  Download this Video Tom Stow often introduced the simplicity of the volley technique by using a stool or chair such that the player would be still, be centered, and would make contact with the fewest moving parts. I am using a ball machine and attempting to hit the ball precisely back to the machine […] The post Wall to the Ball appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

Jim McLennan's Essential Tennis Instruction

Wall to the Ball

http://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_network/ETI_TheOtherSideOfTheNet.mp4 Download this Video Some time ago I was in Sacramento watching the Power Shares tour event – Courier, Sampras, McEnroe and Blake. James Blake beat John McEnroe in the finals – Mac having beaten Courier, and Blake easily beat an injured Pete Sampras (who was looking very slow on court compared to the other […] The post The Other Side of the Net appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

The Other Side of the Net

Watching the ball - moving into position - you can always listen to the outcome! The post Listen to your hits appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

Listen to your hits

The common problem I see at the club, as well as on television, is where the server flexes at the waist at the hit - more or less jackknifing to create a little more ball speed. And this action creates both forward and downward forces - and is generally associated with netted serves. The post ETI 047 | Will Staying Sideways help you hit up on the serve! appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 047 | Will Staying Sideways help you hit up on the serve!

Agility = moving quickly and easily.  We know when we are gliding, we know when we are moving heavily. Equally, when can see on the adjacent court who moves well and who does not. But often more than strength training or explosive movement, the secret can be in a subtle unweighting where the body leads […] The post ETI 046 | Gravity Motion appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 046 | Gravity Motion

Pete Sampras, "I won 7 Wimbledon titles because I had the best second serve in the game." The second serve is about spin that will make the ball curve down as it crosses the net.  Yes it may corner the opponent and either swing them wide and out of court, or kick up into their backhand. The post ETI 045 | Sidespin Serve appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 045 | Sidespin Serve

Consider the critical 24 inch hitting zone when creating topspin on a forehand or on a serve – to create this spin the racquet must be swung up from beneath the ball (12 inches) but carry upward after impact (another 12 inches) to create the rolling spin that more and more of us want in […] The post ETI 044 l Topspin and the Racquet Drop appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 044 l Topspin and the Racquet Drop

Ball control – ours is a game of accuracy, of consistency, but equally it is a game of timing for the opponent will send us shots of varying spin, speed, length and difficulty. Timing describes the relation between the incoming ball and the swinging racquet – and certainly the entire game revolves around the moment […] The post ETI 043 | Point of Contact Area of Contact appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 043 | Point of Contact Area of Contact

https://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_podcast/ETI_042_Measure_Twice_Cut_Once.mp4 The carpenter measures twice to cut once, to make sure the cut is accurate, for if too much is cut off that mistake cannot be undone. In tennis consider measuring as preparing first to the side for the incoming ball, but then to measure precisely the height of the backswing such that the racquet […] The post ETI 042 | Measure Twice Cut Once appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 042 | Measure Twice Cut Once

Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves to the hips, and then to the torso, and then to the shoulder, then the arm, then the forearm, then the hand, and finally the fingers? The post ETI 041 | Quantum Tennis/Golf appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 041 | Quantum Tennis/Golf

A few years ago I was encouraged to take a class in improvisational theater. It took me months to find the courage (stage fright and more) but I finally enrolled and then thoroughly enjoyed this class within the Stanford continuing studies program. The post ETI 039 | Improvise (when necessary) on the tennis court appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 039 | Improvise (when necessary) on the tennis court

The 3 R's of tennis - ready, read (where the ball is going) react! As to your reaction - what precisely is your first move? What moves first, what initiates your preparation? Really an important question. The post ETI 038 | Dead Hands appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 038 | Dead Hands

80% of the points in professional end with an error, 20% with a winner. As regards unforced errors, if your opponent never misses and is patient as the day is long, would you consider missing a routine forehand in the 12th shot of a rally a forced or unforced error. I am now believing that errors are simply errors, and the distinction is unnecessary. The post ETI 037 | The Art of Winning appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 037 | The Art of Winning

Three factors control your tennis shot - not your feet, not your eyes, not your balance (though all of those do help) but the only three elements are; Angle of the racquet face, Swing Path and Tempo. The post ETI 036 | Spin – Changing Two Things at Once appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 036 | Spin – Changing Two Things at Once

Swing path, type of spin, power, 3d playback (with Zepp) but perhaps the most interesting as well as the most useful is the data that shows where you make contact on the racquet face. And before going further, one of the most important (IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT) skills in the game of tennis is concentration, focus, and closely and continually watching the ball. The post ETI 035 | The Dead Spot on the Racquet Face appeared first on Jim McLennan&#039;s Essential Tennis Instruction.

ETI 035 | The Dead Spot on the Racquet Face

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