Jim McLennan's Essential Tennis Instruction

Download this Video The most difficult opponent we face is often the “dreaded pusher” – but in spite of this players consistency, this players movement, and often how “poor we think they look” – often the simplest issue here is that their soft floating moon balls deprive you and I of the rhythm we get […]

Both Roger Federer and Bianca Andreescu square the face to the incoming ball – though still moving forward they have both “aligned the wall to the ball.”                   Tom Stow often introduced the simplicity of the volley technique by using a stool or chair such that the […]

http://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_network/ETI_TheOtherSideOfTheNet.mp4 Download this Video Some time ago I was in Sacramento watching the Power Shares tour event – Courier, Sampras, McEnroe and Blake. James Blake beat John McEnroe in the finals – Mac having beaten Courier, and Blake easily beat an injured Pete Sampras (who was looking very slow on court compared to the other […]

Watching the ball - moving into position - you can always listen to the outcome!

The common problem I see at the club, as well as on television, is where the server flexes at the waist at the hit - more or less jackknifing to create a little more ball speed. And this action creates both forward and downward forces - and is generally associated with netted serves.

Agility = moving quickly and easily.  We know when we are gliding, we know when we are moving heavily. Equally, when can see on the adjacent court who moves well and who does not. But often more than strength training or explosive movement, the secret can be in a subtle unweighting where the body leads […]

Pete Sampras, "I won 7 Wimbledon titles because I had the best second serve in the game." The second serve is about spin that will make the ball curve down as it crosses the net.  Yes it may corner the opponent and either swing them wide and out of court, or kick up into their backhand.

Consider the critical 24 inch hitting zone when creating topspin on a forehand or on a serve – to create this spin the racquet must be swung up from beneath the ball (12 inches) but carry upward after impact (another 12 inches) to create the rolling spin that more and more of us want in […]

Ball control – ours is a game of accuracy, of consistency, but equally it is a game of timing for the opponent will send us shots of varying spin, speed, length and difficulty. Timing describes the relation between the incoming ball and the swinging racquet – and certainly the entire game revolves around the moment […]

https://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_podcast/ETI_042_Measure_Twice_Cut_Once.mp4 The carpenter measures twice to cut once, to make sure the cut is accurate, for if too much is cut off that mistake cannot be undone. In tennis consider measuring as preparing first to the side for the incoming ball, but then to measure precisely the height of the backswing such that the racquet […]

Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves to the hips, and then to the torso, and then to the shoulder, then the arm, then the forearm, then the hand, and finally the fingers?

A few years ago I was encouraged to take a class in improvisational theater. It took me months to find the courage (stage fright and more) but I finally enrolled and then thoroughly enjoyed this class within the Stanford continuing studies program.

The 3 R's of tennis - ready, read (where the ball is going) react! As to your reaction - what precisely is your first move? What moves first, what initiates your preparation? Really an important question.

80% of the points in professional end with an error, 20% with a winner. As regards unforced errors, if your opponent never misses and is patient as the day is long, would you consider missing a routine forehand in the 12th shot of a rally a forced or unforced error. I am now believing that errors are simply errors, and the distinction is unnecessary.

Three factors control your tennis shot - not your feet, not your eyes, not your balance (though all of those do help) but the only three elements are; Angle of the racquet face, Swing Path and Tempo.

Swing path, type of spin, power, 3d playback (with Zepp) but perhaps the most interesting as well as the most useful is the data that shows where you make contact on the racquet face. And before going further, one of the most important (IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT) skills in the game of tennis is concentration, focus, and closely and continually watching the ball.

Take a few moments with the following report card - a method to either evaluate your own skills, or use this with your coach or regular practice partner. The idea is to take a deeper look at your "Use" - the broader issues that influence all you do on court, your awareness, the elements that make you a strong player, but equally perhaps the element that is holding you back.

