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.

Footwork and position from the ball

Your position or distance from the ball is one of the most important things in separating a decent shot from a great shot. This drill is designed to help you find your best distance on your forehand and backhand side, as well as help with the footwork necessary to set up for each.
1) Grab a friend, this drill is for two.
2) Get at least ten balls and a racquet.
3) Have one person stand on the baseline with their racquet and the other feeding from the service line.
4) Toss the balls just out of reach in sets of 10, alternating between forehand and backhand for each feed, (start slow the first set and speed up every new set).
5) Pay close attention to how you move to the ball and what feels like the best distance, if you have to reach out for the ball or the ball is too close and you are cramped then you will need to readjust.
If you have more than 2, or taking semi-private or group lesson, then you can have the others shadow hit behind the baseline player. If this is the case make sure the person actually hitting the ball has plenty of room!

The continental grip

Okay, you've made it through your first few lessons. Now you are ready to take on volleying and serving. To do both of these, you need to first move your hand into continental grip.
Why should I use continental?
Continental is very useful because it aids in angling the ball directly into the court both at the net and when serving. Because of the way your shoulders are turned when serving and volleying, the continental grip will allow you to line up the ball based on the new angle of your racquet. From the net, your shoulders are only slightly turned, to put your racquet even with the court you need to change the grip on your racquet and therefore the angle.
This is done by moving you hand to bevel 4 if you are right handed, or bevel 1 if you are left handed. Again, your index finger should run up the new bevel and it should fit comfortably in your palm. To check if you are in continental, you can stand still, and try to bounce the ball straight up and down against the ground. If the ball bounces right back up to your racquet, then you need to adjust your grip. This is also useful when serving because of how your shoulders are positioned.
When you serve, your shoulders should be completely even with the lines on the court. In order to make a successful serve, your shoulders must open as you swing. To minimize the amount that they need to turn, you can start in continental grip, taking out some extra rotation and also adding that direct angle towards the ball. Next time you serve, get in position behind the base line. If your shoulders are closed and in normal grip, you should notice that you racquet's angle points directly down the side that you are on. Since you need to serve cross-court, if you start in continental grip, you will notice that just holding the racquet in the air, it is already pointed towards the correct service box.
This grip may feel a little strange at first but I promise you will get used to it. In fact, for some it may even feel better than your normal grip! If that is the case, I encourage you to use it as much as possible. Continental grip, if used correctly, will create natural topspin for your forehand side on the ball, and it will cause that visible arc motion when watching the ball.  Keep in mind though that you may have to readjust your grip for your backhand as the angle is no longer flat, but turned up towards the sky on that side.

The backspin slice

Backspin

Okay so you've been working on your shots and you have them down pretty good. What's next? A good step to go to once you can confidently hit 8/10 or 9/10 shots without 'pattycaking' them over the net is the backspin or back slice.
This shot can be done from either the forehand or backhand side. To hit a  back slice, start in either your normal or a continental grip. (Try out both and see which feels more natural for you.) Start with the racquet high as opposed to low or waist high. Make sure you have about a 45 degree angle on your racquet head, not vertical or horizontal with the court, but somewhere comfortably in between. Bring the racquet through the ball, keeping that angle throughout the shot, and bring the racquet slightly downwards with your swing, ending at about your waist. Keep visual contact with the ball, and leave your head down as you would with any other shot after the hit is made. It is very important that you retain the angle your racquet head makes throughout the shot or you may end up hitting the frame or fail to have enough power to hit the ball over the net.
This shot on the backhand side can be done either one or two-handed. If you try the one hand, make sure you bring your weak hand up to the bridge or throat (shown below) of the racquet to stabilize the shot. 

Parts of a racquet

Then, as you swing, let the racquet come out of your weak hand and bring it down through the shot, keeping your weak hand up in the air as you swing.

This is one of the harder shots to understand the 'feeling' of how you should hit the ball, and by that, one of the harder shots to master. However, once you add this shot to your repertoire, it can be a great tool as it can be used for offense, defense, or a neutral shot. 

Is my grip too big or too small?

Grip size

Unsure if the size of your racquet's grip is too big or too small? You should make like the picture to the right! Hold the racquet as you would normally and if you can fit your index finger of the weak hand between the other hand comfortably, touching the tip of your middle finger and bottom of your palm then you are golden. If you can fit one and a half fingers or more then you need a larger grip! The easiest fix is to add an over grip to your racquet which is a cheep fix and also easy to replace when you start to wear it down. You can also increase the racquet grip dimensions but doing so would require purchasing a new racquet! If the grip is too small and you can't fit a finger then you need a smaller grip. From here, if you have an over grip on the racquet, then it needs to come off. If you don't then you need to get a new racquet with a larger grip.

