Tennis Tips: Be Brilliant With Basics 
By Ryan Segelke


You would be surprised to know the small number of tennis players who actually know the proper fundamental techniques of each tennis stroke.  At High Altitude Tennis, our basic philosophy to becoming a successful tennis player is to be brilliant with basic elements of each stroke. Do not be in a rush to move your game forward before perfecting the basics of every stroke. One great way to do this is to study the game of tennis. Look at tennis footage, great players' swings, film your strokes, and take the time to have a trained tennis coach analyze your game to give you the proper prospective on the flaws in all of your tennis strokes during your tennis lesson. The more you practice the basics the better your game will be. 

One of the greatest players in NFL history, Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers, understood this concept better then anyone. Even though he was a great player, he still spent countless hours running the same passing routes over and over again. He recognized that the more comfortable he was with the basics the easier it would be to duplicate on the football field under pressure. This notion is no different in tennis. The more you practice the basics, the easier it will be for you to execute good strategy and proper techniques when you are playing tough matches. 

Tennis Tips: Tips To Improve Your Tennis Footwork
By: Michael Farrington


Move Those Feet!!

Footwork is one of the most important components of your tennis game. If you are not in proper position, you will not hit a clean shot, even if your swing is perfect. Working to improve your tennis footwork is no different than improving your strokes, it simply takes practice. Here are a few ways to increase your foot speed and agility on the court.

1. Jump Rope – Jumping rope is a great way to get your legs and feet accustomed to moving at a quicker pace. That’s why all great tennis players’ carry around a jump rope in their tennis bag.
2. Speed and Agility Drills – When on the tennis court allow yourself time to focus on your tennis footwork. Take time to do a proper dynamic warm up with exercises designed to increase foot speed, including high knee lifts, hopscotch, crossover steps and sprints. It might not be the most exciting part of the game, but it is extremely beneficial.
3. Proper positioning - When rallying or hitting on a ball machine, you should be active with your feet at all times, concentrating on taking big steps early to get to the ball, and then little steps to position yourself before executing your swing. Squeaking shoes are always a good sound. At the end of a hitting session or match your legs should be worn out!

Michael is the Head of Strength and Conditioning at High Altitude Tennis.  He oversees the training programs of all the tennis players on site and also trains our training professionals and juniors abroad.  If you would like to have your tennis fitness training questions answered, message him at Michael@HighAltitudeTennis.com.  


Michael is available for tennis fitness training and sports performance training, so please look for details here.
High Altitude Tennis is conveniently located in Parker Colorado and serves the entire Denver metro area.

Just a quick video for you all on the serve!  Post your tennis questions and comments below!

I recently had the opportunity to visit Westone Music Products in Colorado Springs, Colorado (big thanks to Jeff K.).  Westone makes top of the line in-ear monitors (earphones) for the avid music listener all the way up to bands like Aerosmith and 3 doors down.  In my opinion, the quality of their product is head and shoulders above the competition.  

Before visiting the Westone Laboratories I wondered what their key to success was.  What did they do differently than their competition to make their product so popular.

Walking in the front door at Westone there was an LCD monitor that read "Westone welcomes High Altitude Tennis."  We felt welcomed and comfortable.  Shortly after Jeff K. walked through the doors and greeted everyone with handshakes and smiles, then quickly whisked us off to show us around the compound.  

First we saw the conference room, which was almost like walking into one of the rooms from the show Cribs on MTV, kind of a Cribs conference room addition if you will.  Records and pictures of artists that use their product hanging from the walls, it was awesome!  Next was the Top Gun hallway.  Westone also makes in ear monitors for jet fighter pilots... pretty awesome!  

Next we went to the operations area where all the Westone products are made.  Everyone had a station and a specific task that they were working on.  The amount of detail that went into each individual product was inspiring.  Every product that Westone makes is made and shipped in house, not many companies have this luxury.  It seemed that since they were able to do everything from the Westone Compound it ensured that their product would maintain its high quality.  Another factor was that Westone had high standards for every phase of their business.  

By the end of the tour Jeff K. had painted a very clear picture of how Westone Music Products has become a leader in the in-ear monitor industry.  High Standards and attention to detail equals high quality.  And for those to work successfully there has to be an organized approach to success.  Westone has this!   

At High Altitude Tennis we strive to make this our standard.  I remember when I first started teaching tennis I did a drill that almost everyone reading this article has done before... Approach, volley, volley, overhead.  I remember doing this drill many times as a player and many times as a coach.  Every time from both perspectives it was organized chaos.  Not enough information being taught or received and very rarely was there accountability for a missed shot.  

At HAT we are working hard to do our part to bring discipline to each and every one of our programs.  Have you watched a high school or college basketball, football or wrestling practice lately?  The intensity and attention to detail is far superior than your typical tennis practice.  We aim to learn from these sports to ensure that our players are hard working, respectful and responsible young adults that can succeed not only on the tennis court but in the real world.