Doc Hollidae
Hall of Fame
These are just some tips and advice that I've based parts of my game around. It might not be the best advice and people may or may not agree with it, but it's helped me get to where I am, so hopefully it can help others as well.
The Unit Turn aka "Coiling"
One of the most overlooked techniques in tennis, yet one of the most important. Essential for pace and proper technique, yet often forgotten or ignored. The unit turn should be the start of every groundstroke.
Wardlaw's Directionals
A simple and solid shot selection system. Focuses on high percentage tennis and changing the direction of the ball, more so than angles and aiming for lines. Wardlaw's Directionals allows you to focus on your strokes more, as the simple system is easy to remember and cuts down on the time spent choosing a where to hit the next ball. Great for beginning singles players and a good foundation for more accomplished players.
Shot Tolerance
The amount of balls you can put in play during a single point. Realize what your shot tolerance is, as well as, your opponent’s. Pushers for example will have a high shot tolerance. You always want to be increasing your shot tolerance and keeping your opponent’s to a minimum. (See Analyzing Your Opponent)
Momentum Control
Like any sport, momentum also plays a factor in tennis. A few points here and there can be the difference in a match, pending on the momentum gained or loss. Pay attention to things that affect momentum and how to keep it in your favor. After you hit a great shot or your opponent hits a terrible one, take a little extra time to let him/her mull it over. Maybe shout a "come on" or a "let's go" to let your opponent know you are confident and positive. Different things can affect momentum and often they are out of control, but always understand the importance of momentum.
Spatial Awareness
Be aware of your body positioning in relation to the ball and your contact point. Once you are aware of the space required between yourself and your contact point, concentrate on setting up on the inside of the ball. Inside meaning the side of the ball closest to your body, outside meaning the furthest from you and front and back being obvious. Once you are aware of your positioning, you will find that it will improve your footwork as you become more aware of where you need to be and how much space you need to set up on the "inside of the ball." Improved footwork = higher consistency and better tennis.
"Tentative Tennis Never Wins"
My new motto. Players who play tentative will never play to their full potential or skill level. Players who play tentatively, usually end up making more mistakes than if they were to play aggressive. These players often find themselves losing to opponents of lower skill levels. Often a reason why people lose to pushers, because they aren't confident enough in their abilities or game. Remember you play your style of tennis best, so stay aggressive and do what you do best. Pushing is for pushers. If you're not a pusher, then don't push. (Note: I have nothing against pushers, just making a point of playing your game and not your opponent's)
Phone Booth Volley Technique
This is the best advice I ever received in regards to volleys. A local club pro told me to imagine myself inside a phone booth with my racket and that's all the room I have to hit a volley. While simple and somewhat silly, this piece of advice reminds me to not swing at volleys and instead "punch" them. Also a volley doesn't need
"Shaping"
Visualize the shot you are going to hit and imagine the shape you want to give it. While the execution of the shot you visualized might not always happen like you imagined it, but it helps you focus on your shot more. It's easy to sit there and rally from the baseline without much thought, but think about the "shape" of the shot you want. While this may seem to be more mental than anything, it a good tool for focusing and concentrating on proper technique. I'm much more likely to get a good knee bend and unit turn when focusing on hitting a deep loopy topspin compared to just hitting the ball back in a rally and trying to keep it deep.
Grind
In recreational tennis, consistency rules. While power players are fun to watch and are fearsome opponents, it's steady and consistent players that should be feared the most. Not necessarily pushers, but they too can be included in this category. When found in a losing position, dig your feet in and get ready to grind. This means maximizing your shot tolerance and playing high percentage and consistent tennis. However, this doesn't mean you play tentative tennis and stop going for your shots. It just means to concentrate on consistency and point construction rather than pace. Put your ego aside and lower the testosterone and concentrate more on depth and penetration instead of showing your opponent you can hit the ball hard. Most anyone can hit the **** out of the ball, but can they do it consistently?
