Quantcast
nodot nodot
Tennis Anyone
December 2011 Article

Contact John Mills

Latest Tennis Anyone Article

Tennis Anyone Archives:
2003 - Present
1994 - 2002

Tennis Server
HOME PAGE

Do You Want To Be A Better Tennis Player?

Then Sign Up For A Free Subscription to the Tennis Server INTERACTIVE
E-mail Newsletter!

Tom Veneziano You will join 13,000 other subscribers in receiving news of updates to the Tennis Server along with monthly tennis tips from tennis pro Tom Veneziano.
 
Best of all, it is free!

Tennis Features Icon TENNIS FEATURES:

TENNIS ANYONE? - USPTA Pro John Mills' quick player tip.
 
TENNIS WARRIOR - Tom Veneziano's Tennis Warrior archive.
 
TURBO TENNIS - Ron Waite turbocharges your tennis game with tennis tips, strategic considerations, training and practice regimens, and mental mindsets and exercises.
 
WILD CARDS - Each month a guest column by a new writer.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES - Ray Bowers takes an analytical and sometimes controversial look at the ATP/WTA professional tour.
 
PRO TENNIS SHOWCASE - Tennis match reports and photography from around the world.
 
TENNIS SET - Jani Macari Pallis, Ph.D. looks at tennis science, engineering and technology.
 
MORTAL TENNIS - Greg Moran's tennis archive on how regular humans can play better tennis.
 
HARDSCRABBLE SCRAMBLE - USPTA pro Mike Whittington's player tip archive.
 
TENNIS EQUIPMENT TIPS.

Tennis Community Icon TENNIS COMMUNITY:


Tennis Book, DVD, and Video Index
 
Tennis Server Match Reports
 
Editor's Letter
 
Become a Tennis Server Sponsor

Explore The Tennis Net Icon EXPLORE THE TENNIS NET:

Tennis News and Live Tennis Scores
 
Tennis Links on the Web
 
nodot
Tennis Anyone


 

Green Dot
 
Tennis Warehouse Logo
 
Green Dot

 
nodot

 
On The Rise

John Mills Photo
John Mills, USPTA

As a beginner or intermediate player you are usually fed balls that are on the fall, meaning they have bounced far enough in front of you to allow the ball to bounce, peak and then you strike it on the fall, nearer the second bounce. As you become successful, the pro will challenge you with faster, deeper balls and higher deeper balls. At a beginner/intermediate level the tendency will be to back up to allow yourself more time to hit the deep balls on the fall. This will also work for a short period of time. You will consistently be moving backward, losing position and not using your natural body weight to help you hit the ball. It can be exhausting.
 
To advance out of this level you must train yourself to predict the bounce of the upcoming shot. You must learn to move your feet toward the bounce. As a beginner/intermediate player your racket can be back and waiting before the ball bounces. As an advanced player, many times, your racket must be moving forward before the bounce. This is called "hitting on the rise" or "trapping the ball." After practicing this approach to the game you will quickly see that the height and pace of the ball will become secondary and you moving toward the bounce of the ball will become primary. You will eliminate most of the errors you have been making by allowing the ball to climb over your eye level. The wind will not be such a negative effect because you will not allow the ball to get up high where the wind will torment you.
 
You will not spend your life moving backwards toward the fence. You will be able to generate more power because you will be accepting the pace of your opponents' shots on your racket. It is much easier to hit a ball harder on the rise than on the fall. This is why you see the pros constantly hitting so hard. They are using their opponent'\s pace to add to their shot. Plus, anytime you are moving toward a ball to take it on the rise, you will always have an option to continue going to the net to gain an offensive position. Something you will never do when you are way behind the baseline.
 
Remember, go to the bounce. Hit on the rise as much as possible.
 
Good luck on the courts!
 

Green DotGreen DotGreen Dot

Tennis Anyone Archives:
1994 - 2002 | 2003 - Present


If you have not already signed up to receive our free e-mail newsletter Tennis Server INTERACTIVE, you can sign up here. You will receive notification each month of changes at the Tennis Server and news of new columns posted on our site.

This column is copyrighted by John Mills, all rights reserved.

John Mills' experience includes four years as head pro at the Windemere Racquet & Swim Club, where he was responsible for organization of all tennis activities at the club. John also played college tennis at the University of Houston and has spent 20 years teaching tennis at the Memorial Park Tennis Center, the Pasadena Racquet Club, and as the head pro at the Bay Area Racquet Club.


 

nodot
nodot
Google
Web tennisserver.com
nodot nodot
The Tennis Server
Ticket Exchange

Your Source for tickets to professional tennis & golf events.
 
Terra Wortmann Open - Halle, Germany Tickets
 
Wimbledon Tickets
 
Infosys Hall of Fame Open Tickets
 
Atlanta Open Tickets
 
Hamburg Open Tickets
 
Mubadala Citi Open Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
National Bank Open Women's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
National Bank Open Men's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
Cincinnati Open Tickets
 
Winston-Salem Open Tickets
 
Tennis In The Land Tickets
 
UTS - Tennis Like Never Before Tickets
 
US Open Tennis Championship Tickets
 
Laver Cup Berlin Tickets
 
Erste Bank Open - Vienna, Austria Tickets
 
Dallas Open Tickets
 
BNP Paribas Open Tickets
 
Miami Open Tickets
 
Laver Cup San Francisco Tickets
 

 

Popular Tennis books:
 
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis-Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
 
The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance by Jeff Greenwald
 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
 
Most Recent Articles:
 
October 2022 Tennis Anyone: Patterns in Doubles by John Mills.
 
September 2022 Tennis Anyone: Short Court by John Mills.
 

 

 

 

"Tennis Server" is a registered trademark and "Tennis Server INTERACTIVE" is a trademark of Tennis Server. All original material and graphics on the Tennis Server are copyrighted 1994 - by Tennis Server and its sponsors and contributors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

The Tennis Server receives a commission on all items sold through links to Amazon.com.

 

Tennis Server
Cliff Kurtzman
Editor-in-chief
791 Price Street #144
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (281) 480-6300
Online Contact Form
How to support Tennis Server as a Sponsor/Advertiser
Tennis Server Privacy Policy