May 2025
Quotes per day and their meanings
May 1 – “Backhands, turn, tuck and swing up.” - Curly Davis
Hitting a backhand, one-handed or two, makes no difference. To ensure proper preparation, the three checkpoints are to turn your dominant shoulder back to where it's touching the chin, have your dominant elbow tuck into the belly button, and then swing up to clear the net.
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May 2 – “When you see the lob, pretend you’re being robbed…Hands-up” - Curly Davis
We are at the net, and the opponent hits a lob. To prepare for the overhead, raise your hands. This gets you ready for the shot.
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May 5—“3 Volleys, block, punch, swing.”
Understanding when to use each of the three volleys is crucial at the net. The block volley is used when your opponent hits the ball quickly to you, and you redirect their power back. The punch volley is appropriate when you have slightly more time to 'punch' the incoming ball, akin to a jab in boxing, with a short motion. Lastly, the swing volley is executed when there is ample time, as it involves a longer swing than the other two volleys, necessitating more time for the full motion.
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May 6 – “Return of serve, Stay back on flat, move in on spin.” - Curly Davis
When returning a flat serve from your opponent, stay further back; the ball will move to you. Conversely, returning a spin serve, you should move forward since the ball's path will move away from you.
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May 7 - “High-five your serve.” - Curly Davis
To execute a serve effectively, extend your arm upward as if to give a high five to a friend. This motion helps create the necessary height and momentum for an effective serve.
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May 8- “Wristy Business.” - Curly Davis
The wrist has three responsibilities on the volley: to elevate the ball over the net, to direct the ball to the desired target, and finally, to absorb the opponent's power off their shot.
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May 9 – “Your first serve is only as good as your second serve.”
Remember, your first serve is only as strong as your second. When you have confidence in your second serve—its placement and spin—you can take more risks with your first serve, ultimately enhancing your overall game. Trust in that foundation.
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May 12 – “Quick hands, quick feet make a volleyer hard to beat.” - Chuck Kreise
The ball can reach you in less than a second, so be ready to react swiftly. Your agility will help you respond effectively to your opponent's shots. Stay sharp!"
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May 13 – “Volley’s, stick, stop, stomp.” - Curly Davis
To improve your volleys, remember to extend the racket out in front of the ball. Halt your swing upon contact, and stomp the ground as you hit. This technique will help effectively transfer energy back into the ball.
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May 14 – “Volley’s less is best.” - Curly Davis
When it comes to volleys, remember that less is more. Minimize your swing and body movement for optimal performance.
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May 15 – “Serve- Thrust to Bust.” - Curly Davis
Using your legs on the serve will generate more power. Drive your legs up to the contact point to hit the ball harder.
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May 16 – “Return of serve- First serve make them play, second serve make them pay.”
When returning a first serve, focus on getting it back in play. On the second serve, take a more aggressive position and move inside the court to punish your return.
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May 19- “Serve- You must be willing to double fault to have a better second serve.”
Players often fear double-faulting, causing them to ease up too much on the second serve. It's essential to be willing to make mistakes to improve the second serve.
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May 20 – “Serve Targets- A- alley, B-body, C-center.”
There are three serve targets: "A" directs the ball out to the alley, "B" aims at the adversary's body, and "C" directs it toward the center of the service court.
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May 21 – ”So go the serve, so go the server.”
The serve is the most critical stroke in tennis, as every point starts with a serve. If you lack confidence in your serve, it affects your overall game. A weak serve puts you on the defensive from the start.
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May 22 – "Be a snob when you see the lob…nose up." - Curly Davis
When you recognize that your opponents have lobbed the ball, you must keep your nose (eyes) up to see the ball. Far too often, players will drop their head down to see their target, resulting in a ball entering into the net.
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May 23 – "Find, align, and unwind." - Curly Davis
After your opponent hits the ball, find where they hit it, align your back foot up to the inside of the oncoming ball, then unwind your hips up to the shoulders into the contact.
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May 26 – "There is no wrong or right way to hit a ball, just effective and ineffective."
When deciding how you want your swing to develop, realize there are many different ways to swing a racket, so we must look at what is effective for you. What works best for you is your "bottom line."
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May 27 - "SET Up your backhand." - Curly Davis
S.E.T. is an acronym for Shoulder, Elbow, Thumb. When preparing your backhand, think of S.E.T., which stands for shoulder turns back to where it touches the chin. The elbow turns back to where it touches the belly button, and the Thumb touches your nondominated hip (righthanded left hip, lefthanded right hip).
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May 28 - "Put your racket out, something good might happen." - Harry Hopman
When at the net, the ball gets on top of you very quickly, as the ball passes by you, and you don't know if you can reach the ball; my advice is to put your racket out to the ball; it just might hit your racket.
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May 29 - "Why hit your weaker stroke when your stronger stroke will bring you opportunities?" - Curly Davis
When you have time, step around your weaker stroke to allow your more decisive stroke to give you some opportunities to take control of the point.
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May 30 - "The more time you have, the more you do; the less time you have, the less you do."
The length of your backswing can be based on the time you have with the ball coming to you. The ball landing deep the less time you have, so the less backswing you should have. Conversely, the shorter the ball lands, the longer your backswing can be. Another time creating an item or taking away time is your court position; further back, you create more time to enable a longer backswing.
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