3. Energy bars, you
are burning calories that need to be replaced 4. Fruits
5. Extra rackets-
minimum 3, strings break and tensions are different. Different tensions are for
different tennis surface and weather.
6.Extra shirts and
socks 7. Athletic Tape and
Band-Aids 8. Towel and Sweat
Bands, you could use 2 a set 9. Shoes ( not new
ones) 10. Extra over grips 11. Hat 12. Ibuprofen 13. Topical Alalgesic, Flex-All 14. Ipod 15. Sunglasses 16. Jump Rope 17. Extra String at Tournaments
Well
you wouldn't want to make a random choice of playing style; the style of play
you use should be determined by your balance of strengths.
So you need to do a little bit of self-evaluation. What aspects of your game
work well at the moment? What do you hurt your opponents with? What would your
opponents say your strengths were if they were scouting you?
If you're comfortable at the baseline and you win your points by persisting
away patiently and with good footwork and consistent groundstrokes, you're
going to be best suited to a counterpuncher
(or defensive baseliner) style of play.
If you get most of your success forcing errors and short balls out of your
opponents with your big groundstrokes, you're best suited to being an aggressive baseliner.
If your instincts carry you into the net where you're successful finishing
points off early with volleys and overheads, you should obviously develop the serve-and-volley style of play.
If, however, your strengths are well spread and you're equally successful
hitting groundstrokes from the baseline and volleying at the net after certain
serves/returns/short balls, you should continue to develop into an all-court player.
Work out what you already do well and develop those strengths into a style of
play.
"Playing good tennis" is a
very simple idea but very difficult to understand. Of course we all try to play
good tennis, don't we? NO, probably not. Most players are not focused on
playing good tennis; they are focused on trying to beat their opponent. Isn't
that the same? NO.
When you try to beat your opponent
you are too focused on him or her instead on tennis demands, statistics and
rules. Some of the shots that you may play are very low percentage but if you
see that they would bring success against your opponent you go and try them- it
is a
big mistake. You beat yourself because you play against statistics and
the laws of physics. The other problem is that you may try shots that you are
not skilled enough. You are trying the right tactic but you are not good enough
to do it. Your ego is your biggest problem here.
You don't want to admit that you are
not good enough and you have a million excuses why today for some strange
and unlucky reason your shot didn't go in. And only if you are totally honest
with yourself and accept yourself the way you are at the moment, only then can
you realize what your good tennis looks like. And only then will you be able to
realistically set your goals and prepare tactics for your best tennis.
There is also the golden middle that
you need to find inside your mind: you need to accept your current
state--technique, tactical knowledge, physical abilities and mental skills and
feel good about them and at the same time have the desire to improve.
Timur Kamilov, focusing on a return
We are so used to being motivated
only if something is wrong and we try to fix it. This is not the best approach.
Why? Because we begin fixing process in a negative mindset. We are filled with
negative energy and we work with it. Only when we feel good about it and are
still motivated and enthusiastic about improving it, will the best results
happen.
So back to the secret--how to play
good tennis. You've probably heard these phrases before: Just play point by
point, and Play the ball, not the opponent. If you want to play good
tennis and win matches, you need to focus on playing good tennis. A good player
is focused 80% on playing good tennis and only about 20% on how to outplay his or
her opponent.
Winning the match doesn't mean that
one player is a better human than the other player. It means that he or she
plays the game of tennis better than the other person. In the long term the one
who is more skilled at this wins the match. That person is a better tennis
player in that moment. That doesn't mean that the winner is a more worthy
person although that's what the whole world is trying to convince us.
Back to the secret--one of the main
points about the secret of playing good tennis is to see it separately from
you--from your inner self worth. If you can keep the distance between missing
an easy shot and feeling anything about yourself, then you have found one of
the secrets to good tennis.
The next secret is that you need to
focus on the game of tennis. Play the game, not the opponent.
So the next time when you get on the
court see if you can play only the tennis game and not compete with your
opponent.
“Losing
is not my enemy. Fear of losing is my enemy.” Rafael Nadal.
There isn't a tennis player in the world that’s
never lost. The professionals know this very well. In tennis, the players often
know who the better player is before they go onto the court.