How to hold the racquet

So you're new to the sport and have never touched a racquet in your life. Not a problem! Holding the racquet is very easy. The easiest way to describe a standard, beginner grip on the racquet is to put it flat on the ground and pick it up as you would a frying pan. If this doesn't make sense than lets take a deeper look into it.

The racquet has eight sides or bevels. To grip the racquet normally, line up the part of your dominant hand circled in the picture with the top bevel marked on the octagon that is your racquet grip. Your index finger should be able to run up the top of the racquet toward the head. The top of the racquet should then fit comfortably inside your palm with your fingers closed around the grip. You want to keep a tight enough grip to prevent the racquet sliding while swinging, but not so tight that you could define it as a 'death grip.' Your weaker hand should then be placed right above the dominant hand in the same manor.

Basic forehand technique

 For every player, the starting point of their game is their forehand. The forehand should compose of 70% of your hits from the baseline and is to most people the easiest shot to make and master.

Step 1

To begin, make sure your your feet are lined up, parallel with the lines of the court and your knees are slightly bent. To start your swing, bring your racquet slightly back and drop the ball so that it bounces around waist level. Your weaker hand should try to shadow the right, keeping it up initially in front of your body for balance.

Step 2

 Next, keep eye contact with your shot and the ball and try to place the ball directly to the center of your racquet. If you are playing with a new racquet try to hit the center of the logo on the strings. Keep your swing low with your racquet pointed slightly down towards the court. Also bring your weak hand up with your swing, leaving the distance between the two hands about the same.

Step 3

Keep your head down, eyes on where contact with the racquet was made. Drive all the way through the ball and bring your racquet up towards your shoulder so that you lift the ball up and over the net. It is important that you keep swinging after hitting the ball. Don't half swing or stop after the initial moment of contact.

Step 4

Last, bring the racquet all the way up, over your shoulder and let your weak hand re grip the racquet. You should feel yourself being pulled into the court with this overall motion if done fluidly. Take one step with your back foot, moving forward, following that pull. I like to call this the momentum step.

Most importantly, practice! Learning this sport is all about repetition and learning from your mistakes! The more times you hit a shot the better you get at it. 

How to choose your first racquet

Your first racquet can be tough to chose, however, it doesn't have to be so hard.

Keep in mind that if you are buying your FIRST racquet, then you are most likely new to the sport.

So, lets look at beginner racquets. A beginner racquet will be about the same no matter what brand you buy, note however that some are better then others though. I recommend something that doesn't feel too heavy and that you can tolerate swinging around for an hour to an hour and a half. Ideally the racquet should be from 5 to 9oz, light enough so that until your technique develops, you have a harder time over-hitting the ball and spend more time hitting it in. I would also suggest a racquet with a large head size which is the area that the strings cover inside the frame. I would go anywhere from  100" to 110".

 For example, the Wilson Pro Limited 110 BLX (below) is just such a racquet, with a head size of 110" and its weight just over 9oz. The weight is a touch high for a beginner, but is still in the realm of playable for newbies. Keep in mind that this racquet is still designed as a performance racquet and its price of around $90 to $100 reflects that. Be at ease though, because a racquet like this will easily carry you through a long time of development and should physically last a long while. A cheaper alternative would be a racquet from the (K) series. The (K) series is before BLX and while most of the racquets aren't 'state of the art,' they are more than capable of getting the job done, especially for a beginner/intermediate player.  Importantly, make sure you buy a racquet with the right grip size! If you don't know if the racquet grip you are looking at is too big or small then check out my post here.

My Racquet

My racquet of choice is the Wilson Six.One Tour BLX. It tailors to the advanced player with its heavy weight of 12oz and its small head size of 90". For me it is perfect. With a shock absorber to couple it, I feel almost no vibrations when hitting. I would recommend this to only the advanced players (5.0+) because of the size and weight. For those of you just starting out, I would suggest a racquet with a larger head size and perhaps a tad lighter.

About Me

Hello everyone!
I am a twenty-year-old tennis instructor and player registered through USTA. I love playing and teaching and am more than happy to extend my skills to anyone interested. I play in two different areas, Morris county New Jersey, and Charlotte North Carolina. During the school year I am available in Charlotte and over the summer I am located in New Jersey.
For my lessons, I am more than happy to play as long as I am not scheduled for the time you are interested in.
I charge 35 an hour for privates, 50 for semi privates, and 60 for group lessons. Please note that semi privates and group lessons are split between each member, (e.g. for a semi each player pays 25, for groups of 3 each player pays 10, groups of 6 will pay just 10 dollars).
I can travel to your preferred court, or, if you don't have a court in mind I have a few courts in each location that I can play at. If interested please let me know times and days you are available as well as the area you are interested in.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or interests at Brenbakst@aol.com or (973)476-8360