How to improve without practicing

TBM

Semi-Pro
Hi,

Every single week I play a game of tennis against a friend. We are both 3.5/4 rated players and only play once a week due to work / other commitments. We have played once a week for about 4 months straight, and even though the scoreline is usually close, I have lost EVERY single time.

You can imagine how frustrating this is.

I feel like we are so close in ability, but I never have the time to practice to improve other than the matches we have. I always try to assess the mistakes that I make to improve next time we play, but it seems we are both progressing at a similar rate. I'm sure lots of other people are in the same situation, who have figured out how to get one up on an opponent they play regularly.

Any tips?

Is it possible to improve without being on the court?
Should I watch loads of online tennis tutorials?
Would focusing on tactics be the best way of going around it?

I'm interested to see what people suggest.
 
Last edited:

Dragy

Legend
First of all, longtime one-sided record is a mark of clear advantage. No matter how it feels, no matter how close games and sets are - if you haven't beaten him a single time in 10+ matches, means he's better. Because everyone has bad days, and you being unable to take a win of him on such a day is remarkable. Just there are some styles and matchups, where a win may be not so shiny, but consistent. 6:4, 7:5, 7:6, each and every time... 10-0 h2h record...

Meanwhile, the fact that your partner is stronger is no shame. Moreover, he can still be better just in "current state", not totally superior in every aspect of the game. If you ask how to try and perform better against him without extra court time, you can look carefully at how you win and lose points. Not the highlight ones, but most of them. Maybe film a match and go one by one. Then consider if you can get to more situations when you're likely to win a point and avoid decisions which bring you to losing points. If you have some success with determining and following the route, you could shift the output to your favor.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Grow a beard, worked for this guy
2878819-bt.jpg
 

SinjinCooper

Hall of Fame
Can you find time to work on your conditioning? A 3.5 pusher's game plus much improved conditioning is way, way, way better than just a 3.5 pusher's game. The whole idea of getting to everything and hitting it back works much better when you can get to a much bigger percentage of everything.

Not saying you're a pusher. But maybe you should be. It's the alpha strategy for those who have no intention of trying to work past 4.0.

Conditioning is still a time commitment, but you can put it anywhere in your daily schedule, and can do it yourself. And you can get a lot done in less than an hour.
 

TBM

Semi-Pro
my opponent doesn't hit with a lot of power, but tends to just get everything back. He isn't a pusher, but never goes for anything crazy, just waits for me to make a mistake. I feel me losing is an attitude problem more than anything. There are times where I find myself far ahead in sets, then somehow I bottle it. When I feel like I can win I start playing much worse. Maybe subconsciously I start playing more conservative to not throw away my lead, but by doing so I'm doing exactly that. I start thinking about my shots a lot more rather than playing more naturally.

I think I need some sort of tactics to focus on to avoid feeling under pressure so much when I'm ahead.

Regarding my conditioning, I'm a 22 year old who does not smoke and has run 30 miles a week for the last 4 years. I feel in the best condition of my life. I'm just worse at tennis than my opponent it seems haha
 

TennisDawg

Hall of Fame
my opponent doesn't hit with a lot of power, but tends to just get everything back. He isn't a pusher, but never goes for anything crazy, just waits for me to make a mistake. I feel me losing is an attitude problem more than anything. There are times where I find myself far ahead in sets, then somehow I bottle it. When I feel like I can win I start playing much worse. Maybe subconsciously I start playing more conservative to not throw away my lead, but by doing so I'm doing exactly that. I start thinking about my shots a lot more rather than playing more naturally.

I think I need some sort of tactics to focus on to avoid feeling under pressure so much when I'm ahead.

Regarding my conditioning, I'm a 22 year old who does not smoke and has run 30 miles a week for the last 4 years. I feel in the best condition of my life. I'm just worse at tennis than my opponent it seems haha
Here's an idea, instead of running 30 miles per week play tennis. You should get at least 2 more tennis sessions perweek.
 

TBM

Semi-Pro
Here's an idea, instead of running 30 miles per week play tennis. You should get at least 2 more tennis sessions perweek.
I'm afraid it isnt as simple as that! you can run any time for free regardless of the weather or if its light or dark. The only tennis court near me is indoors and is quite expensive to play on. If it was up to me I'd play every day, but money and time does prevent me.
 

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
I'm afraid it isnt as simple as that! you can run any time for free regardless of the weather or if its light or dark. The only tennis court near me is indoors and is quite expensive to play on. If it was up to me I'd play every day, but money and time does prevent me.
If he's your friend why not just hit with him for 30 mins where you both can work on certain things and play 1 or 2 sets instead of 2 or 3? He should be open to that.
 

