Today we started with a long warm up. Our task was to hit cross court and keep the ball going for at least 10 times over the net. At first, this was hard for me since I have a habit of hitting with a lot of pace. As time went on, it got easier and easier. Later while we were playing, I had a lot more control over the ball than I usually do. This would be a great warm up before an important match.
Here are J's pearls of wisdom:
Lesson With J. 1/12/11
Hitting a ball without balancing up is like shooting a cannon from a canoe. You can shoot the cannon but your aim might not be very accurate.
To get ready for returning serve, first adjust your shoulders. That is the main part of the return of serve. Then you can adjust the backstroke depending on the served ball. There are three positions of backstroke. Take less of a backstroke the harder the ball is hit to you.
Are you a good winter driver? If you are, you know that you have to adjust for driving on ice patches. If you get to an ice patch, do you put the pedal to the metal? If you don't adjust to the ice patch, you are going to have a collision. A good driver adjusts the speed to match the driving conditions. This is the way it is with playing tennis. If you get a ball hit to you, you need to adjust to that ball. J. told me a few weeks ago that sometimes I go 70 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Bending your knees while you are playing is like anchoring your boat.
Consider physics with regard to tennis. Many players hit straight through the ball but physics dictate that you need to hit up on the ball. A bouncing ball is coming down, then up. To return the ball, you need to hit from low to high. If you hit straight through the ball, it will go into the net.
So today, has overtones of boating, driving and physics class.
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