Obsession With Tennis
Monday, January 14, 2008, 01:38 AM - Tennis
Obsession With Tennis. A tennis article.
In Atlanta, tennis is (as Donald Trump would say) YUGE.

Hi, my name is Jackie, and I'm obsessed with tennis.

How am I addicted? I play year round outdoors, even practicing in 30 degree weather, which for the south, is practically unbearable. I play even though I'm slow, weigh more than I should, and am now 40 years old. I play with fogged up glasses, look atrocious in a ponytail and typically walk out onto the court with a cigarette and a Mountain Dew. I play even though I was a single mother of 3 teenagers with a full time job (sometimes 2 jobs) and am now about to divorce husband-of-less-than-a-year number two. I play when I have strep throat or the flu or have had only a few hours of sleep. I have driven in from a long distance trip straight to the courts to win a match. When my car broke down and had to be towed, I cared only about my tennis racket in the trunk.

I am addicted because I can't wait until the next season starts. Because I am much harder on my own mistakes than anyone else's on the court. Because I want another ALTA city champion plate. Because I still play even though there are thousands and thousands of people in Atlanta who are better players than I. Because I want to learn a kick serve. Because my best friend and I now own a tennis league and want to do that the rest of our lives. Because I want to wear a little red Nike tennis skirt when I'm 70 and have people say, "Look at that little old women in the tennis skirt. I bet she used to have great tennis legs." Because I have great tennis legs. Because I'm not afraid of the net. Because I like to see people flinch back when I miss my first serve simply because it hit the tape so hard.

I am addicted because I can't think of a better stocking stuffer than new tennis socks. Because I have crashed into poles and fences to chase down a ball. Because the condition of my tennis shoes is more important than my work shoes. Because there are certain T-shirts I can never wear again because I didn't win while wearing them. Because I've played matches at 7 in the morning and as late as 10 at night.

Mostly, I am obsessed with tennis because it brings just the right balance of life and aggression and sociality to an introvert like me, and I won't stop playing until my body insists.

By: Jackie Hamilton
Owner and Operator of http://www.CourtMeTennis.com, a social tennis league currently servicing five major US cities.

Submitted by:
Tom Reynolds
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Lesson On Preparation For The Forehand Drive In Tennis
Monday, January 14, 2008, 01:34 AM - Tennis
Lesson On Preparation For The Forehand Drive In Tennis. A tennis article.
This article is all about preparation on our forehand, this is often overlooked by many player but is key in order to produce a quality stroke.

I frequently encounter errors of preparation on the forehand whilst working with amateurs. When you watch the pro's they always use a split-step just before their opponent hits the ball this allows them to change direction quickly and effectively.

Club players often find themselves with their body in the way of the stroke and have trouble establishing the correct distance from the ball laterally.

Keep your head still, track the ball all the way onto the strings and make sure your shoulders are level. Doing all these things will help to alleviate the problem. It is also vitally important to rotate hips, trunk and shoulders (in that order) until the shoulders are sideways to the target. This sideways turn creates a kinetic chain, of which the racket is the final linking piece. The forehand drive in tennis is a great weapon that all players must work on.

Most professionals keep their free hand on the racket throat which helps initiate the turn and ensure correct positioning of the arm before letting go. The position of the free arm can also assist in distancing the player laterally from the ball and keeping the ball at that arm's length will prevent crowding the swing. Tennis is a simple game if we correct the basics.

Good footwork is the final part of our work in this article. Attention must be paid to planting your back foot to the inside of where the shot will be struck. Make sure that the foot is not outside or even inline with the ball's path. Applying this movement in the correct way stops unnecessary 'pulling' of the shot due to lack of space and helps eliminate errors. Once you find the correct position, load your weight on your back leg - then you have prepared perfectly and can look forward to making a successful shot.

By: Darren Emery
More tennis lessons can be found in vastly more details on my blog at http://www.6-0tennis.com lets hit like the pros!

Darren at 6-0tennis.com is a former top 20 British player who traveled extensively on the professional tour for several years. He has trained and played against some of the most famous names in the industry and continues to help players of all ages and abilities reach their potential. He is a PTR Professional coach and also holds the NLP Master Trainer certification.

Submitted by:
Tom Reynolds
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How to Build a Solid Tennis Mental Foundation
Monday, January 14, 2008, 01:30 AM - Tennis
How to Build a Solid Tennis Mental Foundation. A tennis article.
Tennis is one of the most toughest games out there. It demands not only speed, strength and stamina, but it's a lot of mental toughness. In order to improve your game, you need to develop a very strong mental foundation. Without it, the fear that you may experience on the court can make your game drown, and result in a upsetting losses. There are a couple of things that can happen as a result of fear, and there are ways to overcome it as well. Here are a few tips.

