Nungambakkam Tennis Club, Chennai

TENNIS SUMMER CAMP 2017 at Pachaiyappa's Tennis Training Centre. Date : 24/April/2017 onwards.

Contact: Mr. Ratheesh Sridhar - 9840252388

TENNIS SUMMER CAMP 2017 at Pachaiyappa's Tennis Training Centre. Date : 24/April/2017 onwards.

Contact: Mr. Ratheesh Sridhar - 9840252388

8 Simple Ways to Instantly Improve Your Tennis Game

The following are a few simple tips that can truly help any level of play.

Tip 1: Early Preparation

You cannot prepare soon enough- turn your hips and shoulders before the oncoming ball bounces on your side. GET THAT RACQUET BACK!

Tip 2: Exaggerate your follow through

The majority of all people, no matter what sport they play, can improve by following through when you get a little nervous or your opponent is in control of play and moving you around.
Exaggerate your follow through; do not think just hit the ball. MOVE YOUR FEET!

Tip 3: Two bounces and you're out

Whenever you rally, wherever you play, make up your mind that you will never let the ball bounce twice. Always run for the ball even if you think you have no chance to reach it.
Richard Williams told Venus and Serena when they were six and seven years old, "Don't think, just run and hit the ball."
More: Nick's Tips: How to Volley on the Move
Try playing on a court with no lines, whatever comes to you, it is in play.

Tip 4: Hit- Recover

So many players will hit a ball and watch the ball and compliment themselves on the shot. From now on you must hit and recover.
I suggest you watch the pros- it actually looks like the pros are recovering in the middle of their hit. I don't suggest going to that extreme. Just hit, finish and get back to position.

Tip 5: Foundation

I want you and your practice partner to start at the serve line but stand in between the singles and doubles lines. Rally or play points hitting only between the lines.
As you gain confidence, move back further until you are on the baseline. It's critical that you have a solid foundation and complete balance in order to hit between the lines (also early preparation).

Tip 6: A safety Target

So many players will overplay the ball, including playing the lines.

Vegas spends billions of dollars building casinos. Why? The majority of gamblers do not play the odds, they go for it and they lose!
More: 4 Game-Changing Defensive Tips
This is exactly what tennis players do; they defy the odds and go for winners. Watch how the pros build points, they play offensive but do not go for just winners.

Tip 7: Boris Becker (He had 4 serves)

When I worked with Boris he taught me so many little things that helped me become a better coach. This is how he approached his serve:
1.Got into his ready position;
2.Went through his entire serve motion including where he would serve to;
3.He would do his 1st serve and repeat if he happened to miss his 1st.
More: How to Improve Your Second Serve
This ritual slowed him down and instilled in his mind what he would do when serving the ball.

Tip 8: When do you communicate?

There are so many opinions on when you talk, how you talk, and what you say to your player after a practice session or a match.
There are no two people alike, you have to adjust your method to fit the student's personality.
Below are a few examples of personalities I have dealt with personally.
•Aaron Krickstein: He wanted to talk as soon as possible.
•Jimmy Arias: He was always in constant communication, and still is to this day.
•Serena Williams- Wanted to either listen or speak a few words after each rally or point.
•Boris Becker: You have to speak softly and only a few words at a time
•Andre Agassi: Your guess is as good as mine
•Maria Sharapova: Lets hit another ball. Keep the conversation to a minimum.

Rafael Nadal is the perfect example of Professional Tennis Player

Rafael Nadal Practicing at US Open 2009 - part 1 Rafael Nadal practicing at the US open on Aug 26 2008. He had a lot of problems with his back hand today and was complaining all the time. The second player ...

How to Practice Like Professional Tennis Players – Tennis Tips

The difference between the top players in the world and everyone else is mainly strokes, footwork, strategy Just watch him play a practice match, or even a hitting session with his sparring partner. You’ll notice that he is committed to every shot, no matter where it lands in the court. In between shots, he is usually using bounce steps and staying on his toes at all times during the point.
Contrast this with most club players, junior players or even tournament level players when they practice. Often times, what you’ll see is that they practice with only half of the intensity of the pros. You’ll often hear things like “Oh. We’re just hitting around” or “Let’s just get a casual hit in this week sometime.” And then, these same players wonder why they are not improving or why they are unable to stay competitive during a real match.

Tip #1: Practice the Way You Want to Play:

It’s no secret, but the way you practice will directly translate into how you play your matches. If you practice with 50% intensity, then it’ll certainly be difficult to kick it up to high gear when it comes to a real match.
The reason for this is that you are training your brain and your muscle memory as to how your body will react and perform in certain situations on the tennis court. If you are practicing with 50% intensity, your body will be used to that type of intensity, and consequently be unprepared for a more contested and competitive match.
This is why the pros seem to be in “the zone” so often, and it is not unusual to see them achieve 5+ shot rallys on every point. Since they practice the way they want to play, this type of high performance play is a natural part of their body’s expectations.

