The three types of courts

Today I taught my first lesson on a clay court, so I think it is a good time to understand how the different surfaces affect the game.

Hard Court

The most common court is a hard surface court. Chances are, if  you have played tennis court at a park, local court, or almost anywhere else, you have played on a hard court. Hard courts are characterized by a medium speed between the three types, and has a higher bounce relative to the others. Note that there are two types of hard courts, there are acrylic courts, which are the most common court in the US and are seen in the US Open, and there are Rebound Ace courts which are synthetic and can be seen in the Australian Open.

Clay Court

Clay courts, as seen in the French Open, reduce the speed of the ball and make long rally points very common. Matches can last much longer and be more exhausting on clay easily because of the speed. The bounce is close to hard courts, but is noticeably lower. Clay courts can be found in the US but are much more common in Europe and South America. It is important to note that when running on clay, knowing how to slide into far shots is a skill that must be learned, as the clay makes it much easier to slide on.

Grass Court

Grass courts are the most uncommon court in the US. When playing on grass, points will be very quick because of the increased speed of the ball and decreased bounce. Grass courts are mainly played on in Wimbledon, which is the only grand slam played on grass today. These courts require much more care than hard or clay courts.

The volley

The volley is one of the most important shots in winning a point. Up at the net, a player has a much better chance of commanding the ball, and therefore, winning the point. After the approach shot (which I will discuss later) you should be at the net. What I mean by this, is that your position in the court should be more than halfway up. The easiest way to find out where you should run to, or stand for volleys, is one racquet's length plus two steps back from the net. This means that you should be above the service line, but not right on top of the net.

To start your volley, we start with your ready stance and grip. Your feet should be a little more than shoulder length apart, knees bent, heels off the ground, ready to move. This should sound familiar because your ready position should be the similar to at the baseline. However, the difference at the net, is that the racquet should start in front of you, but in front of your face, that way the racquet is already up in the air, ready to turn to one side. This also helps in case someone hits the ball right at you, as all you have to do is lean out of the way. 

Your grip should be continental. If you do not know how to hold the racquet in continental grip, click here.

After you ready up, we will start with the forehand, simply turn your shoulders slightly to your forehand side, move your racquet to that side, keeping it slightly in front of you, and swiftly jab the ball, do not swing. The footwork for this shot is very simple: step forward with your opposite foot, like the player is doing above. If you are a right handed player, your forehand will hit on your right side, and your left foot will step forward. Left handed is vise-versa.

The backhand volley can be performed as a two handed or a one handed shot. For the two handed shot, simply put your weak hand on top of your dominant, turn to your backhand side, jab, and step with your opposite foot. For a one handed, turn to your backhand side, move your weak hand up to the bridge or throat of the racquet, (just below the strings,) and swing with the racquet moving out of your weak hand, keeping your weak hand up, stepping through with your opposite foot.

Four things to keep in mind when hitting volleys is that, 1) Never make a full swing on the ball, a light punch or jab is plenty. 2) Never hit or go over the net when swinging, this will result in an automatic loss of the point. 3) Never let the racquet fall below your waist, and never point the racquet down. 4) Don't let the racquet get behind you! Be aggressive and take the shot in front, if you are trying to catch up to the ball and hitting it from behind your body it will be much, much more difficult to make a good shot.

You should be one step closer to learning the sport after reading this and trying it out.

Faux doubles practice

This is a great drill for practicing hitting cross court in doubles when you only have two people. I had my lesson today suggest this drill that he had picked up in Florida.

To start, divide the court right down the middle into two sides, deuce side and add side, (deuce is the servers right side, ad is the opposite). You play cross court, one vs. one. One player serves while the other returns, the deuce half of the court for each player is in first, alleys are in as well. One player will serve the entire first game, staying on the deuce side for every serve. Points are won by normal rules, only that the ad side of the court is out, so points must be won hitting cross court. You can play to five, seven, eleven or any other number depending on length of the points and you must win by two. After one player wins, the serve changes hands. After each player has served the deuce side, switch and play on the ad side, meaning deuce court is now out of bounds.
This drill strengthens the importance of hitting cross court in doubles to build your points, as well as hitting angled shots with the alleys. Keep in mind though that when you actually play, you may have a second opponent at the net, ready to poach those easy shots down the middle.

New rules for 10 and under players

Each sport has younger divisions with different rules, so why shouldn't tennis? For children 10 and under, tennis has had a few changes to the game.

To start, the court itself is broken down into four smaller, kid sized courts to play on. Less area to run around balances out the game so that rallies are easier and more fun.

The racquets are downsized as well to fit kids' hands with ease. The number is how long the racquet is in inches, with 19 being about the smallest, and 26 the largest. A smaller racquet allows for proportional distance from the ball, as well as a faster swing from a lighter weight and the smaller size. Finally, The balls have been changed as well, to start, the Penn QST foam ball is perfect, I even use these with adults if they have trouble starting off. After they get comfortable with these, I would move on to the Gamma Quick Kids 78, which are designed for the court shown above by moving slower and bouncing lower. Or, if your child is 8 and under, you can try the Quick Kids 36 which bounce even less and have more wind drag.

