Roth Report
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TENNIS TIP
- Applying spin for control of the ball
There are many reasons to use spin on your tennis shots. Spin will allow you to vary the depth, angle, height, speed and bounce of a shot. If a player always hits the ball flat, it becomes difficult to hit certain targets on the entire court. The three different types of spin you can use are:
Top Spin:
When you use topspin, the ball spins in the direction of travel. Topspin shots are created by using your racquet to brush the back of the ball upward. In order to do this, you need to swing the racquet from low to high and make sure the top edge of the racquet's strings are contacting the ball first. The faster your racquet head swings through the shot, the more topspin will be produced. Topspin also helps the ball clear the net with a greater margin of error and it produces either a deep groundstroke or a sharply angled crosscourt shot.Under Spin:
(Also known as the slice). When you hit underspin on a shot, the top of the ball spins away from the direction of travel. If you do this spin correctly, your shot will tend to skid and stay low. If you do not hit the spin correctly, your shot may tend to "sit up". To hit underspin, swing the racquet in a somewhat downward direction. The bottom edge of the racquet's strings should hit the ball first. The swing should begin slightly higher than where impact will occur. Think about brushing the back of the ball downward for underspin.Side Spin:
When you use sidespin, the side of the ball spins in the direction of travel. You can use sidespin to hit the ball at an angle off the court. It can also be used when serving the ball wide to move your opponent off the court. To hit sidespin on your shot, swing your racquet head across the back of the ball. Contact the ball close to the throat of the racquet and drag the ball across the strings to the racquet tip. In other words, brush across the ball sideways for sidespin.
Contributed by: Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods
BASKETBALL TIP
- Warm up with a throwing game!
Grab a friend and a basketball. Practice throwing the ball (in a controlled manner) towards your partner's head or chest for them to catch. You get two points for throwing the ball towards your partner's head when they catch it and one point for a throw to the chest.
Zero points are rewarded if the ball is outside the body or below the waist. This way you are focusing on throwing the ball to where it is easiest for your partner to catch. The first person to score ten points wins the game!
Contributed by: Anthony Everman
FOOTBALL TIP
- Quarterbacks PASSING Drills
Two Knee Drill: ( 20 passes)
The purpose is to warm up the arm and, at the same time, teach concentration on target and ball release. Pair off about ten yards apart directly in line with each another, kneeling on both knees. Receiver will hold both hands up, giving the QB a target to throw to. Don't throw hard and concentrate on target.Sprint Out Drill: (20 passes)
Sprint right and left. Throw to other QB or target. Release the ball quickly. Square the shoulders and hips to target. Practice throwback pass also. Get a depth of 6-7 yards.Set Up Drill: (20 passes)
Concentrate on speed on getting back. Get depth, step up and throw to a target. Start at 20 yards and work to 40 with lowest possible trajectory. Throw hard and soft. Use centers if possible. May time drops.
