Tennis Serve Unleashed
Take Your Tennis Serve to the Next Level
Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook
Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
If you're a tennis fan, you've probably heard current world number one Rafael Nadal talk during interviews after his matches.
You might have noticed that, usually, after a difficult match, whether he wins or loses, he always talks about "working hard," "trying his best" and "improving." If the world's best player can talk about improving, then surely, the rest of us could use a bit of an upgrade for our considerably more pedestrian tennis skills.
Any one player who has been trying to understand how to play tennis for beginners regularly for a long time has experienced days when they feel like they've moved up a level or two. It's as if all of a sudden, they know how to play better tennis. A 4.0 player is suddenly trading bullet groundstrokes with a 4.5 or a 5.0 and keeping the scores close. But this kind of thing never lasts for long. Something always happens that brings the reality back to their faces. Still, it should be regarded as an encouraging sign; something that gives a glimpse of one's potential for improvement.
Besides tennis lessons and being a student of the game, the secret behind how to play tennis for beginners is due diligence. Any tennis enthusiast knows also that in order to play like the best, you must watch the best players. In learning how to play better tennis for beginners, you should watch professional tennis tournaments on TV, maybe even check out a unique sportsbook review and most of all, be sure to watch your favorite tennis pros in action.
Club players often only want to play sets and matches instead of spending time on court developing new skills, improving weaknesses or perfecting what they have previously begun to learn. Sometimes, they'll try something new in a match, something they've not necessarily practiced yet - and miraculously pull it off! But when you try to make them execute this shot again, they will very rarely be successful. There is no secret to improving a stroke.
In learning how to play tennis for beginners, you simply have to practice it again and again. But corollary to this, another way how to play better tennis is to focus on what you're doing right. It is equally important to accentuate the positive! So be sure to incorporate time in your practice sessions for working on the shots that you already hit well. This is the key to developing a truly solid and reliable shot. In any case, an important thing to remember if you want to know how to play better tennis is to go back to the basics.
As beginners, we are first taught to watch the ball at all times. You might be surprised to know that even at the pro level, some unforced errors are committed because the player didn't keep his eyes on the ball long enough. Of course, they do this far less frequently than the rest of us but still, it just goes to show that no matter how far you improve, sometimes the basic things still get overlooked from time to time. Always remind yourself to watch the ball closely, so closely in fact that you can actually see the ball leave your opponent's racket all the way right onto your own.
The next basic thing to remember is to keep proper form and mechanics on all strokes. Each stroke has its own specific way of how you take back the racket and swing it through the ball but there are a few things that never change. For one, you must always be in proper balance. If you are off balance, the chance of you making an errant shot increases. In order to keep this balance, your feet must always be ready to move any way - left, right, forward or backward. For this to happen, your feet must already be moving.
Focus on the pros feet next time you watch tennis on TV. Notice that they keep their feet constantly moving. The best example is Roger Federer. Wouldn’t we all love to glide around the court as gracefully and seemingly effortlessly as he does? Proper movement is another foundation in learning how to play better tennis.
Anticipation and timing are equally important as well. As you watch the ball, you will be able to discern what kind of shot is coming in at you. You will know if it is a fast shot or a slow shot, long or short, high or low, topspin, flat or sliced. As you move and adjust your feet, your stroke mechanics have to be executed in perfect sync, such that after you make contact, a proper transfer of body weight can be made into the shot.
Another thing to remember if you want to know how to play better tennis is to develop mental toughness. This is all related to your ability to focus and concentrate. How many times have we played against a player that, by his very presence on court, seems to bring out the worst in us? It could be because we know he can hit shots that we absolutely hate or he's just plain frustrating to play against because he gets everything back, even our best shots. It doesn't matter. We only have to deal with the ball and not him per se. Focus only on what you can control, which is the ball. If he hits shots that are too difficult for you to handle, then that only means that you have that much more practice to improve.
Let’s admit it: sometimes, when we are playing, we fantasize that we are our idols. Sometimes we get wrapped up in this fantasy that it almost becomes real to us. We forget that we are only playing for fun and not for any kind of prize money. We get mad and stressed out, when playing tennis is supposed to release us from our everyday stress. When you find yourself getting hot and bothered on court, take a moment to remember, that, yes indeed, this is just a game. You are not a pro, and while you should be copying many of the things that make a pro so good in order for you to improve, you should stop yourself when things get too far. Enjoy the game. You’re getting to learn how to play better tennis - and that's a very good thing!