Prioritizing tennis skills improvement - for singles

[Coop1978]

So, while we're in Corona-ville, a little discussion topic for chit-chat, some focused direction if you will for my singles improvement ;-).

My aim is to compete in over- 45's County tennis in 3 years. I'm already decent enough at doubles I'd say, with a few improvements over the coming 3 years I think I'd be a good County doubles squad player at over 45. But, the singles requirement...not soo good ;-)

42 years old, 178cm tall, pretty heavy for a tennis player (205lbs right now. Was a fighting fit 175lbs in 2013....been enjoying myself. Am still quite fit and strong, but not great for singles play). Objective is to get back into shape, around the 175-180lbs mark will be my limit, no lower than that.

Lost motivation for tennis last 3 years. Played very little the last 6 months, probably once a month doubles tennis. Now that sport has been taken away from us, I've got the bug back. Weird how that happens!

So I want to get my singles back to a strong level. I'll list my strengths and weakness below, could you lovely lot chip in and offer your various advice on the priority order for developing a strong singles game .

Strengths for singles:

- Been playing since I was 10, and have played at UK 5.1 level or thereabouts between say 2008-2013 (30-35 years old)....when I was playing singles a lot.
- Very strong serve, has always been my strength, since I was a kid. Pacey, and I can place it where I want with flat, slice or topspin. Very comfortable there. Been timed at 110mph by our club coaches in 2013, tho I was really going for it! Obviously I'm older now, so the consistent pace I'm certain has dipped, but the skills are still there.
- Good touch and volley skills (I pretty much have played league doubles, good club std, since 2008. Regularly play, and compete well, against *current* UK 17/18/19/20 years old who have 3.1-5.1 ratings in singles. )
- Strong cross-the-body forehand

Weaknesses for singles:

- Speed around court. As I mentioned, currently 205lbs and only 178cm. I gym a lot, lift weights, and have always had a fairly broad frame. I can lose weight reasonably quickly if I watch my diet, but last 5-7 years, haven't really concerned myself with that. Have a background in Rugby so I was always doing heavier gym work than suits tennis.
- Inside out forehand. This is a poor shot of mine. I rarely choose to use it. I haven't trained it nearly enough.
- Backhand drive. I invariably choose to slice a lot, probably 85% of the time. I drive isn't actually that bad, but it's very flat and therefore inconsistent and I have little confidence. My grip is far too Continental. I'm working on changing it, but it's a work in progress, and gets lost in amongst the other things I try to improve ;-)
- Not played more than 2 singles matches a year since 2014 or so, that probably includes social singles.

Return of serve is solid enough. Not a strength of mine, but not really a weakness, I have variety on this shot.

So...if anyone has time to kill, hop on, give me a focus priority order ;-)

 

[ChaelAZ]

1. Drop weight and improve fitness.
2. Start playing a few matches a week to really identify what needs to be tweaked and improved technique wise. (record video if you can for review). Since you have a long lineage of playing you can probably identify things as well as anyone.

 

[J011yroger]

You slap the ball and generate speed by pulling into your body.

Stand in the forehand corner and drop feed yourself inside out backhands until you can hit 18-19 out of 20 into the opposite doubles alley beyond the service line, then go to the backhand corner and do the same for inside out forehands.

J

 

[Coop1978]

1. Drop weight and improve fitness.
2. Start playing a few matches a week to really identify what needs to be tweaked and improved technique wise. (record video if you can for review). Since you have a long lineage of playing you can probably identify things as well as anyone.

Yep, I have a suspicion that point 1 is going to be the consensus ;-). It's what i think is my main objective. If nothing else, chasing every ball and not giving up is a good start.

 

[Coop1978]

You slap the ball and generate speed by pulling into your body.
J

That is a good *visual*. I learn far better with visual cues. So I'm visualising the right elbow staying quite close to the righthand hip (Righty)

 

[sureshs]

I gym a lot

Very interesting British use of gym as a verb. I notice the same in India, e.g., gymming, which you never hear in the US.

 

[J011yroger]

That is a good *visual*. I learn far better with visual cues. So I'm visualising the right elbow staying quite close to the righthand hip (Righty)

Study extension in ground strokes.

It's not so much about the elbow, that's just a symptom. It's more pulling the hand to the left.

Furthermore if I were to advise you, I would tell you to spend time figuring out how to best use your doubles skills in singles as opposed to generating new singles skills from scratch.

Yes you should run for every ball, yes being in better shape will help, but deciding to run down balls and hit topspin is a tough way to make a living for a big dude with a power game.

