Snap up and lock down for winning strokes

I come from an era when sports were not so specialized.

As a kid, I played a variety of sports depending on the season.

Tennis was played during the spring and summer, along with Little League Baseball and summer basketball leagues. In the fall it was junior football and then basketball all winter.

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Backhand volleys are hit in a slight high-to-low forward motion when wrists must be locked.

On the backhand side, shoulder turns are much more natural because the hand holding the racquet is in front of the body, so when the racquet is taken back you have to turn the shoulders. Whether you have a one- or two-handed backhand there is a natural shoulder rotation.

Now that the open stance is becoming more popular there is a greater risk of not enough rotation. Remember, the open stance is from the hips down, not the entire body. The torso must rotate to the side on your back swing.

Heck, I was even on a swim team one summer until I threw up in the pool during practice and promptly quit, I hated it anyway.

I'm telling you all this to show that many different sports have characteristics that apply in tennis.

The basic premise for a forehand or backhand groundstroke drive is power and spin.

Power and spin is generated by racquet head speed, an upward snap of the wrist through the contact point.

Picture a baseball or softball batter, a pro golfer on the tee and a forehand drive: All three are sideways to the ball, have a shoulder rotation and loose wrists at contact generating head speed and a long follow through.

The batter will have a straighter snap line if he, or she, is trying to hit it out of the park.

The golfer will snap upward causing a spin that will draw the ball and then release forward giving more distance to the drive with a forward roll.

Tennis players are not trying to hit the ball out of a building or 300 yards down a fairway. We have to hit it in the confines of a 79- foot court. Our snaps have to be up the backside of the ball, creating that forward spin and getting the power with head speed and the control with spin.

Volleys are hit in a slight high-to-low forward motion when wrists must be locked.

If we go back to baseball and golf you will see locked wrists. When batters bunt and golfers putt they are not looking for power but for accuracy. Their wrists are firm in these situations; the volley requires the same firmness for accuracy.

Slice forehands and backhands are also hit in a downward motion, brushing down on the back of the ball creates the backspin we are looking for. Remember slices are elongated volleys so lock those wrists.

When looking for power, snap the wrist up the backside of the ball. In looking for finesse or hitting a shot that requires a downward motion, lock the wrist.

Good luck and have fun!

Bill Longua has been the tennis director/head pro at Palm Island Resort, Cape Haze, since 2007 and is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association with more than 35 years teaching experience. For more tennis tips and his book "Winning Tennis Strokes" go to onlinetennistraining.com or e-mail questions to bill@onlinetennistraining.com.