Cindysphinx
G.O.A.T.
I have a teammate and sometime doubles partner who is . . . wait for it . . .
Actually willing to go out and practice! Woo-hoo!!
So we were out yesterday, and we did 90 minutes. We warmed up and then hit volley-to-volley. Then we hit groundstrokes. Then one volleying and one hitting groundstrokes. Then overheads and lobs. Then drop shots. Then mini-tennis.
There was one persistent issue. My understanding of practicing is that you want to hit the ball back to the other person, and they should hit it back to you. Her understanding is that you shouldn't practice shots you wouldn't hit in matches, so it makes no sense to hit a groundstroke right to the net person or volley a ball deep to the baseline person.
As you might imagine, this led to some frustration on my part. She would be at net practicing volleys, and I would try to hit a topspin groundstroke to her. She would hit a ball that bounced about two feet from the net. This might be a winner in singles, but it slowed down the drill tremendously and didn't give me much practice hitting topspin shots from the baseline.
Another example. We were hitting forehands crosscourt. Every couple of shots, someone would hit a ball out. I said, "Good Lord! We really need to work on our consistency. I'll bet we couldn't hit 10 balls across the net." She said, "Sure we could." We tried, and we easily passed 10 balls over the net crosscourt. Then we went right back to the drill, and back to our habit of missing every few balls. I think the difference was that she was hitting hard and with a lot of angle, which made her miss sometimes, and when she didn't miss, then I would miss or couldn't reach the ball.
Another example. When she hit a short ball, I would approach by hitting it to whatever side of the court she was on. Then I would try to volley subsequent balls deep back to her for as long as I could. When she approached, she spanked the ball to the corner out of reach.
OK. Is this the way it should work? Should I try to do anything to make these practice sessions a bit more balanced? Are there some conventions we need to know? How do you reconcile the goals of learning to hit winners, learning to be consistent, practicing new techniques or problem areas, and keeping the drill running so you're not constantly chasing balls?
One more quick thing: Can someone remind me how mini-tennis is supposed to work? I remember that you "serve" by putting the ball on the net strap and letting it fall to the other side. What I can't remember is what happens next. Does mini-tennis require you to let the ball bounce each time in the service box (no volleys allowed)? We were clearly doing something wrong, because when I did it with my pro, he didn't crush balls into my body.
Actually willing to go out and practice! Woo-hoo!!
So we were out yesterday, and we did 90 minutes. We warmed up and then hit volley-to-volley. Then we hit groundstrokes. Then one volleying and one hitting groundstrokes. Then overheads and lobs. Then drop shots. Then mini-tennis.
There was one persistent issue. My understanding of practicing is that you want to hit the ball back to the other person, and they should hit it back to you. Her understanding is that you shouldn't practice shots you wouldn't hit in matches, so it makes no sense to hit a groundstroke right to the net person or volley a ball deep to the baseline person.
As you might imagine, this led to some frustration on my part. She would be at net practicing volleys, and I would try to hit a topspin groundstroke to her. She would hit a ball that bounced about two feet from the net. This might be a winner in singles, but it slowed down the drill tremendously and didn't give me much practice hitting topspin shots from the baseline.
Another example. We were hitting forehands crosscourt. Every couple of shots, someone would hit a ball out. I said, "Good Lord! We really need to work on our consistency. I'll bet we couldn't hit 10 balls across the net." She said, "Sure we could." We tried, and we easily passed 10 balls over the net crosscourt. Then we went right back to the drill, and back to our habit of missing every few balls. I think the difference was that she was hitting hard and with a lot of angle, which made her miss sometimes, and when she didn't miss, then I would miss or couldn't reach the ball.
Another example. When she hit a short ball, I would approach by hitting it to whatever side of the court she was on. Then I would try to volley subsequent balls deep back to her for as long as I could. When she approached, she spanked the ball to the corner out of reach.
OK. Is this the way it should work? Should I try to do anything to make these practice sessions a bit more balanced? Are there some conventions we need to know? How do you reconcile the goals of learning to hit winners, learning to be consistent, practicing new techniques or problem areas, and keeping the drill running so you're not constantly chasing balls?
One more quick thing: Can someone remind me how mini-tennis is supposed to work? I remember that you "serve" by putting the ball on the net strap and letting it fall to the other side. What I can't remember is what happens next. Does mini-tennis require you to let the ball bounce each time in the service box (no volleys allowed)? We were clearly doing something wrong, because when I did it with my pro, he didn't crush balls into my body.