Hitting Bigger without Hitting Bigger!
by: Dave Winship @ On The Line

You can achieve more power on your groundstrokes by transferring your weight forwards, by swinging faster and by hitting more through the ball. These are things you can apply without too much tinkering with your technique.

The power drives of the modern game, however, are produced by adopting an open stance and driving up from the legs and rotating the upper body (hips, trunk and shoulders) and if you're not already doing that, the change is fairly drastic and you probably need to book some lessons.

But let's try thinking laterally for a minute. Your basic technique is sound and you don't want to bin it, but you do want to inflict more damage on your opponent. Ok, so why not try this - take the ball earlier! Instead of waiting for the ball to drop, step in and take it at the top of the bounce. Once you're comfortable with this (and it'll take a while, so be patient!), try taking it on the rise.

You'll have more angles at your disposal and your opponents will have less time to prepare for their shots. It's kind of hitting bigger without hitting bigger! Cool, eh?

Regards.

Dave Winship