How do I work on fundamentals?

[Tranqville]

My weakness is my fundamentals: ball recognition, ready position, split step, unit turn, footwork, contact point, kinetic chain, recovery footwork. I'm often late to the bounce, feel rushed and have late contact point. I'm particularly bad at vertical movement - stepping in for short ball and moving back for deep balls. I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

I'm NTRP 4.0 with 4.5-level, technically sound groundstrokes.

 

[Kevo]

Find a good wall or backboard and hit on the wall to the point where you can barely keep up. Then run your own drills and challenge your limits. You can do up and back, cross from backhand to forehand, chip in and volley, all sorts of good drills. I can easily wear myself out on a wall in 10 minutes with whatever kind of drill I want.

 

[Funbun]

Unfortunately this is a part of tennis that only improves from long, long hours of pure repetition and practice until it becomes intuitive.

What your coach is doing is great; he can isolate these specific movements with feeds.

If you can find a practice partner who is willing to hit with you for hours, you can both try cross court only vs DTL only drills, feed point play drills.

Djokovic game also really helps with dexterity, fast changing of direction, in general, too.

One time someone offered to just return all my serves while I was doing serve practice by myself. They were able to practice those three bold objectives you were mentioning; isolating the footwork and return.

Remember that upon landing with the split step, you should be simultaneously exploding/pushing off in the direction you want to go; people don't split step just to land flat and stay stuck on their feet. You can see this in actual matchplay; it's unlike the typical manufactured split steps you may see in relaxed, warmup rallies.

 

[BallChaser]

Have you tried hitting everything on the rise? That forces you to prepare much earlier. After hitting 5 minutes only on the rise, you will feel like there were a ton of time before hitting balls that are coming down (not on the rise) and start feeling you are an early recognizer and unit-turner.

 

[BetaServe]

Buy a ball machine to feed you the exact same balls which allows you to groove in your technique

 

[Tranqville]

Have you tried hitting everything on the rise? That forces you to prepare much earlier. After hitting 5 minutes only on the rise, you will feel like there were a ton of time before hitting balls that are coming down (not on the rise) and start feeling you are an early recognizer and unit-turner.

I usually try to hit at the top of the bounce. Haven't tried hitting on the rise only, great idea!

 

[Tranqville]

Remember that upon landing with the split step, you should be simultaneously exploding/pushing off in the direction you want to go; people don't split step just to land flat and stay stuck on their feet. You can see this in actual matchplay; it's unlike the typical manufactured split steps you may see in relaxed, warmup rallies.

It's exactly this explosive, active split step that I try to develop!

 

[Tranqville]

Buy a ball machine to feed you the exact same balls which allows you to groove in your technique

My technique is fine - the problem is arriving to the ball early and setting up to unleash it.

 

[Tranqville]

Find a good wall or backboard and hit on the wall to the point where you can barely keep up. Then run your own drills and challenge your limits. You can do up and back, cross from backhand to forehand, chip in and volley, all sorts of good drills. I can easily wear myself out on a wall in 10 minutes with whatever kind of drill I want.

I have not hit a wall for so many years - since I was a kid. Interesting idea!

 

[soft_manatee]

it sounds to me like you want to practice reception based skills (recognizing where the ball will land and preparing early, splitstep timing, etc)

yet your coach is doing closed hand feeding and people are suggesting the wall and a ball machine lol

how are u going to learn to better receive the ball when you've taken out one of the most important factors, the person sending it?

reading skills are best practiced in an open environment with an actual opponent

start by asking your coach to rally/play points with you while you call out where the ball will land as early as possible

 

[Kevo]

yet your coach is doing closed hand feeding and people are suggesting the wall and a ball machine lol

I get the issue you have with the ball machine. It's a bit difficult to get a ball machine set up that is capable of a good workout which can challenge your footwork and early recognition and preparation skills. I still would say it's possible if you have a good enough ball machine, but most people won't have access to it.

