WebTennis.net
Tennis Instruction
Newsletter

by Brent Abel

January 7, 2005

WebTennis.net Home Page * Brent's Instructional Products * eBay Tennis Equipment * Past Newsletters

Earn $$$ as a WebTennis.net Affiliate

Happy New Year 2005!

*** Current Tip ***

Getting Back
Into It...!

A plan for 2005...

Holiday celebrating (food, drink, and more food, drink) with little exercise and not much tennis can take its toll...!

But, it's also a great time to really take a good look at your game and evaluate a few things...

  • #1: Who am I on the court...?

  • #2: What stroke needs the most improvement right now based on my answer to #1...?

  • #3: What court positioning strategy needs the most improvement right now based on my answer to #1...?

  • #4: What's my current fitness level...?

  • #5: Am I willing to get and commit to the right information and then put in the time to improve and eventually master #s 2 - 4...?

If you can honestly answer #1 then you're 90% of the way to making 2005 a great year of tennis for you...!

#s 2 & 3 will easily fall into place if you can figure out #1...

But #5 is the key.  The key...

Let's take a quick peek at question #1: Who am I on the court...?

Knowing who you are (or who you want to be) on the court is vital to figuring out what are areas of your game to focus on.

For me, I'm pure serve and volley.  I'm not into the baseline thing unless the guy I'm playing is dealing with my attack. 

I'll then throw in a few baseline points, not so much to literally "change" strategies, but more to change the rhythm and tempo of the match.

So, if I'm mostly a serve and volley type of player, then I need to list those shots, court positioning, and mental skills that make up that strategy and rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10 on each one of them.

And there really are five distinct areas that need attention and honest evaluation IF you want to improve.

Strokes, court positioning, mental, fitness, and practice time...

Lots of players don't care about improving, are too scared to take the risk of temporarily playing at a slightly lower skill level when they practice, or simply make excuses that they cannot find the time...

I'm assuming you're a subscriber to my newsletter because you do want to improve, you do want to have a tennis as a lifelong hobby that will always give you tremendous satisfaction if you commit to knowing who you are on the court...

So, why not take the next minute and do this:

Answer the following questions.  This will give you a good idea of who you are on the court and the areas you need the most work. 

Plus, your answers will be sent to me anonymously (that's right, your contact info will NOT be sent to me) so I can get a better feel of what your level is and what you're working on...

Click the appropriate buttons below

I think my playing style is primarily

 Serve and Volley
 Baseliner
 "All-Court"
 Other - Describe

For my strokes, I think the one stroke that needs the most improvement right now is my

 Serve
 Forehand Groundstroke
 One-Handed Backhand Groundstroke
 Two-Handed Backhand Groundstroke
 Backhand Slice Groundstroke
 Forehand Return of Serve
 Backhand Return of Serve
 Forehand Approach Shot
 Backhand Approach Shot
 Forehand Half Volley
 Backhand Half Volley
 Forehand Volley
 Backhand Volley
 Overhead
 Drop Shot
 Lob
 Drop Volley
 Lob Volley
 Other - Describe

For my playing style to improve, I think the one area of strategy / court positioning that needs the most improvement right now is

Describe

For my playing style to improve, I think the one area of my mental skills that needs the most improvement right now is

Describe

My fitness level right now for being able to play the style I've described above is

 Excellent
 Good
 Poor

I am willing to get the right information I need for improvement either from a tennis professional, and/or instructional products

 Yes
 No

I am willing to commit the following amount of on court drilling, ball machine, etc. practice time (other than practice matches) each week to improve the areas I've described above

This is not practice time all at one session, but a total aggregate of time throughout a week
1 hour
 2 hours
 3 hours
 more than 3 hours
 no time

I am willing to commit the following amount of off-court time to improve my current fitness level

 This is not fitness time all at one session, but a total aggregate of time throughout a week
1 hour
 2 hours
 3 hours
 more than 3 hours
 no time

I would be interested in a tennis specific fitness program based on my style of play and available weekly workout time

 Yes
 No

My current skill level is probably a

 Beginner or NTRP 2.5 or lower
 Intermediate or NTRP 3.0 - 3.5
 Advanced or NTRP 4.0 or higher

My gender is

 Male
 Female

Click the Submit button below now just once, and if you get sent to an Error message page, no worries, just click your browser's "Back" button and you'll get back here.

