3.5 to 4.0 Action Plan?

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by ian2

I have no recipes but will mention one random thing: I find hitting self-fed shots (drop-and-hit) very beneficial, more so than wall or even ball machine drills.

+1!

Ian, we may have to be the charter members of the drop-feeding club.

So. How do you drop feed, and what shots do you work on?

Me, I'm currently trying to ingrain something I'm supposed to be doing on my 2HBH: Pointing racket butt at the ball, like shining a flashlight on it. A perfect skill for drop feeding.

I also have made a lot of progress with crushing short balls using drop feeding. I spend a fair amount of time with this, as I have a tendency to hit them long. I'm trying to hit topspin angles bringing the ball up and down. On the rare occasions I pull it off in a match, it is a beautiful thing.

I also like working on running around my BH, especially to hit DTL.

[asked_answered]

I like the idea of hitting with a 4.0 player, Beernutz. There's a guy who was on my team last season who received an early season rating of 4.0 who might be willing to hit with me. Thanks!

[asked_answered]

My serve was my biggest weakness until just recently, Mightyrick. I had a strong but inconsistent first serve and a second serve that was identical. (I sucked at blooping the ball back on my second serve, so I just hit another first serve.) I now have a dependable kick/slice second serve that I sometimes use as a first serve because of its effectiveness.

Now I just need to work on everything else!

Thanks!

[mightyrick]

Originally Posted by asked_answered

I like the idea of hitting with a 4.0 player, Beernutz. There's a guy who was on my team last season who received an early season rating of 4.0 who might be willing to hit with me. Thanks!

Just make sure to be very humble and appreciative of a better player who is willing to hit with you. For a better player, hitting with a worse player can really be frustrating sometimes. So thank them a lot. Be nice. Don't get frustrated. Stay positive. Ask them if there's anything specific they'd like to drill on, work on, or whatever.

[asked_answered]

Thanks for the tips, Jdubbs! I definitely need to work on my forward movement, as well. I tend to hit as I run forward, rather than split-stepping then hitting, which leads to a lot of rocketing half volleys and volleys. Ah, consistency. My holy grail.

Good luck with your goal of moving up to 4.5!

[asked_answered]

Thanks, MNPlayer! I've just recently worked my second kick/slice serve into good shape, and now I need to construct some points around it, as you suggested. (I still have a tendency to pause and think "Yay! It went in!" before I begin to prepare for my opponent's response.) My return, though, is very much a work in progress: often a cannon shot into the fence or a pathetic puff into the net.

[asked_answered]

Thanks for the self-fed ball tip, Ian! You and Cindy are on the same page there.

[athiker]

Originally Posted by JRstriker12

I went from being a 3.5 to a 4.0 about 3 years ago. It was a big jump in my game, but here are some of the things that I think helped me the most.

1. Working on consistency - A 4.0 will pick on your weak side all day. You have to be consistent enough on your weaker side to keep the ball in play and construct a point to your advantage. Maybe you don't hit a winner from the backhand, but you're not giving up easy points either. As a one-hander, the slice is still very relevant and handy - just learn to hit it deep with penetration, not floaty so it gets punished.

2. Develop a consistent top-spin/kicker second serve - I've gone from about 2 double faults a game to maybe 1-2 double faults in a set max. It took me a long time to get it right, but developing a good top-spin second serve helps me prevent giving away stupid points. A good top spin second serve lets me hit a decent second serve with confidence and got me out of dinking it in.

3. Work on approaching / putting away mid-court balls - this is where a lot of 3.5's get killed by pushers. They get that mid-court ball and commit an error (over-hit, put it into the net, push it back and get lobbed.) I've worked on angling these balls off, or approaching deep with pace or low-skidding slice and try to knock off the next volley.

4. Don't "just hit" - it's fun to hit, but it's much more effective if you use a drill or hit with a certain purpose. Also, using games like 21 or playing tie breakers can help simulate the pressures of match play.

5. Find a partner who is better than you and hit with often. I was lucky to find a few guys who were a lot better than I was, but willing to hit. I learned by watching and asking questions.