TBM

Semi-Pro
If he's your friend why not just hit with him for 30 mins where you both can work on certain things and play 1 or 2 sets instead of 2 or 3? He should be open to that.
But If im helping him improve also, surely i'll remain worse overall? or is that a bad way of looking at it hahaha
 

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
But If im helping him improve also, surely i'll remain worse overall? or is that a bad way of looking at it hahaha
Yes...that's a wrong way of looking at it. Based on the results he is clearly better than you even if the scores are close. You can't argue with the results and the fact that you've never beaten him. Practicing with him at this stage will do much more for your game than for his.
 

golden chicken

Hall of Fame
If the opponent is consistent but not aggressive and you are fit, then may I suggest attacking style tennis--serve and volley/chip and charge.

In high school I realized that for whatever reason, I wasn't as consistent at baselineing as my peers, but I was fast and aggressive-minded and I had a very good serve, compared to my peers (a serve you can work on without a playing partner). I figured if I was going to lose by my own unforced errors anyway, I could afford to try/learn a new tactic. On top of that, volleying just seems so much easier since you're close to the net and you don't really have to swing, just block it where you want it.

Over the course of my junior and senior years, I became a pretty solid serve and volleyer. I won some and I lost some, but I think I won more than if I had just stayed back.

Of course, that begs the question, if your results change right away, did you really improve as a player, or did you simply adopt a winning strategy?
 

johnnyb

Semi-Pro
Go and get Brad Gilbert's "Winning Ugly" and Timothy Gallwey's "The Inner Game of Tennis" books.

Forget about how Gilbert has beaten Becker and McEnroe, but pay attention to what he writes about learning your strengths and weaknesses, and your opponent's, too.

Gallwey is more about the "When I feel like I can win I start playing much worse" thing.

I wish I was still 22. It's much harder for the old dog to learn new tricks, but I'm still trying to learn something. :D
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
If i were you, 22, in shape, and really don't have opportunities to train on a court (ie. cost, scheduling, availability, etc...), I would:
* hit against a wall
* visualization/shadow swings
* would try to convince my partner to drill for 1/2 the time, then play points 1/2 the time
* pick one stroke, say fh,... and work on that exclusively for like 6mos.

If match play is the only way you can practice it... then watch some youtube vids on the stroke you're working to perfect, and hit over and over and over (you'll eventually get the feeling ingrained)... consequences be damned.

if my ONLY goal was to win (not actually improve by adding tools)... i'd switch to continental grip only, and lob and slice everything.. you can beat folks through the low 4.0 level, just lobbing everything back deep, and watch them self destruct. i might even skip overhand serving, and just serve underhand with sidespin exclusively.
 

TBM

Semi-Pro
If i were you, 22, in shape, and really don't have opportunities to train on a court (ie. cost, scheduling, availability, etc...), I would:
* hit against a wall
* visualization/shadow swings
* would try to convince my partner to drill for 1/2 the time, then play points 1/2 the time
* pick one stroke, say fh,... and work on that exclusively for like 6mos.

If match play is the only way you can practice it... then watch some youtube vids on the stroke you're working to perfect, and hit over and over and over (you'll eventually get the feeling ingrained)... consequences be damned.

if my ONLY goal was to win (not actually improve by adding tools)... i'd switch to continental grip only, and lob and slice everything.. you can beat folks through the low 4.0 level, just lobbing everything back deep, and watch them self destruct. i might even skip overhand serving, and just serve underhand with sidespin exclusively.

I think I'll take you're first set of advice rather than trying to win ugly. Although I am looking to win, I want to improve rather than using cheap tactics that won't help me in the long run.

I started hitting against a wall, which isn't large enough to rally against other that volleys, but I'm noticing getting a cleaner contact with the ball already. I've also hit a few hundred forehands against it, making sure I'm following through the ball properly, and making sure I keep my eye on the ball all the way until contact. I'm definitely hitting the sweet spot more and creating lots of power / spin.

I'll have to see if these things will translate onto the court when I play later on today.
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
I think I'll take you're first set of advice rather than trying to win ugly. Although I am looking to win, I want to improve rather than using cheap tactics that won't help me in the long run.

I started hitting against a wall, which isn't large enough to rally against other that volleys, but I'm noticing getting a cleaner contact with the ball already. I've also hit a few hundred forehands against it, making sure I'm following through the ball properly, and making sure I keep my eye on the ball all the way until contact. I'm definitely hitting the sweet spot more and creating lots of power / spin.

