practice etiquette

[dozu]

this might worth a sticky.

just to list the don'ts that maybe annoying to the partner - have seen these thru out the years.

are you in violation?

1 - the late comer... always 20min late.... in certain situations it's understandable, but if you are always late, there is something wrong.

2 - the no-baller.... never bring balls, or only have junks that are not usable. come on... don't be a cheapo

3 - the winner hitter - this has been discussed before, practice hit points should be started with balls down the middle, then angles/paces are gradually added, till an error or winner.

4 - the big server - nothing wrong if you can make them in... but some just hit errors after errors, and the partner has to watch 6 balls in the net or wide/long before 1 is good.. if you can't serve sh1t, spin it in or something.

5 - the stroke builder - if you are working on a new stroke, but can't keep 2 of them in the court yet, don't use it in practice.... you need to hit the wall or ball machine more.... you cannot use your partner as a ball machine..

6 - the monkey see monkey do - if your partner is working on approaches and volleys, let him do that, and you can keep working on your passing shots..... don't start charging the net also and ruin his thing.

I will add more if I can think of any.

 

[The Matrix]

The Drop Shotter - Really, you're going to throw in a drop shot while we're warming up? Save it for the match.

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Inability to keep the ball in play. Quit blasting **** out and wide.

It's even more annoying when they're unaware of it.

 

[Steady Eddy]

6 - the monkey see monkey do - if your partner is working on approaches and volleys, let him do that, and you can keep working on your passing shots..... don't start charging the net also and ruin his thing.

Singles or doubles? You have a partner in doubles, so you mean if your partner goes to the net, then you must stay back? I don't see why that would be necessary.

Or do you mean in a singles warm up, if the guy across the net goes to the net, then you should stay back? Yeah, that one makes sense.

 

[BurnNotice]

Singles or doubles? You have a partner in doubles, so you mean if your partner goes to the net, then you must stay back? I don't see why that would be necessary.

Or do you mean in a singles warm up, if the guy across the net goes to the net, then you should stay back? Yeah, that one makes sense.

I believe he's talking about random practices with a buddy, most likely singles.

 

[Steady Eddy]

I believe he's talking about random practices with a buddy, most likely singles.

Thanks. What confused me was that in singles you don't have a partner. The guy across the net is an opponent. Whatever.

However, it's not always a bad idea for both of you to be at the net at the same time. My pro recommended that to us as a way to become better volleyers. But I'd ask first before going up to the net.

 

[only4theweak187]

i hate you

 

[10nistennis]

The "I have to try to give you advice every time you miss a ball" Player

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

The all-time feeder. Even when you have 4 or 5 balls in your pocket and you want to unload some, and the other person has 1 in his/her hand.

The "I refuse to carry/pick up more than 1 ball" person.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

<-------------- The person who's feeds always float too high and deep to the backhand. Hard to start a rally that way.

 

[Jonny S&V]

this might worth a sticky.

just to list the don'ts that maybe annoying to the partner - have seen these thru out the years.

are you in violation?

1 - the late comer... always 20min late.... in certain situations it's understandable, but if you are always late, there is something wrong.

2 - the no-baller.... never bring balls, or only have junks that are not usable. come on... don't be a cheapo

3 - the winner hitter - this has been discussed before, practice hit points should be started with balls down the middle, then angles/paces are gradually added, till an error or winner.

4 - the big server - nothing wrong if you can make them in... but some just hit errors after errors, and the partner has to watch 6 balls in the net or wide/long before 1 is good.. if you can't serve sh1t, spin it in or something.

5 - the stroke builder - if you are working on a new stroke, but can't keep 2 of them in the court yet, don't use it in practice.... you need to hit the wall or ball machine more.... you cannot use your partner as a ball machine..

6 - the monkey see monkey do - if your partner is working on approaches and volleys, let him do that, and you can keep working on your passing shots..... don't start charging the net also and ruin his thing.

I will add more if I can think of any.

