Footwork is weight control. It is correct body position for strokes, and out of it all strokes should grow. In explaining the various forms of stroke and footwork I am writing as a right-hand player. Left-handers should simply reverse the feet.

Racquet grip is a very essential part of stroke, because a faulty grip will ruin the finest serving. It is a natural grip for a top forehand drive. It is inherently weak for the backhand, as the only natural shot is a chop stroke.

To acquire the forehand grip, hold the racquet with the edge of the frame towards the ground and the face perpendicular, the handle towards the body, and "shake hands" with it, just as if you were greeting a friend. The handle settled comfortably and naturally into the hand, the line of the arm, hand, and racquet are one. The swing brings the racquet head on a line with the arm, and the whole racquet is merely an extension of it.

The backhand grip is a quarter circle turn of hand on the handle, bringing the hand on top of the handle and the knuckles directly up. The shot travels ACROSS the wrist.

This is the best basis for a grip. I do not advocate learning this grip exactly, but model your natural grip as closely as possible on these lines without sacrificing your own comfort or individuality.

Having once settled the racquet in the hand, the next question is the position of the body and the order of developing strokes.

All tennis strokes, should be made with the body’ at right angles to the net, with the shoulders lined up parallel to the line of flight of the ball. The weight should always travel forward. It should pass from the back foot to the front foot at the moment of striking the ball. Never allow the weight to be going away from the stroke. It is weight that determines the "pace" of a stroke; swing that, decides the "speed."

Let me explain the definitions of "speed" and "pace." "Speed" is the actual rate with which a ball travels through the air. "Pace" is the momentum with which it comes off the ground. Pace is weight. It is the "sting" the ball carries when it comes off the ground, giving the inexperienced or unsuspecting player a shock of force which the stroke in no way showed.

A great many players have both "speed" and "pace." Some shots may carry both.

The order of learning strokes should be:

1. The Drive. Fore and backhand. This is the foundation of all tennis, for you cannot build up a net attack unless you have the ground stroke to open the way. Nor can you meet a net attack successfully unless you can drive, as that is the only successful passing shot.

2. The Service.

3. The Volley and Overhead Smash.

4. The Chop or Half Volley and other incidental and ornamental strokes.

For anyone who is taking tennis training seriously should also give serious consideration to what to wear. Dressing for comfort is the primary concern of every tennis player. But for those who are more fashion-conscious, there are many stylish way of dressing right for the came, a style that is comfortable but does not take fashion for granted.

When choosing your outfit, there are plenty to consider. The heat and humidity in your play area could make you sweat profusely and look ragged in a few minutes. The very ground you will play on will also have an effect on your comfort.
For you tennis players out there, here are some tips you should have in mind when dressing to play tennis.

If your prefer comfort and style, choose a light colored fabric for your tennis outfit. Light colors reflect light, making you absorb heat less. This is why traditionally, tennis players wore all-white outfits. Up to the present, white is still the dominant color in most tennis outfits. However, designs have evolved into sexier, more comfortable and trendier designs.

The club of Wimbledon requires players to wear all-white. However, the pros have always gotten away with wearing whatever color and design they want. There is a lot of designs to choose from that would surely fit your taste.

If you are the go-getter type, you could go for the neon-colored fabrics that are the trendy colors for sports these days. You wanna get that ball past your opponent? Wear something neon to momentarily distract him or her.

Go lightweight. The material of your tennis wear should have enough natural materials that would allow your clothes to breathe and prevent heat accumulation in your body. It should, likewise, have enough synthetic material that would prevent your clothes to wrinkle.

Short pants or short skirts are mandatory because pants just won’t be right, they will just weigh you down. Skirts with built-in shorts are preferable as they provide enough comfort and the trendy fashion.

Choose the perfect tennis shoes to go with your outfit. It is just not the color or the style that counts, the design is what should be taken seriously. This is the most important tennis wear a player should invest in. The worst that could happen to a player is to lose a game because of painful feet.

When choosing shoes, purchase from the best manufacturer that ensures the best quality materials. Chances are, the more expensive the shoes, the better the quality.
Tennis shoes should be lightweight, durable and gives good support with a snug fit. Tennis shoes should be able to give the support needed for side-to-side movements done during playing tennis. The rubber soles are just as important. They should be able to get a firm grip on the ground for those tennis maneuvers.