What's wrong with a wall though? I've given myself some of the best footwork and preparation practice I've had hitting on a wall. In fact I suspect if I never had access to a wall I'd be a much less capable player. You can easily challenge yourself beyond what is possible with most hitting partners the vast majority of players would ever have access to. The biggest benefit is you can do it anytime you want. You can go every day and get some consistent, at your limits practice on preparation, visualization, foot work, consistency, accuracy, short reaction volleys, and the list goes on. Unless you have daily high level practice partners or full time coaching I don't know of a better way to get that kind of practice. Even with those things there are still some things that will be more efficient and effective on the wall.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Lots of good tips. To me it sounds like you could pay more attention to what your opponent is doing and how the ball comes off of their racquet. That to me is the key to earlier recognition (same for ROS). So1) as soon as you hit - prepare, 2) watch your opponent, there is usually a tell, that tips you off as to what to do next.

 

[Tranqville]

Lots of good tips. To me it sounds like you could pay more attention to what your opponent is doing and how the ball comes off of their racquet. That to me is the key to earlier recognition (same for ROS). So1) as soon as you hit - prepare, 2) watch your opponent, there is usually a tell, that tips you off as to what to do next.

I know I have to do 1. and 2., but it's not automated for me, and most of my attention goes to swing so those parts of the game are left utterly neglected. In tennis, everything - swing, footwork, watching the ball, etc - are actually a unity, one process, that I cannot yet find and gain access to. Maybe start at really slow rally speed? I hit hard and that creates high tempo I cannot sustain in terms of footwork and vision. My coach says that it takes years of practice, starting from the young age. So it's not easy. But I believe it's achievable.

I have this amazing patches in my practices where I play on 5.0+ level for a couple of minutes, doing most of those things unconsciously,, but I cannot sustain them physically and mentally. This glimpses of hope tease me into thinking I can achieve it and sustain it, I just cannot find a work plan to achieve that.

 

[Chas Tennis]

My weakness is my fundamentals: ball recognition, ready position, split step, unit turn, footwork, contact point, kinetic chain, recovery footwork. I'm often late to the bounce, feel rushed and have late contact point. I'm particularly bad at vertical movement - stepping in for short ball and moving back for deep balls. I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

I'm NTRP 4.0 with 4.5-level, technically sound groundstrokes.

How is your forehand separation?

 

[Slicehand]

Training, fundamentaly

 

[Tranqville]

How is your forehand separation?

Good and clean when I have time to set up. Working on it!

 

[Artanis]

I don't get how you can train accuracy by just hitting at the wall...
Otherwise, good tips.

 

[Kevo]

I don't get how you can train accuracy by just hitting at the wall...
Otherwise, good tips.

Accuracy is just hitting to a target. You can do that on a wall over and over again. You can do slice just above the line or topspin shots 3-4 feet above the line. You can also work on consistency of power by targeting not only a spot on the wall, but a spot where the ball would bounce after it hits the wall. There are so many variations. I've even worked on serves against the wall. If you are using a backboard at a regular court then the distance from the service line to the back fence is typically the same as the distance from the base line to the net. So it works out perfect to targeting locations on the net line of the backboard.

 

[optic yellow]

What's wrong with a wall though? I've given myself some of the best footwork and preparation practice I've had hitting on a wall. In fact I suspect if I never had access to a wall I'd be a much less capable player. You can easily challenge yourself beyond what is possible with most hitting partners the vast majority of players would ever have access to. The biggest benefit is you can do it anytime you want. You can go every day and get some consistent, at your limits practice on preparation, visualization, foot work, consistency, accuracy, short reaction volleys, and the list goes on. Unless you have daily high level practice partners or full time coaching I don't know of a better way to get that kind of practice. Even with those things there are still some things that will be more efficient and effective on the wall.

Accuracy is just hitting to a target. You can do that on a wall over and over again. You can do slice just above the line or topspin shots 3-4 feet above the line. You can also work on consistency of power by targeting not only a spot on the wall, but a spot where the ball would bounce after it hits the wall. There are so many variations. I've even worked on serves against the wall. If you are using a backboard at a regular court then the distance from the service line to the back fence is typically the same as the distance from the base line to the net. So it works out perfect to targeting locations on the net line of the backboard.

GOAT tier advice. Everyone would be well served to listen. At some point you will get bored and need to test your improvement against a hitting partner but the quality of practice is limited almost entirely by your imagination.