No matter what your current skill level or your
ability to hit great tennis shots, the secret to how to play better tennis is
in your understanding of the game and the techniques involved.
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, the legends of the Tennis
"Never
slug it out with a slugger." (statement)
No two tennis players have exactly the same game,
but most of the opponents you're likely to face can be one of several major
categories. Learning to adapt your strategy to a wide variety of opponents is
one of the keys to becoming a tough competitor.
This
player is too good!
Tips from Timur:
You have to have fun first of all and enjoy
being on the court.
Make your opponent hit winners. We all human being, not machines. Your
opponent will stop hitting them at some point. Stay very patient, they
will not play this well for the entire match.
Play within yourself; do not try to play great
tennis, these will only cause errors. Stay calm, relax, breathe, stay more
focus, and so not get critical of your mistakes. Do not try to do difficult
and crazy shots.
Everyone is beatable, and worries about the
match. Keep the ball in play.
Get them out of their comfort zone. Try to
change your game a little bit, rhythm. I mean
use lob balls, drop shots, little crosscourt dinks, and moon balls, all
kinds of stuff with primarily little or no speed on it. If you know how to
hit sliced forehands and backhands, that may come in handy. Basically, do
something to make your opponent to lose his concentration and focus. Your
opponent will respect you for steady play and may indeed get irritated
that you're working so hard to stay in the points.
All my coaches always used to watch all my
matches and they always were honest saying when matches are not won- they
are lost.
Always have a respect to your opponent, if he
plays at the same tournament as you, so he definitely qualified to play
against you. But have confidence in
yourself at the same time.
In between points, take deep breaths or just
listen to your breath going in and out. Do whatever you can to keep your
cool.
You
may know that you “should” come to the net more often to finish the point, but
somehow you resist the urge and stick to the comfort of the baseline. Why is
that?
A
volley shot in tennis is a shot in which the ball is struck before it bounces
on the ground. Generally a player hits a volley while standing near the net,
although it can be executed farther back, in the middle of the tennis court or
even near the baseline.
Pete Sampras, backhand volley
The
primary objective of the volley is to go on the offensive and cut the amount of
time for the opponent to react. Also, if near the net, a player has a wider
choice of angles to hit into the opponent's court. However, quick reflexes and
hand–eye coordination are required to execute this shot. The primary means of
countering a volley are the passing shot and the lob.
A
lot of players don’t trust their volley and overhead skills. It means that
their net skills are really not that good and they make too many mistakes or
their net skills are actually good but their opinion about them is negative. In
order to get an accurate evaluation of your real net skills you’ll need to ask
some friends and pros to evaluate your game and then make the conclusion.
And
in case your net skills are really not good, just practice more.
Whether
your net skills are good or not so good, you will make mistakes at the net. One
common problem with mistakes at the net is that we look funny when we make
them. There is one thing to miss a backhand from the baseline, but it’s a
completely different thing missing a backhand volley at the net feeling clumsy
and embarrassed.
Skills
like reactions, balance, coordination, ball judgment and so on need to be at a
much higher level to play successfully at the net as compared to the skills
needed to play successfully from the baseline. That’s why most women pros don’t
approach the net. It’s not that they don’t have good volley technique; it’s
because they are too slow and not coordinated enough to make tough shots at the
net.
Maybe
you resist coming to the net because you feel uncomfortable there. So you need
to dig even deeper and ask yourself why you feel uncomfortable at the net?
Tips
from Timur:
You don’t need a great shot
just make it.
Remember, the net is a reward
for good ground strokes.
The volley is a simple stroke,
keep a firm wrist and hit the ball early.
Be ready, the ball is coming
fast.
Use all the court, hit angles.
Once at the net you are no
longer trying to keep the ball in play- end the point.
I don't know about you but I absolutely hate losing
a tennis match. I am one of the most competitive players I know and when I do
not come out on top I sometimes do not think straight enough to be able to
appreciate the match for what it was. So what is so bad about losing? I have
lost matches in every situation, tournaments, leagues, finals, school matches
and matches against my friends.
