Tennis Strokes and Tactics : Improve Your Game

by Littleford, John

• ISBN13: 9781554074655
• ISBN10: 1554074657
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

A tennis tune-up for players of all skill levels.From the serve, ground strokes and volleys to the smashes, lobs and drop shots, this unique coaching manual illustrates each stroke from five angles: front, back, left, right and above. In this all-around skills guide, tennis pro John Littleford delivers expert guidance to identify accurate positioning of feet, body and the racquet -- just like having a personal pro watching, correcting and coaching every swing.Tennis Strokes and Tactics features step-by-step analysis and multi-angle photography that illustrates how to:Track the ball to the racquet head using hand-eye coordination Maintain correct posture and good footwork Establish correct and comfortable grips Hit a forehand with great topspin Master the secrets of the backhand -- one-handed and two-handed Control the ball with power on volleys Serve with more speed, spin and deception Return serve with more punch and accuracy Use the lob and drop shot as devastating offensive weapons Master an accurate and powerful overhead smash Move across the court more fluidly for greater efficiency.Tennis Strokes and Tactics also includes a comprehensive section on effective tactics and strategies for singles and doubles play. Using this innovative guide, tennis players of any level will improve their game.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About this book

The strokes

First steps

Get a grip

Forehand topspin

Two-handed topspin backhand

One-handed topspin backhand

One-handed slice backhand

One-handed backhand drop shot

Sidespin slice serve

Topslice/topspin serve

Slice forehand

Forehand drop shot

High forehand volley

Forehand drop volley

Low forehand volley

Forehand half volley

Medium backhand volley

Backhand drop volley

Low backhand volley

Backhand half volley

Returns of serve

Forehand topspin lob

Backhand topspin lob

Forehand smash

Backhand smash

Forehand drive volley

One-handed backhand drive volley

Two-handed backhand drive volley

Learning the ropes

Getting started

Scoring

Serving and rallying rules

Court etiquette

Tactics

Tactical serving

Tactical returning

Tactical first strikes

Cross court and down the line

Rallying tactics

20 steps to the right mindset

Doubles tactics and formations

The returning player

Glossary

Index

Credits

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

IntroductionTennis is a fabulous game that seems to bring the best out of people, whatever their background or wherever they come from.The first time, as toddlers, that our parents threw us a tennis ball, our passion for the sport was born, and watching Wimbledon on television from an early age further fueled our enthusiasm. Witnessing McEnroe's epic encounters with Bjorg, and later the athletic antics of Boris Becker, made many tennis kids dive across the court to reach a volley at no thought of injury to themselves, even those who played on tarmac.Teaching is in our blood, since we both have parents who taught, and we count ourselves very fortunate to be able to teach others this wonderful sport that we both love. It gives us a real buzz to see the satisfied faces of people enjoying the skills we have imparted. That is why we are so passionate about the simple system we have described in the book. If you follow it thoroughly you will literally be playing tennis in minutes, and the tennis world will be yours.