Why Your Tennis is NOT Improving | Ball Recognition & Intensity 

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I’m pushing 40 and play tennis more as an “excuse” for exercise. I even sprint to go pick up balls. If it’s not with intensity then there’s really no point. Solid reminder so fundamental to the game. Thanks for another good video 👍🏻

How are you here on youtube spreading for free unvaluable tennis knowledge and wisdom is just beyond my understanding. Thank you so much

Ball recognition is underrated and it is way more important than playing for points.

It's like you're in my head. A few days ago I set up my slightly-erratic ball machine and I said, "Do nothing but see the ball, make a decision, and move. Forget about swing, shot quality... everything except seeing the ball, decision-making, and moving." What I found was I wasn't trying as many low-percentage shots. I recognized early that I wouldn't get to the ball and get set and balanced in time so I just needed to get it deep middle. But us damn rec players - we'll spend hours on racquet reviews and strings and tension and all this crap. But we don't spend 20 minutes on getting our eyes, brain, and feet working in concert before the first bounce.

Really appreciate your point on intensity. This is something I have needed to hear from someone else. I've been watching my matches recently and realizing how often I stop moving. I don't feel like it in the match, but when I look back I realize how often laziness takes over. When I stop being lazy, I play noticeably better. Obviously there's something in us that naturally wants to conserve energy, so it takes not just physical fitness but mental fortitude to keep yourself moving and active. Gonna keep working on it! Thanks for your videos, Nick! By the way, your tip on hitting short balls (the hop technique) made a big difference in my game. Appreciate that one, too!

Thank you so much!! Great video and advice. So true on easy ball - frequent conversation I have in my head

So true, I kind of know this so I bounce around before the point starts then every shot get lazier and lazier in my movement as i tighten up, if i can't finish it quickly im screwed. Finding the concentration to keep moving is the trickiest thing in tennis for me.

So important, really well explained, Nikola

Great advice! The second I started working on more intensity / constantly moving, my shots became more consistent especially the *easy* balls like you mentioned. Thanks for the video!

Such a good advice and reminder. I also always play better when I bounce yet I don't do it enough. Thanks Nick for the video

I alway felt that in order to win a match I needed to put out as much mental energy as physical energy. Every point I had to try to be totally into the point.

I came to tennis from a background in Basketball and Baseball. Footwork, speed, adjusting to the ball were some crossover skills. The teaching professional who trained me emphasized that the match started with the warmup from a phycological standpoint. Some players try to impress you with great technique or power. My coach emphasized that my strength was my ability to always get to every ball and be in proper position to hit the shot. He said let them know you can play all day and get to every shot. I was trained to disguise my shots and look for tells from opponents that give way their intentions. The great Jimmy Connors was one of my favorite players when I was developing my game. Rafael Nadal has been one of my examples for court coverage when I coach High School and USTA Junior Tennis.

Thanks. I needed this reminder.

Also, playing with ultra-high intensity is more tiring, especially after long rallies. I'm working on improving my cardio to get better and more consistent with this. Also, I walk slow after the point and take my time 🙃🙃

Love your videos: the best on RU-vid, underpinned with solid research and a crazy amount of knowledge; awesome.

Great video. I have to say your wall practice video naturally improved my ball recognition and intensity. I noticed almost immediately in my matches I was getting to the ball better. The wall imo forces me to set up and get ready naturally which becomes a part of my muscle memory. Prior to that I had a tendency to stand there and watch my shot and then it would cut into my reaction time.

I agree with everything you said. Thanks for the assurance!

Great content, I do teach Tennis myself and this is so true... i agree with everything ive seen so far from u 👍

That's an excellent point Nik about it being counter-intuitive to have high intensity during a practice rally - it just feels like a waste of energy. Of course the problem then is that in a competitive situation, the intensity and ball recognition isn't there - because it's missing in practice. Definitely something for me to work on - thanks for the video!

Great advice. Helped my game a lot.

Hi. I'm focusing on reading the ball well. It's a goal of mine. It didn't take me too long to improve on it. I like the tips in the video. Thanks! :)

Great tip, will give it a try. Every ball, few people are that intense, but it makes sense.

Great lesson!

Yes. Improving my footwork was the best thing I did to significantly improve my ball recognition!

Fantastic advice

Great points

Love it 👍

Love the driving example. Really makes it clear.