Whenever you play a tennis player that is better
than you there is a lot to be learned. I often tell players not to just play
people all the time that they know they can beat. To improve your tennis game
you must play against better players! When I left for college I met tennis
players that were much better than I was. By playing these better players day
in and day out my game improved by astronomical amounts, and I was losing every
day.
When you play stronger players you get to see a
variety of tougher tennis. You quickly learn that you cannot get lazy or lose
focus. They will hit better passing shots, deeper ground strokes, better
volleys, faster serves and execute their overheads better. They will wrong foot
you more often and possibly just out-power you.. Playing better players is a
great motivator to help you play better tennis. If you are beating players that
you play every day there is little motivation to get any better.
Serena Williams is crying on the court.
I will admit, losing to someone you know you can
beat, and maybe regularly beat, really sucks! However, maybe you need to look
at why you lost, look at what you need to improve, look at where you fell
short, and most importantly, think about how you can do better next time.
Losing is a motivator to play better tennis plain and simple.
"As soon as I step on the court I
just try to play tennis and don't find excuses. You know, I just lost because I
lost, not because my arm was sore."- Goran Ivanisevic.
Losing a tennis match means you that you were not
the better tennis player that day. That is OK, take it for what it is worth,
let it motivate you, and keep on trying. To me, allowing my tennis game to
improve is more important than winning a weekly match against the same group of
players.
Rafael Nadal, losing to David Ferer at Australian Open 2010
You learn a lot more by losing then you do by
winning. We learn more when we are down and going through trials and tribulations.
This is sports, and losing is part of it.
You analyze what you did wrong and take defeat humbly. Everyone in sports has these
days. It is not always going to go your way, but next time you might win and u
will have your good days.
“I
am losing” Tips from Timur Kamilov:
A match is a marathon- not a sprint, just
because I’m losing doesn’t mean that I will lose the match.
Collect
yourself and pump yourself up.
Say “good shot,” it will take pressure off.
Do not think about the score.
Play your way back into the match, do not blast
the balls.
Slow down, take your time between points, and
control the pace of the match.
“Some people say I have attitude — maybe I do — but I think
you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes
you a winner right there.” Venus
Williams
Andy Roddick, fastest serve ever, 155 mph
The tennis serve is the stroke that
puts the ball in play and is often the most important stroke in
the game of tennis. It has become a principle weapon of attack and is used to
place the opponent on the defensive by forcing a return from the weak side or
by moving the receiver out of position. A good strong serve can sometimes be
the basis of winning a game of tennis.
The most important ways to get
maximum power in your first serve include:
Keep your arm completely relaxed throughout the serve, this is particularly important when
you want to impart pace to the serve.
Try to develop a smooth movement in your serve
motion. The idea is to serve in an even, continuous manner that
allows for body weight transfer (from back foot to front foot). This
is what we mean by putting your weight into the serve.
Bending your knees and moving (or even jumping) upward will help to give you power.
Before you actually get to the technique of hitting the first serve, it is important to review the tennis
priority ladder- Pace and Spin.
On important points which equal all
points, it is important to keep the pressure on your opponent. The initial way
to do this on serve is to get the first serve in. It is psychologically very
important in practice to warm up and maintain consistency on first serve. It is
quite intimidating to face a player that hits relaxed first serves in five or
six times in a row. You are consciously aware that you will not get free
points. It is important for you as well to hit your practice returns in and get
a real feel for the shot now as well.
The serve is a unique shot in tennis because you have two chances. There seems
to be no pressure on the first but inordinate pressure on the second. The odds
are still the same it will go in or out but the psychological pressure is
weighted against you in that you have just failed at your first attempt. If you
have a good serve you are still in total control of the point even though you
feel defensive on the second.
James Blake on the serve
I cannot get in my serve in!
Tips from Timur Kamilov
Relax.
Do
not hit bad tosses; catch the toes as many times as necessary.
Hit
second serves as first serves; it is the percentage that is important.
Know
where the sun is and do not toss the ball directly into it.
Placement
not power.
Before
you start your serve motion, visualize yourself hitting a serve.
Do
not just walk up to the baseline and hit a serve. Know what you want to do
with each serve, hit it wide, up
the middle, at your opponent, slice, top spin, flat
