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Show Tennis Tips Good posture is key ' to effective strokes by MARK JENSEN ' tennis professional ' . .ovjci Park Meadows Racquet Club ( 'y,- The great athletic performers usually make their sports look fun anq.easy : Walter Pay ton dances through the line; Larry Bird glides through a maze of defenders; and Chris Evert-Lloyd smoothly sets up for a driving crosscourt 1 backhand. ( ' The greats usually bring a very easy manner to their movement. Often we try to copy or emulate this look. You will often see the juniors copy the greats in dress, hair style, service motion and backhand. , There is a great effort in patience, practice and discipline to produce a beautiful forehand or backhand swing. A good tennis stroke is not created j' easily. One component that is often overlooked is posture. The natural upright , posture is the best. So often we try to change our normal body position when it is time to perform. The best body position is that with which your body has learned to operate most efficiently and effectively. ' In tennis, the student will often be more conscious of the stroke than the 1 body position. Here are five ideas for posture and performance: 1. The player must continually practice footwork (fast feet) to be correctly positioned when hitting the ball. Good position in relation to the ball will result in good posture during the swing. 2. The head should be centered normally with the eyes level as they focus on ' the ball. ' ;i 3. Shoulders should be relaxed, level and naturally positioned. A common error in the groundstroke is for players to raise their shoulders as they swing. 4. Knees should be slightly bent and relaxed. This lowers the center of gravity gravi-ty only slightly to stabilize or balance the swing. 5. The back should be relatively straight and relaxed. Only when we are straight up and down can we swing most efficiently and powerfully. Many aspiring tennis players believe they must try harder to improve. This thinking will often change the easy, upright posture that is most relaxed and most powerful. As you attempt to learn and improve your tennis game, be 1 aware of your physical posture, for it is a baseline fundamental. |