I disagree with this one slightly. I don't have access to a ball machine or a decent wall. Now what? Do I just never learn anything new ever again? I do this one constantly with my partners, and my partners do this constantly with me. It's how you get better. Now, I can understand if you're happy at the level that you're at, but where's the fun with that?

 

[TheOneHander]

Delete post.

 

[Hewex]

I disagree with this one slightly. I don't have access to a ball machine or a decent wall. Now what? Do I just never learn anything new ever again? I do this one constantly with my partners, and my partners do this constantly with me. It's how you get better. Now, I can understand if you're happy at the level that you're at, but where's the fun with that?

You're lucky that you have partners who get the big picture. My partner would rather beat me in practice than have both of us improve. I've gone to a ball machine as a result.

 

[dozu]

You're lucky that you have partners who get the big picture. My partner would rather beat me in practice than have both of us improve. I've gone to a ball machine as a result.

[non joking mode ON]

Hewex, nice guy like you should have plenty of partners.

 

[Hewex]

Thanks Dozu, but it seems they all want to play matches, not practice. Maybe, it's the 3.0-3.5 level guys and at 4.0+ more guys are willing to hit.

 

[JRstriker12]

Do you really need a practice etiquette thread?

The dudes that I practice with are there to practice and generally do not put up with or dish out any nonsense. We generally go out with a plan and stay focused. We bring at least one ball hopper and run a lot of cooperative drills. Quite simply, if you are are no ball bringing, can't rally, dropper hitting azz... you are not getting a call for practice.

The guys that just want to get on the court and goof around and hit around are not "practice", that's just hitting around. Much lower bars for these guys, but I know not to depend on guys who just want to "hit" if I want to really intensely focus practicing parts of my game.

Also, if you are working on your stroke - how else to build it but in practice? You may have to hit the new stroke off some ball feeds to get it down or before you can hit it well enough to rally though...

 

[Steady Eddy]

5 - the stroke builder - if you are working on a new stroke, but can't keep 2 of them in the court yet, don't use it in practice.... you need to hit the wall or ball machine more.... you cannot use your partner as a ball machine..

Also, if you are working on your stroke - how else to build it but in practice? You may have to hit the new stroke off some ball feeds to get it down or before you can hit it well enough to rally though...

With a ball machine or with your pro during a lesson.

 

[Jonny S&V]

With a ball machine or with your pro during a lesson.

What if you don't have access to either of those (aka, me for the most part)? We're just stuck with what we have?

 

[maverick66]

With a ball machine or with your pro during a lesson.

I disagree. You have to work on your shots in live ball otherwise they wont improve. If your practice partner cant accept that you are trying to work on something than find another one.

 

[Larrysümmers]

you and your parner should be in communication. like hey man im going to work on this on my forehand, so bear with me. and whatnot.

 

[Steady Eddy]

What if you don't have access to either of those (aka, me for the most part)? We're just stuck with what we have?

I disagree. You have to work on your shots in live ball otherwise they wont improve. If your practice partner cant accept that you are trying to work on something than find another one.

Remember the context? It said,

"you are working on a new stroke, but can't keep 2 of them in the court yet".

So suppose you've always chipped your backhand, and decided you're going to learn to hit it topspin. If you can't put together two in a row, that's kind of a drag for your hitting partner. Maybe hit against a wall. When you finally manage to get back 3 in-a-row topspin, NOW you're ready to use it in practice and only be mildly annoying, instead of 100% annoying.

 

[maverick66]

I have had hitting partners that were trying to flatten out forehands and were spraying them everywhere and I have been the hitting partner that is spraying balls everywhere. That is called learning and finding your way to hit the ball. If you cant put up with someone working on improving go play golf.

 

[Steady Eddy]

I have had hitting partners that were trying to flatten out forehands and were spraying them everywhere and I have been the hitting partner that is spraying balls everywhere. That is called learning and finding your way to hit the ball. If you cant put up with someone working on improving go play golf.

Tell them "you suck!", ask them if "they're always this bad?", things like that. Then everyone has a good time.