Footwork
While technique and timing play a large factor in your stroke, it’s when your footwork breaks down that you miss the most. When playing competitive tennis, a player's footwork is usually the main cause of misses, more than their technique. When playing a match, think about breaking down a player’s footwork as a portion of your game plan. An example: Hitting a low slice that lands around “No Man’s Land” which causes the player to lunge forward instead of taking 2-3 small steps forward and taking the ball in his comfort zone. Plays like this will keep your opponent guessing as well as give you free points every now and then. A player can have great stokes and timing, but if he/she doesn’t have the footwork to properly set up for the ball those strokes and timing goes to waste.
Learning from Pushers: Play Your Own Game
Everyone hates playing a pusher. A multitude of nasty adjectives can be used to describe these types of players, but there are a few things you can learn from a pusher. One thing you’ll always see is that a pusher rarely plays outside of his game/limitations. They play their game and rarely, if ever, allow their opponent to dictate their style of play or tempo. Often players are confronted by an opponent they don’t like playing (ex. Pushers) and will abandon their style of play for another style. Just because a pusher isn’t aggressive doesn’t mean you can’t play aggressive. Like a pusher, always trust your game, but also know your limitations.
“Play the Slice, Don’t Let the Slice Play You”
I heard Pat MacEnroe say this during the semi between Federer and Djokovic. While a simple and obvious tactic, I think Djokovic did an exceptional job on how to do it. Everytime Federer hit one of those mid-ranged slices/chips, Djokovic moved into the court and made an aggressive play on the ball. He didn’t sit back and just hit another rally ball and he didn’t play a neutral shot and just slice the ball back.
At the recreational level, players are likely to face people with slice backhands that don’t have much pace or depth. Most 2 handed backhand players have difficulty playing against this type of shot as the low bounce makes it tough to do anything offensive. In general, the key here is to step into the shot and make sure your feet are there along with your swing. Often players will let the slice come to them and the low bounce forces them to hit a defensive or neutral shot. Players who allow the slice to come to them also tend to produce a few more unforced errors as their feet and body aren’t and their point of contact is too low and/or too far in front of them. Hitting an aggressive or offensive shot off a slow paced, slow bouncing slice requires good footwork, so don’t let the slow pace make you lazy or relax. (See Footwork Section)
The Unit Turn aka "Coiling"
One of the most overlooked techniques in tennis, yet one of the most important. Essential for pace and proper technique, yet often forgotten or ignored. The unit turn should be the start of every groundstroke.
Wardlaw's Directionals
A simple and solid shot selection system. Focuses on high percentage tennis and changing the direction of the ball, more so than angles and aiming for lines. Wardlaw's Directionals allows you to focus on your strokes more, as the simple system is easy to remember and cuts down on the time spent choosing a where to hit the next ball. Great for beginning singles players and a good foundation for more accomplished players.
Shot Tolerance
The amount of balls you can put in play during a single point. Realize what your shot tolerance is, as well as, your opponent’s. Pushers for example will have a high shot tolerance. You always want to be increasing your shot tolerance and keeping your opponent’s to a minimum. (See Analyzing Your Opponent)
Momentum Control
Like any sport, momentum also plays a factor in tennis. A few points here and there can be the difference in a match, pending on the momentum gained or loss. Pay attention to things that affect momentum and how to keep it in your favor. After you hit a great shot or your opponent hits a terrible one, take a little extra time to let him/her mull it over. Maybe shout a "come on" or a "let's go" to let your opponent know you are confident and positive. Different things can affect momentum and often they are out of control, but always understand the importance of momentum.
Spatial Awareness
Be aware of your body positioning in relation to the ball and your contact point. Once you are aware of the space required between yourself and your contact point, concentrate on setting up on the inside of the ball. Inside meaning the side of the ball closest to your body, outside meaning the furthest from you and front and back being obvious. Once you are aware of your positioning, you will find that it will improve your footwork as you become more aware of where you need to be and how much space you need to set up on the "inside of the ball." Improved footwork = higher consistency and better tennis.
