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I really like your channel. I also listen to the greatbase and am happy to see someone taking those principles and putting them into practice. I would like to add something to this conversation. I'm a little dubious that any practice structure will "completely" eliminate the "I can't play well in matches" experience everyone has. I know you never said that restructuring one's practice could "completely" fix this, but I think some people believe it is possible to reach practice levels in matches.I played two matches yesterday, and I video taped both and I saw a lot of strange technical and footwork flaws that I don't usually see during practice. And I was feeling really frustrated and confused and began trying to address these issues to improve them. Anyway I was watching videos of Tsitipas and Dimitrov practicing this morning and then I watched both of them playing in matches at court level, and I noticed some of the same issues I have in matches, relative to my own skill level of course. Excessive jumping, falling backwards, not loading on tough balls and hitting short, and I'm starting to think that to an extent, matches are never going to be like practice because your opponent doesn't want your match to feel like practice and is doing everything they can to put pressure on you. And within reason, people need to embrace the randomness and the stress that make matches hard. Although I also agree with your main point that people "just hit" too much, hoping that these types of reps will translate into better match play.
Hi Jamaal, thanks for the well-thought out comment. I owe a lot to Steve & Andy, tennis-information/knowledge/career wise. I absolutely agree with you that even changing up structure to being more about random practice won't completely eliminate match stresses and pressures. As you mentioned, there's something special about matches that makes us perform in odd ways! Agree as well on your 2nd point-that players need to accept that that's part and parcel of playing matches! If you're enjoying my vids, please consider signing up to my newsletter, The Fast 4! I'd really appreciate that: beforeandaftertennis.beehiiv.com/subscribe
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I like your channel as it helps my game. One thing I like to point out is the low toss like Rudd is really difficult for amateurs. If you watch his slow motion carefully, you’ll find he starts leg drive while ball is still ascending. Not even many pros do that.
Hi, thank you for the comment. Agreed re tossing and hitting at the peak. Coordinating the body that quickly will take a lot of reps and it is difficult for most amateur/rec players. If you're liking my vids, please consider subbing to The Fast 4 (my free newsletter!): beforeandaftertennis.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Yes it is a throwing motion! Dead on. NO #$%ing way is it a shot put motion. that is complete nonsense. Good point. I really like your channel... It is excellent.
Dear Malhar, please keep on producing this very nice content : crisp & clear, with the focus on the key points for us, recreational players! I am going to try these 5 tips today on the court. Thanks!
Hi, thank you so much for the kind words. And yes, will do! Remember, to make lasting changes in your stroke it will take 8 to 12 weeks or so! Pick one of these tips and work away at it for that period of time. Good luck!
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Don’t know Why, put for me it’s the exact opposite. In training im a mediocre player in my group, and never on my top level. In matches, Even though i don’t try anymore or feel like im purring in more effort i play 10x better than in training. My coaches Are always surprised of how i play in matches in comparison to training. What could be the reason to this?
I hardly ever 'hit'. I just play matches. Three a week minimum. When the league rolls around the other players are generally confident with their coach-fed TV shots and are shocked when they start to lose against medium-power awkwardly placed shots designed to wear them down.
Yes exactly, that's why I had and love tennis. I played a lot of racket sports in my life Badminton, squash, table tennis. In all these racket sports it is not possible to play awkward, soft balls ;-) you will be punished immediately. That's why people with bad technic and quick feet love to play tennis. Tennis is different at some level because it is quit difficult to put away soft, high or even short balls.
@@k.h.3905 that’s interesting! But doesn’t it also depend on the level of the opponent? For example in badminton if I hit a bad clear, only a strong opponent can smash it away
@@BeforeandAfterTennis No if you have a good throwing motion than you have a good clear (of course with continental grip) Good clear results in a good smash. And believe me to put away a short clear in badminton is much easier when in Tennis. You play Badminton in door, so no sunlight, no wind and a sealing as reference point. Yesterday I watch a you tube video from Bublik 6 underarm service in a row and imagine he won this service game in the Lyon Final. So you can tell your students don't waste time in learning a good tennis service. Especially on clay not necessary😄
Great video! I think this is why “pushers” have so much success, they jump right into playing matches as opposed to people who develop strokes by taking lessons.
Good point. Yet that’s also why pushers set such a strong ceiling on themselves: they spend enough time in other modes developing their strokes and skills
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Very interesting opinion. The only things is that it mean that it’s the responsibility of the coach to put the players in situations who prepare them to play matches , in a more efficient way. So you should coach the coaches 😂
Yes, coaches have a responsibility to move players through blocked, variable, and random modes as they progress their skills and technique. But it's a balancing act as just spending time in mode can also mean inefficient development. imho!
