How would you practice away from a court?
- Thread starter user92626
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vex
Legend
Shadow swings are a HUGE part of development for first building muscle memory and later increasing racket head speed.
user92626
G.O.A.T.
Interesting, folks.
I think even though we are not at the court to tell shot precision, the beauty of a form that we can do off-court can be indicative of the shot quality, right?
I also notice that since I pay closer attention to vision and speed, I could feel that there's alot of discrepancy with what I do at the court. Meaning, at the court nothing I do is structural. It's just improvisation and whatever!
No wonder people don't make much progress from mere playing.
I think even though we are not at the court to tell shot precision, the beauty of a form that we can do off-court can be indicative of the shot quality, right?
I also notice that since I pay closer attention to vision and speed, I could feel that there's alot of discrepancy with what I do at the court. Meaning, at the court nothing I do is structural. It's just improvisation and whatever!
No wonder people don't make much progress from mere playing.
Kawasaki Kanagawa
Professional
Shadow swings in my living room. Some at Tai-Chi speed.
FiddlerDog
Hall of Fame
Get in shape
user92626
G.O.A.T.
Good stuff, folks
I don't know about you guys but after 30 minutes or so of practicing, shadowing, loosening up muscles, refreshing technical points, I feel like I can conquer the (recreational) world
I really can see what it takes to be good -- the strength, the stamina, the focus and the discipline needed.
You know what we need to practice? Performance during near exhaustion, the 11th hour of a tough match. An impossible scenario to re-create outside of the court.
I don't know about you guys but after 30 minutes or so of practicing, shadowing, loosening up muscles, refreshing technical points, I feel like I can conquer the (recreational) world
I really can see what it takes to be good -- the strength, the stamina, the focus and the discipline needed.
You know what we need to practice? Performance during near exhaustion, the 11th hour of a tough match. An impossible scenario to re-create outside of the court.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I wouldn’t - I’m a rec player who plays every day and am on court for a couple of hours every day at my club. When I’m away from the court, the only tennis-related thing I do is spend 30-60 minutes before singles matches doing visualization and strategy preparation.
Well not everyone can play every day, think that's the reason for the question.
There's no video, but I go through the Jez Green footwork patterns with a medicine ball throw at the end. After watching the video below, I do something similar once or twice a week. Two things that really help in winter when court time is hard to get.
How to "Clean" Your Forehand Technique - 6 Drills | Connecting Tennis - YouTube
How to "Clean" Your Forehand Technique - 6 Drills | Connecting Tennis - YouTube
FiddlerDog
Hall of Fame
Basically, the exact opposite of typical USTA emphasis of most beginners
"All the motions," Preobrazhenskaya would tell me. "It is important to do everything, every practice."
The Little Group paired off with rackets and began imitatsiya — rallying with an imaginary ball. They bounced lightly from foot to foot, they turned, they swung, the invisible balls flew. Preobrazhenskaya roamed the court like a garage mechanic tuning an oversize engine: realigning a piston here, tightening a flywheel there. Several times, she grasped their small arms and piloted their bodies through the stroke.
If Preobrazhenskaya's approach were boiled down to one word (and it frequently was), that word would be tekhnika — technique. This is enforced by iron decree: none of her students are permitted to play in a tournament for the first three years of study. It's a notion that I don't imagine would fly with American parents, but none of the Russian parents questioned it for a second. "Technique is everything," Preobrazhenskaya told me later, smacking a table with Khrushchev-like emphasis, causing me to jump and reconsider my twinkly-grandma impression of her. "If you begin playing without technique, it is big mistake. Big, big mistake!"
How to Grow a Super-Athlete (Published 2007)
Is there a formula for building a sports genius? At certain training grounds around the world, the answer seems to be yes.
vex
Legend
Yeah, I know people have different views. I’m a firm believer is shadow swings myselfBasically, the exact opposite of typical USTA emphasis of most beginners
"All the motions," Preobrazhenskaya would tell me. "It is important to do everything, every practice."
The Little Group paired off with rackets and began imitatsiya — rallying with an imaginary ball. They bounced lightly from foot to foot, they turned, they swung, the invisible balls flew. Preobrazhenskaya roamed the court like a garage mechanic tuning an oversize engine: realigning a piston here, tightening a flywheel there. Several times, she grasped their small arms and piloted their bodies through the stroke.
If Preobrazhenskaya's approach were boiled down to one word (and it frequently was), that word would be tekhnika — technique. This is enforced by iron decree: none of her students are permitted to play in a tournament for the first three years of study. It's a notion that I don't imagine would fly with American parents, but none of the Russian parents questioned it for a second. "Technique is everything," Preobrazhenskaya told me later, smacking a table with Khrushchev-like emphasis, causing me to jump and reconsider my twinkly-grandma impression of her. "If you begin playing without technique, it is big mistake. Big, big mistake!"
