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Developing your game

10K views 34 replies 8 participants last post by  Super Djoker 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi everyone my names Matt , I am a recreational player who has been playing for about 3 and a half years. I come from Shropshire in England.


I started out just getting coaching at a local club. When I started playing at the club I still hadn't mastered the art of the serve , I bowled it in and did so for about 3 months until I saw a different coach where I quickly learnt a flat serve . [/. ]The first coach to teach me a serve was trying to teach me a topspin serve . I got to grips with how to hit the topspin serve shortly after . To cut a long story short I can now do a topspin and flat serve as well as a kick serve (and a few variations of the kick), And also a slice serve . I am quite bad tempered sometimes .

But recently my game seems to have declined .At doubles I play very well . Very aggressive with good placement but at singles I seem to have lost something , somebody I used to have close games with has beaten me 6-0 in our last 2 full sets and it's really frustrating . I can't get it past him . He plays almost the exact same kind of game as me only he has a huge serve . Mine is pretty big but I serve with more variety . Any tips on what to do with my game , Also how has your game changed since you started tennis ?
 
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#2 ·
any idea why you are losing?

if your weapon has gone AWOL, a good pro should be able to point out what you're doing wrong.

maybe your opponent has learned your weakness and is now exploiting it?

is your shot selection an issue?


my game has changed in that i'm slower so i'm working on improving my footwork and anticipation because i can't compensate with speed anymore. as my coach said, "your strokes are beautiful and some of the most natural i've seen, but none of that matters if you can't get to the ball" :lol:
 
#3 ·
I maybe hit my second serves too hard, double faulting can be a issue . Also i have a minor shoulder injury that comes back now and again. I think i do sometimes come into net at the wrong time. we,ve played in the wet both times that he's hammered me, one time it wasent that wet thought .

I often find whoever dictates the tempo tends to win in the wet. he managed to win a point after i lobbed him , which really knock my confidence when i should win the point.

Not being able to get a solid footing does limit the power i can put behind my shots (same for everyone) but i don't see why he can sus it out and i can't . maybe i have just started being too cagey against him
 
#4 ·
My shot selection can be bad at times . I like to hit hard and flat when I am more inside the baseline . I do tend to follow up lobbing someone by coming into the net , I also time coming in badly sometimes and get passed easily . He's a good player but very similar to me . That's why I find it so confusing .
 
#26 ·
I'd work on your returns. Over the years, Ive found that if you can deal with a guy with a big serve, the rest of their game seems to crumble a bit, by figuring out a way to deal with and breaking the big serve, its a way of saying. ' yeh what else you got?' I don't know how big a serve this guy has but what I do is stand about 4 feet back and as he goes thru his motion, I step up and skip to one side, he's always gong to see me move then he D/Fs. If his fave serve is down the T I stand wide to make him think I'm covering the f/h then I cheat across to cover down the middle and vice versa. It works. I return great against all but the best serves ( at the rec level ) most rec players have baby 2nd serves, they push it so take way the big serve, look em in the eye and say ' yeh, what else you got mate? '
 
#5 ·
do you actually have a game plan against this guy? you've played him several times - do you know his weaknesses, his tendencies?

your second serve should be bomb proof. many people don't practice their second serves enough even though most play with their second serves. play practice matches with just one serve - that sorts out your second serve pretty quickly.

to help with shot selection, I like playing set pieces (carried from badminton training). you get muscle memory, more reaction/instinct and less thinking involved which usually means less choking.


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#6 ·
TBH wouldn't bother spending the money to get coached up on serving. Spend the money on getting a hopper and a few cans of balls. I unfortunately haven't had the chance to get any coaching, but I've gotten myself to a 4.0 level by playing a lot of matches and putting the time in on my serve. In fact, it's my biggest weapon. If you just work on technique you can get it over 100+ mph with a little work. I've modeled my serve after Tommy Haas and it's worked very well for me throughout the past 10 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rel60kMm53c
 
#7 ·
Well I played this guy again and lost 6-2 . I feel my confidence has come back a bit with that . He has got a huge serve thought . I can't seem to handle really hard serves down the line .
 
#8 ·
Didn't read through everything, but I get the gist of it..