Tip #2: Planning is Essential:

If you are going to commit to practice, then you should have an exact plan as to what you are going to accomplish during that practice session. Most players go into a practice session without a plan, so they end up hitting a bunch of balls around, spraying a few shots here and there, and nothing really gets accomplished.
Let’s say you want to improve your forehand. Then you should plan on having you and your partner agree to practice some drills to isolate the forehand shot, and the particular aspects of that forehand shot you wish to improve on. Crosscourt drills, baseline to volley drills, crosscourt/down the line alternating drills are some examples.

Tip #3: Get out of “hitting mode” and into “focus mode”:

There are 2 types of modes that you can have when you practice. Most players, even (semi-pros) make the mistake of being in “hitting mode” with no goal in mind for that particular session. Instead, what you should do is isolate exact areas of your game that needs to be improved on.
There should be no such thing as just ‘hitting’ because, certainly, there has to be an area of your game that needs to be improved upon.
As a junior, I had the opportunity to attend the Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Florida. One of the things that struck me was that every single hour was structured with exact parts of our game that we needed to work on. Usually, the morning consisted of baseline drills focusing on the forehand and backhand.
We would practice drills that isolated the exact elements of our strokes that needed work. The afternoon session would consist of match play, where we would be able to put our stroke and footwork practice to the test. Near the end of the day, around 5:00 PM, we would usually conclude with a fitness workout and a light stretch & cool down routine.

Tip #4: Make sure all of the Logistics are in Place:

Tennis is a difficult game in that it requires you to be fit, healthy and agile. If you want to play well on the tennis court, you generally need to be feeling well physically, mentally and even emotionally.
Even small hitches in your daily life can drastically affect your performance on the tennis court. Whether it’s a recent breakup, financial problems, or a certain havoc in your life, any negative thoughts will undoubtedly find its way into hindering your practice or match session.
Make it a point to eliminate all distractions outside of the tennis court and in your daily life. Getting rid of toxic people in your life can be a good first step, if such persons exist in your life.
If you want to play better tennis, 100% of your mind has to be in the sport, or else, you’ll only be playing at half of your true ability.

Tip #5: Develop a Player’s Routine:

Every elite tennis player will have something in common. They usually possess some kind of unique and very systematic routine that they engage in before every match or tournament.
This usually starts in the preparation of their equipment, the food that they eat the day before, clothing, accessories and even the activities that they do the day before a tennis match.

Finding the Perfect Routine to Maximize Your On court Performance:
Maybe the cinemas the night before isn’t right for you, but certainly, you should make it a point to find a suitable routine that can help you perform better in tennis matches. No matter what level you are at right now, these 5 important tips are essential if you want to be a better and more competent player on the tennis court.

TENNIS TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS

Tennis techniques for beginners begin with the fundamental basics of tennis. In developing a tennis player, tennis techniques for beginners starts with the basic tennis strokes and the footwork for tennis.

Tennis-techniques-for-beginners When we discuss tennis techniques for beginners, what are the essential components of proper stroke mechanics and footwork?

http://www.optimumtennis.net/tennis-techniques-for-beginners.htm

Tennis Techniques for Beginners

How to Improve a Tennis Serve

Have you ever gotten mad at yourself during a match because your serve simply would just not go in? Well there are probably some small mistakes with your form and your serving technique, but we can fix that with a few simple steps. Serving is one of the hardest shots in tennis, but if mastered well, it will become the trump card of your career and will also be a deciding factor of the match.

http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-a-Tennis-Serve

How to Improve a Tennis Serve Have you ever gotten mad at yourself during a match because your serve simply would just not go in? Well there are probably some small mistakes with your form and your serving technique, but we can fix that with a few simple steps. Serving...

Mental Tennis Training Tips for Tournament Players:

"The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited"

Step 5:

