IVAN YATZUK
Guest Writer
news@lbknews.com
Today, I want to share two fundamental tennis tips that go hand in hand and can immediately improve your timing, control, and power.
One of the most common mistakes I see players make is waiting too long to prepare their swing. Many players stay locked in the ready position, watching the ball, and only take the racket back once the ball has already bounced on their side of the court. By that point, everything feels rushed.
Instead, preparation should begin as soon as you recognize where the ball is going. That’s the moment to turn your shoulders, set your feet, and get into position. When you prepare early, the forward swing becomes simple and natural. In fact, it shouldn’t feel like you are “taking the racket back” at all — it’s more about turning your shoulders and letting the racket come with your body. Clean tennis strokes are compact and efficient, with as little unnecessary movement as possible.
This leads directly into the second key point: making contact with the ball in front of your body.
When players prepare late, they almost always make contact late as well, often with the ball too far behind them. When this happens, you feel jammed — there’s no freedom, no power, and very little control. Proper spacing is everything in tennis. When you contact the ball out in front, your racket is in front of your body, your swing can flow freely, and control comes naturally. You strike the ball, release through it, and then allow your body to move forward with momentum.
It’s impossible to generate true forward momentum if you’re hitting the ball behind you. That’s a topic for another day, but it all starts with early preparation.
So remember: turn your shoulders early as soon as you read the ball, stay active with your footwork, and aim to contact the ball in front of your body. Do that consistently, and you’ll unlock better timing, more power, and far greater control in your game.
Ivan Yatsuk is a tennis professional at Bird Key Yacht Club and the co-founder of Recruited, a company that helps aspiring high school tennis players from around the world earn opportunities to play college tennis in the United States.