- Hit with length or an extended swing out towards your target. Follow an inside/out path with your racquet and extend your hitting hand(s) as long as possible out towards the target.
- Follow through and finish with your hips, shoulders and butt end of your racquet facing your target for the forehand and two-handed backhand groundstrokes.
- Maintain active feet. Take a number of adjustments steps to the ball to ensure the very best hitting position for each and every shot.
- Focus on net clearance to reach your intended target.
- Don’t let your sightline (which views the target areas through the net) unintentionally drag your ball line into the net. Remember to hit with an arc and adequate net clearance to achieve your target goals.
- Make ongoing adjustments based on your results. Adjust your height, pace, path of your swing, etc. as necessary to hone in on your target.
- Approach the process of hitting targets on a graduated basis. As an example, start off hitting at a moderate pace before ramping it up to your normal pace of shots. Start hitting from mid court and gradually move back to the baseline with success.
- Hit to one of four target areas for singles – two deep targets as defined by the singles sidelines and the baseline and two angled targets as defined by the singles sidelines and the service line. Do not “leave the ball” in the middle of the court. Provide yourself with a proper margin of error by aiming several feet inside the outside lines.
- In hitting to the deeper court targets, establish an intermediate goal of hitting x number of balls past the service line or another line segmenting the court.
- Make it fun and splashy to hit a target in practice . Set up big, easier-to-hit targets that make a loud reverberating noise when they are struck and knocked over by one your shots.
The How, What and Where of Hitting Targets with Your Groundstrokes
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Ten Things Tennis 