Can someone help me with my tennis game?
140835
The advice you got may have been well-intended, but reaching too far is not going to help you a bit! First, your grip largely determines whether you need to hit the ball more to the front (western semi-western at the extreme) or to the rear (continental most extreme). Assuming you have an eastern or semi-western grip (most commonly taught by teaching pros), you really just need to hit the ball in a position that keeps your arm-torso relationship strong. If you reach out too much, you lose the power of your torso, and it becomes an arm shot.\nLook at Agassi, Federer, and the rest of the pros. Their racket is laid back and they rotate their torso ahead of their arm and racket. So the force is created by the rotation of the body more than by the arm acting independently.\nThe key is to stay in balance, and if you are trying to reach out in front too far, you will lose your balance as well as the integrity of the stroke.\nI urge you to look at the pros in slow-motion. Check the resouce below which gives you multiple clips of most of the pros, from every angle.
364889
go to www.tennis.com where you can subscribe for tennis magazines that gives you advices for that or you can go to www.atptennis.com or www.usta.com\n. I would suggest the first and the third choices are the best.
1064962
That's a great question. Here are some ideas for you to work on:\n\n1. Your serve often will get neglected when you can't find anyone else to practice with. This is actually the best time to work on your serve. I recommend that you buy a ball hopper (they make picking the balls back up so easy, and plus when you bring the arms down to use them as legs, you don't have to bend over to get another ball after every serve). With your ball hopper filled with tennis balls go and setup some targets at your local court and practice serving. You'd be surprised what an hour a day does for your serve. Check out the first link under "Sources"for a great online store where you'll be able to find a ball hopper.\n\n2. Your volleys are also often neglected when you don't have anyone else to hit with. My personal opinion is that practicing volleys against a wall is more useful than ground strokes. Find a wall, give yourself about six feet from the wall and toss a ball against it. Volley and keep the ball "in play" and continue to get closer and closer to the wall. Your reflexes and your volleys will really improve with this. If you don't do it against a practice wall, then you can mark in chalk a line at 3 feet from the ground to give you an idea of the net.\n\n3. Your footwork is something that can always be addressed, but it is often ignored totally. There are lots of drills that you can do that will help you "move towards the ball." The second link under the sources will take you to one such training resource. It's a special kind of ball that bounces unexpectedly. You'll want to toss the ball into the air, do a split step as it bounces (a split step is when you take a little hop and are ready to explode to another position), and try and catch the ball before it hits the ground again.\n\n4. Your ground strokes are pretty difficult to work on alone. You can try hitting against a wall, but if you spend your time hitting against the wall and not against other players, you'll find that your "wall time" doesn't necessarily translate to good tennis. I remember that one summer, I spent at least an hour a day against the wall, and the next time that I hit with someone, I was spraying my groundies against the back fence. The reason was that during all that wall practice, I didn't have the normal feedback that a real court gives (how the spin will affect the ball's trajectory, how much power I'm putting on the ball, etc.)--all that the wall told me was how high over the net I was hitting. So, my advice is that if you decide to spend a lot of time hitting against a wall, try to spend as much time hitting with someone else. A better use of the wall is for volleys. A ball machine is a big investment. If you decide to buy one of those, do your homework and ask around before forking out the money for it.\n\nMy final suggestion is to check out the third link in the source list. The United States Tennis Association has put a "player finder" option on their website. There you'll be able to enter your zip code and the kinds of players you'd like to hit against, and it will give you some people's names. There is no substitute for a real person on the other side of the net.\n\nI hope that helps!