J

 

[Coop1978]

Study extension in ground strokes.

Furthermore if I were to advise you, I would tell you to spend time figuring out how to best use your doubles skills in singles as opposed to generating new singles skills from scratch.

J

Now we're getting somewhere ;-). That's by far my preferred gamestyle, Serve and volley, attacking net play. Anything that helps me transition to net, I'm happy with. I followed this style between say 2011 and 2013 in singles. Initially, I was losing to a lot of guys, ones I'd normally beaten say 8-10 times. Took me a good half a year of losing a lot before it started to change. But, it really paid off. I started becoming the guy people didnt like playing...because my serve gave me an edge and I rushed net. I obviously still lost matches a lot, but I think I was always competitive. Stefan Edberg was my tennis hero, so there you go.

So yea, you're onto me now. So, that being the case...how does that alter any advice for prioritizing I wonder....

 

[travlerajm]

I would stick with your strengths and build around them. Get really good at guiding your slice backhand to all four corners, which means using the drive slice to set up the drop shot using same prep. Practice carving bh drop shots off of both high balls and low balls, so that you can punish old guys with the short ball. Opponents will probably tend to steer away from your solid forehand, so start with what you already do well on your bh side and get good at using placement as a weapon.

 

[Coop1978]

Very interesting British use of gym as a verb. I notice the same in India, e.g., gymming, which you never hear in the US.

It's a manner of speech I've picked up recently, not strictly correct grammatically I grant you. Kind of a reverse idiom I guess (I'm sure there's a word for a noun which then gets transformed into a *doing* word), a modern misuse of the word gym, but it's entered the common vernacular so, meh, it slips in sometimes.

 

[Coop1978]

I would stick with your strengths and build around them. Get really good at guiding your slice backhand to all four corners, which means using the drive slice to set up the drop shot using same prep. Practice carving bh drop shots off of both high balls and low balls, so that you can punish old guys with the short ball. Opponents will probably tend to steer away from your solid forehand, so start with what you already do well on your bh side and get good at using placement as a weapon.

Nice. I noticed how successful Dan Evans is with his sliced backhand. I appreciate that in the pro game he is subject to getting punished by big hitters, but, in the amateur game, he'd be horrible to play wit that slice which never breaks down. He has a Pro version of the style I'd like to have. Get to net, use versatility. It's an interesting way to play tennis I think.

The backhand slice transition into the net is obviously a classic approach.....I can imagine being able to improve that shot quicker than trying to improve my grip-change backhand drive.

 

[EP1998]

If you like to rush the net that's what you should be working on the most - setting yourself up to be successful doing that. Hit a lot of serves, work on your volleys, overhead, approach shots and what you plan to do with your return game.

 

[Coop1978]

If you like to rush the net that's what you should be working on the most - setting yourself up to be successful doing that. Hit a lot of serves, work on your volleys, overhead, approach shots and what you plan to do with your return game.

The overhead is key I think. I've got an ok one, but it's obviously a big "relier" on footwork, so when tracking back for a half decent lob I would get caught right now.

If I'm hitting say 60% first serves, and that would be quite nice when I'm serving with effort, then that's 40% of second serves that I doubt I'd be serve volleying off of. So the approach shots really come into the fore then. Until I get a clear shortish ball, I need some form of solidity at the back. Forehand wise I'm content with that, cross court anyway. Backhand....well I think a strong, developed slice, at club\amateur level....that might just be enough to get me into net as soon as I can.

You're right tho....the return game. The return would be based on getting that ball deep as can be off the return, and then just constantly itching and looking to get in. I'd want the oppo to feel like I'm itching to attack them.

 

[pencilcheck]

So, while we're in Corona-ville, a little discussion topic for chit-chat, some focused direction if you will for my singles improvement ;-).

My aim is to compete in over- 45's County tennis in 3 years. I'm already decent enough at doubles I'd say, with a few improvements over the coming 3 years I think I'd be a good County doubles squad player at over 45. But, the singles requirement...not soo good ;-)

42 years old, 178cm tall, pretty heavy for a tennis player (205lbs right now. Was a fighting fit 175lbs in 2013....been enjoying myself. Am still quite fit and strong, but not great for singles play). Objective is to get back into shape, around the 175-180lbs mark will be my limit, no lower than that.

Lost motivation for tennis last 3 years. Played very little the last 6 months, probably once a month doubles tennis. Now that sport has been taken away from us, I've got the bug back. Weird how that happens!

