1. Wait For The Bounce
Preparing early for a groundstroke
will throw you off. You make up your mind too soon, without observing the
ball all the way.
Instead of trying to predict what
the ball will do, stalk it with your racquet, and make your final adjustments
after the bounce of the ball.
From baseline to baseline, the ball
slows down close to 60%. The longer you look at it without making up your
mind, the more time you'll seem to have.
Oscar's videos (DVDs) and book give
you drills to develop excellent timing. You'll be more natural, well coordinated,
and experience much more feel. Tennis will become an easier sport to master,
more fun than ever before.
2. The Finish
The finish is the most important
mechanical part of the stroke. Study the top pros and you'll see where
they finish on the forehand and backhand strokes, and you'll realize that
they get there all the time.
In conventional tennis instruction
you are taught on your forehand to follow the flight of the ball, pointing
your finish towards the target. That type finish is stiff, unnatural, diminishes
your power, and you'll hit the ball too flat.
Top players, since Bill Tilden, Fred
Perry, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras,
Andre Agassi, the William sisters, Carlos Moya, Andy Roddick and Roger
Federer, Justine Hardene, and almost everyone at the top hit across the
body on their forehands, bending the arm.
Learn in Oscar's videos (DVDs) and
book the real basics that apply to tennis. These insights will make your
game easier, smoother, and effective. You won't be afraid of putting power
behind your shots.
3. Racquet Angle
The major thing that determines the
height and direction of the ball is the angle of the racquet. The swing
has some effect on that, but not nearly as much, and body or feet position
have nothing to do in that regard.
The success of the top players is
due to their heightened awareness of the racquet position at impact time.
Just a small angle variation, and the results vary quite dramatically.
With so much movement around the
court, the position of the racquet is paramount and it needs to be developed
at an early stage.
Improve your racquet handling with
Oscar's videos (DVDs) and book. Learn to develop your memory as an athlete.
Even what we call mechanics can be stored at an instinct level. Like Oscar
says, play tennis "with your hands".
4. Topspin
Topspin is a natural way to get the
ball in the court, especially when hitting it hard. At the professional
game, because of the high speed of groundstrokes, it is a must. It is too
risky to hit the ball flat and too close to the net. Even for beginners,
topspin develops your game faster than a flat stroke, giving you a longer
contact with the ball.
Andre Agassi, for example, is not
a flat hitter, even though many times he has been described as such. Agassi
hits his forehand at an average of 1,700 RPM. Andy Roddick's first serve
rotates at close to 3,000 RPM. Roger Federer hits some groundstrokes with
so much topspin that the ball has been known to bounce twice within a few
yards. These guys are good because they started with topspin.
If you are a competition player,
or just a plain beginner, topspin gives you several advantages. You cut
on errors, you get more feel and control, you get confident and confuse
your opponent, who has more difficulty in hitting with precision.
Learn from Oscar, the "Topspin Master",
with his book and videos (DVDs). Oscar revolutionized tennis coaching in
Spain, Latin America, the USA, in Russia with his first book, and worlwide
with ESPN International. You'll have more wins and more fun!
5. Natural footwork
In conventional tennis teaching the
first thing taught is that you need to position your body sideways, with
the feet facing the sideline, then to step into the ball as you swing.
This is totally unnatural, diverts too much attention to the feet, and
kills hand-eye coordination.
The best way to learn is to focus
only on what the hand and the racquet are doing, letting the body and the
feet move naturally, the same way you walk around the house or you run
after your dog.
The idea that you have to learn tennis
"positions" is preposterous, because you learned to move and balance yourself
early in life, in an instinctive way, and that is what you should be applying
now.
The top professionals look so natural
because they move naturally, with favorite reaching and balancing moves
that are instinctive, not a product of thought. They feel their balance,
and the body will help the stroke as much as possible, according to the
situation. Most of them learned this from the beginning. So should you,
with Oscar's videos (DVDs) and book.
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