Then scroll back down to here and read the remainder of this tip.

Also, after clicking the Submit button, print out this page and write down your answers to the questions.

OK, this exercise was to help you get organized and focused on what it is you really want to work on for the first part of 2005.

Remember, and this is crucial, if you commit to improving your tennis, there's a VERY good chance that temporarily your overall game will take a slight hit skill level wise.

Why...?  Because when we play well, we really turn off our conscious thinking of how the strokes work, where to be on the court, etc..

It's pretty much automatic and instinctive when we're confident and play well...

When you work on aspect of your game, you're naturally in an evaluation mode, trying to sense whether or not you're doing the right thing, improving, whatever...

That process takes away from your natural instincts when you compete and consequently your skill level takes a temporary downslide until your new habits become automatic.

Have you got the guts to go through that process...?  I hope you'll take the challenge to work on some aspect of your game and know that I'll be here to help you through if and when the going gets a little tough.

Remember, the learning curve is rarely a gradual straight line up. 

It's peaks with slight downs and eventual new plateaus...

It's those plateaus that are where you want to be.  A bit boring maybe, but the peaks can fool you into thinking that you've found a new level. 

Normally peaks are followed by a slight down.  Most players panic during the initial down and then pack it in for fear of dropping too far...

Hang in there and embrace those plateaus...!

And as always, I'm available if you want some specific help.  Just drop me a line at brent@webtennis.net.  Thanks... 

Would you do me a favor....?

If you enjoyed this tip, would you invite two tennis players to subscribe to my newsletter...?  I'd really appreciate it.  Just send a quick email to your friends and ask them to visit www.webtennis.net.  Many thanks...

Current Instructional
Video Products
produced by Brent

All video lesson products include:

  • Instant access to the download or lesson webpage

  • CD mailed to you within 24 hours (price includes shipping & handling to U.S. & Canada)

  • FREE follow-up Email Reminders / Tips / Drills

  • FREE unlimited email support

  • FREE one hour of telephone support

  • FREE video & audio BONUS lessons

  • Over $175 in FREE and BONUS values

  • No Risk Purchase - 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee

  • Secure credit card processing or PayPal
     

  • The Serve Fundamentals
    $29 - Download only (No CD)     Requires high speed internet connection
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Serve Tossing Motion
    $29 - Download Only (No CD)     Requires high speed internet connection
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Serve Pronation Analysis & Explanation
    $29 - Download Only (No CD)     Requires high speed internet connection
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Pete Sampras Serve Analysis
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Forehand Groundstroke Fundamentals
    $29 - Download Only (No CD)     Requires high speed internet connection
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The One-Handed Backhand Groundstroke Fundamentals
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Slice Backhand Fundamentals
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Overhead Fundamentals
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • The Forehand Volley Fundamentals
    $39 - Download and CD
     

  • Doubles:  Top Ten Questions Answered by Brent and Pat Blaskower
    $39 - Download and CD

Click here for more specific lesson product information

 

 

Complimentary Download

My NEW PDF eBook, "How to Develop True Confidence in Your Tennis Game"...

Here's the link to your complimentary copy of my NEW eBook

"How to Develop True Confidence in Your Tennis Game"...

http://tinyurl.com/4j6wk

This is an Adobe Acrobat file which requires that you have the free Acrobat Reader on your computer.

Here's where to pick up your copy of Reader...
http://tinyurl.com/6ip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Instructional Video Products
produced by Brent

Click here for complete lesson product information

All video lesson products include:

  • Instant access to the download or lesson webpage

  • CD mailed to you within 24 hours (price includes shipping & handling to U.S. & Canada)

  • FREE follow-up Email Reminders / Tips / Drills

  • FREE unlimited email support

  • FREE one hour of telephone support

  • FREE video & audio BONUS lessons

  • Over $175 in FREE and BONUS values

  • No Risk Purchase - 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee

  • Secure credit card processing or PayPal
     

  • The Serve Fundamentals

  • The Serve Tossing Motion

  • The Serve Pronation Analysis & Explanation

  • The Pete Sampras Serve Analysis

  • The Forehand Groundstroke Fundamentals

  • The One-Handed Backhand Groundstroke Fundamentals

  • The Slice Backhand Fundamentals

  • The Overhead Fundamentals

  • The Forehand Volley Fundamentals

  • Doubles:  Top Ten Questions Answered by Brent and Pat Blaskower

Click here for more specific lesson product information
New Instructional Product from Brent: 

The Forehand Groundstroke
(Downloadable - Immediate Access)

How to make your forehand groundstroke solid, dependable, and dare I say,
a weapon to be reckoned with...!

