RAVI'S COURT…by Ravi Gill, USPTA Professional

Understanding Mistakes... Part 2

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Tennis is a very forgiving sport with regards to mistakes. About 80-90% of these mistakes either go into the net or long. The wide mistake percentage may go up a little more in doubles due to players trying to angles to keep the ball away from the net players.

Of the five mistakes discussed last month, the one into the net is the worst because you don't even give the opponent a chance to hit the ball or even miss. The point is over as soon as you hit the ball into the net. The fact is... as long as the ball is going over the net there is a chance the opponent will try to make a play and even hit a ball that might be going out.

To correct the balls going into the net, change the angle of the racquet face at contact. To correct the balls which go wide, make contact with the ball a little earlier or a little later. The ball is going wherever the racquet face is pointing at contact.

Understanding what is happening at the point of contact between the strings and the ball will do more to correct your mistakes than focusing on your swing, decision-making, court positioning or tactics. So yes, the simple basic strategy of "just get the ball back over the net" can have a major impact on the whole issue of mistakes.


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