Good list and is basically the list I've been working on personally...at least 2, 3 and 4. #2 - I rarely double fault but do not have a "good" second serve. #3 - I am pretty consistent but need to work on ending the point when it is supposed to be over. The mid-court ball the point should be over in the next 2 shots...in my favor. A volley at the net...the point should be over with the next shot. #4 - Don't just hit to open court. Work the opponent over to the side a bit w/ a few cross courts in a row and then change direction and go down the line to open court only if you get a softer manageable ball or a short ball.

When I do the above decently well I'm a 4.0 and can beat a 4.0. When I don't I'm a 3.5 and lose to 4.0s. I play with and against both 3.5s and 4.0s in singles and doubles all the time and that's what I see different.

[asked_answered]

Thanks, Spdskr! I'll try and get someone to practice constructing points with.

[asked_answered]

Thanks for the tips, JRStriker12! Consistency is something I'm working on, and the same goes for my shots from mid-court. (My slice is usually only floaty when I'm buying myself time.) I've got the serve part in okay shape now, but I need to find a partner (two perhaps: one better; one at my level) to practice productively with and to work on constructing points from my serve.

And I'm glad that your goal of moving to 4.0 was met!

[asked_answered]

I'll definitely make any better player (or any player!) who hits with me feel appreciated, Mightyrick. My serve is one thing that almost everyone I hit with (4.0's, 3.5s) finds challenging, so at least I can provide productive return-of-serve practice for a better player.

[asked_answered]

Thanks for the points, Athiker! I have an effective down-the-line forehand that leads to winners or weak responses that I can put away with an angled volley or half-volley. (I can't do the half-volley/volley shot as consistently as I'd like yet, but I'm working on it.)

[sphinx780]

There are a lot of good points here to keep you occupied and focused on improving for quite some time.

Since you feel confident in your serve but face inconsistency in your return, here's a suggestion that may or may not help you.

I find that many times returning begets errors from indecision. Before the serve, you may want to tell yourself, "If I get a forehand, I'm going to hit it here and if I get a backhand I'm going to hit hit here".

If you're not quite to the point where you want to start thinking that far ahead, the other option to build return consistency would be to aim for a single spot on the other side of the court and only hit returns there (I'd suggest hitting at the T or middle of the court and focus on good net clearance).

The idea of both is to eliminate the hesitation and doubt of what to do with the serve return. The more balls you get in play, the more often you have an opportunity to break serve.

[MNPlayer]

Originally Posted by asked_answered

Thanks, MNPlayer! I've just recently worked my second kick/slice serve into good shape, and now I need to construct some points around it, as you suggested. (I still have a tendency to pause and think "Yay! It went in!" before I begin to prepare for my opponent's response.) My return, though, is very much a work in progress: often a cannon shot into the fence or a pathetic puff into the net.

Sounds good, if your serve becomes a consistent weapon for you, you will not have to worry about it going in. You can immediately set up for the next shot, anticipating the return based on the serve you hit - looking for that 1-2 or 1-2-3 punch ideally.

I had a coach tell me recently I should be trying to dominate from the 1st shot on service games, and trying to start return points at least neutral (meaning get the return deep and away from the middle, generally). I like this way of thinking about it because it's a fairly realistic goal against an opponent of similar level. Obviously if you are playing a player with a poor serve, you can attack on the return. Dominating on service points in my case means hit a good serve and set up for a big forehand. Assuming your forehand is your best shot you should be trying to hit as many forehands as possible, at least 2/3 of the court. If you watch the pros these days, they mostly play this way. You see lots of inside out forehand to backhand crosscourt rallies which I have also found a useful pattern because most guys I play have a comparatively weak backhand. I try to pin them in the backhand corner until they cough up a short ball or make an error. The idea is to keep your opponent on the defensive somehow until they make an error our you can finish with a winner.

This is one philosophy anyway, there are other ways to play of course, like serve and volley, which is even more aggressive. Your primary patterns should depend on your particular strengths and to some extent your opponent's weaknesses.