Look, the forehand groundstroke should be a real staple for your game.  The more "modern game" you try to go with it, you know, extreme grip and swing shape, in hopes of getting excessive topspin, well, the more that goes wrong with it...

Become a student and a practitioner of the real fundamentals that will allow you to have a solid (yes, some topspin is desirable) forehand that will give you the ability to handle any ball hit to your forehand side.

If you're in the market to learn how to hit a forehand like Andy Roddick, well, I'm just simply not your guy. 

But, if you want a dependable forehand groundstroke that will last you a lifetime, well, this lesson product is for you...

In a series of 9 instantly downloadable videos that I have personally produced (high speed internet access users only, CD version for dial-up), you're going to learn the following...

  • A checklist of the pure fundamentals for your forehand groundstroke. 

  • How you can develop a "rhythm" forehand groundstroke that doesn't fight the ball.

  • How you can hit your forehand as a true topspin drive that penetrates through the bounce on your opponent's side of the net.

  • This lesson will give you a forehand drive that won't "sit up" for your opponent.

    • The Ready Position

    • The Turn to the Set Position (Prepping for the toughest incoming shot) and Setting the Grip

    • Your Footwork Patterns to the Hitting Position

    • The Spacing Away From the Ball

    • The Swing Shape

    • The Contact Point

    • The Swing Finish

    • Recovery Back to the Center

I've even got a BONUS video evaluation of the great Pancho Gonzales.  This guy hit just the sweetest forehand ever.  So much rhythm, zero fighting the ball, just pure tempo that came out of the perfect swing shape.  If you copy just one thing from this guy, that effortless tempo, you'll be one happy player out there...!

You can easily model the forehand I teach from these videos.  This product also includes a series of follow-up tips delivered straight to your email In-Box about once a week with tip and practice reminders...

Click the > button below to see the forehand I teach...

And of course, I'll guarantee that you'll love this product with my standard no risk lifetime, full money back guarantee.  Zero risk on your part.

And yes, the help desk is always available to you...!  If you ever have any questions, you may always fire me off an email.  This product also comes with a complimentary one hour of telephone consultation time, a $100 value...

The downloadable version for high speed internet users is $29.  Dial-up users should order the CD version which is $39.

Again, here's what's in this package...

  • 9 video clips produced by Brent

  • BONUS video analysis by Brent of the Gonzales forehand ($39 value)

  • Series of follow-up tips and practice reminders

  • 10% off coupon on the PracticeHit Stroke Developer

  • Lifetime no-risk guarantee

  • Unlimited email support

  • One hour of telephone support ($100 value)

  • Instant download

Here's where to pick up your copy of my Forehand Groundstroke Lesson
New Instructional Product from Brent:

Personal Video Tennis Training (PVTT)

This learning concept is simple.  The results for you are dramatically tangible. 

You send me video of whatever it is you really want to improve on with your tennis game, I analyze it, and then create a powerful personal video lesson for you. 

The learning curve for you is dramatically increased...

"These video lessons have been a great help for my son and me. Based on Brent’s in depth, practical analysis my son has been able to watch and understand visually how his strokes can be improved. He then can practice the right technique and mentally see the image of what Brent says and the pros do.

He’s improved quickly after taking this lesson and correcting his strokes.

I’ve taken Brent’s advice on my backhand and serve and both have improved measurably in a short period of time.

I’ve gone from ball machine practice to using these strokes in tournaments in the shortest time ever with the improvements.  This is a teaching format that simply works exceedingly well."

Gordon Schaeffer, Seattle

The best way to see how you can truly benefit from PVTT is to take a moment to look at my sample page...   Click here now...!

Brent's WebTennis.net Premium Membership...

Look, this is real simple.  I want to be your online tennis professional.  I want to help you improve your tennis...

Yep, bottom line is this...   I want you to try this.  30 days at zero cost and I'll even give you one of my $39 lesson packages of your choice as a free gift just to try out the Premium Membership...

