learning touch

[qq49h]

I have absolutely no touch in my game. I'm a 4.0 player playing mostly doubles. I consider myself to have a decent game. People consider me consistent with some power and a good server. Flat serve, kick serve, top spin forehand(open stance), mostly under spin backhand unless I get plenty of time to setup for top spin BH, solid volleys down the middle mostly and not too many angles. Nothing special just consistent smart tennis. I don't think I have ever hit a drop shop on purpose and I hardly use angles. How does one develop touch?

[larry10s]

MINI TENNIS play cross court games including the doubles alley try to hit the center "t" and keep omroving the angle shot if your partner hits an angle try to angle back even more until you are both hitting a ball almost parrallel to the net!!!with a ball machine start practicing angle volleys and drop volleys and drop shots. play down so you have easier balls to work with and use your new skills. this has helped me.

[Nellie]

Well - there are two sides to this question. Some players have touch and some don't. If you don't have it, no matter how much you practice, you won't get it. It does not mean that you are a bad player - simply that you should work on hitting and angling the ball away, instead of dropping.

But you can really develope you touch by hitting drop shots in practice. You can work on you touch by playing around with a ball against a wall, where you try to catch the ball on the strings (feels like holding and scooping it) and throw it with the racqeut instead of hitting the ball.

[qq49h]

Well - there are two sides to this question. Some players have touch and some don't. If you don't have it, no matter how much you practice, you won't get it. It does not mean that you are a bad player - simply that you should work on hitting and angling the ball away, instead of dropping.

But you can really develope you touch by hitting drop shots in practice. You can work on you touch by playing around with a ball against a wall, where you try to catch the ball on the strings (feels like holding and scooping it) and throw it with the racqeut instead of hitting the ball.

I like the wall thing. I'll give that a try. Anything else around the house to gain some touch? I have practice weekly with the team but it's always match play

[tennisdad65]

at home just playing and experimenting with the ball on your racquet with different spins, speeds..

try this: juggle the ball on your racquet: one shot backhand, one shot forehand. i.e. you have to flip your racquet over between shots. Then when you are comfortable, juggle using slice.

on the wall, do real slow drop shots against the wall at first.. then alternate volleys, half volleys, and drop shots

mini tennis is good as stated above.

[CoachingMastery]

You can improve your touch and finesse by working on specific drills.

In summary:
1. Let it drop: standing very close to the net work on hitting balls straight up so they clear the net and drop close to the net. Let the balls drop low but not bounce. This teaches you to move away from the typical horizonal volley drive and learn to use finesse and touch.

2. Severe angle drills: Volley crosscourt from alley to alley, very close to the net; hit mini tennis topspins from these same angles.

3. Work on "Catches" where you toss the ball high and let it come down catching it on your strings.

4. Work on dead ball drills from the net post where you hit slices, drops and topspin crosscourt on the most severe angle possible.

There are a dozen drills on TennisOne.com (called "rounding out drills") which offer video clips for easier understanding. These are all about developing better touch, feel and control.

[mikeler]

As a person with a lot of touch, I recommend that you not only practice these shots, but have the courage to use them in a match that counts. You probably don't want to punish your doubles partner with your "practice", so maybe try it if you play singles. Be prepared to lose close matches b/c you are not going to hit the shots very well at first.

I'm amazed at how many people have gotten so annoyed at retrieving my drop shots, that they ended up developing the shot slowly match by match. At first, their drop shots were very bad and easy put aways. Now, a few guys can drop shot almost as well as me b/c they chose to stick with it. Good luck developing your game.

[qq49h]

As a person with a lot of touch, I recommend that you not only practice these shots, but have the courage to use them in a match that counts. You probably don't want to punish your doubles partner with your "practice", so maybe try it if you play singles. Be prepared to lose close matches b/c you are not going to hit the shots very well at first.

I'm amazed at how many people have gotten so annoyed at retrieving my drop shots, that they ended up developing the shot slowly match by match. At first, their drop shots were very bad and easy put aways. Now, a few guys can drop shot almost as well as me b/c they chose to stick with it. Good luck developing your game.

That is the very reason I am coming to this board for help. In a match this weekend we had the player on the add side reaching for a ball by the fence. I moved over to the alley and was about 3 feet from the net. He stabbed at it and it came right for me. Typically I would punch it down the middle. I could have dropped it from the net to the service line and he would have never got there. So I gave the drop a try. My drop shot was about 2 feet from the net on my side. How embarrassing.

