Winners vs Consistency

You need to hit with consistency to win at tennis. Hitting winners is fun, but not as fun as taking home a trophy for your efforts. Have you ever played against someone who “hits everything back”? It’s hard work isn’t it? Frustrating, exhausting and makes you want to smash everything as hard as possible. After loosing you secretly hope you never have to play him again!!!

With some training and practice you can be a winner. The goal in tennis is to be the last one to hit a ball over the net, in the court. All the rest of the training and practice is aimed at making that happen. If your ball does not get in the court then you will loose. After you master getting the ball back you can work on placement, depth, spin, and power.

Jerry White, head pro at Flint Canyon Tennis Club, reminds us of the Dennis Van der Meer theory that you need to know 5 elements of the game. And to be really good you will master them in order: Get the ball in; place it at just the right spot on the court; get it deep; add spin; then add power. Wow! What a game? It will take time and months of good practice but you will be pleased with the results.

Arthur Ashe believed, “For club players, I have a comfortable rule of thumb. If, on every point you play, you hit the ball in five times, you are not going to lose any matches”.

The great coach Dick Gould writes, “…on percentage tennis, to make your opponent hit the ball. This is the first and foremost rule in tennis for the advanced as well as the beginning player. Concentrate on keeping the ball going back to your opponent. Don’t let him off the hook by trying an unnecessary shot and missing or getting caught out of position. You need only hit the ball in court one more time than your opponent to win the point. And if you keep the ball in play, you apply pressure on your opponent to hit a placement to beat you”.

Tip of the month:

Learn to play under control. Play with a consistency first. Give yourself time to develop the point to find the right opportunity to become aggressive and hit a winner. Consistency and control will help you win matches. Watch for the U. S. Open on television.

For further information or instruction, contact Stan Carter, USPTA certified professional, at the Flint Canyon Tennis Club: 818-790-3355 or 213-321-8699. You are invited to visit www.StanTheTennisman.com or email questions and comments to Info@StanTheTennisman.com.