"Tentative Tennis Never Wins"
My new motto. Players who play tentative will never play to their full potential or skill level. Players who play tentatively, usually end up making more mistakes than if they were to play aggressive. These players often find themselves losing to opponents of lower skill levels. Often a reason why people lose to pushers, because they aren't confident enough in their abilities or game. Remember you play your style of tennis best, so stay aggressive and do what you do best. Pushing is for pushers. If you're not a pusher, then don't push. (Note: I have nothing against pushers, just making a point of playing your game and not your opponent's)
Phone Booth Volley Technique
This is the best advice I ever received in regards to volleys. A local club pro told me to imagine myself inside a phone booth with my racket and that's all the room I have to hit a volley. While simple and somewhat silly, this piece of advice reminds me to not swing at volleys and instead "punch" them. Also a volley doesn't need
"Shaping"
Visualize the shot you are going to hit and imagine the shape you want to give it. While the execution of the shot you visualized might not always happen like you imagined it, but it helps you focus on your shot more. It's easy to sit there and rally from the baseline without much thought, but think about the "shape" of the shot you want. While this may seem to be more mental than anything, it a good tool for focusing and concentrating on proper technique. I'm much more likely to get a good knee bend and unit turn when focusing on hitting a deep loopy topspin compared to just hitting the ball back in a rally and trying to keep it deep.
Grind
In recreational tennis, consistency rules. While power players are fun to watch and are fearsome opponents, it's steady and consistent players that should be feared the most. Not necessarily pushers, but they too can be included in this category. When found in a losing position, dig your feet in and get ready to grind. This means maximizing your shot tolerance and playing high percentage and consistent tennis. However, this doesn't mean you play tentative tennis and stop going for your shots. It just means to concentrate on consistency and point construction rather than pace. Put your ego aside and lower the testosterone and concentrate more on depth and penetration instead of showing your opponent you can hit the ball hard. Most anyone can hit the **** out of the ball, but can they do it consistently?
Footwork
While technique and timing play a large factor in your stroke, it’s when your footwork breaks down that you miss the most. When playing competitive tennis, a player's footwork is usually the main cause of misses, more than their technique. When playing a match, think about breaking down a player’s footwork as a portion of your game plan. An example: Hitting a low slice that lands around “No Man’s Land” which causes the player to lunge forward instead of taking 2-3 small steps forward and taking the ball in his comfort zone. Plays like this will keep your opponent guessing as well as give you free points every now and then. A player can have great stokes and timing, but if he/she doesn’t have the footwork to properly set up for the ball those strokes and timing goes to waste.
Learning from Pushers: Play Your Own Game
Everyone hates playing a pusher. A multitude of nasty adjectives can be used to describe these types of players, but there are a few things you can learn from a pusher. One thing you’ll always see is that a pusher rarely plays outside of his game/limitations. They play their game and rarely, if ever, allow their opponent to dictate their style of play or tempo. Often players are confronted by an opponent they don’t like playing (ex. Pushers) and will abandon their style of play for another style. Just because a pusher isn’t aggressive doesn’t mean you can’t play aggressive. Like a pusher, always trust your game, but also know your limitations.
“Play the Slice, Don’t Let the Slice Play You”
I heard Pat MacEnroe say this during the semi between Federer and Djokovic. While a simple and obvious tactic, I think Djokovic did an exceptional job on how to do it. Everytime Federer hit one of those mid-ranged slices/chips, Djokovic moved into the court and made an aggressive play on the ball. He didn’t sit back and just hit another rally ball and he didn’t play a neutral shot and just slice the ball back.
At the recreational level, players are likely to face people with slice backhands that don’t have much pace or depth. Most 2 handed backhand players have difficulty playing against this type of shot as the low bounce makes it tough to do anything offensive. In general, the key here is to step into the shot and make sure your feet are there along with your swing. Often players will let the slice come to them and the low bounce forces them to hit a defensive or neutral shot. Players who allow the slice to come to them also tend to produce a few more unforced errors as their feet and body aren’t and their point of contact is too low and/or too far in front of them. Hitting an aggressive or offensive shot off a slow paced, slow bouncing slice requires good footwork, so don’t let the slow pace make you lazy or relax. (See Footwork Section)
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