Tennis Tips during COVID- 19

While recreation tennis programs may be on hold for now due to the fight against COVID19, family members can still enjoy some tennis-specific, fun drills that are sure to keep kids’ tennis skills sharp!

• Resistance swings: Wrap your child’s racquet in plastic wrap (or keep the cover of the racquet on). Take some practice swings in an open area of your home or in the driveway (try some practice forehands, backhands, volleys and also some serves). Adding weight to the racquet allows your child to feel more resistance while swinging which can help your child have more feel of the racquet once they hit a ball. Remind your child to reset their feet each time they take a swing as a way to reinforce proper footwork.

• Judging the ball: Simply tossing around a tennis ball is an easy and effective way to enhance hand-eye coordination. When you toss the ball to your child, cue your child to catch it off once bounce specifically at waist height because waist-height is where they want to hit the ball when hitting either a forehand or backhand.

• Tennis soccer: Try dribbling a tennis ball with your feet as a way to mimic proper movement on the tennis court. When learning the sport, many players take for granted how important foot movement is to good tennis form.

Enjoy these drills, stay healthy and safe… and we look forward to seeing you on the courts! ~ Greg Sansonetti, Fairfield County Tennis