to make an ace and win the point immediately with a well-played first serve. Therefore the battle for the opposing player is to break the serve and take away the point. This is a vital element in any match and if you are working on improving your game it is a good area to concentrate on.

For all types of serve, it's important to have a great racquet, and I personally like   rel=nofollow [http://www.stevegtennis.com/shop/best-head-tennis-racquets.php]head tennis racquets as they have been used my some of the worlds best servers over decent decades.

Legalities in the Game

Practising landing serve balls within the lines is a must for any player. When make a serve the player has two chances to get it right. A serve is legal if it is able to land in the court and doesn't touch anything else. When the ball lands outside of the court it is called as a fault. If the server takes two serves that both land outside of the court lines it is called a double fault and this will result in the point being given over to the other player.

You also have to watch your footing with taking the serve. Your feet cannot touch the baseline until after you have hit the ball and you aren't allowed to run when serving or to walk around. Practice staying put on the court and mastering your serves to make sure you get it right.

If you want to improve your server then you can pay a pro to give you a lesson, but you can also just watch some videos of the best players and get some tips. For example if you look at the Sampras serve, he makes it look so easy and it flow in every movement. Of course, Sampras has retired now but out of current player Roger Federer has an awesome server. It may not be the most powerful but the accuracy is superb and he often gets an ace even when not serving that hard.

It also helps to have a tennis racquet that fits your game, and I would recommend you look at some of the latest head racquets, as they are used by many top players like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Of course, maybe the best server of all time was Goran and he also had a classic head racquet frame. Overall, while improving your tennis game is important, you should always remember to have fun on the court, and smile even if you are not playing your best. If you are just starting and want to master all shots, just book a few lessons down your local club and you will be off on a great journey of mastering the forehand, backhand, and serving motions.

I've been playing tennis for over 30 years and the hardest shot I found to master was the tennis serve. You really have to be so confident to have a great serve in tennis, so watch the pro players on TV serve and copy their motion and you will be serving better in no time. Enjoy improving your tennis game.

Article Source:  Tennis Serve - Tips And History Of This Tennis Shot

Tennis Serve Tips

File:Djoker serve - Flickr - chascow.jpg
djoker serve

Tennis Serve Tips

Want to improve one of the most important hits in tennis? If so you're in the right place, I'll show you exactly how you can improve your serve.

Choose your style - Before you even hit the ball, you need to decide how you want to hit the ball! There are generally 4 different major types of spins that you can put onto a ball. You can put a top spin, a slice, a combination of the two, or just a flat hit. Look them up and practice all of them, they are all useful depending on the situation.

Throw the ball high! -
A few professionals say that this is one of the key things that hold back beginners. Too many people will not throw the ball high enough, and this holds back their power and control. If you're having trouble try just throwing the ball higher, you'll be surprised.

Practice makes permanent -
Make sure you practice, but make sure you practice correctly. Try to get someone whose better than you to watch your swing, and correct it. Watch youtube videos online, and try to see different ways that people will serve the ball. Remember, practice doesn't help unless you are practicing correctly.

Play consistently -
Some people will get discouraged and quit trying to improve their serve. They get frustrated and stop, and then try again in a few weeks, this is a great way to never get anywhere. Don't fall into this trap!

Want to learn even more?

I've got a great blog post here that can help you learn more, it's all about a cool video that shows you How To Improve Your Tennis Serve.