09 Sep 09
1 edit
Originally posted by LWCchessI play. I'm not very good; but I usually play at least once a week these days. It's a lot of fun and great exercise. Only problem is that because of the way I hold the racket, the inside of the area between my thumb and index finger always seems to get bruised or pulled or sore or something. It makes it tough to play 2 days in a row. I also often end up with a painful lower back for a couple of days.
who plats tennis?
09 Sep 09
Originally posted by sh76If your lower back hurts, and it's not the result of a chronic condition, then you're probably either not bending your knees on your groundstrokes or you are not tossing the ball in front and to the right of you (if you're right handed) on your serve. The problem with your hand is more complicated. What tends to aggravate your hand? What grip do you use on your forehand? Eastern, Continental, Semi-Western or Western?
I play. I'm not very good; but I usually play at least once a week these days. It's a lot of fun and great exercise. Only problem is that because of the way I hold the racket, the inside of the area between my thumb and index finger always seems to get bruised or pulled or sore or something. It makes it tough to play 2 days in a row. I also often end up with a painful lower back for a couple of days.
10 Sep 09
1 edit
Originally posted by bbarrIt's probably the knee thing. I'll try paying more attention to bending my knees. Thanks.
If your lower back hurts, and it's not the result of a chronic condition, then you're probably either not bending your knees on your groundstrokes or you are not tossing the ball in front and to the right of you (if you're right handed) on your serve. The problem with your hand is more complicated. What tends to aggravate your hand? What grip do you use on your forehand? Eastern, Continental, Semi-Western or Western?
After I posted I realized the place on my hand that gets sore is the "instep" section of my middle finger. I honestly don't know what you call the grip on the racket I use, but when I swing a forehand, I use the index finger on the upper racket to steady the racket. This causes the lower rim of the racket to pressure the inside of the middle finger when the ball makes contact with the racket, which ends up getting bruised over the course of the match. On Sunday, late in the match, I started using my index and middle finger together on the upper racket when I swung a forehand. I had less control of the shot, but I just needed to to take pressure off my middle finger.
10 Sep 09
Originally posted by sh76If your hand is getting beat up while you're playing, then you are probably using your hand and forearm too much for your groundstrokes. You want long, smooth groundstrokes, with the force coming from your hips, core, shoulders, and then your arm. For now, try getting your body perpendicular to the net when you set up for your groundstrokes, bend your knees so that when the ball arrives it is about half a foot to a foot in front of you and between your thighs and chest in height, and swing smoothly through the ball.
It's probably the knee thing. I'll try paying more attention to bending my knees. Thanks.
After I posted I realized the place on my hand that gets sore is the "instep" section of my middle finger. I honestly don't know what you call the grip on the racket I use, but when I swing a forehand, I use the index finger on the upper racket to steady the racket. Thi ...[text shortened]... I had less control of the shot, but I just needed to to take pressure off my middle finger.
11 Sep 09
1 edit
Originally posted by LWCchessThe key to a consistent toss is practicing the same movement every time, so you should spend some time just tossing the ball as part of your service motion without actually hitting the ball. There are five things that helped me, as a junior, toss the ball more consistently. First, since you want to hit the ball at the apex of its flight, you need to find out where your racquet would make contact with the ball when your arm is fully extended and toss the ball just that high (or a bit higher, if you jump during your serve). Second, don't hold your breath or breath too quickly while serving. You want to inhale as you are drawing back to serve and time your breath so you are exhaling as you make contact with the ball. If you hold your breath your muscles will tighten during your service motion, and if you breath too quickly the extraneous movement can throw off your toss. Third, always release the ball when your arm is roughly straight out from your shoulder and perpendicular to the ground. The ball will go too far forwards if you release it too early and too far behind you if you release it too late. The point of release needs to be habitual and automatic. Fourth, don't grip the ball so that it rests on your palm. If you do this then the tendency will be for the ball to roll off your fingers and fly behind you. Grip the ball lightly with the tips of your thumb, index and middle fingers. When you release the ball make sure that all three fingers move apart simultaneously, so that the ball does not remain in contact with any one finger longer than the others. This will ensure that the ball is not spinning in the air and that it will fly relatively straight up from the release point. Finally, make sure that your toss either occurs while your knees are bent or just prior to bending your knees. Try not to toss the ball while you are in the process of bending your knees, since this extra motion can through off the trajectory of the toss and since it tilts your body backwards and can lead to throwing the ball behind you. Chances are, if your back is hurting, then you are tossing the ball either too low or too far behind your head. Let me know if this helps.
bbarr, do you have any advice to make my toss more consistant?