It is a common scenario that some players practice brilliantly yet seem to never show the same form on the court in tournaments. Often strokes which were incredibly smooth and powerful in practice, become much weaker and lacking in rhythm out there in a tournament match.
It's important to know first of all that this common problem has absolutely nothing to do with the 'physical or technique' side of tennis. It's purely the mind's reaction to the pressure of the match or tournament (or both), and it comes out in the strokes.
So by simply making some mental changes, your results can change too - but of course, it does take some discipline to make these mental changes.
The answer to stopping this situation occuring (or getting out of this situation if you are already in it) lies in your attitude and mental approach - and so here is your 5-Part Action Plan.
Firstly, look at tournaments and matches in their 'true' perspective from now on. For instance, how many millions of people will know about the results of this match? (Often) none! Will the results be broadcast all over the country or around the world? No. Is this match life or death? No. Will you continue to live after this tournament is over? Yes.
OK, so we've just discovered that this match is not as important as we first thought!
In fact, compared to many other things going on in the world right now, it could pretty safely be considered UN-important! So really there's no need to stress out about it at all. There'll be plenty more matches after this one, so you might as well just relax, enjoy yourself and go for it. The more fun you have, the better you'll perform, anyway.
Secondly, look at the match from your competitor's viewpoint - look what THEY have to deal with - YOU!
You certainly wouldn't want to be in their shoes, would you?! They might even be the favorite to win, which means ALL the pressure is on them and not you. Even worse, they see this great player down the other end (you), trying to de-rail their dreams! So always remember, THEY may be scared of YOU!
Next, it's very important to build yourself up mentally. Reinforce the positives about yourself - going over all of your own positive attributes. Literally ask yourself "what's great about me?" and begin to think of (and write down) all the things you've done in the past which made you feel great about yourself. (If you cannot think of anything, it simply means you are not thinking hard enough - because EVERYONE has positive attributes. And so the answer "nothing" is not only banned from this list, but worthy of a firm kick in the butt!).
List down anything that makes you feel good about your game - your great service action, your whippy topsin forehand, your consistency, your mental strength, your fitness, your coach, the win you had over so-and-so, the tournament you won last year, what someone told you about how good your game was, etc etc. Go over this list at least once before each and every match, and let each point sink in a little before you move on to the next.
Last of all, two more important things. It's important to regularly visualize yourself winning the matches and playing great shots, imagining a great tournament where you show them all who's the best!
Absolutely essential is to make your tennis mind just as strong as your ground strokes, which can only be done the same way - through regular daily practice of your mental training, even just for a few minutes each day.
A powerful way to do this is to mentally visualize your game going absolutely perfectly in your mind for around 10 minutes each day, with every single major shot included in the mental scenario, playing points in your mind and seeing yourself coming out on top every time.
This can be done to upbeat motivational music, or if you are serious about it, you might want to check out my Mind Training for Tennis download, which guides you through the entire visualization process.
The other thing is to talk positively to yourself, using positive affirmations and upbeat thoughts (no, not aloud - in your mind!) - become your own inner 'cheer squad' who constantly tells yourself how great you are. This can transform your results more than you could ever possibly imagine.
So to overcome the 'great practice / bad tournament' blues - here's the action plan: Put the tournament in its true perspective, then look at the match from your competitor's viewpoint. Build yourself up mentally, and then visualize and affirm to yourself just how great the whole experience is going to be.
So if you find yourself stuck in a negative pattern, change it. You can create your life into anything you WANT it to be. You've got the action plan, now the rest is up to you!

Mental Tennis Training Tips for Tournament Players:

"The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited"

Step 4:

The Awesome Power Of Body Language In A Match
Your body language on court has a huge impact upon not only your own game, but your opponent's performance as well.
Every top player on the tour would have been instructed on how to better use the powerful art of body language during matches. You can also use body language to know when your opponent is just about to hand you the match on a platter!

So exactly what is body language? Well, it's pretty much everything you do on a tennis court in between the points and games - such as the way you walk, stand, talk, react to points, etc.
Every single action you make sends signals to your opponent which they pick up either consciously or subconsciously (and the other way around) - and these signals either report that you are confident and strong - or otherwise nervous, irritated, tired, frustrated etc. Body language never lies, unless you know how to use it, of course!

First of all lets talk about how your body language affects your opponent. When a player is behind in a match and they are feeling frustrated, their negative body language (such as drooping head and shoulders, moving slowly between points, yelling self-abuse in frustration, smashing rackets and balls etc) all make their opponent feel more in control and cruising to victory - as they can visibly see that their opponent is unraveling and self-destructing.
This encourages the opponent even further, and helps them to raise their game to greater heights, making it even harder for the negative player to make a comeback.
Positive body language however, is a different story. This sends out danger signals to your opponent - that conveys: "I am in control and nothing can stop me".
Here are just a few of the subtle actions which are the sure sign of a future winner:

