In his book, “Play Better Tennis in 2 Hours,” Mr. Wegner uncovers the misconceptions that caused many people to shy away from learning the game. Here are some of them that he has debunked.
Myth: You must hit deep all the time.
Fact: While this may sound a good advice, the truth Is that by doing so the probability of hitting the ball out is high. Watch the pros play. They aim the ball on the service line most of the time. If they mishit, the ball will still land inside the baseline.
Myth: Topspin is more stressful for your arm.
Fact: Flat shot does more harm than when meeting the ball vertically. This action does not only put stress on your arm and shoulder, but the racket has also tendency to turn on impact. In topspin, you hit the ball in an upward movement, lessening stress on the body.
Myth: Bend your knees early.
Fact: Bend your knees whatever or wherever is natural. This means that you should only bend your knees when the situation calls for it.
Myth: Move to the ball, side steps then turn and hit.
Fact: Pivot instead and run. You cannot catch the butterfly sidestepping. You need to turn and run.
Myth: Take your racket back as soon as the ball leaves your opponent’s racket
Fact: Hold the racket in front of you and wait for the ball to hit it. Watch the pros. The rackets are in front of their body, more significantly while they are on the run. This is also apparent when they are ready to return serve.
Myth: Hit the ball early.
Fact: This requires super perfect timing that only happens to a player two or three times in a match. Instead wait for the ball to reach your hitting zone. Think about this. The ball slows down on hard courts to 40 percent of its initial takeoff from baseline to baseline. A ball hit toward you from the baseline at 50 mph will reach you at 20 mph.
Myth: Move forward on your serve.
Fact: Hit up on the serve, then fall forward. Otherwise, you will hit all your serve to the net. Or if you open your racket, the ball will not only sail over the net, but over the service line as well.