Causes of Fear

Tennis is so exhilarating when you're winning and it can be so devastating when you're losing. If you're playing a great game and begin to mess up or get into a bit of trouble, fear can really cause you to panic and lose the game. This is true even when you would have usually gotten away with it. The fear seems to take control and render you unable to play the game as well as you normally would have. This is due to having a weak mental foundation for playing the game.

Another way that the fear can mess you up is if you are winning. Why would you fear that? Well, some people start to get nervous when they are winning and they begin to defend their lead. This will make them start to play cautiously and stop doing the things they were doing which brought them to the lead in the first place. They may stop the aggressive game play that gave them the upper hand and this can cause trouble.

Building that Strong Foundation

In order to stop this fear from creating these problems, you need to develop a very strong mental foundation which will allow you to overcome that fear and play at your best no matter what is happening. There is a key for doing this, and that is to play in the moment. Don't make the mistake of playing for the next moment, and getting all worked up about the points ahead. You simply have to think about the present, and block out all the negative thoughts and visions of the future.

This may take you a lot of work, and in order to develop this skill, you play. That's it? Yes, that's it. Playing the game and losing, experiencing heartbreaks and triumphs and simply getting a great experience of the game as a whole gives you this mental strength which allows you to play in the moment. You'll be at ease, and you won't panic or feel the need to overplay in order to defend your lead. Even the very best pro players had to develop this foundation in order to compete at the highest level. So, practice the game and gain as much experience as you can. This way, you'll always be able to play for the moment, and you will always play at your best.

By: Matthias Mazur
Discover all the underground secrets and the mental tennis tips to develop your mental toughness, improve your game and boost your confidence on the tennis court. Click here to learn more about winning the tennis mental game now: http://www.mentaltennistips.com.

Submitted by:
Tom Reynolds
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The Tennis Forehand For Beginners - The Easy Way
Monday, January 14, 2008, 01:22 AM - Tennis
The Tennis Forehand For Beginners - The Easy Way. A tennis article.
You should always take lessons in the basics of tennis for beginners. Learning the basic movements with a qualified professional teacher is very important to create a solid foundation for your future tennis technique. But, you can also have fun with a friend or parent.

- Tennis the easy way! How to learn a natural forehand in a basic type of stroke for people just learning the game:

Ground-strokes:

THE TENNIS FOREHAND

Start by just holding one tennis ball, bounce it of the ground with one hand and catch it again either with one hand or both. Do this 10 or 15 times alone.

Get a partner (parent/coach) standing about 6 to 8 feet in front of you and start throwing a tennis ball under handed towards each other (bouncing once or twice) and catching it again with one hand or both. Do this 15 or 20 times.*

Repeat step 2 but instead of catching the ball use the open palm of your dominant hand to gently hold and push the ball towards your partner in an upwards motion. See if you can keep the ball in play with one bounce (or two) between you. Try counting until you traded the ball 10 times with each other. Remember use the open palm of your hand.

As a beginner you should not be concerned with grips, now just hold the racket as it feels comfortable to you. The forehand is hit with the palm of your hand facing the ball. The forehand ground-stroke begins with a slight, short backswing and forward swing through the ball contact.

If you are using an adult racket, a shortened grip on the racket is advised for very young players or the use of an age adequate smaller racket.

Start without a net having your partner about 6 to 8 feet in front of you and drop feed the ball by hand to your friend and he/she should just tap it with the racket back to you for a catch with two hands or one hand as you get more skilled.

If the ball bounces more then once between both of you it does not matter. As your friend is able to tap the ball back to you and you are able to catch it, trade positions after 10 strokes then your partner feeds and you tap the ball.

Then do the same three or four times 10 shots in a row to each other (by each counting out-loud each hit; 1, 2 , 3 etc..).

Now lengthen the the distance between both players to 10 to 12 feet and the backswing will be a little longer but continue to hit the ball gently and at a slow pace to the catcher.

If your hand fed rate of success is very high and many balls are nicely struck, go back to phase 3.- and repeat it all but this time both using tennis rackets, ball feeding by dropping the ball on the ground and then gently tap it to your partner therefore starting a mini-rally by trading balls with each other.

Go through Steps 4 to 9.

By now you may be tired. Just take a break and do some other activity like bouncing a basket ball with one hand or bounce it switching hands or use a Balance Beam for a little fun and balance exercise.

As a beginner remember that, you will first hand feed and then drop feed with the racket next!

*You can also do the same exercise by tossing the ball directly in the air to each other (without bouncing it).

By: Sergio Cruz
For quick access to all links to the referenced articles please go to http://www.tenniscruz.com

Copyright © Tenniscruz.com®. All rights reserved.

Sérgio Cruz is an ex # 1 National Champion, Davis Cup Player from Portugal and former Coach Jim Courier ATP World Ranking # 1

Submitted by:
Tom Reynolds
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