I know that, just like me, you are always looking for ways to improve your game. So here are a few things, a few absolutely FREE things, that I use to help me play better tennis. I hope you’ll enjoy looking through these free tennis lessons and applying some of them to your tennis game as you enjoy your holiday season.
And now, get ready to unwrap some free tennis lessons!
1. On-line Videos – Video lessons are the next best thing to paying a pro to work with you. Actually, they might be better. Because there are plenty of great video lessons you can access any time, day or night, and they’re absolutely free! YouTube is a fantastic place to find video tennis lessons and here are a few of the channels I keep up with to help improve my tennis game):
- EssentialTennis – this is my favorite source for tennis video lessons, tons of great stuff, easy to understand
- FYB2007 or Fuzzy Yellow Balls – another fabulous source for free tennis video instruction, makes great use of footage of the pros
- CoachKyril or TheTennisVault – great instruction and lots of it
- WebTennis – lots of good stuff, my favorite is the breakdown of Roger Federer’s toss over the course of seven (!!) videos
- TennisFixation – well, of course I’m going to put my own YouTube channel!
2. Websites – There are so many great tennis instruction websites out there that’s its hard to list just a few. But here are my very favorite ones, the websites I go to again and again for instructional help:
- about.com’s Tennis section – this site is aimed at tennis players of all levels, from the absolute beginner to the advanced player; it not only gives some great instructions, it also includes photo and video analysis of all kinds of shots and strategies
- USTA’s Improve Your Game section – this section of the USTA website has tons of terrific tips and videos you can watch, it also has a question and answer section where some of the best answers are provided in the comments by everyday players like you and me
- Sports Psychology for Tennis – if your mental game is giving you fits, check out this site, it is full of techniques for getting mentally stronger on court even if you’re not a head case
3. Podcasts – If you’re looking to get some tennis instruction when you’re on the go, then you definitely need to check out the wonderful world of podcasts. Podcasts are digital media files, audio or video, that you can download to your computer, iPod or MP3 player to listen to or watch at your leisure. I get my tennis podcasts on iTunes but you can do a Google search to find all kinds of podcasts outside the iTunes world. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Essential Tennis Podcast – usually 30 to 40 minutes long, these often feature interviews with tennis instructors, psychologists or other professionals
- Gotta Play Tennis – these are a little bit shorter, maybe 10 to 15 minutes, focusing on tips and concepts that will quickly improve your game.
- Tennis Psychology Podcast – these episodes are even shorter, only 4 to 6 minutes, but are great for helping build your mental strength out on the court
4. Apps – Just so you can ALWAYS be learning about tennis, there are a few really good apps where you can get top-notch tennis instruction, even out on the court. I use these on my iPhone:
- The Tennis App – this is definitely the best tennis instructional app available, it allows you to download videos of exactly what shots you want to learn or review, you can see those shots being hit by top pros, you can slow the videos down to view shots frame by frame, you can read a description of what you’re seeing; bottom line – it’s truly incredible, plus there’s lots of other tennis news and ranking info included, and its FREE!
- USPTA’s Tennis Tips App – this is my next favorite app, it includes video instruction and plenty of tips and is brought to you by members of the United States Professional Tennis Association
So there you go – lots and lots of free tennis lessons for you to put to use over the holiday season. Here’s hoping your holidays are very happy ones!
© Kim Selzman 2012 All Rights Reserved