<p>Hi y'all! Okay so I signed up for tennis today & try outs are March 17th. I need all the help I can get! For one, I live in New England so I can't practice outside. We're even having tryouts in a gym! I need help on buying a tennis racket! So any opinions on brand names, head size, length, etc. is much appreciated! BTW: I'm 5' 7" girl & weigh 115lbs. I'm in fairly good shape & eat healthy. Second of all, what are the most important techniques I should know prior to tryouts?! I know about backhand, forehand, and conditioning. What else is there? I have played very little before. How do I control my swing? I hit way too hard and I need to learn how to control that. What can I do to improve? Also, during tryouts, how can I make myself stand out? I've heard from several reliable people that when trying out, getting the coach's attention is hard & if you do acquire his attention that's a very good sign. So what will show him that I at least know some things and that I am very serious & would love to improve?! Thanks!</p>
<p>TLDR: I need all the help I can get for tennis tryouts in 10 days. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Are you a girl or guy? you need a coach. There the serve. If you swing too hard you might want to add spin. Google this with videos in slow motion/ Also footwork is key, alway keep moving. Play tactically and be patient.</p>
<p>I’m a 15 year old girl.</p>
<p>explains why your 115 lb at 5’ 7"</p>
<p>I have a Head racket. I really like it. Don’t swing too hard. Be sure to add a lot of power to your shots but don’t hit too hard or else the ball will go out. There are a lot of videos online that can help. Make sure to have a good serve. Since you get 2 chances to serve, try serving hard the first time and if it doesn’t make it in, hit an easy serve. But if the first one does make it in, it’ll be tough for your opponent to return.</p>
<p>Actually if you play enough, you can hit hit hard and in. Spining the ball causes friction with fair, making it go down faster. Speed matters less unless you ace. Spin on the surve is much better, because the ball feels heavier. Fast serves can be countered by good split step and hit turn open stance shot. For second serve you can use a similar techique, but add spint as it increases the margin of error.</p>
<p>The best way to get better at tennis is to practice, practice, practice. Find someone/somewhere you can practice. A Head racket is a good brand. Hitting the ball hard is more about having a firm grip on your racket, rather than swinging hard. Focus on getting the ball in the court instead of hitting it really hard. Make sure you have a good grip on your racket, because nothing shows inexperience like a person who can’t hold their racket correctly. Know how to keep score in a tennis match, because that is essential if you are to join the team. As for techniques, know about a volleys in addition to the basic forehand and backhand. And above all else, hit the ball in the court, not wayyyy up high, not into the net, not into the next court. With that you should be good! Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>It depends on how your coach runs your tryouts. At my school, our coach has us play each other and the first person who wins 3 games is the winner, and the score is reported to the coach. Eventually, people who lose more are cut and the people who win more make the team. </p>
<p>If your coach runs it like that, I would go for consistency; after all, your coach can not (and should not) cut you if you return every single ball back the player. I remember during my freshman year of tryouts, the coach wanted to cut a girl who was not particularly aggressive, but returned every single ball and was extremely consistent (it was like she was a backboard). He could not cut her because of the raw scores that she won, so if your coach runs it like that, I would go for consistency - which is attained by obviously practicing defensive strategy, lobs, etc. but also practicing in general.</p>
<p>If your coach runs your tryouts by the best aggressive players and the players who take risks, I would tailor your game to that, but also keep in mind that you should win a few challenge matches, otherwise you might seem to risky to take for the team.</p>
<p>In general, practice A LOT for your tryouts, especially with someone who is better than you or perhaps a professional coach. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that if you don’t make it this year, there’s always next year to improve and impress your coach with dedication! Good luck, and I hope this helped!!</p>
<p>I know this reply may be too late, but I HIGHLY ADVISE you to get a private trainer. [I AM HIGHLY ADVISING YOU RIGHT NOW]</p>
<p>Even if you don’t make the team, don’t give up! There’s always next year, so find a coach in the meantime and sharpen up your skills. Currently, I’m using the Wilson Surge, but you need to go to a place with tons of demo racquets and try them out with a specialist or teacher! Every racquet is built differently and you need to see which one suits you the best. Good racquets, however, are rather pricey. If you don’t plan on putting in effort and be great at tennis, don’t get one. Don’t go for flashy grips, flashy colors, etc., go for something that WORKS. </p>
<p>Also, tennis is not ALL about hitting the ball. Hitting the ball while standing in one spot is easy. In an actual game, no opponent with 1/3 of a brain would hit it right back to you! Practice with a friend, have them feed the ball onto random areas of the court for you to chase after and hit. If you’re wound down quickly, do conditioning and sprints. Stay hydrated. </p>
<p>Learn your strategies and learn your opponents and mistakes. I believe that tennis is one of the most strategic sports out there. A good teacher will not only teach you to hit, but teach you to think. Just remember: Every. Spot. On. The. Court. Is. The. Exact. Same. They’re just of varying distances from you. Learn to predict where the ball goes and quickly go to that spot. Don’t be intimidated that the ball is farther away and don’t change your stroke unless it’s absolutely necessary. Stick with the plan!</p>
<p>Good Luck 
</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the great advice! It helps a lot. Although one question: is it better to pace myself when running at tryouts so I’m not to weary, or should I just work myself a little harder? If I do, I’m not sure I’ll last till the end of tryouts since I don’t know how long they’ll be. Thanks again.</p>
<p>So I had my last tryout/practice today for tennis. When we did conditioning/suicides was among the very first to touch the baseline and finish. I ran right in front of the coach too! When he lined us up to see our forehands I hit the ball (except for one time, I missed it, but got another try and hit it). The coach paid very close attention to me and told me what to improve on. Every time i went up I tried to take his advice, and when I did he gave me new advice as well (I think he wanted to see if I could take direction & instruction well). By the end I had improved my forehand. When we tried backhand, the same thing: I went up, hit, and got new advice (he even took the time to show me what he meant too).</p>
<p>By the end of that, my backhand was as good as ever and he saw a lot of improvement. I did all the warm-ups, helped picked up a lot of tennis balls, even ran & crawled under bleachers. During the entire practice he kept watching me, to see if I was putting in the effort. At one point when we were lined up and I was waiting for my turn to hit the ball, he called out and said “Hey _____, you want to hit the ball like she did, right at the height of your hip & bend the knees.” When I went up, I did as the girl did and he said “Exactly! You still hit a little too early but you bent your knees and hit with more force.”</p>
<p>Then after tryouts were over my friend and I practiced and I did a perfect serve! 100% correct, with spin and speed. It was so fast she couldn’t even hit it! I think he saw it because I hit the ball so hard the sound echoed through the gym! I think I saw him look up surprised and in awe. There are 9 sophomores & he wants 5. Two girls didn’t show up, another I know will get cut. 4 of the girls were on the team last year and they’ll probably make it–so really there’s only one open spot. So do you think I’ll make first cuts? Please be honest & thank you!</p>