Can you improve with a moonballer partner ?

[isilra]

I'm mean moonballing almost every shot. He is also my best buddy and i have nobody else to play tennis with. Today i have played with a coach and i was playing way better than i used to do with my friend because he was feeding me with regular, fast balls, not moonballs. I was positioning better, chasing the ball better, coiling/uncoiling better and i can't do these when i play with my bud. You think a moonballer partner prevents you from improving your technique ?

[pingu]

While it's boring to play with a moonballer, he actually can train you on the overhead and make you run up and down more which really helps when playing games especially doubles

[Topspin Shot]

No. I think the opposite. Playing a moonballer makes you concentrate on your footwork and improves your strokes because you have to generate all the pace yourself. It also helps you with strategy because power is no longer an option to win; if you try to hit as hard as you normally do, you will make errors and lose. You must maneuver the moonballer out of position, and doing so will improve your game much more than simply trading groundstrokes. If you can't beat the moonballer, you will not advance in tennis.

[TCF]

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[LeeD]

You need to hit with ALL different kinds of players, from moonballers to aggressive first strike hitters.
You can learn from hitting with any hitter, although it can be boring playing with someone well below your level.

[OHBH]

Originally Posted by isilra

I'm mean moonballing almost every shot. He is also my best buddy and i have nobody else to play tennis with. Today i have played with a coach and i was playing way better than i used to do with my friend because he was feeding me with regular, fast balls, not moonballs. I was positioning better, chasing the ball better, coiling/uncoiling better and i can't do these when i play with my bud. You think a moonballer partner prevents you from improving your technique ?

I was playing way better = I was not being challenged as much

Improvement comes from outside your comfort zone.

[North]

Originally Posted by isilra

Today i have played with a coach and i was playing way better than i used to do with my friend because he was feeding me with regular, fast balls, not moonballs. I was positioning better, chasing the ball better, coiling/uncoiling better and i can't do these when i play with my bud.

You will actually be playing better when you can do all that against your friend or any other moonballer. It is much easier to play well when every ball coming at you is cleanly hit, like your coach was hitting.

Although you should try to find other people to hit with (so you don't die of boredom playing the moonballer lol) you should play your friend as much as possible until you are able to beat him easily.

Even though he is your friend, when on the court just think of him as a ball machine set on a special "moonballer" setting.

[Topspin Shot]

Exactly what OHBH said.

[kopfan]

Originally Posted by isilra

I'm mean moonballing almost every shot. He is also my best buddy and i have nobody else to play tennis with. Today i have played with a coach and i was playing way better than i used to do with my friend because he was feeding me with regular, fast balls, not moonballs. I was positioning better, chasing the ball better, coiling/uncoiling better and i can't do these when i play with my bud. You think a moonballer partner prevents you from improving your technique ?

You can improve while playing a moonballer. Move to position faster and hit more on the rise... play the ball more aggressively... this will help you improve footwork and timing.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Originally Posted by isilra

I'm mean moonballing almost every shot. He is also my best buddy and i have nobody else to play tennis with. Today i have played with a coach and i was playing way better than i used to do with my friend because he was feeding me with regular, fast balls, not moonballs. I was positioning better, chasing the ball better, coiling/uncoiling better and i can't do these when i play with my bud. You think a moonballer partner prevents you from improving your technique ?

You were playing better against the coach because those shots are easier to hit. Moonballers are tough, I have a friend just like this. Frustrating play against him is what really pushed me to improve my forehand. Unfortunately he lives too far otherwise I would hit with him weekly. Work on your high forehand & backhand, putting more of your body into the shot, and shot placement with the moonballer. Just make sure you are not arming a high ball while trying to hit hard or you will injure your shoulder quickly.

LeeD is right about the need to hit with all kinds of players and learning to deal with all kinds of playing styles and shots.