I think you are on to something. I sucked at matches and excelled in practice by results and stroke quality, and won matches because of that, but not because I played well in matches. When I turned down the practice part (which might sound weird) and increased the number of matches played per week, in just a few months I was doing so much better at competing, and I even enjoyed playing them.
Thank you. It is about balance though-you can really upskill in focused and deliberate practice sessions that utlize some blocked and variable formats. I have also seen it the other way where players only play matches and put a hard limit on their playing potential. Good luck, and if you feel like, signing up to my 🎾 newsletter: www.beforeandaftertennis.com/the-fast-4
Totally ditch any cooperating drills, those are complete waste of time. Start with feeding a difficult ball to start the rally and aim to make your training partner miss.
Hmm. I would say cooperate drills are okay depending on what/how you use them. For example, if working on a technical change. But the devil is in the details. Too many people play in random conditions too soon and learn to hit the ball in all sorts of inefficient ways
My thoughts are, you're going to lose a lot...before you start winning. You have to learn how to "process a loss" and be comfortable trying again. Recording your play reveals everything.
Great inputs. You have to learn to lose a lot in tennis and do well at acclimatizing and learning from your loses. More than any other sport I think. And yes! If you can measure it, you can improve it. Which is why recording your play is so key.
Randomness training is crucial indeed for improving match performance but as someone else mentioned below there is a terrible psychological aspect as well. Tennis is like a fight hence triggers a die or survive state in your mind once you start playing a point. Why do we use words like beating, destroying, crushing etc? This fight causes anxiety and fear but also thrill and excitement, pleasure at the same time. That’s why millions of people start learning tennis and go straight to match play although they badly suck at it. They prefer the thrill of fighting to learning, improving the game by practicing.
You’re putting your finger on what makes tennis so intense and exciting and alluring to so many people! I’ve played a lot of sports growing up and never felt all these emotions in any other sports
@@BeforeandAfterTennis yes, yet I’ve coped enough to play for top 10 D2 college tennis but still so far away from what I can play. Basically, I just get so timid with my hands and even feet. You remember that feeling in middle school when you were awkward af walking around with eyes on you or taking a picture and you’re self conscious about everything, like what to do with your hands and how to walk? That’s what it feels like.
@@ATA-wi2lh I'm sorry to hear that-sounds like it sucks. Top 10 D2 colleges is an incredibly high level so congrats on that. I'm sorry I can't help much with this, other than to to ask why you feel these ways, and what you think is the reason? It sounds like you are not able to play to your potential. My only input would be to find a CMPC or Sports Psych who could probably help you a little better. My amateur input (and take with grain of salt as I'm not too well-versed here) would be to look into CBT, visualization, mindfulness, etc. Good luck.
@@BeforeandAfterTennis Nice of you to try to help this person. I’ve noticed sometimes when a player is getting beaten they start really self-destructing so they can say ‘they’ just played badly.. that day. I see it as a way of fooling yourself. But nothing exposes weaknesses like a person on the other side working against you. I’m strategic and not a flashy player, so sometimes my opponents think/say they ‘beat themselves’. Nope. 😉 All that said, I agree, addressing the psychology is likely their best route.
It is also important to understand in which aspects of the match you are failing. In my opinion, recreational players neglect the "air game": playing (against) high balls for defence, overheads, and even the serve. In contrast, they spend a lot of time on ground strokes with low net coverage. The same goes for the "short game", where opponent's balls fall into no man's land and you fail to roll them across the net, or you get drawn into the net by a drop shot and next miss your never practiced volleys. Even if those strokes are comparatively rare, they are usually where things fall apart. They shots can be trained in a controlled environment too. More randomness creates versatility but also reduces the feedback loop on the strokes encountered. You don't get better at random play by only playing randomly.
Absolutely! Great points here. Blocked/Constant practice is too often skipped in the skill development portion because players are only put into random scenarios. But it is an essential component to learning to play this game well 🎾
I suck at playing matches against hackers or pushers who I have never played before. I don't enjoy playing against that style and I usually just want to get off the court once I figure out they're a pusher. The ones I know about I don't have as much of a problem with for some reason. For instance, one guy is a total pusher and has no topspin backhand to speak of. I go into the match trying to break down the slice backhand....approach shots to the backhand and just have to watch out for the lob. He gives other good players fits, but I've never lost to him in dozens of matches. Then there are other pushers who I absolutely implode against and hit shots 3 ft out all over the place. If you hit a clean flat or topspin ball I'm good. Even serve and volleyers with good serves I don't have problems with. I like going for a target.
Thank you for the comment. Just based on what you've said, it's because you're familiar with the pusher that you usually play and you have a set gameplan against him (that has given you success before). Without knowing more details about you and your skill-set, I'd recommend adopting a similar approach. But again, i's almost like shooting in the dark here.
