GET READY !!!!!
Hi everyone and welcome to part four of our tennis crimes blog. At active away cannot stress enough how strongly we feel about today’s blog. Nothing frustrates me more as a tennis coach than seeing one of our players on our tennis holidays about to return a serve but actually looks like they are waiting for a bus.
The “ready” position is the best way to prepare for an incoming ball, it allows you to be balanced but still allows room to be sharp and move dynamically either way, making it much more difficult for your opponent to cause damage with their strike.
We see a few crimes committed relating to this on our tennis holidays. Firstly the ‘lock up and throw away the key’ crime is never being ready; racket down by your side and flat footed. You are simply fighting a losing battle if you aren’t ready for the ball.
The second crime we see is almost as bad; the player that before the point is about to begin looks so sharp, so strong, so dynamic . However as soon as the point begins they fall back into the flat footed habits they had before just watching the game go past them.
The ready position is not the only thing you need to do be ready, it’s simply the start of having a ready attitude. The work you do in between your shots is crucial in the quest to make every ball you hit the best it can possibly be.
So ask yourself these questions:
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What does your ready position look like?
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When should you be in the ready position?
The ready position is the foundation for almost all of your footwork when you are playing tennis. How you move around the tennis court in one way or another relates directly back to your ready position.
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A good ready position
- You want your feet about shoulder width apart, or a little bit wider.
- Your knees should be slightly bent and your weight should be on the balls of your feet, not the heels.
- Your upper body should be relaxed, with your arms and the tennis racket out in front of your body.
- Angle the head of your racket up a little bit.
- It’s also important that your upper body should not be hunched over, bending forward. Your back should be straight so that with your legs bent it is almost like you are sitting in a chair.
- Your eyes should be on your opponent and especially the tennis ball, not looking down at the tennis court.
- Practically speaking, when you are in the ready position you want to be about a foot shorter than your normal height, which is a good athletic height.
“GET READY, STAY READY”