Tennis Drills you might have taken lightly- exercise your wrist and forearm

For sports like tennis where the wrist of the player is constantly used, it becomes important that the wrist and for that matter, the entire arm be strengthened. One sure result you can achieve by increasing the strength in your wrist is an increase in power of your forehand shots. A stronger wrist will also give you the necessary control needed when returning fast paced balls.
It is unfortunate that although this remains one of the greatest contributing factors to a player’s game, it is not discussed even by most experts as much as other parts of the sport. For this reason we have taken the responsibility of tackling a few of the techniques by which you can do this. You are however advised to do these exercises within the limits your body allows. If you have any qualms concerning these exercises, consult your physician.

Exercise #1-   5 balls, 15 balls, 20 balls
This is one of the simplest drills you can indulge in to increase the strength in both your wrist and forearm.

What you need; A squash wall, tennis balls and tennis racket

How it’s done; You start by playing a single tennis ball to hit the squash wall. Let the ball bounce once then hit it again against the wall. Try repeating this for 5 hits against the wall before you quit. Next, you try doing this for 15 hits against the wall. You gradually increase the number of times you want to return the ball till you feel you’ve had enough of the drill. This simple drill helps most beginners to improve their timing and concentration as well. This is one drill that even club level players can use to increase the length of their rallies and their stamina.

Exercise #2- Bouncing along the path
This is a drill that is pretty new but produces the effect you seek. It reminds me of the good old saying, “No pain, no gain”.

What you need; The rectangle of the doubles court, Racket, tennis balls

How it is done; You begin on the baseline and with your racket, bounce the tennis ball as you walk. Try to keep the ball within the confines of the extension of the double’s court. Also, try to keep your racket from moving too much. Rather, what you want to do is to make the racket control the bounce of the ball so you can walk without stopping from the baseline towards the net. The process is repeated in the opposite direction. You may perform this drill as many times as you are physically capable. An additional advantage of this drill is that it improves the eye and ball coordination of the player.

Exercise #3- Wrist curls with barbells
This final drill is centered mainly on increasing your forearm strength. I watched this video and knew it had the perfect description of the drill so I have chosen to embed the video below.
What you need; Barbells, workout bench
How it is done; Watch video

If you found this topic interesting, you might also want to read my article on; TIMING THE BALL IN TENNIS. All your questions and queries are humbly welcome. Subscribe to receive all our upcoming updates on how to improve your tennis. Have a great day.

Tips to finding a good sparring partner

"Okay so now that we know what is required to start playing tennis, how then do we begin actually playing the game?" one may ask.

In my previous blog i recommended a few things you needed to begin playing tennis one of them was a good sparring partner.Today I'm going to discuss how you can get a good sparring partner and a few of the techniques you will need in order to start sparring.

The Good Sparring Partner

If you want to begin playing tennis, it would be good to let a few of your friends and your colleagues know about a couple of weeks before you start taking your lessons with a coach. This could very well be a good way of getting a friend you feel comfortable with to be your sparring partner. This makes it easier for you to concentrate more on the game and still enjoy the company of your friend. You can also choose to announce your interest to play tennis on media like facebook.com if you have an account there. Another way of getting a sparring partner is by asking the coaches at your local tennis club to pair you up with people who are of the same ITN ranking as yourself. You are encouraged to visit http://www.itftennis.com/itn/ for more information about ITN rankings.
Also you may want to create an advert or a poster which you can place on the notice board at your local tennis club for a partner. When you finally do get a sparring partner, find some time to meet them personally so that you both can visit the court together. It is also recommended that you arrange a suitable day in the week to have your first training session.
The techniques for sparring

If this is your first time of stepping on the tennis court, you may almost be overwhelmed by your inability to play like a mentor you most likely see on TV. Your experience could very much consist of one or all of the following.You may be all over the place chasing balls, going round and round in circles during the return of a ball, hit some really high balls that may even go over the fence and may even feel embarrased. The good news is, that's how everybody begins! This is why you need a sparring partner who is of the same standing in the ITN rankings as you are.This way you can motivate and encourage each other as you go along.

The first technique you should try out could be playing the ball on one side of the court. This technique improves your control of the ball and aids you play in the direction you want to instead of just anywhere on the court.

Try and master this technique, go out and have some fun with your new partner and always remember to be true to yourself. For more helpful tips on how to become part of Ghana's growing tennis community, just follow this blog.

KNUST tennis watch for beginners

We will begin our journey today by visiting one of the most vibrant tennis clubs in Kumasi,Ghana. The KNUST tennis club boasts of 2 courts and  2 more courts under construction. It has a sitting area for players on the court and also offers some considerable amount of seating for people who just want to watch an exciting match. This court also has just adjacent to it a squash wall where most beginner tennis players first practice before rallying.

There are a few coaches who may occasional come for training sessions but usually beginners have to put in extra effort to learn on their own.

As a beginner you may not need much to start playing tennis. Based on experience I would suggest that you find good sparring partner (you can also read this article for more information on the topic Finding a good sparring partner )who is eager to learn as you are. Find a good court, one that has all the basic facilities, a good racket, a coach who will guide you, a mentor (i.e a tennis player that you sincerely admire. For instance I admire Roger Federer's play style), a good outfit and some tennis balls.

It is important to remember that tennis is a game and is fun to play when you treat it as such. You may occasionally come across some very intense tennis players but never let their demeanor or their play style keep you from achieving your objective of playing the sport.Just remember to be true to yourself.

So go out there play your game, love the sport and enjoy yourself !
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