The one handed backhand

All right. So you are looking for some more reach on that backhand, or maybe the two handed shot doesn't feel just right to you. You may want to try a one handed backhand and see if that does the trick. A one handed backhand is much more complex then its two handed counter part, and as so, should be taken in steps. 







To start, you should master this shot using a normal grip first, your index finger running up the top bevel of the racquet, fitting nicely in your palm. Once you master this shot in the easiest of positions you can try another side out and see if it works better.
Before we get into the swing, lets talk about your feet. Because this shot has a much farther reach then the two handed version, your open stance should include your dominant side foot crossing over your other, with your back facing the net, head pointed down towards the contact. Your closed stance should remain the same as your two handed backhand.

Now, start your swing by using two hands on the racquet. Your hand position for your weak hand should move up to cradle the racquet on the throat or bridge, as I discussed for a one handed back spin shot for your backhand, (view here). From this position, practice moving the racquet back to prepare for your shot, while moving your hands up in position. Then, practice slowly swinging with both hands from this position, up and over your shoulder. You should be able to keep the racquet flat or closed with the court as you swing, don't let it wobble.
After you get this up to speed, practice shadowing with your weak hand just behind the racquet, that is, following the racquet's movement, in the same manor as the last step.
Once this is done, try letting the racquet swing out of your weak hand, leaving your hand where it was as you swing through. 
After you feel confident about the angle of the racquet head as you swing, practice tossing a ball just in front of you and hitting through the ball slowly, making sure your racquet head doesn't wobble through the shot. Each time you hit successfully, make your next shot a little faster, speed it up until you can hit over the net and get it up to speed with your forehand. 
Next, you will need a wall or another person to hit against. Start slow again, just trying to get a feeling for the shot and how your racquet needs to make contact. Until you can hit confidently, without 'shanking' the ball, (hitting the rim,) or wobbling your racquet, you will need to start slow and speed up. 
This takes a lot of time, but remember, learning a new shot is hard. You have to start slow and build up to a great shot, don't try to smash the ball on your first hit. Just remember to concentrate on hitting the sweet spot, and keeping your eye on the ball, then the contact.
A few important things to remember are: 1) use your weak hand! It can be very useful, even if your not using power from it you can still use it to steady the racquet and keep your balance! 2) Watch the shot! Its hard to see what your racquet is doing if you are looking at where you want the ball to go. Odds are, if you look up to see where the ball is going, you might not even hit the ball. 3) Practice! Because it's your weak side, and you don't have an extra hand on the racquet, it can be hard to get the racquet steady through the whole shot. However, the more you hit a one handed backhand, the easier it will become.
Hopefully, this will help in some shape or form. One handed backhands are great to reach those corner shot balls that seem too far, and it is also great if you are looking to add more topspin to your backhand. Keep in mind though that the power on your shot will suffer until you get a feeling for the shot and learn how to put that power back on it.

The two handed backhand

The backhand is arguably harder than the forehand. If you find this isn't the case for you then consider yourself lucky!
To start, the overall motion of the racquet should be similar to how I described the forehand. The backhand, unlike your forehand, is hit on your weaker hand side, (right-handed people will hit a backhand to their left, opposite for left-handed). Because the backhand is on the weaker side, many people find it much easier to hit with two hands to steady the racquet, and find it easier to make their backhand consistent and accurate.
You need two hands on the racquet for this shot, and this should be tried first in a normal grip. Start by holding the racquet as you would for a forehand, and then place your left hand right on top of your right, in a normal grip as well; your palm should rest on the opposite bevel, (the bottom bevel).
The two handed backhand, as demonstrated by Sharapova, is started by turning your shoulders so they point straight down the court, feet one in front of the other. Next, start the back swing on your racquet, placing it waist level or just below, behind you. Swing upward, pushing out with your left hand, finishing over your shoulder. Last, step through with your back foot and keep your racquet up until the shot is finished.
Hopefully, with a couple of practice shots, this will become as easy as your forehand!

The importance of tennis shoes

If you are serious about tennis then you will need a good pair of shoes to back you up. Tennis shoes are specifically designed for vertical and horizontal movement around the court, and as so, will have more cushioning in the arch and sides of the shoe. Because tennis is a sport of running not just forward, but side to side, running shoes or other types can leave the foot uncomfortable, leading to blistered, or raw feet at the end of the day. A good pair of tennis shoes are not cheep, but they will last you. I've had my pair of Adidas barricades for about two to three years now and they are still in great shape. I would recommend either the barricade by Adidas, or Nike air max or city court shoes.
               
Either way, as long as it has sufficient ankle, arch, and side support, your feet will thank you if you plan to play more than once a week.