324950
If possible\n1. Ask your parents to find a coach for you\n2. Do off courts exercises to improve your strength, flexibility, etc.\n3. Watch matches and see how the stars serve\n4. Read advices from websites like www.tennis.com\n5. Keep practising \n6. Avoid injury from over practising\n7. Believe you can serve better
1117329
Two people before me, Bella and Cruzer, have answered your question. Cruzer's answer was quite long and detailed while Bella's answer was very short and sweet.\n\nI'm a nationally certified Tennis instructor, and I can tell you that Cruzer's advice, though impressive in its detail and volume, is completely uninformed and incorrect.\n\nAlthough Bella's answer was quite short, she's completely correct. \n\nIndeed, taking PRIVATE Tennis lessons from a renowned Tennis instructor is the surest and shortest route to improvement. Rest assured that the only way to control the ball is by learning proper technique and spin, be it topspin or slice.\n\nYou might be tempted to take group lessons, but do yourself a favor and leave this to beginners. For sure, if you've been playing tennis for a while and have seen too little improvement, only PRIVATE tennis lessons will do.
1120950
i'm always asking the beginners to learn the speed of tennis balls. by knowing the speed you will try to adjust your movement when you hit the ball. you need to understand that in a match the ball will never comes to you; you need to come and hit the ball. then you need to practice tennis strokes; study how other players hit the ball and try to duplicate. for this all you need is a never-ending practice.\ngood luck and enjoy tennis as i do.
741637
Tennis is a game with lots of ups and downs.  Most people play their best 25% of the time. They play their worst 25% of the time, and they play in the middle 50% of time. So it's normal to play well sometimes, and play poorly at other times. A lot of the time it's mental. If you don't think positively, you probably won't do well. If it's a matter of your strokes not being consistant, then hitting against a wall or using a ball machine is great because it grooves your strokes. The more you play, the better! Also, when I have problems with consistancy, I try to play less point play and more drills. This also helps to groove my strokes. Anyway, good luck in the next tourney!
675105
Key to a good serve is consistency and accuracy. The main thing to concentrate on is timing, and serving action: should through the ball approximately 1 racket distance in from the baseline and hit it just as its dropping from the highest part of your toss.\nOnce you have mastered the technique, timing and accuracy, you can build on it by adding power - its important to not try hit it "too hard".\nLastly, another important thing is to develop and effect second serve - one you can depend on. This is normally a slice/topspin serve or a reduced speed/power version of the 1st serve.
763170
You can watch or go to a tennis competition and observe how the advance level players serve and just imitate and practice it. Try the underhand serve it will go over the net, but you got to adjust your strength (power) , so the ball wont go flying out of the court or lines.\nCheck out the link below, the videos on there teaches you the correct way to serve a tennis ball!!!
193966
The flat serve is a very effective weapon, as it is the fastest serve. \n \n   \n  Steps:  \n1.   Grip the racket with a Continental grip, not a forehand grip (see the Related eHows).  \n  \n2.   Stand near the center mark for hitting down the centerline. Stand farther from the center mark for a wide, flat serve.  \n  \n3.   Assume the normal posture for a serve, with a sideways stance and your hands down.  \n  \n4.   Throw the racket to the "back-scratch" position as you toss the ball in front of you.  \n  \n5.   Toss the ball farther in front than you would for a slice, topspin or kick serve and farther to your right for right-handed hitters.  \n  \n6.   Throw your racket out of the back-scratch position, with your palm facing the net at contact with the ball.  \n  \n7.   Hit the ball with your arm fully extended.  \n  \n8.   Let your arm finish the serve on either the right or left side of your body.  \n  \n  \n  Tips:  \n Mix a flat serve with other service choices, so it will not be predictable to your opponent.  \n  \n Practice hitting down the line on the deuce side and serving wide on the ad side.  \n  \n  \n  Warnings:  \n Tennis is a physically demanding sport that can result in serious injury. We recommend that you seek the proper equipment and training before undertaking this activity.
447118
The older you are currently the harder it will be,  many of the professional tennis players on the circuit today started as young as 5 and have been having coaching and training hard ever since.\n\nThis does not mean that you cannot make it though, you just need exceptional self belief and personal drive. If you want it badly enough, anything is possible!\n\nOn a practical note I would firstly recommend joining a tennis club if you havern't done so already. Get some coaching which is essential to helping you improve your technique and always try and play people that are better than you and will challenge your game.\n\nEnter tournaments as other people have mentioned and basically strive to play as frequently as possible.\n\nFinally you constantly want to set realistic but challenging goals.\n\nGood Luck! \nIf you believe you're going to make it, I believe you will too! Let me know your name and I'll watch out for you.