I'll have to see if these things will translate onto the court when I play later on today.

good that you do have time to hit the wall.
i'd recommend aiming ~9ft high on the wall, and really focus on exaggerating topspin on both fh and bh side.
 

TBM

Semi-Pro
good that you do have time to hit the wall.
i'd recommend aiming ~9ft high on the wall, and really focus on exaggerating topspin on both fh and bh side.
Yeah the wall is just the side of my house, so I'll spend 15 mins a day before or after work trying to improve.
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
Yeah the wall is just the side of my house, so I'll spend 15 mins a day before or after work trying to improve.
if you only have a small wall,
get a red or orange ball, and just do mini tennis drills on the wall.
again, focus on short backswing and heavy topspin
 

GuyClinch

Legend
The real answer - sneak in a weekly lesson on the down low. Not to be a dick but the average American watches 40+ hours a week of tv - so probably you can fit in a one hour lesson. IMHO for most players 2 times a week playing is minimum to improve.

Normally I would recommend fitness and flexibility but at 22 I don't know that its going to boost you up a half level - which is what you need to beat this guy.
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
The real answer - sneak in a weekly lesson on the down low. Not to be a dick but the average American watches 40+ hours a week of tv - so probably you can fit in a one hour lesson. IMHO for most players 2 times a week playing is minimum to improve.

Normally I would recommend fitness and flexibility but at 22 I don't know that its going to boost you up a half level - which is what you need to beat this guy.
+1 on lesson, but at 22, i didn't have money for tennis lessons and/or didn't know how to find a good lesson (most are crap).
but if i were 22 today, i'd make plenty of progress with youtube.
 

MathGeek

Hall of Fame
Conditioning and strategy are areas where one can improve considerably without practicing. I am limited in my practice time due to joint pain. But I doubled my mountain bike riding and also developed new strategies through watching videos, scouting players, and working on the mental game to better identify opponent weaknesses and attack them.
 
Forget conditioning. It is rarely a factor. It is like 5% of the game.

You want to beat a 3.5/4.0? Just bunt everything back.
Don't go for a singe winner
You will crush them, as they crush themselves spazzzzzzzzzzz
 

GuyClinch

Legend
Conditioning is a huge factor for the over 40 crowd. Not much of an issue at 22 - at 3.5 IMHO. Obviously it depends - some guys might need conditioning at 22. But at 50 IMHO - not only does aerobic conditioning come into play - but so does flexibility. Most of the time strength is okay..

Most guys don't 'see' it or even feel it but I personally think both the 'choppy' strides, the upright posture and the frequency of pancake serves is really related to flexibility in general. Aerobic is pretty obvious - you can feel that if you can play against someone that hits back. Its not like guys get out of breath - they just start making 'poor' choices to 'end' the point. Whereas the super fit guy can play the percentages all day and just wait for opportunity. Also the older plays tend to run out of steam in the second set. I played a 50+ guy in singles last year. And said to myself if I can just extend points and hang on for third set - I will win. And I won. Guy lost 6-1 in third. You can do the same to overweight guys..
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Conditioning is a huge factor for the over 40 crowd. Not much of an issue at 22 - at 3.5 IMHO. Obviously it depends - some guys might need conditioning at 22. But at 50 IMHO - not only does aerobic conditioning come into play - but so does flexibility. Most of the time strength is okay..

Most guys don't 'see' it or even feel it but I personally think both the 'choppy' strides, the upright posture and the frequency of pancake serves is really related to flexibility in general. Aerobic is pretty obvious - you can feel that if you can play against someone that hits back. Its not like guys get out of breath - they just start making 'poor' choices to 'end' the point. Whereas the super fit guy can play the percentages all day and just wait for opportunity. Also the older plays tend to run out of steam in the second set. I played a 50+ guy in singles last year. And said to myself if I can just extend points and hang on for third set - I will win. And I won. Guy lost 6-1 in third. You can do the same to overweight guys..
Torture Tennis
 
Under 4.0 the points are fast. I find myself almost never tried during a set. Chase down a lob, and your tired for a point after. Only until third set in summer heat does it ever come into play
 

blip

Rookie
Continue to do what you were doing to get ahead. Find his weakness and exploit it. Get on offense. Go for winners but with larger margins.

Main thing is get over the 'he always wins' mindset. It's hard. I know. My brother has beaten me for years and years, even tho, I believe I am the better player. Obviously, I wasn't. I had to fix my flaws, play better and start 1st sets better. We only played mostly 1 set and he would always win. One thing that helped was getting a better serve. You'll be amazed how holding serve easier, helps everything. Just think the pressure your opponent has if he feels he can never break your serve.
 

