Younger players who want to learn how to play tennis often ask me if they should run around their backhand to hit forehands. Andy Roddick does it, so why shouldn't they?

The forehand is one of the 2 biggest weapons that a player can have--the other one is the serve. If a player has a big forehand, it's common to build the game around that shot. So, you end up running around the backhand a lot. Kids with a big forehand don't even have to be taught that; it happens naturally.

The problem sometimes is that many players--such as Roddick--win so much with their forehand (and/or serve) when they are young that they neglect to develop a good solid backhand, or a net game.

This haunts them when they reach the highest levels!

Want to improve your backhand? Watch these tennis videos for tennis tips from yours truly:

http://www.playsportstv.com/box.php?id=6&media_id=387

http://www.playsportstv.com/box.php?id=6&media_id=389

Posted by Gilad Bloom at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This depends on the size of the player. In general, it is safe to get a junior racquet from one of the leading brands and make sure that the grip fits the size of the hand and that the racquet is not too heavy. A racquet that is too heavy can cause injuries and bad technique early on.

Posted by Gilad Bloom at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)