Get a grip on yourself!

Here is a simple tip that you should remember and apply immediately. When you miss hit and the racket turns in your hand it's not because you were not holding on tight enough, the racket turns in your hand because you have not hit the sweet spot of your racket. Do not hold the racket tighter to solve this problem. Players begin holding on so tightly they place a strain on the elbow. Especially when miss hitting! I believe that tightening of the grip is one cause of tennis elbow. Hold the racket like you are holding on to a parakeet. If you hold on too loosely the bird will fly away. If you hold on too tightly you will injure the bird.

The true answer to stop the racket from turning in your hand, as I have pointed out before, is to improve your judgment of the ball thru repetition. Keeping your eye on the ball to hit the sweet spot is a process, not a function of just watching the ball. After recently beating Pete Sampras in the US Open Lleyton Hewitt said, "I kept seeing the ball better and better and better throughout the tournament." Hewitt improved his ability to see the ball through repetition. Watching the ball to hit the sweet spot is a repetitive process not just the one act of watching the ball. If you improve your judgment by continuous focus on the ball you will hit the sweet spot of your racket more often which will stop the racket from turning in your hand.

Tom Veneziano

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