Pumping your fist after you hit great shots
Moving quickly and briskly between points and changing ends
Keeping your head and shoulders up
Giving the impression that you have heaps of energy in reserve as you walk past your opponent at the change of ends, including jogging to the chair as Agassi so often did. (if you are breathing heavily from a long point, even hold your breath as you walk past them!).
Agassi and Federer conveyed this positive sort of body language, and to even use an example of a past World No. 1 - Stefan Edberg from the 80's - whose coach instantly began working on his negative body language as soon as he began working with him, and the results to follow for him were awesome.
You see, body language also has a huge impact upon your own game. It is a fact that if you simply forced yourself to use positive body language on court (eg. even just walking faster between points) your mind simply has no choice but send positive commands through to your body - and so your tennis level immediately increases.
You see, while it's your mind that controls your body, your body influences your mind, through its body language! So if you ever need to rapidly increase your standard of play, change your body language, quickly!
If you begin to watch another tennis match, you rarely need to see the scoreboard to know the score if one player is well ahead - as you can instantly tell who is winning through the positive and negative body language, being displayed by the winning and losing player!
So if you find yourself locked even in the 3rd set (eg. 3 games all), this is when your positive body language can have a very powerful effect upon your opponent - as they will begin to believe that you are simply not as tired or frustrated as they are, and begin to wonder "what does it take for something to get to him (or her) ?"
Once thoughts like this run through your opponent's mind, you are very close to making the vital break and cruising to a victory.
Last but not least, make sure you keep an eye on your opponent's body language for signs that they are becoming frustrated or tired, as they often give you some major insights as to when they are reaching breaking point and about to crack under the pressure.
Watch for shaking of their head after a point, muttering or yelling at themselves, looking downwards, walking slowly (not when used as a delaying tactic however, this is quite different) and breathing very heavily after points, especially if they take extra time or squat down to rest in between points.
Body language is all a part of the mental warfare that a competitive tennis match involves, so ensure you begin to add this aspect of your game if you are a serious tournament or competitive player.

Mental Tennis Training Tips for Tournament Players

"The Mind controls the body, and the Mind is Unlimited"

Step 3:

You Are Always Talking To Yourself On Court

What thoughts and emotions go through your mind during a match? Actually, thousands of thoughts and plenty of emotions - and these have a huge effect upon your match results on court.
Not only that, but even words you say during a match can have a major effect upon your results!

Humans think approximately 60,000 thoughts a day, and on court is no different - you talk to yourself constantly on court.
It is the quality of these thoughts which is important however - as it is now well-known that negative thoughts lead to classic problems such as fear, extreme nervousness, intimidation, lack of belief, worrying about 'uncontrollables' (ie. things out of our control), uncharacteristic errors, anger, frustration ...and so on.

This is not surprising when you discover that all of your tennis experience (ie. every stroke you have made in your lifetime) is recorded in the archives of your memory bank, and this entire 'computer file of your tennis experience' lies within your subconscious mind, right now.

Your subconscious happens to be the control-center of all movement (which makes it pretty important to your level of tournament play), and it functions just like a computer. In fact, computers were originally modelled upon the subconscious, and this mental computer is being constantly programmed by the thoughts, words, statements and emotions you use regularly on (and off) the court.

What this all means is this: Think negative thoughts during a match, and you will (generally) get a negative result. No question.
Likewise, program your mind positively with powerful words, images and emotions (and get rid of any mental roadblocks which may have been holding you back), and you will get vastly improved results. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say.

This is all now common everyday knowledge, tested many times in university experiments - so this is no longer theory, it is simple truth!

Simply by changing the thoughts you think during a match may help you to transform your results in future tournaments.
So how can you do this? One of the best ways to overcome negative thoughts directly before and during a match is to use a mantra.

This is an ancient and world-renowned technique, where you simply repeat (in your mind) a few positive, powerful words - over and over again between points. This does two things; it focuses the mind onto the positive, and it prevents your mind from focusing up negative thoughts.
An example of this would be where you repeat a mantra such as 'power and control' several times in between points during your match, which keeps your mind focused and thinking positively - regardless of the point.

Then the point begins and your mind instantly goes blank again (as this is the mental state which puts you in 'the zone') - but when the point finishes, you go back into your mantra again until the next point begins.
This also helps ensure your emotions remain under control - which is essential, as frustration is one of the main reasons why players often lose the second set 6-1 after they have lost the first set 7-6! If you keep yourself mentally under control, you can wear down your opponent relentlessly, even if you lose the first set. How often do you see a score like 6-7 6-4 6-1 - pretty common!
The greatest boxer of all-time, Muhammad Ali, used "I am the greatest" as his mantra to great effect - he became the greatest boxer who ever lived.

You can just as easily make up your own mantra using your own words, but ensure you keep them short, positive (ie. no words such as 'lose'), and present-tense (eg. 'powerful and steady', not 'I will be powerful and steady'). This is very important for them to work properly (for reasons I do not have time to go into here).
So try a mantra in between points and see if it makes a difference to your results - my guess is that it will create massive improvements in your results.