 

[LuckyR]

My weakness is my fundamentals: ball recognition, ready position, split step, unit turn, footwork, contact point, kinetic chain, recovery footwork. I'm often late to the bounce, feel rushed and have late contact point. I'm particularly bad at vertical movement - stepping in for short ball and moving back for deep balls. I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

I'm NTRP 4.0 with 4.5-level, technically sound groundstrokes.

Congrats on getting to 4.0 in the absence of these fundamentals. If you don't mind my asking, what are your strengths (in the face of these weaknesses)?

 

[PURETENNISsense]

My weakness is my fundamentals: ball recognition, ready position, split step, unit turn, footwork, contact point, kinetic chain, recovery footwork. I'm often late to the bounce, feel rushed and have late contact point. I'm particularly bad at vertical movement - stepping in for short ball and moving back for deep balls. I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

I'm NTRP 4.0 with 4.5-level, technically sound groundstrokes.

Rally with a hitting partner that can modify the pace according to what you want to target for that day. Ball.machine isn't realistic enough for your level, you sre beyond that. Also, implement these in some practice points (don't keep score) with a training partner. This will keep the pressure at virtually nothing and allow you to put practice into points.

 

[zill]

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

Work on it yourself against a wall.

 

[Tranqville]

Congrats on getting to 4.0 in the absence of these fundamentals. If you don't mind my asking, what are your strengths (in the face of these weaknesses)?

A reliable powerful forehand is my biggest strengths, with a variety of speed, spin and placement. My OHBH is technically solild but has limited varienty and tends to break down under pressure. I start to slice too much. Good backhand slice, good volleys and approach game, some tactical awareness and decision-making. I have been playing tennis since 8, on and off., so I have some developed some natural game understanding as a kid. My coach says I always go for complex and difficult tactical choices beyond my current capacity, so tactics is also a weakness that I have not yet had a chance to address.

 

[nyta2]

what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

2 things that helped me..
* keep trying and making mistakes
* being in an environment where others are doing it well (clinics, sparring partners, etc...)... helpful to observe how to do it right (eg. i found that often times my idea of "explosive" is not even close to what i'm supposed to be doing, because subconsciously i was (a) conserving energy (not fit!) (b) didn't feel the need to move fast against my typical sparring partners )

in the beginning, when i'm doing it right, i'm winded quickly.

 

[LuckyR]

A reliable powerful forehand is my biggest strengths, with a variety of speed, spin and placement. My OHBH is technically solild but has limited varienty and tends to break down under pressure. I start to slice too much. Good backhand slice, good volleys and approach game, some tactical awareness and decision-making. I have been playing tennis since 8, on and off., so I have some developed some natural game understanding as a kid. My coach says I always go for complex and difficult tactical choices beyond my current capacity, so tactics is also a weakness that I have not yet had a chance to address.

Interesting. Assuming that you are significantly older than 8, IMO the easiest and fastest improvement in your match performance would likely be to improve (meaning: simplify) your shot selection, the overly complex tactics you referred to.

 

[Tranqville]

Interesting. Assuming that you are significantly older than 8, IMO the easiest and fastest improvement in your match performance would likely be to improve (meaning: simplify) your shot selection, the overly complex tactics you referred to.

I just turned 49 In terms of tactics, I mostly follow Wardlaw directionals recently. Again, doing it well requires solid fundamentals.

 

[optic yellow]

@Kevo The one thing I would say the wall is also unable to do is help someone surmount the psychological block of looking at the baseline underneath the net if they have a tendency to sail shots deep. The wall practice should give them more confidence in their abilities but there is still an element of self trust that can't really be solidified without hitting on the court.

 

[socallefty]

Recover with a side shuffle to the ideal recovery position (IRP) for CC and DTL shots.
Start recovering to IRP as soon as you hit your shot and don‘t stand and watch your shot till it bounces.
While recovering, keep your racquet up and watch your opponent carefully.
Split-step just before the opponent hits the ball so that you are in the air at contact.

 

[Tranqville]

Recover with a side shuffle to the ideal recovery position (IRP) for CC and DTL shots.
Start recovering to IRP as soon as you hit your shot and don‘t stand and watch your shot till it bounces.
While recovering, keep your racquet up and watch your opponent carefully.
Split-step just before the opponent hits the ball so that you are in the air at contact.

Doing all that, already. I recover with aggressive cross-step, then shuffle-step and split. Not very well but doing it all.

