November 21, 2008

TENNIS

Birds Tennis Tips: Six Quick Problem Fixes

Published on October 10, 2007

It happens to all of us. At the worst of times. When we least expect it. Our tennis games just go to pot all of a sudden. No warning. No explanation.

Just suddenly, your prized forehand is a worthless turkey. Your already-poor-but-consistent backhand is now heading to the back fence faster than the speed of light. Your serve is so awry that children weep at the sight of it.

Well, dear readers, today we are going to look at some quick fixes for some common problems. The first thing to note is that there is no substitute for practice. Most of us practice the fun way, by playing. Only the more serious tennis players amongst us do things like drills and such.

There is the practice slump. I have encountered this dozens of times in my life, as I'm sure most of you have as well. What happens is this. You have to take some time off of tennis for a while. No need to dwell on why. Injury. Family obligations. Mother took your racquets away because you uttered one-too-many expletives on-court. The voices in your head suddenly said, "take up backgammon." Whatever.

But even in the best of conditions, when we're on top of our game, things can turn disastrous. I haven't yet figured out what causes this. Biorhythms? Spicy foods? Stress? Humidity? Who knows? I think it has to do with the ozone layer, but my test results are inconclusive so far.

These tricks may not help everyone, but they're something to think about. And I need to stress one thing right here. Keep a journal. Yes, I know, it's weird. But it helps. I know every one of you have had a day where you started out with something going wrong. Maybe it was your forehand being suddenly out of control. But then magically it fixed itself. You tried several different things and then one of them suddenly worked.

Write it down. When you find something that fixes one of your strokes, you need to remember it. Keep that journal and refer to it on changeovers. Yes, I know it's odd and geeky, but trust me, it really truly works.

Fix 1: Watch the Ball

More than 90% of dips in our performance are caused by timing issues. We're suddenly meeting the ball a little late or a little early. But it's imperceptible. The best way to cure this is to pay strict attention to your eyes making solid contact with the ball all the way into your strings.

Most of us want to keep an eye on our sneaky partner. I know he stole my Gatorade money while I was busy watching the ball! But forget that. Just bet him that the loser has to buy the Gatorade and then beat the pants off of him by watching the ball! Let your muscle memory take over, clear your mind, and watch that ball! This will generally lift the level of your whole game immediately, and it works for every shot.

Fix 2: Buggy Forehand

It happens to nearly all of us. The one shot that never leaves us, our bread-and-butter, suddenly vanishes. Where'd it go? Dang ozone. Just concentrate on the basics of the shot. Weight transfer forward is a big one. Try to stay off that back foot. Second, make sure the contact point is out in front. When you see the ball hit your strings, you should be looking through the strings at the ball.

Third, make sure the beginning of the stroke has the racquet handle preceding the racquet head toward the direction you are hitting. And finally, make sure that at the point of contact your racquet head is at a lower altitude than your racquet handle.

Fix 3: Backhand Woes

Go back to the basics. Ten people have 10 different backhands, so it's difficult to say what works best with each person. So, the best advice is to just think about what your instructor has said. Early contact. Closed stance. Weight transfer. Hey lazy, move your feet. All of these are sound ideas to consider when your backhand goes away.

Fix 4: Wonky Serve

Boy, when my serve goes on hiatus, it's the worst of the worst. Here's what to do when this happens. The key to the serve is timing. Remember that timing is very easy to lose (stupid ozone again!), particularly in the high-pressure situation of a match. Use the 1-2-3 method. Say to yourself, in your head (not out loud, because then people throw things at you), "1...2...3" as you perform your service motion.

Racquet and tossing arm go down together. "One." Tossing arm goes up and tosses the ball (your racquet arm may go up into the "Y" position at this time as well, depending on your service motion...mine doesn't). "Two." At the peak of the toss, hit. "Three." Make your motion adhere to the rhythm of your counting, not vice-versa.

Fix 6: Volley Bawl

The most common problem with volleys is too much swing. Remember, dear tennis enthusiasts, that volleys are supposed to be an abbreviated backswing (which means almost no backswing) with a short punch. Basically, DON?T SWING!

The best ways to correct volleys that seem to be going awry are twofold. First, tuck your elbow into your side, a little to the front, sort of on your hip. This will compact your motion and keep you from doing too much of the "wild thang" on your volleys. Second, try to concentrate on just meeting the ball. Think about taking no swing at all, just let the ball hit your racquet.

Use these ideas to tailor-make your own quick fixes for whatever quirks your tennis game decides to bring up.

Mike "Bird" Swanberg is a former Jacksonville resident and teaching pro.

This article appears in the October issue of JAX Tennis Magazine, Northeast Florida's tennis source, www.jaxtennismagazine.com.