Consider the elements in a strong and fluid overhand throw - and how the actions of the hand and elbow can be used or even copied in the modern forehand as well as certainly the serve. Once when racquets were heavy and wooden, we could see (and still see now and then) a type of pendulum swing - back and forth with little whip or acceleration. Interestingly McEnroe still uses such a forehand to truly devastating effect.

An excellent book, Man''s Search for Meaning, written by Victor Frankl, serves as a useful guidepost in living but equally when playing on court. When Andy Murray hooked up with Ivan Lendl to capture his two grand slam titles, he was working at the same time with a sports psychologist (the same one who had worked with Lendl years before) to improve his attitude - to improve his emotional responses to the challenges he faced (and still faces) on court.

One of Northern California's legendary teachers, as well as a dear friend and mentor to me, Fred Earle penned the following 5 keys – that he expected his players to answer with a resounding yes, each and every day at the end of practice or a game.

Squaring up – Hitting the ball true – precise contact on the back of the ball. We all know about topspin – but have you ever tried to strike the ball with true topspin – where the ball rolls forward – precisely forward? The following drop hit drill will improve your time spent practicing on court – and help you with your forehand and or your backhand.

Balance, holding your finish, placing your weight precisely against the ball. Yes there are many ways to hit the ball, and many ways to play this game, but with all the variety of styles and technique – our best professionals are balanced more often than perhaps we readily notice.

Is there more to it than simply watching the ball? Well, the answer is yes. But the answer is not readily apparent. Scan and zoom describes two different visual orientations, both of which occur on court. In your own game, are you better at scanning or zooming? Better yet, are you skilled at both?

Ready Read React – the all important "3 R's" of tennis. But the question, once you have been ready and now have read the incoming direction of the ball – how do you react? What is your first move? The first move is about quickness, it is about simplicity, but equally if not more importantly, it is about committing and reacting to only and simply what you have read. If you want to be quicker and find more time to hit the ball – improve your first move.

The game has changed from the old wooden racquet era. Next was graphite composite racquets. Then stronger and stronger players. Followed by more and more topspin (unfortunately from further and further behind the baseline). The next era in our game's development occurs from the new "copoly" strings - essentially a polymer material, but somehow little or no friction between the strings. You will note, no longer do the players walk around between points straightening their strings. That is because those strings move back and forth when meeting the ball - imparting much much more spin.

Play the ball to the open court. Run your opponent. Hit it where they "ain't" (sorry). Too often we focus on moving the ball east and west, meaning from side to side. Another option, in some instances a better option, is to play the ball deep and short, very deep and very short. Think of this as moving the ball north and south. Drop shots will do the trick. Backspin, finesse, stroking from high to low with an open racquet face. But, and this is most important, always meet this ball on the rise, from inside the baseline.

Three R's - ready read and then react. Ready - feet spread, knees softly bent, weight on the balls of the feet Read - as quickly as possible read the ball, see clearly is this ball coming to the forehand or backhand side React - turn your shoulders and hips to the ball as quickly as possible.

Tennis ju-jitsu. Blocking, borrowing, deflecting the ball, playing with angles and change of pace. The game is not always about power and winners. Just as easily the game can become one of rebounding the ball, using the opponent's force and incoming shot to create our own. This style, ju-jitsu if you will, comes from shorter strokes, firmer grips at contact, and a willingness to look for angles, dinks, drops and more. McEnroe was the unquestioned master of this - try it out for yourself.

Relishing the contest. Appreciating the opponent. Understanding (really) the rules of a contest. To my mind, some matches are determined before ever hitting the first ball. We have all been in situations where we knew immediately that the opponent had no chance - and equally we have all been in situations where we knew immediately that we had no chance. None at all. The fun occurs, when we play an evenly matched opponent. And in these contest, both players have an even chance to win. Look for these opportunities. Keep your cool. You can be ahead and blow this lead, you can play from behind and catch up - but in any event there is chance, there is luck, there are a few balls close to the line.