 

[zasr4325]

The whole point of practice is to work on things that might be useful during matches. So you might do drills that would emphasise consistency, or maybe something that works on a part of your game you don't use that often. For me, I'll try and S&V as often as possible, as I definitely don't do that enough in matches. Or maybe I might try staying up on the baseline for as long as possible, just trying to take the ball really early. As it's practice, and you're not paying anyone for their time, it doesn't matter if you waste some time working on certain weaker aspects of yor game, as you can spend as long as you like out there. And usually my hitting partner is a good friend of mine, so it's not like there is any ambiguity between us. If I want to work on something, I will, and same goes for him. It's also nice to get a really long practice in, as you can max out during play then not have to worry about wasting any time when you take a break.

 

[Frank Silbermann]

I disagree with this one slightly. I don't have access to a ball machine or a decent wall. Now what? Do I just never learn anything new ever again? I do this one constantly with my partners, and my partners do this constantly with me. It's how you get better. Now, I can understand if you're happy at the level that you're at, but where's the fun with that?

I guess they expect you to hire a teaching pro to hit with you.

 

[Frank Silbermann]

The "I have to try to give you advice every time you miss a ball" Player

Especially if it's bad or irrelevant advice. E.g. "You're missing it because of the grip you're using" -- even though you were hitting the shot fine last week.

 

[zasr4325]

Especially if it's bad or irrelevant advice. E.g. "You're missing it because of the grip you're using" -- even though you were hitting the shot fine last week.

I love the club league players who show up wielding "Roger's Racquet", in the most recent Federer/Nadal gear, and then do their "warm up", which consists of hitting the crap out the ball until they find the court, which will be about once out of twenty. What's more annoying is the fact that I'm actually trying to feed them balls and trying to get them to play with me, but no. They choose to keep hitting long, and then, by some miracle, they shank the ball so badly it drops over the net and stops dead. Then there's a smug look that says, "I totally meant that". Really? REALLY?

 

[Automatix]

3 - the winner hitter - this has been discussed before, practice hit points should be started with balls down the middle, then angles/paces are gradually added, till an error or winner.

OMG.One of the players I hit with always does that.
IQ of a tomato. I tell him. Keep the ball in play. They can be deeper but stop trying to hit winners after 3 freaking hits!

My remedy is simple. If he continues doing so I just hit a winner from every ball he feeds. And just throw in: Are you warmed up yet? ...

Works like a charm.

If someone wants to practice winning shots that's fine by me. But not during the warm up. Pay for the court time, I'll help/feed the balls but it really angers me when someone doesn't allow me to warm up.

 

[Rorsach]

I've got the same problem with my mate. For some reason he's got a mental block against hitting the ball down the middle, i don't even care how hard he would do it.
But all he can do is spray bombs all over the court, so after a few minutes of this he's wincing and grabbing at his painful shoulder (after me repeatedly telling him to take it easy) and i'm so frustrated that i forgo the warming-up/practice and just play a couple of sets.

 

[dozu]

I disagree with this one slightly. I don't have access to a ball machine or a decent wall. Now what? Do I just never learn anything new ever again? I do this one constantly with my partners, and my partners do this constantly with me. It's how you get better. Now, I can understand if you're happy at the level that you're at, but where's the fun with that?

I meant to say - if you are hitting a new shot, e.g. 1hbh, in the beginning you can't even keep 1 ball out of 5 in the court.... at that point you should not use in practice.

hit the stupid wall until the mechanics are at least half decent, then use it in practice...

no wall? parking lot against the back of a building will do just fine.

 

[tennis_balla]

No wonder you guys have trouble on the court when you can't even agree in a thread about practice etiquette

 

[papa]

Well, my practice routines probably differ somewhat from what many here have said - I don't have a problem with what most of you do, just saying that there are many ways to hit.

As an example, I like to start (100 balls or so) with mini-tennis type practice where you volley back and forth either in the air or have them bounce. To me, this get the player focused on the ball and moving.

