Jim McLennan's Essential Tennis Instruction

Tennis Videos, Tennis Tips, Tennis Lessons, Tennis Podcast

Episodes

Early to Step

July 23, 2020

Download this Video The most difficult opponent we face is often the “dreaded pusher” – but in spite of this players consistency, this players movement, and often how “poor we think they look” – often the simplest issue here is that their soft floating moon balls deprive you and I of the rhythm we get […]

Mark as Played

Wall to the Ball

November 8, 2018

Both Roger Federer and Bianca Andreescu square the face to the incoming ball – though still moving forward they have both “aligned the wall to the ball.” Tom Stow often introduced the simplicity of the volley technique by using a stool or chair such that the […]

Mark as Played

The Other Side of the Net

November 8, 2017

http://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_network/ETI_TheOtherSideOfTheNet.mp4 Download this Video Some time ago I was in Sacramento watching the Power Shares tour event – Courier, Sampras, McEnroe and Blake. James Blake beat John McEnroe in the finals – Mac having beaten Courier, and Blake easily beat an injured Pete Sampras (who was looking very slow on court compared to the other […]

Mark as Played

Listen to your hits

August 12, 2017

Watching the ball - moving into position - you can always listen to the outcome!

Mark as Played

ETI 047 | Will Staying Sideways help you hit up on the serve!

August 23, 2016 • 1 secs

The common problem I see at the club, as well as on television, is where the server flexes at the waist at the hit - more or less jackknifing to create a little more ball speed. And this action creates both forward and downward forces - and is generally associated with netted serves.

Mark as Played

ETI 046 | Gravity Motion

June 14, 2016 • 1 secs

Agility = moving quickly and easily. We know when we are gliding, we know when we are moving heavily. Equally, when can see on the adjacent court who moves well and who does not. But often more than strength training or explosive movement, the secret can be in a subtle unweighting where the body leads […]

Mark as Played

ETI 045 | Sidespin Serve

March 7, 2016 • 1 secs

Pete Sampras, "I won 7 Wimbledon titles because I had the best second serve in the game." The second serve is about spin that will make the ball curve down as it crosses the net. Yes it may corner the opponent and either swing them wide and out of court, or kick up into their backhand.

Mark as Played

ETI 044 l Topspin and the Racquet Drop

February 3, 2016 • 1 secs

Consider the critical 24 inch hitting zone when creating topspin on a forehand or on a serve – to create this spin the racquet must be swung up from beneath the ball (12 inches) but carry upward after impact (another 12 inches) to create the rolling spin that more and more of us want in […]

Mark as Played

ETI 043 | Point of Contact Area of Contact

November 10, 2015 • 1 secs

Ball control – ours is a game of accuracy, of consistency, but equally it is a game of timing for the opponent will send us shots of varying spin, speed, length and difficulty. Timing describes the relation between the incoming ball and the swinging racquet – and certainly the entire game revolves around the moment […]

Mark as Played

ETI 042 | Measure Twice Cut Once

October 12, 2015 • 1 secs

https://dg2e30wx7kvei.cloudfront.net/eti_podcast/ETI_042_Measure_Twice_Cut_Once.mp4 The carpenter measures twice to cut once, to make sure the cut is accurate, for if too much is cut off that mistake cannot be undone. In tennis consider measuring as preparing first to the side for the incoming ball, but then to measure precisely the height of the backswing such that the racquet […]

Mark as Played

ETI 041 | Quantum Tennis/Golf

July 23, 2015 • 2 mins

Many interesting parallels have been drawn between the tennis serve and the golf swing. Once the tennis player (or golfer) gets the feel for the mechanical elements of the serve (or golf swing) then rhythm becomes the overriding issue. Does the swing build smoothly and gracefully? Is there economy of effort? Can the server (golfer) swing easily yet hit hard? Are the body parts coordinated so that the force from the legs moves to th...

Mark as Played

ETI 039 | Improvise (when necessary) on the tennis court

May 11, 2015 • 3 mins

A few years ago I was encouraged to take a class in improvisational theater. It took me months to find the courage (stage fright and more) but I finally enrolled and then thoroughly enjoyed this class within the Stanford continuing studies program.

Mark as Played

ETI 038 | Dead Hands

April 8, 2015 • 2 mins

The 3 R's of tennis - ready, read (where the ball is going) react! As to your reaction - what precisely is your first move? What moves first, what initiates your preparation? Really an important question.

Mark as Played

ETI 037 | The Art of Winning

March 17, 2015 • 2 mins

80% of the points in professional end with an error, 20% with a winner. As regards unforced errors, if your opponent never misses and is patient as the day is long, would you consider missing a routine forehand in the 12th shot of a rally a forced or unforced error. I am now believing that errors are simply errors, and the distinction is unnecessary.

Mark as Played

ETI 036 | Spin – Changing Two Things at Once

February 23, 2015 • 2 mins

Three factors control your tennis shot - not your feet, not your eyes, not your balance (though all of those do help) but the only three elements are; Angle of the racquet face, Swing Path and Tempo.

Mark as Played

ETI 035 | The Dead Spot on the Racquet Face

January 8, 2015 • 3 mins

Swing path, type of spin, power, 3d playback (with Zepp) but perhaps the most interesting as well as the most useful is the data that shows where you make contact on the racquet face. And before going further, one of the most important (IF NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT) skills in the game of tennis is concentration, focus, and closely and continually watching the ball.

Mark as Played

ETI034 | Creating your own Report Card

December 9, 2014 • 4 mins

Take a few moments with the following report card - a method to either evaluate your own skills, or use this with your coach or regular practice partner. The idea is to take a deeper look at your "Use" - the broader issues that influence all you do on court, your awareness, the elements that make you a strong player, but equally perhaps the element that is holding you back.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Advertise With Us

Jim McLennan's Essential Tennis Instruction

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Early to Step

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Wall to the Ball

The Other Side of the Net

Listen to your hits

ETI 047 | Will Staying Sideways help you hit up on the serve!

ETI 046 | Gravity Motion

ETI 045 | Sidespin Serve

ETI 044 l Topspin and the Racquet Drop

ETI 043 | Point of Contact Area of Contact

ETI 042 | Measure Twice Cut Once

ETI 041 | Quantum Tennis/Golf

ETI 039 | Improvise (when necessary) on the tennis court

ETI 038 | Dead Hands

ETI 037 | The Art of Winning

ETI 036 | Spin – Changing Two Things at Once

ETI 035 | The Dead Spot on the Racquet Face

ETI034 | Creating your own Report Card

Popular Podcasts

Early to Step

Wall to the Ball