Tennis Tip #24

There are different ways to hit the high backhand, one we previously discussed was the backhand slice. However, there are two other options so you do not lose power: hitting on the rise and letting the ball drop. Hitting on the rise is harder, and a lot of players do not use it, instead they wait for the ball to drop. First, hitting on the rise means that you will be hitting the ball as it is rising. If you master this, it will make hitting high balls much easier however, the downside is there are a lot of places for you to make mistakes. This is because the ball is a lot tougher to hit when it is jumping straight up. However, waiting for the ball to drop is a lot easier to hit, and people feel more comfortable hitting that ball because you can control the timing, and will have more time to hit the ball. In addition, you are also hitting up as you hit the ball. So why would you ever be hitting the ball high with these two options? Well this is because sometimes the ball bounces and backs you up too far, which means there isn’t space behind the baseline. And believe me, it happens a lot; so working on hitting on the rise will help you out a lot with this shot. So give this tip ago and starting working hard on your backhands!

Tennis Tip #23

The high backhand. This is the kryptonite shot for just about every tennis player, especially juniors. You hit the ball as a backhand because you are too far wide, or reacted late. The first thing you need to do is not panic. All junior players, and even professional players see this as their weakest shot and this is why all of the players try to run around their backhands. Therefore, before you hit this shot, there are a couple things that you need to think about. Most important, it's not all about power, hit it in, and play smart. Your goal in hitting this shot is to play a neutral ball. If this cannot happen, then you want to hit the next best shot to keep you in the point for as long as possible. Remember, tennis isn't just about hitting hardest, you need to hit the ball in the court, and many players miss the easy shots. If you give yourself the opportunity to win, you will! In addition, when you hit this ball, you get most of your power from your legs, so bend and launch up as you hit the shot. The other thing that you need to do is get torque, which is something many players forget. You also need to remember to bring your racquet all the way back, and hit through it with your entire core. If you do these two things you will have the power to continue the point. There are also other ways to master this shot so, check in tomorrow to find out how!

Tennis Tip #22

Now that you know how to hit this shot, which we know comes from preparing early and disguise; lets discuss how to perfect it. The best way to practice this is to have a friend or coach at the net, and for you to be on the baseline. On the coach's side of the court, there will be three different markers on the left, middle, and right inside the court. When you are about to hit the ball, you will be told where to hit it (which of the three locations). As you see in our image, there are target practices for serve, volleys, and ground strokes. We should focus just on the blue X's for this drill. Since, you will have no time to prepare for the shot, you have to be in the right position for any of the three locations. In addition, you will notice that you cannot hit this ball when it is coming at you quickly. Therefore the best time to hit the shot is when you receive a high, looping ball meant for your backhand, but was not wide enough. While this shot is not easy, and it takes practice, when you master it, you will have a leg up on most of your opponents.