Can you talk about integrating the split step with your readiness and preparation?

Your backhand...wow!

Take it as a dogma. Thanks coach, priceless.

You addressed two very important topics. With regard to ball recognition, however, i didn't feel like you answered "how" to recognize the type of ball being hit. So I would add to your commentary 1) to watch your opponents strokes as they hit the ball. Is it a top spin forehand, a flat forehand, or a chip? Is it a kick serve or a slice? And 2) to watch how the ball is traveling through the air. Is it curving to the left, right, floating straight or arcing? With regard to intensity, i don't feel like you answered "why" it is important. Is it because it helps you focus more or keeps your tendons loaded and therefore more able to react? I think you can build on this video, but it's a good start!

Being in movement at any time is the best condition to optimize court position, balance and finally hitting more shots intentionally due to a better distance to the ball and more usage of weight shift and uncoiling. Consistency is simply increasing so much. That being said....it takes away a lot of energy. I really try to do that plus split step on any return if possible. Result is getting tired very early. In my case usually after 40 minutes versus a better opponent where I have to compete on my highest level (that is somewhere 4.0). So developing a great physique is part of that transformation as well. Being out of shape, you cannot move that way for an entire match if your opponent is able to play relevant rallies.

Cruel truth! No intensity, no game. I am 56 years old and filmed myself playing tennis. I had literally no intensity in my footwork and no chance to win a single game against a player that was 16 years younger and moving even though he has a weaker technique than me. So, Nick you gave me a task: I need to ramp up my intensity again but when you are getting older it’s really not that easy. When I was younger I did not even notice that I had a higher intensity. I just moved good because I played a lot matches and was in good physical condition.

... and by the way: if it is below 10 °C (50 °F) outside, you *have* to stay moving, or you start freezing.

Agreed, it’s often unnatural for me to be “intensely attuned” when I’m warming up, but I should practice recognization even in the less intense moments.

Great video Nick, thank you!

Great advice. I find that junior & juvenile players too not bouncing as the intensity is not there to do so. Hence they are not in right position to hit on time.

Nick what is different with a face-to-face coaching, as compared to learning with tips like this one, is that the coach sees all that is wrong and hierarchize what needs to be done first and what can wait. I myself want to improve on about everything so when I play I am not sure what I should be focusing on. Could you give a list of things to focus on with their priority? From the most important to the least? Or that does not make sense?

Excellent video. The other part is the short steps. How can we practice this? Thanks

...one more thought. You'll get strange looks if you play Pickleball with tennis intensity. Winter is coming so I played Pickleball at the YMCA (to work on seeing and anticipating). And one guy pulled me aside and offered an unsolicited coaching tip. He said I, "Moved too much." It was so hard not to be a smug rude tennis player in that moment and say something given his general level of fitness.

My intensity is not my problem. Relaxing is my issue. I will try staying on my toes. Great video, 👍

Very true.

So true. I lost to player who i always won just because we changed the court surface. Used to play on bad public courts with slow and high bounce and didn't use to play on hard court. Even moderate pace of the ball now seemed to be penetrating, i framed the ball on many returns of the slow serves under 90 mph and etc. I was mad about this. My ball recognition skill was not working anymore because the surface was dramatically different and fast. Most players(me too) don't even think of how important is to be mentally focused on each ball to recognize it correctly.

Can you share what to look for? Is it the shoulder, the spin, swing path? What to do about those unusual shots?

To me, the focus on high intensity is by far the best tip from all of Nick's great videos. Keeping a high intensity has greatly improved my footwork, taught me how to split-step intuitively improved my return of serve and ability to attack "easy" balls. It also makes practices and matches more fun and makes tennis a great workout. I'm not at the fitness level to be able to keep it up for a full, tight 3-set match though 😅

Hey Nick, when playing doubles at the net, should a player be bouncing on his or her feet ? I know that I’m on my toes in a ready position; but I’m sure that I don’t bounce up and down. Thanks

I have trouble getting into position to hit quickly, especially w backhands.

My other hobby is racing cars and the experience you speak of in tennis is also very much needed to drive top-level race cars. We call it seat time. The increased sophistication of racing simulators can help quite a bit, but nothing is as good as "seat time". I help coach my local high school girl's tennis team and I constantly tell them that every time you hit a tennis ball you learn something, whether it's over the fence, into the net, or a fantastic winner... so just get out on the court every time you can. I also tell them to watch your videos instead of TikTok! Mike M.