If you are indeed into serious tennis, do invest. Dressing right could be the key to doing those winning moves. Don’t forget that comfort is foremost in decision-making. Style is an add-on but your safety and comfort should be number one in your list.

GENERAL TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY

Tennis psychology is nothing more than understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and gauging the effect of your own game on his mental viewpoint, and understanding the mental effects resulting from the various external causes on your own mind. You cannot be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding your own mental processes, you must study the effect on yourself of the same happening under different circumstances. You react differently in different moods and under different conditions. You must realize the effect on your game of the resulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever form your reaction takes. Does it increase your efficiency? If so, strive for it, but never give it to your opponent.

Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the cause, or if that is not possible strive to ignore it.

Once you have judged accurately your own reaction to conditions, study your opponents, to decide their temperaments. Like temperaments react similarly, and you may judge men of your own type by yourself. Opposite temperaments you must seek to compare with people whose reactions you know.

A person who can control his own mental processes stands an excellent chance of reading those of another, for the human mind works along definite lines of thought, and can be studied. One can only control one’s, mental processes after carefully studying them.

A steady phlegmatic baseline player is seldom a keen thinker. If he was he would not adhere to the baseline.

The physical appearance of a man is usually a pretty clear index to his type of mind. The stolid, easy-going man, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his torpid mind to think out a safe method of reaching the net. There is the other type of baseline player, who prefers to remain on the back of the court while directing an attack intended to break up your game. He is a very dangerous player, and a deep, keen thinking antagonist. He achieves his results by mixing up his length and direction, and worrying you with the variety of his game. He is a good psychologist. The first type of player mentioned merely hits the ball with little idea of what he is doing, while the latter always has a definite plan and adheres to it. The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a creature of impulse. There is no real system to his attack, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting, fascinating type. 

The dangerous man is the player who mixes his style from back to fore court at the direction of an ever-alert mind. This is the man to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you propound him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the man of dogged determination that sets his mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, with never a thought of change. He is the man whose psychology is easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never allows himself to think of anything except the business at hand. This man is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston.

Pick out your type from your own mental processes, and then work out your game along the lines best suited to you. 

When two men are, in the same class, as regards stroke equipment, the determining factor in any given match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is often grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account.

We hear a great deal about the "shots we have made." Few realize the importance of the "shots we have missed." The science of missing shots is as important as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a, return that is killed by your opponent.

Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and reaching, drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and shaken, realizing that your shot might as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again, and will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may fall into error. You have thus taken some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his chance of error, all by a miss.

If you had merely popped back that return, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly confident of your inability to get the ball out of his reach, while you would merely have been winded without result.

Let us suppose you made the shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that it took one away from your opponent that should have been his and gave you one you ought never to have had. It also worries your opponent, as he feels he has thrown away a big chance.

The psychology of a tennis match is very interesting, but easily understandable. Both men start with equal chances. Once one man establishes a real lead, his confidence goes up, while his opponent worries, and his mental viewpoint becomes poor. The sole object of the first man is to hold his lead, thus holding his confidence. If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with even a greater contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader now with the second man as well as that great stimulus of having turned seeming defeat into probable victory. The reverse in the case of the first player is apt to hopelessly destroy his game, and collapse follows.

Equip Yourself with Tennis Tips

So you decided to take tennis seriously. First thing’s first. In order for you to become a really good tennis player, you must have the equipment. It is like a knight marching off to a battle with the best weapons.

The basic tennis equipments are racquets, balls, shoes, socks, caps, hats, sunglasses and towels.

This article will share tennis equipment tips a newbie has to know:

1. Save Your Strings
String savers are those tiny plastic pieces inserted in the section where the strings touch the racquet’s sweet spot. These prevent the strings to rub against one another. It also aims to achieve a long string life.

In a tennis match, having string saver are not illegal because the ball does not really touch these.

String savers are used by players that have gut strings. These are effective in prolonging string life. But there are those players who don’t like String Savers primarily because it gives their racquets a stiff grip.

If you wish to prolong the string life of your racquet, use a thick gauge string. We highly suggest that you replace your strings many times in a year, that is if you frequently play.