How to Grow a Super-Athlete (Published 2007)
Is there a formula for building a sports genius? At certain training grounds around the world, the answer seems to be yes.www.nytimes.com
user92626
G.O.A.T.
I like your idea.
I got a cheapo ball shooting machine from Walmart that can do around 12 shots per round. It's pretty decent to mess around whenever I feel the itch.
Slicerman
Professional
Yeah I agree with everyone here. Shadow swings is a good thing to do to help maintain your tennis. Especially when its winter and all the indoor courts have been all shut down..
Just wished I had a higher ceiling so I could practice shadow swing of my serve without bashing in my ceiling..
Just wished I had a higher ceiling so I could practice shadow swing of my serve without bashing in my ceiling..
D
Deleted member 629564
Guest
Serve ball toss and serve motion.
user92626
G.O.A.T.
I saw on youtube that you can sit on the floor and practice the serve using the upper body only. It's pretty neat!Yeah I agree with everyone here. Shadow swings is a good thing to do to help maintain your tennis. Especially when its winter and all the indoor courts have been all shut down..
Just wished I had a higher ceiling so I could practice shadow swing of my serve without bashing in my ceiling..
Slicerman
Professional
Interesting idea. Maybe I can try sitting on a chair and do it. Hopefully I won't end up smashing my racquet on the floor.. lol
user92626
G.O.A.T.
Use an old racket, bud. I found a couple at the court!
This instructor is nice!!! Notice he doesn't let his racket drop below his head after contact. No way he can smash his racket.
sovertennis
Professional
I like to do shadow swings while standing on a BOSU ball (with the soft, curved side down). It helps with balance and making an efficient weight transfer.
Enga
Hall of Fame
Something like this would have been good for me when I was a teenager. I would always go outside and hit against the wall, making a terrible racket.
user92626
G.O.A.T.
2008 -- the year I started tennis -- was quite memorable. I saw a vibrant Nadal for the first time, in both fashion and play styles, and immediately was attracted to following his tennis & attitude. It was also the year Mr. Djokovic broke out in AO.
Tennis back then was awesome to me. I seeked out every opportunity to learn and enjoy tennis. I immediately shelled out $150 to get a new APDC and more for other stuff. I kept wrapping, re-wrapping the thing; adding, removing lead tapes every other week.
It was so enjoyable to learn about grips, topspin, FH, BH, etc. Even time alone at a wall at an empty site which felt lonely af was ...fun.
What's happening today? I am coming out to play less now. Practicing in the back yard isn't fun anymore. All the instructions and how-to's are readily available. It's just a matter of putting the pedal to the metal to get good tennis again, but there's no motivation!
Vamos! Nadal
Tennis back then was awesome to me. I seeked out every opportunity to learn and enjoy tennis. I immediately shelled out $150 to get a new APDC and more for other stuff.
I kept wrapping, re-wrapping the thing; adding, removing lead tapes every other week. It was so enjoyable to learn about grips, topspin, FH, BH, etc. Even time alone at a wall at an empty site which felt lonely af was ...fun.
What's happening today? I am coming out to play less now. Practicing in the back yard isn't fun anymore. All the instructions and how-to's are readily available. It's just a matter of putting the pedal to the metal to get good tennis again, but there's no motivation!
Vamos! Nadal
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Maybe time for a break? Switch to somethng else [as long as it's not Pball] for a while and see if that recharges your tennis batteries.
user92626
G.O.A.T.
Does it have to be a complete cold break? Like an alcoholic swearing off drinks?
I'm already breaking 50% from tennis. No more weekly singles.
Slicerman
Professional
I kinda feel the same. When I first started playing regularly in 2014, it was exciting and time of discovery. Just learning each stroke at a time was interesting and I was always pumped for the next time I go play or hit. But now it kinda feels like a chore, its just something I do regularly, like brushing my teeth. I basically know how to hit every stroke now, so now my focus is on point construction and fitness. While the last couple of years due to lockdowns, etc. my overall fitness went away and my knee acts up occasionally. Its very disappointing because I have to always hold back on my intensity or I risk injury. But I'm hoping to strengthen myself before spring comes.
I think things might tend to get stale over time when you do the same routine. Maybe to try find a new routine or new way to doing tennis to reinvigorate the passion. A few months ago I bought a set of target cones which gave me some new focus. Try to add different things to your game and it may renew your interest. This is probably similar reason why some pro players switch coaches, to keep their game from getting stagnant.
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Does it have to be a complete cold break? Like an alcoholic swearing off drinks?
There's no absolute answer. For some, cold turkey is best; change your perspective and experience. When dealing with lack of motivation, I think cold turkey is a good option.
So you're still motivated to play doubles or is that losing its appeal also?
Also, what if you simply changed groups? That can shake things up too.
