Marty Smith has been the Director of Tennis for more than 20 years at the famed New York Athletic Club, the No. 1-rated athletic club in the United States. A native of Australia, he was a top five-ranked Australian junior players and was the two-time Southern Conference singles and doubles champion at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He graduated from UTC and also received his MBA at St. Thomas University in Miami. He is a resident of Pelham, NY.

- It is challenging to obtain a precise racquet head angle when you are off balance. When you lean, the angle of your hand in the grip stays consistent, but the angle of the racquet in relation to the ground changes. Therefore, if you lean backwards the racquet will open, often causing the the shot to sail long. Or, if you lean forward the racquet will close, often sending the ball into the net. Similarly, tilting to the right or left can make the ball veer too far in that direction. Not only does being off-balance alter the angle of the racquet relative to the ground, but it also pushes body weight in unintended directions, a change that must be taken into account and adjusted for quickly during the swing in order to salvage the shot. (page 2)

- To put in scientific terms, attaining good balance is dependent on placing your center of gravity (COG) over the middle of your base of support. What does that mean? Your COG is the point in your body where your body weight is evenly distributed. Because we have a little more weight in the top half of our bodies, our COG is located just above the waist. Your legs provide your base of support. Therefore, establishing good balance means keeping your torso aligned with the middle of your legs. And how do you do that? By adjusting the width of your stance, moving your arms in different directions, and keeping your head upright. (page 4)

- Picture Serena Williams at the U.S Open, bouncing the ball, preparing to serve. She breathes in and begins moving the racquet backwards with her right arm while lifting her left arm to toss the ball. Now, focus on the important work that she does with the rest of her body once the ball leaves her left hand: the way she anticipates contact with the ball by turning her shoulders, bending her legs, pushing her hips forward, tilting her back, and essentially coiling her body to spring-load her energy. Then, she exhales and uncoils from the ground up, unloading that built-up energy onto a blurred racquet, squashing the ball on the strings, and sending it across the net at more than 100 miles an hour. This incredible alignment and coordination is the foundation of Serena Williams’ serving technique and the foundation of contemporary tennis: a full body windup designed to deliver a striking blow. It is known as the kinetic chain. (page 9)

- If you use the kinetic chain incorrectly and depend primarily on the upper body and arm movement, you will lose racquet control and make more mistakes. If your arm moves vigorously without support from below, you will find it difficult to balance the racquet well at contact. On the other hand, if you use the kinetic chain correctly, you will not only gain more power but your strokes will also become more consistent. By deriving power from throughout your body, your arm and wrist can focus less on increasing power and more on stabilizing the racquet and establishing the precise angle of the strings needed to hit a consistent shot. (page 11)

- TENNIS FANS ARE SOMETIMES AWESTRUCK by a professional’s spectacular stroke, but they often overlook what happened before the shot that made it possible: movement. In fact, movement has become increasingly more important on the pro tour as players hit the ball faster and the advent of poly strings has led to increased spin and more acute groundstroke angles. It is no surprise that the four players who have won the most ATP titles over the last decade — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray — are amongst the quickest players on the ATP Tour. The link between good movement and success at the professional level, however, is nothing new. The top players have always been quick and agile. When eight-time major champion Ivan Lendl was asked to name the greatest strength shared by the best players of any era, he didn’t point to a big serve or a dominant forehand; he said superior movement. (page 17)

-Adjustment steps will also improve your groundstrokes' rhythm and timing. As Nadal's coach Francis Roig once said, "The most important thing is to how you read the ball and understand how it is going to bounce. In tennis, if you are too fast, it’s bad. If you’re too slow, it’s bad. You have to be on time.”(2) By using small adjustment steps as the ball approaches (above), you increase your chances of positioning yourself at the right spot at the correct time to hit with power and balance. (page 24)

- Grips are the foundation of every tennis swing, or, as the great Rod Laver once put it, “The grip determines everything.” Your grip will influence the amount of speed and spin on each ball you hit. Some grips make it easier to angle the racquet face down, or be “closed,” which is helpful for producing topspin on powerful groundstrokes. Other grips make it easier to angle the racquet face up, or be “open,” which is helpful for creating backspin and controlling volleys and finesse shots. Your grip also affects where you make contact with the ball, and therefore, your body positioning and timing of your swing. (page 27)