And at the end of 30 days if you feel that the Premium Membership is not for you, then no problem, keep the lesson package as my way of saying thanks for at least giving it a good "look see"...

Check out your benefits of being a Premium Member...

30 Day FREE "Look See" Trial Period and
a complimentary Lesson Package of Your Choice

OK, here's what my Premium Members get...

  • 24/7 Access to my private WebTennis.net Premium Member Center

    • A private website that has several learning sections...

    • Webinars, enhanced newsletters, Pro Stroke Evaluation, Pro Shop where all of my instructional products are 25% off, video clip library, and more...

  • Access to all of my live and archived instructional Webinars on specific strokes and match play strategy situations.

    • These are 30 minute live teleconference calls as players follow along either with their downloaded outline or watch online.

    • Players may ask questions throughout my lesson and then I leave 15 minutes at the end when you can ask a question on a different tennis topic.

  • Enhanced weekly newsletters with more video and audio instruction.

    • The Premium Member newsletter goes into much greater detail with video and audio than the free newsletter.

    • Past newsletters are archived for easy reference.

  • Premium Member Pro Shop

    • 25% off of all instructional products

    • Slightly above wholesale prices on Gamma tennis string and other products.

  • Pro Stroke Evaluation

    • I produce videos where I take a part certain pro's strokes and strategies and show you precisely what you can copy and model in your own game.

  • Access to my video clip library

    • Lots of clips to help you further understand the areas where you want to improve.

  • A 30 Day FREE Trail Period

    • Yep, try it out for a full month.  Give it a good "look see" and decide for yourself if this is something that can help your tennis.

    • And if not, then simply let me know and you will not be billed.

  • New Member BONUS...!

    • Sign up today and I'll give you any lesson package of your choice for free.  Yes, that's a $39 value for simply trying out the Premium Membership for 30 days.

    • And again, if you should decide that the Premium Membership is not for you, no problem, the lesson package is yours to keep.

  • Complete 100% satisfaction guarantee that comes with unlimited lifetime support from me.

    • After 30 days, you may cancel your subscription at any time.  This is a month to month subscription, no long term contracts.

  • Just $9.95 a month.  30 day free trial period.  Your credit card will NOT be billed until after the trial period.

  • You have nothing to lose.  Guaranteed.  Try it out for your free 30 day trail period and take your tennis to a new improvement level...! 

    • Plus your free New Member BONUS...!

  • Premium Membership for FREE for life...?  Yes.  Refer 3 of your tennis pals and your Premium Membership will only cost you 95 cents a month.  That's right, just $0.95 a month...!
    Refer four of your friends and you're putting $ in your pocket...!

Sign up and get your Premium Membership NOW...!

30 day free trial period AND
a complimentary lesson package of your choice
just for trying out the Premium Membership...!

"Brent,

I have to write to you.  I've been a Premium Member for only a few weeks, and already I'm seeing huge improvements in so many areas of my game.

For the first time in my life I've got a clear understanding of pronation on the serve, and I'm now getting much more speed and spin, especially on my 2nd serves.

I was a little skeptical at first that you could help me without actually being on the court with me.  I was sort of wondering whether I'd really be able to learn from your website.

But, it's really amazing how well I understand your instruction.  The video and audio lessons are just wonderfully easy to put into play right away.

The Premium Membership is such a tremendous value.  I wish I'd found you a long time ago Brent!  My tennis is so fun now!  Thanks.

Jeannie Y. - Fresno, CA

Sign up and get your Premium Membership NOW...!
- Complimentary Download:  My NEW PDF eBook, "How to Develop True Confidence in Your Tennis Game"...

Here's the link to your complimentary copy of my NEW eBook "How to Develop True Confidence in Your Tennis Game"...

http://www.webtennis.net/downloads/tennis-confidence.pdf

This is an Adobe Acrobat file which requires that you have the free Acrobat Reader on your computer.

Here's where to pick up your copy of Reader...
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html 

I am VERY interested in your opinion of this eBook.  Any feedback, you love it, you hate it, anything would be greatly appreciated...   Thanks.     brent@webtennis.net...

- Contact and Feedback

OK, here's how to find me.

Email: brent@webtennis.net
Phone: 1-925-376-4575

And please let me know what you thought of this newsletter, obviously the content, but also the format, and if there's anything you'd like me to address in a future newsletter issue. 

Until then, as always, keep moving forward and see you at the net...!