Has your tennis development stalled? Do you struggle against certain types of players? Chances are that you may be looking at your strokes and tactics through the same colored glasses. There’s probably a lot more that you can do than you realize. Let’s start by understanding that tennis is an open-skilled sport. What this means is that the conditions and environment you are facing are constantly changing. Your position on the court, the height, spin and speed of the incoming ball all changes with nearly every shot. With this in mind, what’s interesting is when you watch most tennis players during practice they’re generally concerned about grooving only one or two strokes and are basically practicing in a controlled environment. It doesn’t matter if they’re on the baseline or service line or receiving a fast ball or slow ball, it’s all the same! It’s important to understand that with this approach you are severely limiting your potential for improvement. You must recognize that one size does not fit all in tennis. Thinking about golf, most of you probably know that you have an entire bag full of clubs, each club serving a different purpose. The driver for example is designed to provide power and distance and basically just get the ball a long ways down the fairway. This is the complete opposite of a wedge which is designed to provide control on shorter shots around the green where distance is not a concern and control is at a premium. We have this in tennis as well; there are at least seven different topspin variations on the forehand alone, each is designed to answer a specific situation that you may encounter. You have your power and control shots but the where, when and how can vary considerably. So instead of practicing how you send a ball with that same old repetitive forehand, try to pay more attention to the type of ball you’re receiving. Then ask yourself, what would be the best answer or method for returning that ball? There is likely more than one answer. This is how you begin to develop your style and you begin to think about various spins, placements and the speed in which you want to play this shot. In other words, you are now developing shot types. The more shot types you possess in your arsenal, the better you will answer any challenges your opponent will send your way.
Often a student will come to me and say something along the lines of “my forehand really stinks, can you help me fix it?” My traditional answer to this is- which one? Usually, mechanics are not the problem. Typically a player has difficulties handling a certain type of ball that an opponent is giving them or they are placing the ball poorly, so I work with them on how to hit the desired location or work with them on the mechanics necessary to handle a particular shot type. Are we worried about a high ball? Short ball? Soft ball? Where are we on the court? All of this must be considered to achieve your desired results. So the next time you’re practicing on the ball machine or with a hitting partner, work on executing the most appropriate shot and pay less attention to grooving a stroke. If you need help sorting this out, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our many terrific USPTA certified Tennis Professionals that we have on staff here at Greenwood. We’re all happy to help! Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on the courts!

Ron Steege, Director of Tennis