2. What You Should Know About Your Strings

- Lower string tensions equate to more power
- There is more ball control with higher string tensions
- Lower string density caused by fewer strings equate to more power
- the thinner the string, the more power
- the more elastic the string, the more power
- the softer the coating, the softer the string, therefore the less tendency to vibrate
- thinner strings produce more spin
- fewer strings equate to more spin

3. What You Should Know About Your Tennis Racquet
The general rule for tennis racquets is that the stiffer the frame, the more power it generates. This is because:

- the heavier the frame, the more power it generates
- the heavier the frame, the less it vibrates
- the stiffer the frame, the more power it generates
- if the frame is stiff, then it transmits more to the arm
- a stiff frame entails a more uniform ball response against the swing of the racquet
- the larger the frame, the more power it generates
- the larger the frame, the more resistant it is to twisting

4. Safe Racquet Storage

It is necessary that you do not leave your tennis racquets in the car. If your racquet has synthetic strings, then it begins to lose its tension at about 43 degrees C or 110 degrees F. Always leave your racquet at a cool storing place in order for the strings to stay intact.

5. Racquet Stringing Frequency

Tennis players wonder how often they must have their racquets re-strung. Answer it should it must be re-strung at least twice a year, even if the string remains in tact or it breaks. The player must always restring his racquet as many times in one year as he plays in a week. For example, you play four times a week, then have your racquet re-strung four times a year.

Tennis is a sport worth investing on. Whenever you play, it keeps the blood pumping and also exercises your reflexes. Just stick to these tips and soon enough you’ll notice what a better tennis player you’ve become from the time you first held a racquet.

Elbow Tennis: Aching Tendons

Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is extremely aching tendonitis that sometimes badly affect an elbow subjected to too much stress, for instance related with tennis. Exactly what causes tennis elbow is unidentified, although it is thought to be for the reason that there are inflammation of the tendon and occurrence of small tears of the tendons that are attach to the muscles of the forearm to the arm bone at the elbow joint.

Symptoms of tennis elbow include tenderness over the inflamed area and acute pain when the elbow is stressed. The pain connected with tennis elbow more often than not has a gradual onset, although it may as well come on suddenly.

There are quite a number of ideas that tennis elbow is not just simply an "inflammation" of the tendons around the joint. Furthermore, it is thought of as related to a person’s degenerative process. It can either be the result of becoming old or repetitive use.
It can be an outcome of an incomplete curative response in absence of good blood circulation. Consequently access to nutrients and oxygen that is essential for healing is deprived to the sufferer. This results to the deterioration of the tendon that cause the small tears.

Most sufferers of tennis elbow are between 35-65 years old. Both men and women have the same chance of being afflicted with it. Tennis elbow inflicts 75% of patients dominant arm. Any person is capable of being affected, but tennis elbow is in general noticed in two sets of patients, namely:

·    Blue-Collar Workers

People who use their hands in working, manual laborers, they are in danger of being affected tennis elbow. Occupations that may lead to tennis elbow include plumbing, painting, gardening, and carpentry works.

·    Athletes

Athletes engaging in racquet sports are most likely to develop tennis elbow. Most certainly about 1/3 of regular tennis players suffer from tennis elbow at any time in their playing career. In addition, tennis elbow is also evident in those engaged in playing golf, and fencing, to name a few.

Symptoms and Signs

• Difficulty to hold, squeezes, or clasp things

• Point softness at or around area of the lateral or medial elbow muscles

• Forearm muscle stiffness

• Soreness, stiffness, or not enough elbow and hand action

• Not enough forearm useful power

The disorder is treated by avoiding stress, or in severe cases, by immobilizing the elbow. Healing may be accelerated by anti-inflammatory drugs or by injection of an adrenal steroid preparation such as hydrocortisone. If someone has tried more than two cortisone injections with no relief, it is doubtful that additional injections will help the patient.

There are a number of ways to treat tennis elbow. No operative healing is doing well in majority of patients. Modification of lifestyle is vital for tennis elbow to be cured and to control its recurrence. Anti-inflammatory drugs are frequently used to relieve pain and swelling associated with tennis elbow.

