You are here in Seaside on vacation, and you can only spend so much time on the tennis courts before your family gets mad. And you wouldn’t want to miss a beach day with your family anyway. How can you improve your tennis game from our beautiful beaches? I know a few ways.
First, you have all seen the paddle tennis kids play on the beach. Pick up one of these fun sets at the toy store, and you’ll be the family hero for playing with your spouse and the kids while you improve your volleys. Hand and eye coordination will improve from just keeping the ball off the sand. Don’t forget to use the correct technique and footwork, and have some fun by trying to keep a rally going for 10 to 20 hits. Do it over and over with different opponents (I mean different kids). It’s good to see a different volley come back at you, making you adjust to keep a rally going.
Second, throw the football with the kids or your buddy on the beach. It is almost the same as a service motion. The wrist snap needed to make the ball spiral is close to the same motion you use to hit a serve. Try to throw right over the top of your shoulder like you would on a serve. Transfer your weight forward in the sand as you release the ball. Reach back and “throw it long” once in a while to increase your flexibility and increase pace on a serve. Be accurate and throw the ball at your target like you would serve at a target.
Third, throw the Frisbee. It is close to a backhand motion. Let the wrist snap as you release and notice how it feels similar to a topspin backhand. Though not exactly the same, the motion will help stretch you out, and the release may even help you to follow through better on the court.
And lastly, just run around and have fun with the kids. Your endurance will improve as you get in multiple beach days. Run sprints by playing chase and improve your cutting skills and footwork. Your balance should improve after you fall in the shifting sands a few times as well.
The bottom line is to have fun and play like a kid with a kid. Cross training can happen in a lot of places in a lot of different atmospheres, even on the beach in Seaside. Hope to see you on the courts, too. c
Tracy Townsend is a resort tennis expert, and his company 30A Tennis manages Seaside Tennis on behalf of the Seaside Community Development Corp. You can reach him at tennis@seasidefl.com or call (850) 231-2214. For news, events and court conditions, find Seaside Tennis on Facebook.
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