What are tennis basics?
In any sport there are basic physical movements that are required to perform. That is what I am being specific about in this blog. Style I will deal with at another time.
Tennis basics
When playing what would be a basic? For example you are teaching a first time student how to hit a forehand. What do you think would be the first thing you would emphasize? Let’s pretend you have just put the racket in their hand. You have positioned them at the service line on the other side of the net from yourself (assuming you have told them the name of the service line). You haven’t instructed them at all. Just put a racket in the hand and told them to stand on the service line. Now you tell them you are going to toss a tennis ball to them from just on the other side of the net.
You toss the ball. What is their reaction? Depending on the age and athletic background of the student, I have experienced many different approaches. They run at the ball and try to hit it before it bounces (younger players-children mostly, although some adults have tried this-lol). The student runs at the ball and tries to hit it with ball directly in front of their body – windshield wiper like. The student continues to stand still and simply watches the ball bounce by them. Yes that has happened on numerous occasions – mostly with younger children, but also with adults with no athletic background experience. There are other examples, but let’s get to the basics.
With the ball moving toward them, preparation to hit the ball has to take place. That sounds pretty basic and it is. What happens? There is the factor of time as the ball moves toward the student. In order to be ready, what do you think is the first basic in preparation? – moving the feet? setting up in front or to the side of approaching ball?, or racket preparation?
As you analyze I would hope you would arrive at the racket preparation. We are talking about a beginner, not an experienced player, in which many things might happen seemingly simultaneously-racket back, shoulder turn, feet moving,etc.
There is a time factor involved here. The ball is approaching at a moving pace. Once it is ‘on’ you, it is time to hit. Therefore, the racket has to be the first stage in preparation. As the student sees the ball approaching, the instruction,”Racket back” is to be heard from the instructor. The question arises. What do you mean by taking it back? Oh, to the side back. How far back? Ok, so it pointing to the back of the court. Is the racket head below my wrist or above my wrist on the way back. Do I take it straight back or loop it back. What grip do I hold the racket with? Actually, to a beginning student, again dependent on age and athletic experience, they aren’t aware of many of these aspects. They are just thinking about hitting the ball.
Sound too basic? Well that is what my ‘virtual tennis’ category of my blog will deal with. Tennis basics that apply to the ‘parks’ or ‘club’ player who is not going to achieve pro status. In truth, having worked with players on the pro level who are continually looking for ways to improve technically, improvement can always be traced back to improving these basics.
Have you ever thought about racket preparation as the first basic?
