Hey, my name is Jacob Anderson and this is my portfolio. If you reach for balls which are wide to your forehand or wide to your backhand with an outstretched arm, your shots won’t be very strong. You may not even reach the ball if it is very wide. If you do manage to contact the ball, your shot will be weak and you will lack control. Instead, move your feet to get closer to the ball. If the ball goes wide, you should side-step, stop and then play your stroke. Ideally you want to be in a good position to play all of your strokes. This means moving your feet (or being ready to move) all the time. This may not always be possible, but if you are in a good position most of the time, you will be able to play good quality shots most of the time. Move your feet! Don’t hit the ball too hard. This isn’t cricket or baseball, where you have to whack the ball to the other end of the pitch. If you try to hit the ball too hard, without the correct technique, you’ll make too many mistakes. Instead, just slow down. It is much easier to learn better technique if you start slower. And if you do want to hit the ball harder, think about playing at 70%-80% of your power, rather than trying to smash the ball to pieces with 100% MAX POWER. You will have so much more success playing slower but with good technique, good ball placement and high consistency than with out-of-control power shots.

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