For a tennis player, racquets must be sized appropriately, as well as the grip size. Playing on hard courts add to the possibility of tennis elbow occurrence. Stroke technicalities ought to be assessed to make sure that the ball hit the ball at the middle of the racquet and also the racquet must not be lead by the players on bended elbow.

Wearing of elbow orthosis or elbow clasp help the sufferer. The brace of the elbow clasp will pass on the pull of misaligned muscles. This clasp is proven to relieve the pain during activities. Easy exercises can be valuable in managing elbow tennis symptoms. These workouts must cause no ache, on the other hand, the exercise is supposed to be stopped if pain persists. The tendons and muscles must be toughen as it help keep away its recurrence.

Tennis elbow is a condition brought about by swelling of the tendons on the outer surface (lateral side) of the elbow at a bony prominence (lateral epicondyle) of the upper arm. It does not normally lead to serious harms. However, if left untreated, failure of movement can result to elbow and forearm malfunctions. The condition is not restricted to tennis players.

Dressing Right for Tennis

For anyone who is taking tennis training seriously should also give serious consideration to what to wear. Dressing for comfort is the primary concern of every tennis player. But for those who are more fashion-conscious, there are many stylish way of dressing right for the came, a style that is comfortable but does not take fashion for granted.

When choosing your outfit, there are plenty to consider. The heat and humidity in your play area could make you sweat profusely and look ragged in a few minutes. The very ground you will play on will also have an effect on your comfort.
For you tennis players out there, here are some tips you should have in mind when dressing to play tennis.

If your prefer comfort and style, choose a light colored fabric for your tennis outfit. Light colors reflect light, making you absorb heat less. This is why traditionally, tennis players wore all-white outfits. Up to the present, white is still the dominant color in most tennis outfits. However, designs have evolved into sexier, more comfortable and trendier designs.

The club of Wimbledon requires players to wear all-white. However, the pros have always gotten away with wearing whatever color and design they want. There is a lot of designs to choose from that would surely fit your taste.

If you are the go-getter type, you could go for the neon-colored fabrics that are the trendy colors for sports these days. You want to get that ball past your opponent? Wear something neon to momentarily distract him or her.

Go lightweight. The material of your tennis wear should have enough natural materials that would allow your clothes to breathe and prevent heat accumulation in your body. It should, likewise, have enough synthetic material that would prevent your clothes to wrinkle.

Short pants or short skirts are mandatory because pants just won’t be right, they will just weigh you down. Skirts with built-in shorts are preferable as they provide enough comfort and the trendy fashion.

Choose the perfect tennis shoes to go with your outfit. It is just not the color or the style that counts, the design is what should be taken seriously. This is the most important tennis wear a player should invest in. The worst that could happen to a player is to lose a game because of painful feet.

When choosing shoes, purchase from the best manufacturer that ensures the best quality materials. Chances are, the more expensive the shoes, the better the quality.

Tennis shoes should be lightweight, durable and gives good support with a snug fit. Tennis shoes should be able to give the support needed for side-to-side movements done during playing tennis. The rubber soles are just as important. They should be able to get a firm grip on the ground for those tennis maneuvers.

If you are indeed into serious tennis, do invest. Dressing right could be the key to doing those winning moves. Don’t forget that comfort is foremost in decision-making. Style is an add-on but your safety and comfort should be number one in your list.

There is a series of motions involved in making a serve but the main objective is to hit the ball in a well-timed manner to be effective. The stroke of the serve includes how to properly hold the racket, how to throw the ball, how to position the body before the racquet hits the ball.

The flat serve, topspin , and the slice are the three basic serves that you need to know and practice so that you can use them in an appropriate time when you play the game. The flat serve or basic serve is when you hit the ball on a flat
trajectory making moderate spin. Next, the topspin is done by doing high arcing trajectory and with high strong bounce. The last one is the slice. This type of serve is made by doing a combination of a sidespin and a bit of topspin to make the ball swerve in the air following the bounce.

Here are the elements of the serve before the racquet hits the ball:

Service Stance – Adjust your stance according to the appropriate service you’ll make. Remember to have your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, your front foot not stepping on the baseline and it should be two feet away from the center mark.

Continental grip – This is the ideal grip which allows you to have maximum wrist action for a powerful stroke.

