Coaching Corner

Tips to make you a better tennis player.

Jared Zeeman - 2009 SDTA Open Mens Champion

Tennis Australia Qualified Club Professional Coach

"Have two 'tennis weapons' in your game and practice these as often as possible"

"For me, its my serve and my forehand. The serve puts your opponent on the back foot and lets you dictate the point. The forehand can be hit 70% of the time, and this also lets you rule the point."

Note Jared's intensity and footwork in receiving a serve. It looks like his is floating. Quick feet are vital in today's fast paced game.

Serve

In this series of shots, we can see club ace Ben Marlin line up his winning serve. 1. He looks to where he wishes to place the serve; 2. A moment is spent in ready position, racquet and ball are placed in alignment; 3. The ball hand and racquet move together in smooth motion; 4. The ball is tossed gently off the fingers with a straight, outstretched arm. Eyes on the ball; 5. The ball is struck. In Ben's case, the leap off the ground adds to the power. The grip is vital in the service. Notice the racquet head and grip contribute to the spin of the ball for a lethal serve.

Forehand

Here we can see SDTA 16 year old sensation, Elizabeth Rafailides, 2009 SDTA Open Womens Runner-up, eye up her forehand. Notice that the racquet is back while she is running for a quick response to a hard hit return. Also notice that it is not back 'too far'. The back swing is not as important as the follow-thru. Bringing the racquet back 'too far' is a common mistake for developing players as it makes the racquet head very difficult to control. The follow-thru is always LOW TO HIGH. Here we can see the smooth and nice follow-thru Elizabeth has on display, and her foot work is already placing her back towards the centre of the court for the next shot.

Coaching

Tennis is not a simple game to pick-up. It requires skill and training. Maybe you should consider some lessons from our many professional tennis coaches? Southern Districts has some of the best tennis coaches available in the state. For example, consider Colin Zeeman, who played in four Wimbledon's, four French Opens and represented South Africa in Davis Cup. He knows the game inside and out and enjoys youth player development.

Click on their links below to find a coach for you:

Coaches in our Region

Craig Barrett	0410 635 811	C.J. Tennis Narellan, Mount Annan & Oakdale
Ted Blyton	0419 299 505	Glenfield courts
Ian Brabazon	0411 330 107	Centre Court Tennis Wests Tennis Club, Leumeah
Brad Jarman & Andrew Dennis	0403 191 345 or 0402 257 022	Glenquarie, & Bow Bowing courts
Michael Mackney	0416 254 647	Macarthur Tennis Academy Glen Alpine & Currans Hill courts
Michael Mullane	0408 448 618	'James Court' Tennis Macquarie Fields & Ingleburn
Ricky Neilsen	0409 843 403	Smash Tennis Bow Bowing & Kearns Tennis Courts
Jim Zrilic	4626 2605	Kentlyn
Jared Zeeman	0404 457 088	Centre Court Tennis Wests Tennis Club, Leumeah
Colin Zeeman	9726 2218	Centre Court Tennis Wests Tennis Club, Leumeah

Are you a professional tennis coach in the Southern District's region?
Please email us (johnmatic@bcymail.com) and we will put your details on our website.