- It is a common misconception in tennis to equate muscle tension with power because that is generally the case in other physical activities. If you wanted to lift a heavy object you would tense your muscles and lift. However, tennis — in which a two-ounce ball is hit by a 27-inch-long swinging racquet — involves completely different physics. The formula for kinetic energy is KE = 1/2 mv2(kinetic energy equals one-half mass multiplied by velocity squared). Therefore, doubling the velocity (racquet speed) will have a much larger effect on the energy delivered to the ball than doubling the mass. This is why a young junior can hit a tennis ball harder than some muscle-bound adults. (page 28)

- Sampras’ powerful serve allowed him to ace opponents or to put himself in a dominant position early in a point by either forcing a weak return or moving his opponent out of position. Thanks to his serve, he was able to save energy on his quick service games and, when receiving serve, he could relax and go for aggressive returns knowing that in most matches he only had to break serve once to secure the set. In contrast, players with a poor serve often have extended and tiring serving games and feel tremendous pressure to break serve; otherwise, they face the possibility of quickly finding themselves behind in the set. While of course we may never serve like Sampras, we all have the capacity to improve our serves — the only shot you completely control in a match and the only shot you can practice alone. (page 37)

- The trophy position is also sometimes called the power position because during this stage of the serve, the body coils to store power that will be unloaded when the body uncoils a moment later. Essentially, the body here becomes spring-loaded, preparing the arm to swing the racquet with explosive power and the body to lift up and forward towards the ball. This is how great servers deliver their serve with speed and consistency. They establish a strong power position and then release the stored energy and elevate the body to hit the ball at a height that creates a trajectory that clears the net by a good margin and lands well inside the service line. (page 47)

- Unless your opponent is very skilled at disguising their serve, the ball toss can help you determine what spin is coming your way. If the ball toss is to the server’s right, you can expect a slice serve and should move right to cover its rightward curve. If the toss is to the left, then you can anticipate a kick serve and you should move to the left to cover its leftward bounce. If the ball toss is straight and in front, then a power serve is probably coming, and you can prepare a shorter swing for the return. Over the course of a match, you can pick up on your opponent’s predilections for certain serves and remember that players often like to deliver their favorite serves on important points such as game and break points. (page 72)

- Many players don’t give the return of serve the attention it deserves because they make the mistake of regarding it as just another groundstroke. However, the truth is that the return of serve is different from typical groundstrokes in several ways: the serve is hit from a greater height creating a higher bounce, the ball speed is usually faster, the serve sometimes curves right-to-left or left-to-right, the distance your opponent serves from the net is always the same, and the area of the service box is much smaller to defend than the whole court. Therefore, in addition to the return of serve’s huge impact in determining the outcome of the point, it is also in many ways a unique shot, and should represent a significant part of your practice sessions. (page 79)

- Federer and Nadal not only share the desire to dictate play with their forehand, but also share commonalities that all great forehand players possess and that are discussed in this chapter. Briefly, they draw on each body part to establish balance and strong kinetic chain power. They use a circular backswing and lag the racquet before the forward swing to maximize racquet head speed. For consistent shot depth, they use good extension through contact and “windshield wiper” racquet movement to control their powerful strokes with topspin. And they follow through in a manner that decelerates the racquet smoothly and facilitates quick recovery. (page 84)

- After the racquet butt cap moves forward, it turns towards the body, causing the racquet head to move closer to the body and then away, or inside-to-outside, as it gets closer to contact. It’s natural to think, because the ball moves in a linear fashion, that the forehand should be linear type swing. However, to maximize kinesthetic power, the forehand swing should arc and curve; arc up on the backswing, and then curve forward to meet the ball. (page 100)

- A full backswing should result in your chin resting near your right shoulder. Even though your shoulders are relaxed, your full backswing should place some tension in the back of your right shoulder to spring the racquet forward faster. The end of your backswing should be synchronized with loading weight on your back leg and moving your body into a crouched position ready to unleash the power stored in your body forward into the shot. (page 127)

