Coaching

Call John McKay on 01256 464203 (UK Number) for this years dates

A TYPICAL PROGRAMME

Will use the hard courts
Available to members and non-members

Sessions led by LTA qualified coach
Each session will be up to 1 hour

Each session has a maximum limit of students per course
Courses will cater for beginners, improvers and advanced players (juniors and adults)

Tennis strokes, strategies, fitness and matchplay will form the course content
Course rates are always highly competitive - please do enquire.

COACHING TIPS - from Perveez Mirza (LTA licensed tennis coach - level2)
The tips start here [please note these are thoughts of PM and won't always go with what the LTA handbook says -
so if it works for you then that's great, if it doesn't - well you always have the handbook !]

PM Comments on: RELISH THE BACKHAND !
It's all in the shoulder turn. A timely turning of the shoulders will set you up to unleash powerful
backdrives at will. But it's not all about power my friends. I would strongly urge you practice for a sweet
hit and attempt to place the backhand drives down the line and cross-court - each time knowing that
you are hitting to a good length.

Shoulder turn, shoulder turn, shoulder turn. . . . please don't forget this. It is the key.

PM Comments on: SPRING VOLLEY !
Is the volley scary or is it just me ? You're at the net, the baseliner grins and knocks the ball
softly to your backhand side. Then hops arounds waiting for you pop the ball up ready
for him to pounce. Have you ever wished you could grin straight back, nod your
head and then smartly steer the volley down the line - or when entertaining the crowds
play a sharp cross-court angle What satisfaction !

And it can be done. It's all in the mind when we talk about volleying. First be confident that
you are playing the volley not defending a ground stroke. In your mind technique has to
be paramount. We cannot be too flashy with racket work - it's got to be simple, tidy, and accurate.
The basic suggestion here is to crouch when in the volleying arena. Always try and get some
body weight into the hit. And finally make certain the racket face doesn't twist unintentionally in your hand at
impact. There are quite a few other things you have to do but for now go with the above and prosper.

PM Comments on: FOREHAND MAGIC !
You may not agree, but I would say that most folks can hit the forehand hard - and every now
and again manage to get the ball in. But this is not my policy. I would like to go down the road
of blasting forehand winners later.

For now my suggestion is to develop the disguise. If you can get real feeling when hitting the
forehand you will be able to conjure up magical shots. The dink pass, the off-cut, the subtle lob. the
swerving pass, and of course the monkey shot [the power drive].

Time for the tip on how to get the magic. . . .The obvious element which you must be very good at is
actually hitting the ball while it is front - ie if you are on the baseline, the point of contact with the
ball must be 6 to 12 inches inside the baseline (as a guide). The hit must be comfortable and allow the
ball to reach the last quarter of the other side. Practice this, try some with a little topspin, some without,
and some with slice. And don't forget the placement, some left, some right, and some down the middle.
You should find that how you position your body will affect how easy the shot is to make. So don't
be afraid to change your body position. REMEMBER meet the ball in front and the magic will come.

PM Comments on: A MOVING EXPERIENCE!
In my time I have come across a number of players who's lack of shot variety was massively
compensated by their excellent movement. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the power of movement.
I am particularly refering to what you do after you've played your shot. Keep your eyes on the
how the ball is moving, how your opponent is moving, how your opponent is preparing their racket.
All these clues will give you a chance to guess where the next shot will go.

As you watch you should be side-stepping your way back to a central position ("central"
dependent on the stroke options your opponent has) - generally this would be near the baseline and
in the middle. If you can learn to side step well and can change direction swiftly, you will have a great
chance to make it to most shots.

Remember to always try and move well, this gives you your best chance of getting to the ball in
good time. Remember to watch closely whats happening before your opponent plays their shot -
this may allow you to anticipate better. And here's a technique I use a lot, while your opponent sets
him/her self up for their shot see if their face (their eyes usually) gives away what is about to
follow. Pick up the clues. . .try it!


PM Comments on: HELP, NOTHING'S WORKING !
Two main choices, up the power and hope to hit your way out of trouble. Or go back to some
of the basics. I'd like to talk about getting back to the basics. Ok so not a lot is going well,
what do you do?

I always think you would do well to stick to one or two basic principles. Of course the ones you choose
to concentrate on will depend on the situation you are in. I'll suggest a couple, then really it's up
to you to come up with a few more.

A favourite of mine is "hit the ball in front", this can resolve a number of problems. Mis-timing,
not getting enough power, finding yourself defending, etc can all be (to a large extent) sorted by
placing some focus on a good ball strike. A second goody is "don't watch the opponent, watch the ball",
pay more attention to the ball and make a greater effort to actually drive through the ball.
This should start bringing some confidence back to your shots.

A there plenty more but for this little section, I'll leave you with the two. Think positive.

PM Comments on: BASH THE SMASH !
Well not quite. My suggestion for the smash is keep it clean, keep it smooth, and above all
keep your cool. You don't really want to muscle the smash - although if you're strong enough
you may get away with it. Here the tip:- if you can let the ball bounce - let it. When it rises back up
to service hitting height, thats when you go for it. The trick is to make sure you hit the ball with a
fairly straight arm (as with a serve). The second trick is not to try and drive the ball downwards
(you cannot be sure you will bounce a smash over the opponents heads - but will increase the chance
of an embarrasing ball in the net). So while keeping an eye on the ball, you want to position yourself
as if ready for a serve. Be sure to be light on your feet, when you are ready to swing, you will need to
take a slight step forward (to move your weight forward), make use of a small knee bend - then swing.

My strong suggestion is try and place the ball into the last third of the court (last quarter if you feel good).
Even if the smash is not a winner, you will put your opponent on the back foot. With a little practise
you will be able to add power to the smash, so then with the accuracy your smash will be a certain winner.

PM Comments on: LOST GRIP
It could all get very technical if we started to get deeply into various grips, and textually may become
confused. So to keep it simple I would suggest you get some basic guidance from your local club coach.
You may wish to ask the question "how shall I grip my racket for a; topspin forehand ?; slice backhand ?;
kick serve ?; etc.

The advise I can give here is to BE AWARE that the grip does need to change. Very few players can
get away without making the changes. With the grips (& swing action) correct you can quickly
take control of your strokes. Good luck.

E N D.