How long does it take to stop worrying about stroke

[Golden Retriever]

production and just play? I have been playing tennis for 3 yrs and I still have a long way to go before my strokes mature. I think my backhand and 1st serves are 90% mature, meaning I can swing out without worrying about my form. Sure there are still rooms for improvement in terms of strength, accuracy and racquet speed but I have got the mechanic of the strokes down to a tee. For my other strokes they are all work-in-progress. I don't think I can enjoy tennis 100% when I have to worry about my form on most of my strokes.

[skuludo]

It takes as long as it needs to take for you to create the desired projectile with success. Example: skim the net or how high the ball clears it whenever you feel like with ground strokes, volleys, serves, etc. Hit the top part of the net tape at will. Land the ball short or deep with directional control at will. I' m sure you know how to hit a forehand with trunk and upper body rotation. When you can control how high the ball clears the net with the spin you choose to use you practly got the technique down and you can focus on shot selection.

[10nisNe1?]

but ahh, the journey is more exciting than the destination. no but seriously, tennis is such a game of variables--swing, grip, stance, spin, racquets, surface, etc., etc. that you never hit the same way twice in tennis just like you never pitch the same way twice in baseball. there will always be subtle differences, the trick is doing that little adjustment before you hit the ball.

"its the right hit that will determine your form, not the other way around"

[skuludo]

I'll try to cleafiy what I said. Practice a form for the shot. Then try and use that form to create the desired projectile. When you practice your form, your ground strokes and volleys, your projectile should be straight and deep. For the serve it would be down the T. Then adjust the way you hit through the ball for landing deep and short. At the same time you can work on your placement along with varying the net clearance for every single shot.

[vin]

I'm not there yet either, but you'll likely always have things to improve on, and you'll be thinking about those things when you work on them in practice.

I think if you're practicing often, it's easier to have the confidence to let go of the worries associated with stroke production and instead think about how and where you need to hit the ball to beat the guy on the other side of the net.

Bounce-hit also helps to prevent you from overanalyzing what you're doing. Even if you're beginner, it's going to hurt you during a match if you're declaring to yourself how to move your body parts to hit a forehand. You just have to rely on your muscle memory and make minor adjustments if necessary.

I'm a very analitical person, so I know all about this and have learned the hard way to just let the swing happen instead of thinking it through. In fact, I still have trouble with it.

Keep at it though. If you're like me, which seems to be the case, your technique will develop faster than your match results, but the match results will catch up, and when they do, watch out!

[Mahboob Khan]

Yes, it depends on the quality and quantity of practice-cum-match play. If you practice/play 3 hours 5-6 times per week, in four to five years time you should be ok with your technique although some room for adjustment will always be there .. always.

Follow the Open - close - Open approach in your practice sessions:

-- Play the game (open situation);

-- Isolate the technique and work on it in a close (basket feeding);

-- Play the game (open).

and this process should continue.

"You learn by playing the game and correct through exercises and drills".