Teaching Balance

Great balance increases power, consistency, and accuracy. In all the complex patterns of movement on the tennis court there is one constant. This is balance. In my last two articles (Click Here) I demonstrated some exercises based on exaggeration techniques to help develop groundstrokes and serves. In this article I'll show you another series of exercises to improve your balance. This will enhance your movement and your ability to hit from the whole spectrum of stances. There are other benefits as well. The great women's champion Helen Wills Moody once said that if you see someone who looks like they are working really hard they probably aren't very good. There are reasons Roger Federer makes everything look incredibly easy. One is great balance. If you master these exercises, you will find that you can hit with more consistency, power, and variety. The reason is that better balance will make you more bio mechanically efficient. You can absorb the feeling of balance from watching the pros. Many players are like a car with a big engine that produces a lot of horsepower, but has octagonal wheels. The ride is jarring for the player and it isn't pretty to watch either. One...