[heftylefty]

Originally Posted by asked_answered

Thanks for the points, Athiker! I have an effective down-the-line forehand that leads to winners or weak responses that I can put away with an angled volley or half-volley. (I can't do the half-volley/volley shot as consistently as I'd like yet, but I'm working on it.)

Regarding your volley. Try and do what Nadal does: Not be spectacular, just work on being solid and use you first volley as your set up shot. Then, with the second volley just go opposite way.

It works for me. Good luck fellow Lefty.

[MNPlayer]

Originally Posted by sphinx780

The idea of both is to eliminate the hesitation and doubt of what to do with the serve return. The more balls you get in play, the more often you have an opportunity to break serve.

This is so true. Amazing what just getting returns back can do, at least at 4.0. Also it puts pressure on the server to serve bigger which often causes them to start double faulting.

[heftylefty]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

+1!

Ian, we may have to be the charter members of the drop-feeding club.

So. How do you drop feed, and what shots do you work on?

Me, I'm currently trying to ingrain something I'm supposed to be doing on my 2HBH: Pointing racket butt at the ball, like shining a flashlight on it. A perfect skill for drop feeding.

I also have made a lot of progress with crushing short balls using drop feeding. I spend a fair amount of time with this, as I have a tendency to hit them long. I'm trying to hit topspin angles bringing the ball up and down. On the rare occasions I pull it off in a match, it is a beautiful thing.

I also like working on running around my BH, especially to hit DTL.

+2 I am a member of that club too. I go through 3 basket just drop and hit. It is amazing how much that helps.

[asked_answered]

Thanks for the return-of-serve tips, Sphinx780! I'm probably only at the "shoot for one target" stage, so I'll try that first. Getting the ball back effectively is definitely my goal.

And, yes, I have lots of good stuff to think about and work on, as a result of all of these great responses.

[sphinx780]

Originally Posted by MNPlayer

This is so true. Amazing what just getting returns back can do, at least at 4.0. Also it puts pressure on the server to serve bigger which often causes them to start double faulting.

This is just as true at the 4.5 and 5.0 levels in my experience. As your level increases, the quality of return will also increase incrementally in most cases.

As my coaches always said way back when: 'Make 'em play'

[ian2]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

+1!

Ian, we may have to be the charter members of the drop-feeding club.

So. How do you drop feed, and what shots do you work on?

Me, I'm currently trying to ingrain something I'm supposed to be doing on my 2HBH: Pointing racket butt at the ball, like shining a flashlight on it. A perfect skill for drop feeding.

I also have made a lot of progress with crushing short balls using drop feeding. I spend a fair amount of time with this, as I have a tendency to hit them long. I'm trying to hit topspin angles bringing the ball up and down. On the rare occasions I pull it off in a match, it is a beautiful thing.

I also like working on running around my BH, especially to hit DTL.

Hey Cindy, I small club I'd think. Well, I do quite a bit of drop-feed drills... sometimes an hour a week combined from 30 min, 20 min, or even 5 min sessions, and sometimes two hours in one session. I either focus on a specific shot (i.e. sharp angle forehand cross-court) and go through a basket of balls (or two, or three baskets) doing just that, before moving on to another shot; or I focus on tuning up all basic groundstrokes, by hitting several FH (i.e. 3 DL + 3 CS), followed by several topspin BH (again with specific targets in mind), followed by slice BH, etc.

I often start with hitting rally speed balls down-the-line into doubles alley, on both sides (FH and BH), and making sure I hit six in a row inside the alley before moving on... start over if I miss one long or wide; kick myself and start over if I miss one into the net

The more exotic varieties are drop-shots from different positions inside the court (from just inside the baseline, to service line, to 3 feet from the net), "crush the short ball off high feed", and self-fed overheads. The latter involves hitting the ball vertically and high, letting it bounce, and then hitting an overhead... not easy, requires some serious attention to footwork.

I try to make drop-feed drills as dynamic as possible making sure that: a) footwork is involved, and b) I'm hitting specific targets consistently.