Searah

Semi-Pro
if your very close but can only play once a week. maybe just concentrate on fitness instead. squats especially!

edit - obviously playing is better practice but if you can't get to play any extra then at least with exercising at home.. you're going to get into better shape and play better/longer when you do play.
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Forget conditioning. It is rarely a factor. It is like 5% of the game.

Perhaps...if you're in great condition. If you're in poor condition, it will absolutely hinder your performance.

You want to beat a 3.5/4.0? Just bunt everything back.
Don't go for a singe winner
You will crush them, as they crush themselves spazzzzzzzzzzz

In order to bunt everything back, you need to get to everything first. Pushers are known for being in good/great shape which is what allows them to reach everything.
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Under 4.0 the points are fast. I find myself almost never tried during a set. Chase down a lob, and your tired for a point after. Only until third set in summer heat does it ever come into play

Yes but how good a shape are you in? Maybe you almost never get tired because you're in great shape?

Chasing lobs is cumulative, especially if during the same point. You may recover after one point but not everybody does. In fact, a lot of people know they can't recover so they don't bother chasing the lob.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Hi,

Every single week I play a game of tennis against a friend. We are both 3.5/4 rated players and only play once a week due to work / other commitments. We have played once a week for about 4 months straight, and even though the scoreline is usually close, I have lost EVERY single time.

You can imagine how frustrating this is.

I feel like we are so close in ability, but I never have the time to practice to improve other than the matches we have. I always try to assess the mistakes that I make to improve next time we play, but it seems we are both progressing at a similar rate. I'm sure lots of other people are in the same situation, who have figured out how to get one up on an opponent they play regularly.

Any tips?

Is it possible to improve without being on the court?
Should I watch loads of online tennis tutorials?
Would focusing on tactics be the best way of going around it?

I'm interested to see what people suggest.

James

When Federer was losing a lot to Nadal, he made some changes: got a bigger frame and started coming over his backhand more instead of always slicing it. See if you can make some changes like that.

Mind you he is still extremely afraid of Nadal and tanked the USO Delpo match to avoid facing him, but the changes did help him get 4 consecutive wins over Nadal.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Yes but how good a shape are you in? Maybe you almost never get tired because you're in great shape?

Chasing lobs is cumulative, especially if during the same point. You may recover after one point but not everybody does. In fact, a lot of people know they can't recover so they don't bother chasing the lob.
Drop
Lob
Repeat
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
I was thinking of doubles where both of us are at net and I have to run diagonally to the back fence to cover lob #1, then laterally to cover lob #2, and then laterally back to cover #3. After that, I'm ready to collapse.
Shirley, your partner is there to cheer you on
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Shirley, your partner is there to cheer you on

My partner in that set is a pretty good player. He just wasn't seeing the forest for the trees: each individual decision for him to let me run down the lob was logical. But not 3 in a row.

Surely you jest! ;)
 

S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Does he always defer the decision to move?

No, he's got wheels too. It was just a perfect storm of 3 consecutive lobs. If my partner had to run down 2 in a row, I might have backed off of the net a bit in case they lobbed over my head 3rd time so I could cover it.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
No, he's got wheels too. It was just a perfect storm of 3 consecutive lobs. If my partner had to run down 2 in a row, I might have backed off of the net a bit in case they lobbed over my head 3rd time so I could cover it.
Been there, Senior dubs 101, lob the netman, rinse, repeat.
 

TennisCJC

Legend
Someone above mentioned wall practice. if court time is cost prohibitive, try to find a practice wall. it doesn't even have to be on a tennis court, over the last 40 years, I've improvised wall practice on an indoor racketball court, outdoor racketball court, the brick side of an elementary school that abutted the parking lot. But, I am fortunate now, there are 3 courts with walls and 3 stand alone walls all under 2 miles from my house.

You can practice any stroke on a wall: groundstrokes, volleys, 1/2 volleys, overheads, lobs (if it is a tall wall), and serving to targets.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Someone above mentioned wall practice. if court time is cost prohibitive, try to find a practice wall. it doesn't even have to be on a tennis court, over the last 40 years, I've improvised wall practice on an indoor racketball court, outdoor racketball court, the brick side of an elementary school that abutted the parking lot. But, I am fortunate now, there are 3 courts with walls and 3 stand alone walls all under 2 miles from my house.

You can practice any stroke on a wall: groundstrokes, volleys, 1/2 volleys, overheads, lobs (if it is a tall wall), and serving to targets.
Be sure to use the wall before 8 am
 
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