Alright, let’s get into it. Today I finally got around to trying out some beginner stuff inspired by that Dana Guzman video, you know, the tennis pro? Heard about some simple tips she gives for people starting out. Let me tell you how it all went down, step by step, real talk.
First thing this morning, I grabbed my old racket from the garage. The grip felt dusty and sticky, like it hadn’t seen daylight in years. Honestly, it probably hadn’t. Went straight to the local park court – the one nobody ever seems to use. Got lucky, it was empty. Just me, the net, and a can of slightly flat practice balls I found. Good enough, I figured.
Remembered Dana talking about the ready position. Sounds basic, right? She emphasized keeping your feet apart and knees slightly bent, constantly shifting your weight. So I tried standing there, knees soft, racket out in front like she showed. Felt awkward as hell at first, like I was waiting for a bus, not to hit a ball. Just bouncing lightly, shifting from foot to foot. Even this felt like work after a minute. Stuck with it for a good five minutes, just getting that feeling down.
Next up was the forehand grip. This one had me scratching my head. Her tip was that comfortable “handshake” grip, you know, putting the edge of the racket base snug against the heel of your palm? Took a few tries to find where that felt natural, twisting the racket handle in my hand. Once it kinda clicked, it actually felt way more stable. Much better than just grabbing it like a hammer like I used to.
Alright, time to actually hit some balls. Forget power, Dana kept drilling home the focus on control for beginners. Started by just tossing the ball up gently in front of me and trying to tap it over the net. Emphasis on tap. Not smash, not hit hard. Just tap. This is where the frustration kicked in.
Mistakes I made immediately:
- Tossed the ball way too far to the side and had to lunge awkwardly. Practically fell over once.
- Whiffed completely a couple of times, swinging at air like an idiot.
- When I did connect, it mostly flew way long or slammed into the net.
- Forgot to step in and just swung wildly with my arm a few times. Arm felt tired fast.
- My legs? Totally forgot to use them at first.
Took a minute, leaned on the net, breathed. Okay, deep down I knew this wasn’t gonna be magic. Went back to the basics: watch the ball (like, really watch it), do that split-step thing again, step forward with the foot opposite my racket (right foot for me, I’m right-handed), and brush up gently underneath it instead of trying to smack it flat. Started focusing on making contact out in front, racket face aimed just a little upward.
Took maybe twenty more tries, but eventually, things started connecting. Not perfect, but I got a few gentle little shots that actually landed near the service line! Wasn’t winning Wimbledon, but I felt a tiny spark of “Hey, that felt right!” The ball had some backspin, kinda spinning back towards me, which Dana said happens when you brush up properly. Cool.
Switched sides of the court occasionally to practice running around. Mostly shuffling my feet like Dana showed – no crossing them up at this stage. Just little steps side to side. My legs were definitely feeling it by the end.
Probably spent about an hour in total, mostly just hitting those self-fed forehands. Didn’t even attempt a backhand or serve today. Arms and shoulders are definitely gonna be sore tomorrow, especially from holding that ready position. But it felt solid to finally get some control.
Biggest takeaway Dana pushed that actually worked? Forget hitting hard. Focus on clean contact, good placement, and moving your damn feet. It’s tempting to just whack it, but slowing down, getting the grip and the footwork basics down made a huge difference, even just getting the ball over consistently.
Honestly, it felt rough and I felt super uncoordinated most of the time, but seeing a few balls land where I kinda wanted them to? Yeah, that felt pretty damn good for a first focused try. Gotta keep grinding at this.
