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Technique
The seven most common beginner mistakes
The habits nearly everyone develops in their first months and that take a year to remove afterward.
Every mistake on this list has something in common: it feels natural at first and gets very expensive later.
1. Swinging hard from day one
Speed is not trained, it is released once technique is in place. Starting out hitting hard teaches the body to compensate with force for what technique is missing, and that sticks.
2. Serving with a forehand grip
It feels natural because the racquet face points forward, but it makes serve spin impossible. Without spin the ball will not drop, and the second serve becomes a permanent problem. See the serve.
3. Not moving the feet
Beginners reach for the ball with the arm instead of moving to it. Nearly every bad shot is a good shot executed from a bad position.
4. Watching where the ball goes instead of the contact
Lifting your head before striking opens the shoulder and ruins the shot. It is one of the fastest-paying corrections: keep your eyes on the contact point an instant longer.
5. Braking at contact
Fear of missing makes people decelerate exactly at impact. The result is a shallow ball the opponent attacks. The stroke has to finish.
6. Always playing with the same old balls
A pressureless ball flies differently and barely bounces. Learning on dead balls teaches an adjustment that does not transfer to normal ones.
7. Never taking a lesson
The most expensive mistake of all. Four or five lessons early on save months of unlearning. An adult learning alone builds habits in three months that take a year to remove.