Some Common Faults (Part-3)
Do not lose your head because your strokes are not going well. Every player has off days. Do not lose your nerve when your opponent returns a few lucky shots. It is an old saying in all games that "luck goes with the winner."
One cannot have a good stroke without a steady swing on the follow through. From the beginning to the finish of your stroke the swing should have the same steady motion without a jerk in it. Through misjudging the ball many players start their swing too soon. This forces them to slow up and then make a quick snappy stroke. This prevents them from being steady on their swing. Judge your ball so that from the time you start your stroke to the finish, your stroke is steady all the way. In this way you get power in your stroke.
The player should always remember not to check his stroke as he meets the ball. Let the stroke finish well out, the arm extended. Do not suddenly decide to hit the ball harder just as you are meeting it. It has a tendency to make your stroke jerky. Steadiness in stroke is necessary to serving, smashing, and all other shots. A player who is not steady on his swing does not hit the ball in the center of his racquet.
Pulling up on the stroke is a fault many players have. They seem to think that unless they pull up they will not get the ball over the net. Many do this unconsciously. Now by pulling up on your stroke it stops you from finishing out. You finish up instead of out.
If you have "pulled up " you have to get an extra over spin by a wrist movement on the ball to keep it in court, and you generally fail.
The only time to pull up on one's stroke is on a pickup shot close to the net. Letting the ball go too far back of you before hitting it is often the cause of pulling up. Try to meet the ball just as it is opposite you.
Another cause of pulling up is taking the ball too close to your body. By judging your ball better, so that it will not be too far back of you when meeting it and keeping the stroke well away from your body, you can break yourself of the habit of pulling up.
Another factor to consider is variation of pace. Too many players get the same distance on all their returns. Pace can be lessened by slackening the grip, but do not forget to follow through. This shot will look as fast as the others, but it will lose its speed quickly. Be careful, however, in relaxing your grip not to let your racquet turn in your hand.
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