S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
I would, because the return is the most variable part of my game.
Best order to learn fundamentals
- Thread starter PJYelton
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I would, because the return is the most variable part of my game.
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
I was watching a HS teammate play and the coach commented that my teammate was playing better than normal because he was too tired to be tense.
RiverRat
Professional
Perhaps we have to agree to disagree. I wonder whether the 70 year-old grandma wins more points because she has a consistent backhand rather than her version of a whopping serve. If the player is younger, but not particularly athletic, working on developing a consistent backhand drive, which the OP doesn't have, will probably serve him better than a better serve. If the OP is young and strapping, the serve will win him more points, even if it doesn't earn him better hitting partners with which to develop or please his current ones.
RiverRat
Professional
Great you two can play legitimate first-strike tennis. Either he wins the point with his serve or you win it with you return. Enjoy! You might not even need to bother getting out of street clothes it will be over so fast.
EllieK
Hall of Fame
I’m a 66 year old grandma and just started lessons this year when I retired.
WestboroChe
Hall of Fame
That’s great! Practice your serves and returns and you’ll own the courts. Especially in doubles.
WestboroChe
Hall of Fame
Well certainly you need to do more than those two strokes. But a lot of points at ref levels are lost on double faults and bad returns.
You’re thinking that a serve has to be powerful to be effective. But if I can consistently hit a kick serve that pushes my opponent back or forces him to hit with his joke of a backhand my serve is effective. Likewise if I can consistently return the serve Low and deep and put the server on the defensive then the rest of the point gets much easier. This is true at all levels but especially on the seniors double circuit.
I think everyone ends up hitting groundstrokes if you get a practice partner. I have never seen a player with a good serve and good return who can't hit groundstrokes. But we have all seen some players with terrible serves and okay groundstrokes. So it does make sense to emphasize serve and return. Generally speaking all the strokes seem to develop together, IMHO. 4.5 are better off the ground - have better volleys and so forth then 4.0s for the most part. Obviously there are exceptions.
WestboroChe
Hall of Fame
I just think the way you have to hit a return is completely unlike a ground stroke and isn’t as easily practiced. I noticed this the first time I joined a club and started playing sets almost entirely instead of practicing. It took me almost a year to learn how to hit a good return.
Furthermore having a good return can help you play with someone who might otherwise be too good for you. A lot of players rack up points on easy putaways and return errors but when you consistently send it back they often falter start trying to do too much and lose. It’s so much fun when you’re the one causing it.
Agree. Most people don't really want to practice serve and return. One thing that teaching pros will do - that you can do is have a partner serve from the service line. Most people can crank serves from there - so that can simulate a serve with more pace..
I think the first shot that most men develop at a higher level is the forehand - obviously there are exceptions. But because of this you probably should focus on your weaker shots first. And the serve and return fall into this category.. Serve is easy to practice by yourself of course but the return - even a ball machine can't do it angle wise..
The most important thing for your development overall seems to be getting an active ambitious training partner/partners. This is so valuable because for adults lessons are expensive and you won't get better without practicing what you are bad at over and over outside of game play.. Also they can provide feedback and motivation.
Tranqville
Professional
user92626
G.O.A.T.
Super interesting thread/topic!
It's kinda like reading this thread itself. There's really no one way but you are screwed if you are to take in all.
You have to find your own way! (ah phuk... second time I wrote this in 15 minutes).
Maybe you're lucky and stumble on something that works for you within a short time. Maybe you're unlucky and will draw your last breath as 3.0. Who knows.
It's kinda like reading this thread itself. There's really no one way but you are screwed if you are to take in all.
You have to find your own way! (ah phuk... second time I wrote this in 15 minutes).
Maybe you're lucky and stumble on something that works for you within a short time. Maybe you're unlucky and will draw your last breath as 3.0. Who knows.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
The best thing to do is perform an honest assessment of your athleticism. We all have an athletic ceiling. Don't let people tell you otherwise. Our nervous systems are distinctly different and determines our capabilities. If you are a mediocre athlete like most of us, your aren't going to be able to hit like a pro or even your coach. So you need to simplify your mechanics as much as possible so you can have the necessary control to stay in a rally and ideally put some pressure on your opponent.
So you need to prioritize a proper set up (grip, stance) with early preparation. You need to work on reading ball spin and bounce so you can get to that spot in plenty of time to reach that setup. Then I'd suggest prioritizing hitting a FH out front with a laid back wrist. That will require you to forget about slapping the ball and teach you to turn into the ball with your legs and core. Then you need to work on your serve motion so it's loose and easy and then your ball toss so it's a consistent height and thrown into the court.
If you've got a decent FH and serve, you can win a lot in tennis even if you've got nothing more than a lob BH.
A coach will help you get to this place faster but then you've got to do another honest assessment: How coachable am I? Are you a good learner? Do you understand the commitment to practice necessary to change anything Any new changes are going to need 1000 swings to erase old muscle memory. 10000 swings to mastery. I've seen dozens of "lessoned" up women at my club who haven't learned a single thing or changed anything about their game. They are bad learners with terrible body awareness. They've essentially thrown money down a drain.
Of course you can be happy to live at 3.0 tennis by playing only 3.0 tennis players. Then it's more about competitive will than skills.
So you need to prioritize a proper set up (grip, stance) with early preparation. You need to work on reading ball spin and bounce so you can get to that spot in plenty of time to reach that setup. Then I'd suggest prioritizing hitting a FH out front with a laid back wrist. That will require you to forget about slapping the ball and teach you to turn into the ball with your legs and core. Then you need to work on your serve motion so it's loose and easy and then your ball toss so it's a consistent height and thrown into the court.
If you've got a decent FH and serve, you can win a lot in tennis even if you've got nothing more than a lob BH.
A coach will help you get to this place faster but then you've got to do another honest assessment: How coachable am I? Are you a good learner? Do you understand the commitment to practice necessary to change anything Any new changes are going to need 1000 swings to erase old muscle memory. 10000 swings to mastery. I've seen dozens of "lessoned" up women at my club who haven't learned a single thing or changed anything about their game. They are bad learners with terrible body awareness. They've essentially thrown money down a drain.
Of course you can be happy to live at 3.0 tennis by playing only 3.0 tennis players. Then it's more about competitive will than skills.
Friedman Whip
Professional
Yeah I think there is one fundamental not listed here which would be at the very top of my list. That is how to hold the racquet for the different tennis shots. And how and when to switch from one grip to another during play. Seems like pretty important information to me.
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ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Meh, I've seen much better threadsurrections.
Are you seriously blaming your nervous system?
badmice2
Professional
I teach in this general order:
- proper stoke mechanics
- hitting with movement
- court positioning
- tactics
You can of course bucket what everyone else mentioned into these buckets. In general I’ve found that building stoke mechanics has to be the foundation of all things. Player confidence comes from their ability and comfort in delivering the ball. Everything beyond that has a high potential for the player to self learn - especially those with good court vision or high tennis IQ. Most player looses confidence when they know what to do but can’t actually do it.
- proper stoke mechanics
- hitting with movement
- court positioning
- tactics
You can of course bucket what everyone else mentioned into these buckets. In general I’ve found that building stoke mechanics has to be the foundation of all things. Player confidence comes from their ability and comfort in delivering the ball. Everything beyond that has a high potential for the player to self learn - especially those with good court vision or high tennis IQ. Most player looses confidence when they know what to do but can’t actually do it.