187192
Tennis seems to be the least likely to help you in the long run.  It seems like that would be the most "just taking it for fun" classes.  Take the three that will help you the most in the future :)
748659
I have been playing table tennis for about 5 years now. I have a very powerful backhand and a reliable forehand. I also have quite a good serve. Here are some tips and tricks that I have gathered throughout the years:\n\n\nBackhand:\n\nI hit with a pretty full motion swing. I try to focus on contacting the ball in the center of the paddle (this goes for the forehand as well). So when you are practicing, try to think about hitting the ball with the center. You will not succeed every time, but as you practice this more, you will develop better judgment and will be hitting the ball more cleanly. Also, think about brushing up on the ball. Try to impart quite a bit of topspin, but also do not forget to hit through the ball a bit.\n\n\nForehand:\n\nAlthough I am weaker off this wing, I can still over you some tips. When I hit a forehand, I try to "wrap" the ball with my paddle. In other words, when the ball is coming towards you, get your paddle below the level of the ball and swing up. As your paddle reaches the top of the ball, rotate it so it "wraps" around it. I found that this helps me keep the ball on the table and minimizes the chance that it will sail long.\n\n\nServe:\n\nThe most common mistake I see people make is they try to hit the ball as hard as they can and when they do not get it in, they get upset. In the beginning, your main goal should be to get your serve in, for if you cannot get your serve in, it doesn't matter how good the rest of your game is. The serve is THE most important shot in table tennis! When you are getting your serves in, then begin to apply spin and power accordingly.\n\n\nTHE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS:\n\nKeep your eyes on the ball at all times! This is very important, do not lose track of it. At first, you might lose track of it, but as you practice keeping your eyes on the ball, you will become better at tracking it.\nBend your knees! When you hit, this will allow you to get under the ball better, lower your center of gravity, and provide more power for your shots as you are using the leg muscles as well in your shots.\nAlways keep moving! Footwork is one of the most important aspects of the game. Always keep your feet moving. This will help you get into position and will give you more time to prepare to hit the shot correctly.\n\n\n\nGood luck!
100232
1st of all you need to know what level you are you'll know by long long you've played and if your getting it at a store hopefully someone could help you with it.\n2nd you need to find your swing style yes people have different swings ranging from short and slow to long and fast\n3rd you need to be comfortable with the racket pick 1 you think looks nice and would like to play with.\n\nif you follow that you should be able to find your perfect racket. i did this and now i'm a pro!
168085
YOU WANT TO BE ANYTHING. THATS NO MATTER.\nPLEASE TRY TO ADD ANOTHER 'N' TO TENNIS NEXT TIME.\nOTHERWISE, IF YOU HIT 'P' INSTEAD OF 'T', THE MEANING WILL SOUND TERRIBLY.
821280
The best thing for you to do is obviously hit  a ton of balls.  Practice your serve as much or more then you do other strokes.  It has become a game of serving and returns because of the advances it racket tech.  \n        Try and play USTA tournaments in your section as often as you can.  At a minimum one each month.  Matches are key.  If you do that you will find yourself feeling less pressure then you do  when playing for your high school.  \n         Matches are also the best way to identify what you have to work on.   Do some off court training as well.  Jumping rope, sit ups , push ups.  If possible take a private lesson every once in a while.  When you take your lesson , know going into it what you would like to work on going into your lesson.  Not only practice your weak areas , but work on your strengths also so you can develop a few weapons.  The best ones are as I said before Serve, return of serve.  Make your footwork a priority . of you are quick it is a major help.  Big forehands once you get into a rally are important.
678660
Stupid question - tennis