 

[Tranqville]

@Kevo The one thing I would say the wall is also unable to do is help someone surmount the psychological block of looking at the baseline underneath the net if they have a tendency to sail shots deep. The wall practice should give them more confidence in their abilities but there is still an element of self trust that can't really be solidified without hitting on the court.

We now always have some cones separating zones 2 and 3 (line half-way between service line and baseline), and that really helped me gain depth. I also split zone 3 into 3 equal parts with cones.

 

[LuckyR]

I just turned 49 In terms of tactics, I mostly follow Wardlaw directionals recently. Again, doing it well requires solid fundamentals.

Hhmmm... are you saying that directionals are overly complex?

 

[johnmccabe]

Doing all that, already. I recover with aggressive cross-step, then shuffle-step and split. Not very well but doing it all.

Have you tried to film yourself and check split step timing? Late split step can be worse than not SS, as I starting to realize

 

[Tranqville]

Have you tried to film yourself and check split step timing? Late split step can be worse than not SS, as I starting to realize

I have filmed myself in matches: it's mostly ok but not consistent, sometimes late.

 

[Tranqville]

Hhmmm... are you saying that directionals are overly complex?

Directionals are simple, I just over-complicate things beyond directionals: too many drop shots, attempts to wrong foot, sharp angles, etc.

 

[user92626]

I think you just need a Red Bull or at least coffee.

 

[TennisDawg]

I think the best way to practice your objective is real practice matches instead of trying to simulate matches. Assuming you have reliable available tennis partners. I don’t think a wall or ball machine quite simulates real play.

 

[LuckyR]

Directionals are simple, I just over-complicate things beyond directionals: too many drop shots, attempts to wrong foot, sharp angles, etc.

I think you have identified a large portion of the problem, namely shot tolerance.

 

[optic yellow]

We now always have some cones separating zones 2 and 3 (line half-way between service line and baseline), and that really helped me gain depth. I also split zone 3 into 3 equal parts with cones.

Why do you think it helped with this?

I think the best way to practice your objective is real practice matches instead of trying to simulate matches. Assuming you have reliable available tennis partners. I don’t think a wall or ball machine quite simulates real play.

It doesn't quite simulate but if you can imagine the hits coming back as you're running yourself around it trains the muscle memory well. The point is not that the wall is sufficient by itself but rather the best "laboratory" for someone to work on their game.

 

[Tranqville]

I think the best way to practice your objective is real practice matches instead of trying to simulate matches. Assuming you have reliable available tennis partners. I don’t think a wall or ball machine quite simulates real play.

I play my local league matches. Took this month off competition to focus on practicing the fundamentals.

 

[Tranqville]

Why do you think it helped with this?

When my ball lands just a little short of the line separating 2 and 3, I immediately get a feedback and try to regain depths. Without cones those shots feel ok and I don't pay attention. I only struggle with depth in point play: when I hit hand-fed balls, they are all going consistently deep.

 

[Tranqville]

I had my best practice so far today. Crushing hand-fed balls consistently and working on my recovery behind the cone. The adjustment I made, thanks to this thread, is that I asked my coach to spend 30 minutes playing points at medium pace. Today we divided point play in two parts. First, we played normal shots where I did well, hit deep and reliable and had good footwork. All of the sudden, I felt footwork as easy and light, moved well, split-steping and unit-turning actively. Second part was him emulating a junk baller , throwing a variety of spins, mostly underspin, lobs, short and deep balls, angles, off-pace junk. I totally collapsed and made a ton of mistakes, could not keep 3 bals in play. My legs where a bit gone, my footwork became lazy and I lost focus entirely. I hope I can do much better next time!

 

[optic yellow]

When my ball lands just a little short of the line separating 2 and 3, I immediately get a feedback and try to regain depths. Without cones those shots feel ok and I don't pay attention. I only struggle with depth in point play: when I hit hand-fed balls, they are all going consistently deep.

This makes sense to as it provides you visual reminder but I'm surprised you say they feel okay without the cones. When I hit things with poor depth out of fear for hitting them long I can usually tell I made a poor or abbreviated stroke.