- Opening the racquet too much at contact is a mistake I commonly see players make, causing them to pop the ball up without much pace and control. It is important to understand that you don’t have to force the backspin with a sharp swing down and a very open racquet face. The backspin will happen naturally with a gentle angle down and slightly open racquet face. (page 143)

- The drop shot is best hit when you receive a waist-to-chest high ball. It is hard to control a drop shot on a ball any higher or lower than this. Also, because time and disguise are important factors, you should hit the drop shot as the ball is rising or at its apex rather than on its way down. If you hit the ball on the way down, you allow your opponent more time to react and decrease your ability to disguise the shot. (page 152)

- Besides presenting your opponent with a difficult overhead or a scramble to run the ball down, good lobbing has strategic advantages. It can lead to less aggressive net positioning from your opponents. If your opponent is concerned about having to defend against your lob, they may deepen their net position, thus reducing their volley angles, increasing the time you have to react to their shot and forcing them to hit more low, difficult volleys. (page 153)

- Your success at the net is directly related to the strength of the shot you hit immediately before: the approach shot. This was on display at the 2015 ATP World Finals where Roger Federer's powerful serving allowed him to set up for his approach shots more inside the baseline than usual. This favorable positioning on the approach shot then allowed him to set up closer to the net for his volley, resulting in him hitting his first volley one foot closer and five inches higher than his average. As a result, Federer controlled play from the front court lifting his winning percentage at net to as high as 75% in some of his matches during the tournament. (page 157)

- Additionally, mixing in some serve-and-volley plays can place doubt in your opponent’s mind as to the best type of return of serve. When a server comes to the net, the best returns are low and wide; however, when a server stays on the baseline, the best returns are higher and deeper. These are two opposite returns, and if you vary up your play, you can confuse your opponent and force more mistakes. If you always stay on the baseline after the serve, you allow your opponent to return high over the net without immediate negative consequences. By serving and volleying occasionally, you will force your opponent to hit lower and riskier returns. (page 162)

- Additionally, compared to your ready position at the baseline, your body should be in a lower crouched position, achieved by bending the knees and widening the stance. This lower body position drops your center of gravity and facilitates fast movement. Watch the best volleyers at net. They cover the court with cat-like movements, staying low to the ground in a crouched position that allows them to move quickly and volley with superior balance. The lower body position also puts your line of vision closer to the height of the incoming ball, improving your ability to read the ball's trajectory. (page 167)

- When setting up your arm and racquet in the U-shape, remember to keep your elbow close to your body and in front of your shoulder. This naturally lays your wrist back and places the racquet butt cap slightly in front of the strings (below). By having the butt cap in front of the strings, you create a powerful fulcrum effect whereby a small movement of your hand produces a much larger movement of the racquet head. This creates fast racquet speed, helps ensure the contact happens in front of the body, and produces a comfortable wrist position to move the racquet head towards your target for greater accuracy. (page 176)

- Some of these strokes evolved because new equipment increased the speed and spin of the ball, while others resulted from player’s improved athleticism and size. Off court training methods are far superior to yesteryear, and WTA players above six feet tall are now common, while ATP players below that height are seen less and less. Some changes were born out of necessity, while others were just good ideas that previously were not examined fully due to our natural reluctance to enter the less safe domain of new ideas. (page 188)

- There is a significant difference in physical strength between the forehand and one-handed backhand. First, the forehand has the hitting shoulder lagging the front shoulder and uses the stronger “pull” motion across the body, while the backhand has the hitting shoulder facing the ball and uses the weaker “push” motion of the arm away from the body. In addition, the forehand swing uses the stronger pectorals, anterior deltoids and biceps, versus the backhand swing which uses the weaker trapezius, posterior and middle deltoids, and triceps. When compared to the one-handed or two-handed backhand, the forehand also makes greater use of the big muscles of the lower body and core than the backhand. On the forehand, the legs push more aggressively from the ground creating more upward angular momentum and the hips rotate faster and longer compared to the backhand. Lastly, because the forehand is hit with the back shoulder, the forehand backswing is longer than the backhand backswing, allowing it to build up greater swing momentum to accelerate the racquet. (page 193)

