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If you find yourself struggling with some tennis basics, take a look at these quick tips to improve your game. It's important to remember that there is no perfect way to play a tennis stroke, but these tips offer some fundamentals to help you hone your skills. 1. Early preparation: You can never prepare yourself soon enough. Turn your hips and shoulders before the oncoming ball bounces on your side. 2. Exaggerate your follow through: Follow all the way through your shot after your hit. Hit the ball, follow through, and move your feet. 3. Hit-recover: Instead of focusing on your shot after you've made it, focus on the recover. Hit, finish and get back into position. 4. Keep your head still: If you find yourself mis-hitting shots, be sure that you aren't moving your head as you swing. Follow the ball onto the racquet and keep your head still until the shot has been played. 5. Get your back leg behind the ball: Getting your back leg and weight behind the ball allows for easier weight transfer and a more consistent shot. 6. Pull back on your serve speed: The serve is the most important shot in tennis, but that doesn't mean you should wail on the ball. Focus on accuracy versus force. 7. Prepare early for ground strokes: Once you know where the ball is going to bounce, move yourself into a position where you feel comfortable playing the shot. The higher you make your back swing, the more power you will likely generate. Finding the right balance between the swing and the force is key. 8. Get the right forehand grip: How you grip a tennis racquet is one of the most important aspects of the game. A common serving grip of the pros is the continental grip. The semi-western grip is a good grip for ground strokes. 9. Practice your tennis ball toss: When serving, your ball toss should go straight up and come straight down about 18 inches in front of your leading foot. Grab a bucket of balls and practice your toss, without actually hitting the ball. 10. Don't be too hard on yourself during matches: It's easy to be overcritical of yourself, especially if you miss an otherwise easy shot in a competitive environment. If you miss a shot just move forward in the match and keep playing to the best of your ability. Practice your stroke afterward to improve and perfect your skills. Source: Elite Sports Clubs 2023. ~ Shirley Ferguson TENNIS TITANS | LIFE IN SOLERA | FEBRUARY 2024 | 47 TEN QUICK TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR TENNIS GAME