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Hi, my name is Dustin Hedger. I've been playing tennis for 25 years now and coaching for 17
years. I'd like to teach you the three most fundamental strokes in the game of tennis
today.
The first shot I'd like to teach you today, is the volley. The volley is a shot that you
hit in tennis when you're close to the next, inside the service court area. You're either
hitting the ball in the air or, after the bounce, and the three most important parts
of the volley are 1. Stance. 2. Proper Grip. And 3. Proper contact point.
The stance for the volley is referred to as the athletic position. Feet shoulder width
apart, knees slightly bent, heels off the ground, weight forward, racket out in front
of your body, tilted upward.
When hitting the volley, it's critical that you use the proper grip. The proper grip for
the volley is referred to as the "Continental Grip" or "The Hammer Grip". To get the hammer
grip or continental grip, simply slide your hand down the side of your racket, as if you're
holding a hammer. The last step of the volley is making contact. In the athletic position,
when the ball comes to one side, simply turn your body to that side, step and block the
ball back in play. Notice that when you make contact with the volley, the racket head is
going to freeze. You don't want a big swing on your follow through. On the backhand side,
the same principal applies. The ball comes to your backhand side, turn, step and block
the ball out in front of your volley.
When you're hitting a shot from behind the baseline from the back court of a tennis court,
you're hitting what's called a ground stroke. And when you're hitting a ground stroke, it's
important to be able to impart topspin on the ball. This enables you to hit the ball
hard without hitting the ball long. In order to hit top spin, you must create a path of
the racket whereas the racket starts at a level below the ball and finishes at a level
up above it. This creates a rainbow effect on the ball, such that you hit the ball hard,
but the ball will still go in play.
When hitting a forehand topspin ground stroke, there are three things to keep in mind. One,
Proper Grip; Two, Proper Beginning; And Three, the proper finish to the stroke. The grip
that you want for a forehand topspin ground stroke, is the same grip that you use to pick
up a pan from the ground. When the ball comes to you, in ready position, you're behind the
baseline, simply take the racket back. When the ball comes, step, swing from low to high,
rushing up the back of the ball, following through the opposite shoulder.
When hitting a backhand topspin ground stroke, there are also three things to keep in mind.
The grip, the beginning, and the finish of the shot. First, the proper grip. Your right
hand is going to slide right down the side of the racket, your non-dominant hand will
slide down the racket, and rest gently on top of the dominant hand. When the ball comes,
we're going to turn our body, step, swing from low to high, brush the back of the ball,
follow through on the opposite shoulder.
The last shot I'd like to teach you today is the shot that many consider to be the most
important shot in tennis, the Serve. When tossing the ball, put the ball in the throat
of the racket or on the strings, and your hands can go down together, up together on
the wind up. You're going to release the ball with your left hand, or non-dominant hand,
such that the ball is going to be at least 6 inches above how high you can reach with
your racket. Maybe higher, but never any lower. I want you to think of a motion that's probably
very familiar to you, that of throwing a baseball. Because in fact, the baseball throwing motion,
is the same motion we want to use when serving a tennis ball. The racket is going to come
back behind her head, reach up over at the ball, coming up over the upper right hand
corner of the ball and following through on the left side of our body. Altogether, it
will look like this. Down together, up together, hooray, and throw the racket at the tennis
ball.
And there you have it. If you follow my concise tips on how to volley, hit a ground stroke,
and hit a serve, you'll have conquered the primary skills that you need to play the game
of tennis. Happy hitting, hope to see you on the courts.