AVERY Racquets are “Real Racquets”

First, and foremost, because they allow you to play to your potential and to keep improving and growing as a player.

Second, they are arm friendly, very comfortable at contact, they absorb the shock of ball, racquet, collision, giving you superior arm protection.

Third, they also allow you to hit the heavy ball, with pace , spin and depth to your opponents side, making it more difficult for him.

Ever since Bjorn Borg made topspin famous players have been striving to implement it with their game.  Borg showed he could hit incredible short angle passing shots past McEnroe, who was attacking at net.  Topspin is what allowed Borg to do this.  With topspin Borg was able to pull the ball down into the court before it went wide, and get tremendous angles which he used to pass McEnroe.   The topspin Borg was able to hit really was a major change in the sport. Basically, when you hit with topspin you’re making the ball spin forward which creates air pressure on top of the ball.  So, the air pressure is pushing the ball down, which enabled Borg to keep those short angled passing shots in the court.  When you go for a short angled shot there’s a chance the ball will go wide, but when you use topspin you now have the air pressure on top of the ball pushing it down before it goes wide.  The more topspin (or RPM’s the faster the ball is spinning forward), the more air pressure you create on top of the ball,  the quicker the ball will come down.  There were other players before Borg to hit with topspin but he was the player that created this heavy topspin.  Since Borg, many players have followed suit and Roger Federer is no exception.  His ability to hit extremely short angles is unmatched.

If you’re thinking, this heavy topspin stuff is too much for your level, don’t fret, learning to impart even a little topspin can benefit anyone’s game and it’s not difficult to learn.

As a teaching professional I’ve seen all kinds of different movements players will make to try and impart topspin to the ball and many of these movements are downright counter productive.  I think the reason for this is because there are many misconceptions about topspin.

The Two videos above explain what really happens when you’re hitting topspin and how to avoid the common pitfalls.

BECOME A PERSONAL STUDENT OF TOM’S
I’m currently teaching at Pelican Marsh Country Club in Naples, Florida.  If an individual or a group is interested in fantastic improvement in a short period of time, plan a trip to Naples.  In as little as 2-3 days of intense focused lessons we can bring your game to new heights.  If you can’t make it to Naples the Inner Circle is another option.  The weekly phone call will keep you focused on what areas need improvement and the drills you’ll need to do to keep progressing.

Contact me at:
239-592-5920 Office
239-273-9204 Cell

All the best,
Tom

The Swinging Volley is a nice shot to have in your tool box when you see that floater coming back.  However, it’s a shot that takes some sound technique in order to hit consistently inside the court.  Concentrate on the The Two Key Points mentioned in the video to become consistent with this shot.  Especially concentrate on The Elbow Up and Away From the Body, this is the biggest mistake I see, when players make errors with this shot.  When a player drops the elbow into the body on the backswing the racquet face opens up and then must be adjusted on the forward swing.  This adjustment must be made just at the right milli-second to hit the shot successfully, this is risky business.  On the other hand, when the elbow stays up and away from the body on the backswing the racquet face stays closed, now simply swing low to high and the racquet will automatically be vertical at contact.  Actually, the racquet can stay vertical for a good ‘foot and a half’ in the contact area. Keeping the racquet vertical for as long as possible in the contact area is something that Roger Federer does so well.  Keeping the “Elbow Up and Away” will help you do the same thing.

Be sure to Sign Up for OVER 60 Minutes of my FREE Video Lessons listed in the top right column and the FREE Weekly Newsletter with more tips on everything from A to Z regarding this great sport.

All the best and happy hitting,
Tom

If this years Australian Open is any indication things are slowly starting to change. Roger Federer is moving forward and volleying more often, and so is Tsonga, Murray, Roddick, Daveydenko, Nadal and Del Potro.  So, why are these players moving to the net more often?  Because they understand two key factors.  Number one, tactically speaking, court geometry favors the net player.  When you move closer to the net your chances to hit sharper angles increase dramatically.  Therefore, the closer in you are the more you can move your opponent and make him run.  As an example, from the baseline you may be able to angle the ball to the corner enough to move your opponent 5-6 steps.  On the other hand, from a volley position, halfway between the service line and the net, you can move your opponent 12-15 steps.  Number two, when you come to the net you are pressuring your opponent to come up with the goods, by hitting passing shots that are very difficult. Especially in today’s game of baseline bashers, coming to the net can be very effective.  Baseline players are used to playing other baseline players, when they play a net rusher they have to come up with a completely different set of shots.  They can no longer just keep bashing with the mentality just keep it deep, they now have to hit a very precise shot to get the ball by you.  These precise shots become more and more difficult especially in a close match when the pressure is on. Think about this, if it’s difficult for a pro player to pass a net player, how much more difficult is it for a club player? Statistically speaking, if you can volley and hit overheads well, you should win the point 2 out of 3 times, I like those percentages.

Be sure to Sign Up for the other FREE Videos listed in the top right hand column and my FREE Weekly Newsletter.

All the best and happy hitting,
Tom