Really the only way to gain progress in tennis especially after you've learned the basics in the game is to play loads of matches and gain confidence. Mental sterngth is everything (as we used to say at the tennis academy I attended long ago, tennis is 80% mental, 10% physical, 5% talent and 5% luck...I'm sure others have heard similar breakdowns) so playing more matches win or lose will only make you more comfortable with your game. Of course it helps if you win, but either way there is nothing like match practice.

If you can't get as many matches as you would like, what almost always helps in tennis is improving your physical abilities like your stamina, footwork, running speed, core training, cardio, etc. The mental boost and confidence you get from knowing that you have a physically strong body is tremendous. Either you'll feel at the very least that you can outlast your opponent and you'll be less tired during rallies which would allow you to focus more on other aspects of your game.
 
#9 ·
Two things

1) You can improve your serve at home in your garden with some foam balls. To get a rhythm on my serve I just grab my racquet and serve in my garden or anywhere that's convenient. This way I can really go to town and explore what works for me. I can also slow my technique down and see what's getting in the way while still doing a proper serve. My dog loves fetching the ball for me.

2) Have you heard of the all court forcing game. I have the same problem against certain opponents. What I have found is that my game essentially feeds them. I give them the shots they like. To beat them I have to go outside my comfort zone and often not attack as much.

It seemed weird at first. Rallying more and waiting but I learnt it was about court positioning and waiting for the right ball. Fuzzyyellowballs did some online strategy courses which really helped me with this. Understanding which shots hurt your opponent and which might actually hurt you. The inside out forehand can be a good example.

What I basically found is that the harder I attacked the faster the ball would come back. I made all the effort and my opponents just redirected it back at me. So I would often still be landing from my serve when it flew by me out of reach. So I learnt how to vary my spins to vary the pace of the ball. I often use slice to slow the ball up so I can get in good position so my opponent has a smaller target to aim at for winners.

Let me know if this is any use to you. It sounds more like a strategy issue than a technical one. Fitness is very helpful but it is most important to know when and how to use your shots instead of just hitting what feels good.

There is a lot of good online instruction which I use instead of paying a coach. Essentialtennis, Jim Mclennan and FuzzyYellowBalls are a couple of examples.

HTH
 
#10 ·
Managed to play 5 sets of singles today , with plenty of doubles too . Played a epic set against a pusher . Scraped threw 7-5 . Also managed 4 sets with a Tennis Warhorse . Lost them all to 0 . : (
 
#11 · (Edited)
Fucked up a mixed doubles semi at a club because I had trainers that were too small. Also got into a silly habit of trying to lob a guy that's about 6,1 he just kept doing shit volley's that did't bounce . Lost 7-5 , 3-6 , 6-3 . Really pathetic !
 
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#13 ·
Had a tough couple of matches today . Learning the hard way that the only way to get any good and to be able to actually beat good players is to be aggressive, go for winners . Nothing else really cuts it against good opposition.
 
#16 · (Edited)
played the guy i have NEVER beaten before, who hates floodlights. before I had won a set 6-4 and 6-0 against 2 different players, and THE WALL retired 0-3 down. happy days ! first time i've beaten him in about 4 years i,ve been playing. Not really a proper win but il take a retirement .
 
#23 ·
Keep up the good work
 
#24 ·
Won a Mixed Doubles competition at my local club today . Had to win 4 matches to take the title . Won in the final 6-2 , 6-2 with my partner. Chuffed. I think that's me done as far as doubles comps go. Lost a men's singles first round at a club I've just left last week 6-3 , 6-1. Played too negative and served woefully.
 
#25 ·
Won two sets of easy singles 6-1 , 6-1 against a pusher last week. Played the Warhorse at my local club and lost 1-6 , 2-6 , 1-6 , 1-6. Played well and should of done better.
 
#27 ·
Hi Matt,

We all hit plateaus in our tennis career. The good news is you can make major improvements in your game every single year.

Here's what I'd suggest: Why not have a friend or partner video your next competitive match? When you watch that video, you're going to spot plenty of weaknesses in your game that will give you an idea of what to work on next. Try not to get overwhelmed. Just try to keep track of how and why you're losing points, common mistakes in how you're hitting the ball (or where you're hitting the ball), that you keep making over and over. Then prioritize the 2-3 things that might have the biggest impact on your game, and work on those, either with a teaching pro or on the practice court.

Video is such a great tool for improving quickly. Most people don't take advantage of it. But today, even most digital cameras and smartphones take decent video. So there's no need to go out and buy special equipment.

Good luck!
 
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