From that I like to move back and hit a "few" (maybe for five minutes) from the middle but not just positioning a few feet behind the baseline and whacking it back and forth. Sure this is fun and I like to do it from time to time but its not too realistic of actual play, especially if your a doubles player. I think its more productive to either keep the ball on the diagonal or constantly move it from one side to the other - I'm not talking about "winners" here but just moving the ball around.

I will then position a player at net and hit a series of volleys. I generally position myself behind the baseline and want the net player to start around the service line and keep coming in. There are several variations where you can have the player come in and then back up for the next volley or vary the side constantly. Have to remember that about two-thirds of you volleys are going to be taken on your backhand side.

I then like to do overheads where I'll feed to the various positions but basically I want the player inside the service line to start. I like to do many varieties including the bounce overhead that very few like to practice. Good rule of thumb, especially for intermediate or more mature players is that if the ball would land inside the service line on the fly, they take the ball in the air - if beyond the service line let it bounce. Do this until your sure the player has the agility and balance necessary to retrieve these shots. I've seen too many injuries where players are motivated or encouraged to back-petal and they end up going over backward - can be a serious problem so be warned.

I also like to get into return of serve which is so important but seldom practiced. Give the player all the different serves including the slice so they get the feel for positioning and reach.

Additionally, I like them to serve also keeping the ball at least in one half or the other of the service box. Not totally interested in pace here as compared with placement and form. To me if the form/mechanics are correct, pace with naturally develop to a great degree.

Hitting walls are ok but not realistic in most cases. Yes, there are some good walls around (few anyway) but I'm not crazy about them because of the timing factor. If you hit against a wall, use dead balls.

Anyway, the way I look at hitting.

 

[Jonny S&V]

I meant to say - if you are hitting a new shot, e.g. 1hbh, in the beginning you can't even keep 1 ball out of 5 in the court.... at that point you should not use in practice.

hit the stupid wall until the mechanics are at least half decent, then use it in practice...

no wall? parking lot against the back of a building will do just fine.

Or find a hitting partner that's willing to hit with you thru thick and thin and you oblige by not mentioning the human-racquet every third-shot.

 

[Caloi]

OMG.One of the players I hit with always does that.
IQ of a tomato. I tell him. Keep the ball in play. They can be deeper but stop trying to hit winners after 3 freaking hits!

My remedy is simple. If he continues doing so I just hit a winner from every ball he feeds. And just throw in: Are you warmed up yet? ...

Works like a charm.

Another passive aggressive approach to this is I'll yell out a score to people that do this. As I feed the next ball I'll yell out, "Love-40", then remind them we're not really keeping score during the warmups.

 

[dozu]

Or find a hitting partner that's willing to hit with you thru thick and thin and you oblige by not mentioning the human-racquet every third-shot.

Jonny you impressed me as usual... although in this case the logic is reversed.

mentioning the human racket every 3rd shot, is the filtering mechanism to make sure that the partner has long term potential, and is willing to improve.

 

[Jonny S&V]

Jonny you impressed me as usual... although in this case the logic is reversed.

mentioning the human racket every 3rd shot, is the filtering mechanism to make sure that the partner has long term potential, and is willing to improve.

In terms of the way that I interpret the logicalness (spell-check says it's a word, hence I will use it) of the 'human racquet', most people would find it annoying and write it off as the ravings of someone who probably thinks they've also found the answer to global warming.

 

[dozu]

In terms of the way that I interpret the logicalness (spell-check says it's a word, hence I will use it) of the 'human racquet', most people would find it annoying and write it off as the ravings of someone who probably thinks they've also found the answer to global warming.

hey you know what, here is an idea.... how about we poll on this, is 'human racket' useful, or just global warming.

 

[HunterST]

hey you know what, here is an idea.... how about we poll on this, is 'human racket' useful, or just global warming.

Do it, man. Make a poll asking if people think the human racket concept is a great teaching tool. No one is stopping you.