Bigger Better Tennis - Paul Dale

The tennis term 'loading' refers to the action of a player interacting with the ground by bending their knees and thrusting out of that position to create greater racquet-head speed.   While that is exactly what should happen on all good ground-strokes, serves, returns, and overheads, teaching a player to only load the legs will not always guarantee success, and can sometimes be detrimental to the stroke. For the stroke to succeed a player needs to understand the real purpose of Loading. A player who only follows the instruction to Load their legs will usually go through a process of bending their knees.   This is what most coaches want to 'see', and will encourage the player to 'bend their knees' on every stroke.  With a small percentage of 'talented' players, this process of loading will automatically translate into better timing and increased racquet-head speed. They can naturally incorporate a knee bend with their stroke and it will go much b...