Ball Handling – You should hold the ball between your thumb and all four fingers.

Feet Position – Align your feet with your toes pointing toward the target area.

The Ball Toss – Toss the ball in front, slightly to the right, and a little higher than your racquet could reach so it is just in time as it reaches the ball.

Now that you know the basic elements of a serve, you can now follow these steps to develop a good basic serve.

1. Begin with the service stance and hold the racquet using the continental grip.

2. Push your weight on the ground while keeping your front knee as you part your racquet arm and your tossing arm. Twist the serving shoulder a little so the racquet arm and tossing arms align.

3. Do the ball toss by releasing the ball slightly in front of the shoulder while the racquet is facing downwards and is terminally retracted. Bend your racquet arm elbow to elevate the racquet while the left arm remains pointing at the ball.

4. While the ball is at its highest point, prepare for a throwing position by dropping your racquet and keeping your elbow high. As the ball falls from its peak, gradually drop your left arm away from the side.

5. Then, straighten your legs by pushing your weight upwards and forwards behind the racquet arm. When the ball has fallen 4 to 6 inches, hurl your racquet up to hit the ball

6. While your racquet arm is fully stretched and your weight is channeled on your front foot, hit the ball.

7. As you create a forward momentum, continue swinging the racquet in the direction of your chosen target.

8. Do a follow through by swinging down your racquet at the left side of your body while your foot slowly comes down to a finish.

Personality, passion, power. These are ATP’s mission statement. The fact of the matter is that ATP is the world’s foremost body that governs the men’s tennis professional circuit.

Believe it or not, ATP Tennis organizes more than sixty tournaments in thirty countries for this current year.

ATP Tennis showcases the finest and best athletes that compete in the most enthralling venues all over the world, from Europe to Australia, to Asia and America.

Another fact about ATP Tennis is that its website set a new record in traffic when just this October, more than five hundred thousand unique visitors went to their site specifically during the Madrilena Mutua Madrid Masters.

Also, the ATP Tennis site was able to attract almost two million users as tennis fans were able to register almost ten million impression pages.

These numbers basically represent a thirty seven percent to forty percent increase in users compared to last year’s number.

The Spanish language site of ATP Tennis was also able to record a significant increase for this year, with the impressions increasing up to fifty percent.

Another news on the ATP Tennis in Europe is that they have a new CEO as personified by former UK executive in sports, Andy Anson.

Anson has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Oxford and was able to receive his Masters degree in Business Administration in France, Fontainebleau. He will be assuming the ATP Tennis position come April and will replace outgoing Horst Klosterkemper as CEO – who oversaw the ATP Tennis in the European region back in 2004.
Another ATP Tennis activity is their fund raising efforts with the assistance of the UNICEF during the Masters Tennis Cup in China, Shanghai.

Facts about ATP tennis, anyone?

The sponsor of the said China tournament includes Mercedes-Benz, Lacoste, South Africa Airways, RADO.

The doubles and singles tennis players were able to raise more than a hundred thirty thousand RMB for the United Nations Children’s Fund.

For the very first robin round, a match was made between circuit leaders Andy Roddick and Ivan Ljubicic, which had thirty five aces.

The ATP Tennis auction for charity was held at the Stadium of Qi Zhong and also featured banners and t-shirts autographed by various ATP Tennis stars.

Roger Federer’s shirt fetched the highest bid that amounts to twenty eight thousand RMB. A close second were two bobby Mercedes-Benz cars autographed by all ATP Tennis players that are in the eight man elite team field, the total of which fetched to twenty five thousand RMB.

Additional funds were also raised thanks to the exclusive sales on site of the Beanie Baby Feder-bear. It made its debut public at the booth of the UNICEF in the stadium.

Believe it or not, more than two thousand Feder bears were purchased during the Masters Tennis Cup, all of which total to a contribution of seventy five thousand RMB to the UNICEF.

The fact of the matter is that Feder bear is the official Beanie Ty Baby that is exclusively produced for the ATP Tennis.

All proceeds from the Feder bear Beanie Baby sale – which costs eight dollars each – will automatically go to the UNICEF program.

For those interested for the same Feder bear, this item will be distributed this coming season of the holidays worldwide.

All in all, where would the tennis fans be without ATP?