I will make an effort to try all suggestions. Thanks for the tips

[southend]

Nellie wrote: But you can really develope you touch by hitting drop shots in practice. You can work on you touch by playing around with a ball against a wall, where you try to catch the ball on the strings (feels like holding and scooping it) and throw it with the racqeut instead of hitting the ball.

Interesting, I'll have to try this. I can catch a ball on my strings but have never thought about carrying the motion (racquet and ball) to form a drop shot. Can this be done with a forward motion or if not, it obviously would not be a legal shot.

[brownbearfalling]

Having touch is all about a paradigm.

[SystemicAnomaly]

...

3. Work on "Catches" where you toss the ball high and let it come down catching it on your strings...

I think of it as "blending". It is not unlike the idea of blending (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiki_%28martial_arts_principle%29#The_concept_of_A iki) used in aikido and other aiki martial arts. Toss the ball up in the air a few feet (a meter) or more and match the speed of the falling ball in order to "catch" it without having the ball bounce on your strings. When you match the speed of the ball and gain control of it, decelerate the racket and ball and bring it to rest.

You can do the same sort of thing for ball that are tossed to you.

[SystemicAnomaly]

When hitting your touch shots, be sure to bend your knees and use your legs. By using your legs to execute the shot, your arm/hand should have a much easier job of staying loose/supple to find that elusive touch you desire.

[Nellie]

I have a friend how is very good with touch and one thing I notice about him is that he is always practicing it - by this I mean he hits droppers off of bad servers, off of balls gone long, etc. He also hits a "self-rally" by repeatedly hitting a soft, heavy slice backhand that bounces right back to him.

[UnPhzD]

thats crazy!!! if your playing doubles and a 4.0 you should be able to do a drop shot with ease lol but anyways yeah mini tennis would work theres also a drill where you ask your friend to drop the ball at the net and you have to play it in mini court only and use touch and control at the same time. But drop shot is an important part of the game if you want to bring in someone that is terrible at the net and pick on him but i use drop shots to when people tap in their serves... lol :)

[Tim Tennis]

Well - there are two sides to this question. Some players have touch and some don't. If you don't have it, no matter how much you practice, you won't get it.

Hello Nellie, Gosh, I can't agree with that . I think there are a lot of good suggestions for developing touch in this thread. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make in trying to hit drop shots or hit the ball short in the court is they try to make it too good. At least get it over the net, if it lands around the service line and your opponet gets it, so what, you are still in the point. So many times your opponent will try to do to much with it and give you a freebe.

Best regards,

Ed
Tennis Geometrics

[Nellie]

Hello Nellie, Gosh, I can't agree with that . I think there are a lot of good suggestions for developing touch in this thread. I think one of the biggest mistakes people make in trying to hit drop shots or hit the ball short in the court is they try to make it too good. At least get it over the net, if it lands around the service line and your opponet gets it, so what, you are still in the point. So many times your opponent will try to do to much with it and give you a freebe.

Best regards,

Ed
Tennis Geometrics

Ed,

Sorry- I should not come accross as such a pessimist. Of course everyone can improve their touch and should be able to hit basic touch shots. What I really mean is that certain players obviously have a better sense for touch than others, and I think that players should consider there inate abilities when learning shots/developing their games. It is why some players are said to have "soft hands." Me - I have horrible touch, but I can hit a basic drop shot/volley that can catch you when you are well behind the baseline. I would still rather bash the ball because I hit the ball harder and cover more court my relative to my opponents, who generally are more consistent and lob better than me. I am never going to be able to hit, for example, a drop volley like Navratilova that bouces back over the net due to the incredible spin and softness of the shot. At the same time, I find too many players trying to hit develop power that is not natural to their personal games.

[Tennisman912]

Best thing to do is just think "soft hands." As you make contact, let your wrist give a bit and eventually you will improve your feel as to how much "give" to use for a particular situation. Another thought is just think little push with a bit of give in your stroke. Just remember the closer to the net you are the less movement you need so don't over swing.

Also work on cross court drop shots first. They are easier because you can kind of push against the outside of the ball with a bit of give. By coming across the ball a bit you can hit it a little harder than a drop shot straight ahead. You are also hitting over the lower part of the net. I realize this explanation is a bit opaque, but it is hard to describe and much easier to demonstrate in person. Mini tennis is a good suggestion and idea. But try it without a bounce, hitting it crosscourt to crosscourt with your partner FH to FH (both righties). You will begin to get the feel of how much give and carve around the ball it takes in time.

Also, your racquet may not be conducive to good touch. The really stiff racquets are definitely harder to hit quality drop shots with. It can be overcome but will take a bit more time and you need more give and better timing.

Good luck

TM