The forward thrust is the beginning of every attack in tennis and as such should be carefully studied. There are certain footwork rules that apply to all shots. To reach the ball from close range, step forward with the foot furthest from the shot, thus swinging into a kicking position. If the ball is too close to the body, pull the foot closest to the shot and drop the weight on it again, thus again in the shot position. When you accelerate and the position of the foot cannot be changed, throw the weight on the foot closest to the ball.
The receiver should always wait for the serve facing the net, but as soon as the serve begins on the path of the court, the receiver should immediately reach the position to receive it with the body perpendicular to the net.
The forward thrust consists of a continuous swing of the club which, for purposes of analysis, can be divided into three parts:
- The part of the swing behind the body, which determines the speed of the shot.
- The part immediately in front of the body which, coinciding with the transfer of weight from one foot to the other, determines the direction and rate of the shot.
- The part behind the body, which can be compared to the "follow" of a golfer, determines the spin, top or slice, which is transmitted to the ball.
All discs should be on top. The slide shot is a completely different shot.
To roll straight along the sideline, theoretically construct a two-sided parallelogram formed by the sideline and your shoulders, and the two ends, the lines of your foot, which, if extended, should form angles rights with the sidelines. Meet the ball about 4 to 4 1/2 feet from the body directly in front of the belt buckle and transfer the weight from the rear to the front foot as the ball is hit. The racquet swing should be flat and straight. The clubhead should be in line with the hand or slightly forward; The whole arm and club should be rotated slightly over the ball as it leaves the clubface and continue the stroke through to the swing, giving the ball topspin.
The striking platform for all ground strikes should be between the knees and the shoulders. The most convenient plane is at waist level.
Never stray too far from the ball when crossing the pitch. Always put your weight into it.
A forehand from the left court is exactly the same as directing your opponent's forehand. For the backhand cross push, you need to visualize a diagonal line from corner to corner and so kick as if that imaginary line were the sideline. In other words, align your body along the shot and do your normal training. Don't try to "hook" the ball with a delayed wrist flick, as this tends to push the ball away from the racket.
All drives should be equipped with a reinforced and locked wrist. There is no wrist movement in actual driving. The upper rotation is performed by the arm and not by the wrist.
The backhand drive closely follows the principles of the forehand, except the weight moves an instant earlier, and the R or lead foot should always be served closer to the sideline than the L to get out the body of the swing. You should meet the ball in front of the right leg, rather than the belt buckle, as the big tendency of backhand shots is to cut it outside the sideline, which will drive the ball downfield, to avoid this foul . The clubhead should be slightly forward of the hand to help put the ball in play. Don't struggle for a lot of top spin on your back.
I urge that no one favor an administration at its game, in defense of a weakness. Develop both your forehand and your backhand, and don't “throw” your backhand, especially in exchange for a serve. To do this, you just need to open your land. If you have to, make sure you earn your returns, because a bad effort will only kill your opponent.
Don't develop a favorite move and play nothing more than that. If you have a good drive on the court, don't use it in practice, but try to develop an equally good direct shot.
Remember, the quick hit is the forehand. The cross thrust should be slow, as it has no space due to the increased angle and height of the grid. Cross the line with your drive, but open up the field with your shot through the field.
Readers must have depth. The center drive should go past the service line. A good disc should be within 3 feet of the baseline. The cross feed should be shorter than the straight feed, in order to increase the possible angle. Don't always play a training distance, but learn to change the distance to suit your leg. You need to drive deep against a baseman, but run against a net player, striving to knock them down at his feet when he comes up.
Never allow your opponent to play the move he likes if you can force him to take one he doesn't like.
Again, I invite you to start your player:
- With the body sideways toward the net.
- Flat swing, with a long follow through.
- Weight is transferred once the ball is hit.