- Champion players have shot patterns that make the best use of their strongest strokes. For instance, Federer uses his slice backhand to keep the ball low and move his opponent inside the baseline and then uses his forehand weapon to hit deep to the open corner. One of Djokovic’s many talents is his ability to change the direction of cross-court shots by driving the ball down the line and get his opponent scrambling. Murray’s superior groundstroke finesse allows him to play more short slices to pull opponents forward to the net and force them to defend his precise passing shots. Federer’s slice backhand, Djokovic’s stroke change of direction, and Murray’s finesse are all personalized weapons which they have developed into distinctive winning shot patterns. (page 221)

- Compete as much as possible to hone your decision-making. It is only with accrued match experience that you will be able to quickly assess opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, understand your own strengths and weaknesses better, and deduce what strategy will work best for you in response to all the match variables. Play practice matches against a variety of playing styles, including aggressive net rushers, all-court players, and defensive baseline players. Mixing up your style of opponent will help you learn what shot patterns work best and how your skills match up against different types of players. (page 236)

- Controlling the net as a team is an important goal in doubles. First, because there is such little time to react to a volley, doubles teams who attack the net well together can make the opposing team constantly feel rushed and defensive. Second, once a team is positioned at the net together, the opposing team must come up with a quality shot to stay in the point. If the opposing team doesn’t hit the ball low, fast, or high and deep, the net team will seize the advantage. This pressure can result in many “hidden” points won by errors stemming from your intimidating presence at net. On the other hand, if one player is on the baseline, the opposing team can direct a mediocre shot to the baseline player and pay less of a price. (page 253)

- Spending a lot of time practicing together will help you determine who should defend the lob and balls hit towards the middle of the court. It will also help you to get to know your teammate’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their cross court and down the line tendencies. This knowledge will help you gauge the likelihood of whether a strong or weak shot is coming from your partner, allowing you to more quickly position yourself forwards offensively or backwards defensively. It will also help you get a jump start moving right and left on the court. (page 280)

- IT IS TRUE THAT DEVELOPING THE STROKES and learning the strategies discussed in the previous chapters will give you an edge over your opponents. However, tennis is also a gritty mental sport, and if you are not focused and resilient, you will lose matches that you should win based on your strokes and knowledge. You need to be both mentally strong to stay determined and mentally positive so you compete in an emotionally elevated and energetic manner. Rafael Nadal, considering the importance of psychology in tennis, wrote, “Tennis is, more than most sports, a sport of the mind; it is the player who has those good sensations on the most days, who manages to isolate himself best from his fears and from the ups and downs in morale a match inevitably brings, who ends up being world number one.”(1) While you might not aspire to be “world number one,” your tennis goals are much more likely to be accomplished if during your matches you can remain focused, stay positive, and think clearly in the heat of the battle. (page 283)

- Anxiety’s effect on your level of play is largely based on your perception. Embrace the mindset that you are lucky to be healthy and playing a worthy competitor in a sport that you enjoy. Feelings of gratitude will stimulate a key part of the brain that lowers stress. Also, it is helpful to develop a wider perspective of the game and view your tennis career as an evolving process of learning, adventure, and self-discovery. The more you can fuel your performance with feelings of introspective enthusiasm and positive self-development, the more relaxed and better you will play. (page 289)

- Tennis is a uniquely athletic sport that re quires a special type of fitness. Tennis players need agility to maintain balance on a difficult volley or wide ball, quick bursts of speed to run down shots hit all over the court, and the endurance to last a long match. In addition, they need to be flexible and strong from head to toe. On most shots, the energy is transferred up the body, building such that each body segment benefits from the movements and power of the previous body segment, utilizing the kinetic chain. Being inflexible or weak in one body part will reduce the power gathering and moving to the next body part and result in a less forceful shot. (page 300)

- Strength training should also involve some isotonic resistance. Isotonic resistance is a constant weight or tension where shortening and lengthening of the muscle occurs along with joint movement. These types of muscle movements are required on the various swings and while running around the court. Isotonic exercises can be performed with free weights, body weight, medicine balls, and many types of weight machines. Any isotonic exercise that involves standing up or forcing you to keep balanced are particularly good for tennis because that is the way the game is played. Also, because many shots rely on the dominance of one leg, step-ups and lunge variations should be a significant part of your leg strength training. (page 312)