 

[Tranqville]

This makes sense to as it provides you visual reminder but I'm surprised you say they feel okay without the cones. When I hit things with poor depth out of fear for hitting them long I can usually tell I made a poor or abbreviated stroke.

I usually don't hit very shallow in practice, just a bit short of zone 3.

 

[travlerajm]

I don't get how you can train accuracy by just hitting at the wall...
Otherwise, good tips.

Hitting against a wall is actually the easiest way to train accuracy, because you get immediate feedback with a self-reinforcing feedback loop. The more accurate your shot, the easier the next shot is.

 

[tomkowy]

I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

Two things regarding current method:
1. Your coach will always feed the ball with a timing comfortable for you - he waits for you, then feeds the ball. That's not the case when you play real rallies.
2. If you split step before coach feeds the ball, then you can't split step properly. The whole concept of split step is to be in the air when opponent hits the ball. When you land, you already recognize the direction and you're able to move your body towards the ball.

Four things happen during split step:
1. You make a little jump just before opponent hits the ball
2. Your eye focuses on the ball
3. Your brain recognizes the direction of the ball until you land
4. You start to turn the upper body and move towards the ball right when you land on both feet

First thing I would change is the way you do the current drills - the coach could feed balls from the racquet. Then you have clear visual on the ball and racquet, you can time your split step properly, so you will be in the air when the ball leaves coaches racquet.

What helps a lot with learning split step is rhythm. When I was a kid my coach taught me a drill:
1. Your coach stands on the other side of the court around the service line and turns up a metronome or other kind or a song with a clear rhythm that you both can hear.
2. He feeds you the ball according to the rhythm - every "x" beats. Important thing is that the ball is fed after the bounce - coach drops the ball for the bounce and then hits. This gives you time to focus on the ball and time the split step.
3. Coach feeds the ball with a pace that is OK or even challenging for you but the balls are fed on a comfortable distance (three steps to the ball are enough) -> this way the emphasis is on early preparation, not on movement per se. Also the time between the balls is long enough for you to get back to the middle and focus on next ball. (but everything in the rhythm!)
4. You focus on timing the split step properly and preparing as fast as possible. The rhythm will help with timing the split step and coordinating your feet.
What is hard about the split step is the timing when you should start this small "jump". With rhythm/ music it's easier to learn this timing. Also the focus is not to make you tired but to feed you fast balls that are a bit challenging for you. This way you have to focus on fast preparation (unit turn, first step, etc.)

 

[johnmccabe]

Please keep updating your journey. This is a very valuable thread.

 

[Fintft]

My weakness is my fundamentals: ball recognition, ready position, split step, unit turn, footwork, contact point, kinetic chain, recovery footwork. I'm often late to the bounce, feel rushed and have late contact point. I'm particularly bad at vertical movement - stepping in for short ball and moving back for deep balls. I asked my coach to dedicate one month to fundamentals only. He created a program for me that mostly consists of hand-feeding different type of balls for me - short, long, wide. I split step, he feeds the ball, I move, hit, go back. We also do rapid succession of 4-5 different balls. My footwork, kinetic chain and contact point are improving, however the quality and timing of my split step, unit turn and ball recognition are not.

Big question - what can we do to gain early ball recognition, better splitstep timing, explosive early unit turn and first step to the ball?

I'm NTRP 4.0 with 4.5-level, technically sound groundstrokes.

I get lessons after which I ...yell at you for months, or you the lessons as well...

 

[Artanis]

Hitting against a wall is actually the easiest way to train accuracy, because you get immediate feedback with a self-reinforcing feedback loop. The more accurate your shot, the easier the next shot is.

I meant you have no clue about shot depth...

 

[travlerajm]

I meant you have no clue about shot depth...

That’s not true at all. To keep a wall rally going, you need to make sure the ball always lands at exactly the same depth in front of you, You get even better depth feedback because if you miss your depth target, the next shot will be tougher.

 

[johnmccabe]

Every time I play with someone above my level, even in practice (not counting points), I immediately switch to my old rhythm, late split step and late unit turn. In return of serve, it is so obvious. When I get the chance to hit with better players with more pace and spin, my strokes/swing get faster but all other preps become sluggish. I end up with higher RHS, late contact and more mishits, compared to normal days. Is it psychological? Is this normal? Do you have similar problem at 4.0-4.5?