It looks like you are comfortable with balls that come in with decent speed and spin, and your stroke rhythm is adapted to that. With pushers or players with less strong ground strokes, you have to generate the pace all by yourself, which can appear to leave less margin for error. Another deceptive aspect of playing against "slow" players is that you slow down your own movement. One proverb says "fast feet, slow hands". You must remain very active with your footwork to adjust to the random spin and speed of the incoming push, while keeping good control of the shot itself. Finally, there's the mental pressure of "having to finish the point" which rushes you into high risk shots. The benefit of superior stroke technique is that, usually, longer rallies against a pusher will have them break down, not you. That is, if you remain patient, even after a miss. If you look at it as a challenge, not a chore, it can be quite fun to play pushers. Good luck!
@@knotwilg3596 Yes. It's a great opportunity to work on footwork...particularly those quick adjustment steps to keep the strike zone in a similar spot as much as possible. All excellent advice. Thanks
Since you are effective at the discussion of doubles techniques applied to the singles game . I wonder if you may be able to answer a question that I have . While certain racquets through certain brands have an affinity towards one or more playing surfaces. I keep hearing that , what is most important on clay and doubles on clay is the ball and surface and yet of course the surface dictates the terms . Would a racket like the pure strike 97 , which is designed for the precision oriented attacking all court/ serve volley players , work on the attack and defense against heavy hitters successfully ? The beams width is 21 , 22 ,at 3 & 9 , and back to 21 towards the throat . While my morphology tends to fit a serve volley attacking game and doubles benefits from that , on clay I feel that the racket to personality would be best suited at the net . Towards the back of the court on a hartrue surface in the U.S it becomes a concern in singles and doubles play . My grip size is 4 1/4 , 6 ft tall and and quite athletic by nature. I would not use an overgrip , unless neccesary . Professional singles players who play doubles tend to not change their playing style for the surface , because of how the game and rackets are formulated today and what tgey have grown used to by external intrevenibg forces in the industry . My current and past rackets are the dunlop cx 95 series rackets like my first major one , the Dunlop Black Max 83 to 85 sq inch racket . The optimal range for my grip size is 95 to 97 sq inch heads . I tried to contact Babalot usa and to push the question to - corporate, with no avail . The 2 racquets that best suit me currently in the larger head size is the pure strike 97 , wilson ultra pro 97 while a different playing style and the standing energy and feel , yet not played with donnay pro 1 octacore . Thank You. Derek
Hi Derek, Thanks for the detailed comment. I don't think I will be much help however as these are my thoughts. The racket will be fine. Almost any top-of-the-line racket within an acceptable RA rating range will be fine. My view is equipment matters but not as much as most players think. You can find better resources on youtube on rackets than me. Such as @tennisnerd. Good luck
@@BeforeandAfterTennis Yes , I have seen tennis nerd and others . I have also contact a near by hartrue court club and spoke to the manager who played on the surfaces in europe . What is needed seems to be associated with the racquet choices , their grip sizes , playing style and positions , then results .
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He is probably fine where he is-on a number 4-ish. I wrote the script for the video with an example player who has a low-high, extreme grip, and contact close too close to the body. I actually filmed myself being this player and recreating these technical issues but thought that would be kind of hoky so I got another player that I teach to just hit their forehand. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for the comment.
Glad to help! Yes, focus on the external rotation/internal rotation bit. Chunk that specific part. Let me know how it goes! But keep in mind that you need to have consistent and dedicated practice
Yes, it can be hard. But ideally you want to have a good start so that you don't have to go back and make changes. I see so many players teach themselves to get the ball into the court in all sorts of strange ways. And they connect getting the ball in with success... without taking a look at how they're actually hitting the ball.
Hi, I learn tennis by myself by looking video on RU-vid, my stroke are pretty clean. The issue is managing power during matches, coz I was hitting at 100% and more. But recently started reducing to 40% getting some crazy consistency and my goal is to hit at 60-70% power.
Great presentation, love your style of teaching. Two quick questions: first, the Vic Braden comment about how dimensions of the court dictate strokes, how were you connecting the two there? That it looks like there's more room than there, in fact, is? And therefore topspin is critical for most shots? Not sure what you were getting at. Second, is it your opinion that the "two-handed" backhand is actually more of a left handed forehand (if dominant hand is right), where the power comes mostly from the left hand forehand and the fine adjustments are made by the right hand? Or is it primarily a right handed backhand, with fine adjustments coming from the left hand? Or, some third way? :)
Hi, 1) The court doesn't change depending on whether you're hitting a 1-hander or 2-hander... and if you already know the most efficient swing-path, it's our job to recreate it with our bodies. 2) Endless debate and discussion will fill the annals of tennis youtube on this topic. I tell my players that the left arm should do more work than the right.
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