Two things that have come with experience are recognition and anticipation

Exactly! Watch most players at your Club and they literally stand still and then hit the ball late and wonder why they can't improve. Footwork makes champions. But it takes effort, lots of energy. Something to get fit for. And it doesn't look funny :) It looks cool, like you know how to play tennis properly, and guess what, when you move properly, you start to play great tennis. Win, win!

That was a really great video I needed because I've been getting frustrated that my tennis is only slightly improved after years of practicing. I've been working on everything, footwork, body work, being more on my feet. I see all these old Korean grandpas in the courts that never move a single leg muscle and hit hard and clean shots with heavy spin no matter how the ball came to them and I get really jealous. What's their secret?

Requires excellent spatial awareness

Yep. Commit to every ball. One thing not mention. Where can I buy a intuitive tennis shirt?

7:16 that lizard appeared out of no where

I think I'm thinking of getting into a discussion of the problem of recognition ball, with myself. Where the personalities of the greats can be unacceptable because of their genius of the brain and the specific properties of the anatomical structure to professional overload and the exhausting life of professionals.

Curious to know who's the best player you've coached?

ooh this balls easy, chill, miss, happens so often

Yeah ball recognition, not just in tennis, but other sports as well, are seldom talked about but so important. I once read a book, a lot of people get confused between ball recognition with reaction time, they think pro players have faster reaction time than they do, which actually is not true. They had Albert Pujols, a great baseball player, do a simple reaction time test, a light will lit up on a table and you have to press a button when you see it. No experience needed, just a simple reaction test, and how did he do? I remember he was only around 50 percentile, which means Pujols is just average. But how is he so good at hitting the ball? He certainly haven’t got a faster reaction time. That’s right, Pujols can better recognize the ball that’s throwing at him than you and I because years of experience starting from as kid, he has seen some many balls threw at him, he can recognize it earlier and prepare for it.

Hey, I just came up with a cool new superhero name: General "Ball Recognition".

Ball recognition and keeping your feet moving help you to gain at least 0.5sec to prepare your shot and it will help you to stabilise your body and making the shot in more fluidity and confidence

If sometimes I get caught not moving forward enough and stretching for the ball, is that bad ball recognition? Or is that poor footwork?

I would love to see some examples from real play.

One drawback of high intensity is that i get tired quicker. I need to work on my stamina!

4:16

I blame Federer for making tennis look so easy

Can your ball recognition improve with ball machine with oscillation?

Is it possible some "seemingly weaker" players on the 3.0 and 3.5 level win so many matches because they are able to read the ball well? Is it even possible that players gravitate towards becoming "pushers" because they have great talent for ball recognition? I imagine it is difficult to reliably run down every ball if you recognize too late where the ball is going. On the other hand, if you already have an "eye" for the ball, you will enjoy playing matches, because you will be more successful than other beginners - so over time, you get a lot of match practice, and your ball recognition skills will become even better.

Ian told me to “rest after the point not during the point”

Good advice but pheraps too late for my 75 age old ☹☹👋👋

Ball recognition is lowkey more important than good technique. Technique is a bit overrated. Everyone has their own style to hit and all but ball recognition is very important

the game is meant to played on the forefeet, not the heels

Most rec.players are not fit enough to maintain intensity during match play, which is the real issue.

7:15 That’s not what Agassi did. Watch "Andre Agassi Hitting in High Definition". After he makes his shot and recovers to the right spot on the court, he will just stand there quietly until the split step. No "bouncing around" as this video advocates.

Always strike the balls and run away

Keep watching this video!

My ball recognition is good enough to use against Alcaraz's, Nadal's, Federer's and Djokovic's forehands, it's actually quite easy. Once they swing, I can easily recognize that I don't stand a chance to get it, so I'll just start making my way to the service line for the next point 😂

Agree....I see it as software and hardware.....the hardware is your athletic input. The software is the processing of information required to send the appropriate physical instruction to your body to play the shot well. Intensity lies in your mental "software" and helps you process what's happening. As you allude to, the slow ball down the middle is the classic trap. My brain says " ah this is easy garbage" and send a signal to my limbs that they don't need to do much. WRONG! Classic amateur mistake. Never stop processing, stay as intense as you can and never take a single ball for granted.

feel like I'm learning tennis from a homeless guy on a bench