So I want to get my singles back to a strong level. I'll list my strengths and weakness below, could you lovely lot chip in and offer your various advice on the priority order for developing a strong singles game .

Strengths for singles:

- Been playing since I was 10, and have played at UK 5.1 level or thereabouts between say 2008-2013 (30-35 years old)....when I was playing singles a lot.
- Very strong serve, has always been my strength, since I was a kid. Pacey, and I can place it where I want with flat, slice or topspin. Very comfortable there. Been timed at 110mph by our club coaches in 2013, tho I was really going for it! Obviously I'm older now, so the consistent pace I'm certain has dipped, but the skills are still there.
- Good touch and volley skills (I pretty much have played league doubles, good club std, since 2008. Regularly play, and compete well, against *current* UK 17/18/19/20 years old who have 3.1-5.1 ratings in singles. )
- Strong cross-the-body forehand

Weaknesses for singles:

- Speed around court. As I mentioned, currently 205lbs and only 178cm. I gym a lot, lift weights, and have always had a fairly broad frame. I can lose weight reasonably quickly if I watch my diet, but last 5-7 years, haven't really concerned myself with that. Have a background in Rugby so I was always doing heavier gym work than suits tennis.
- Inside out forehand. This is a poor shot of mine. I rarely choose to use it. I haven't trained it nearly enough.
- Backhand drive. I invariably choose to slice a lot, probably 85% of the time. I drive isn't actually that bad, but it's very flat and therefore inconsistent and I have little confidence. My grip is far too Continental. I'm working on changing it, but it's a work in progress, and gets lost in amongst the other things I try to improve ;-)
- Not played more than 2 singles matches a year since 2014 or so, that probably includes social singles.

Return of serve is solid enough. Not a strength of mine, but not really a weakness, I have variety on this shot.

So...if anyone has time to kill, hop on, give me a focus priority order ;-)

Not sure if I have the right level to help but I will help regardless.

Priority list
1. Of course lose weight and be fit again
2. Mental training
3. Focus on footwork
4. Have a plan

Explanation:
You don't sound like you need a lot of technical training, you already possess good weapons, and maybe good rhythm going forward. If you have a weakspot, at your age you probably don't really care anymore, so focus on maintaining level throughout the match is probably more important.

So lose weight and be fit + mental training would be very useful to you at your current stage of life.

Lose weight and be fit should be self explanatory, let me try to clarify what I mean by mental training

Doesn't matter how old you are, your ability to control your self to make multiple perfect shots is always hard.

I have a feeling that if you haven't played high level tennis in a long time, your mental game definitely relapsed. You should focus on that as your top priority to get back to the game.

Benefits for focusing on your mental game
1. Give you more confidence
2. Give you more time to really feeling you have the mind to execute the shot you want to make
3. Maybe win more


The footwork and having a plan should also be self explanatory.


Let me know if you disagree or need more clarifications.

 

[Chas Tennis]

There is a old term, "occupational build", where the person's build adapts to their job. For example, blacksmiths were strong as they lifted weights.

If you have been sitting a lot and adapting, you should look into flexibility and exercises for your hip flexors, gluteus medius muscles, hamstrings, calves, etc. You should not stretch muscles that are already too long. Best to do this stuff with guidance of a physical therapist (medically trained, in UK they may have a different term) that can evaluate or measure how tight/short your muscles are. Posture is an important subject for avoiding injuries and performance. Make sure that your rectus femoris thigh muscles have not become short from sitting and may be causing your knee caps to grind into the front of your knee area, often a location of the earliest arthritis. If the rectus femoris is tight from sitting, learn the stretch for the rectus femoris. Bob & Brad Youtubes are good for some of the stretches. They claim to post a Youtube everyday so that there are more than one Youtube on many stretches, find the latest and look for others. In about two or three weeks, you will feel better and smoother in the hip area.

A stationary bike is very good for cardio. I have a heart rate & blood oxygen level meter, about $30, and my bike has a variable resistance. I could adjust the resistance in steps each exercise secession, building up to a given heart rate. If you are out of shape regarding cardio, start very slowly and do not stress yourself.

For tennis strokes, you should select a model ATP backhand, a model forehand, a model serve and overhead, etc., and find high speed videos displaying these stroke techniques. You might first video your strokes, simulating them inside your home. High speed video is best. Video near a big window in bright sun light. There will be differences between your strokes and theirs. See my posts for these stroke comparisons, they involve some of the most common differences. I miss some differences and don't say much about footwork, but there is information on the racket going towards the ball. Decide if you want to do anything about those differences.

 

[Coop1978]

Benefits for focusing on your mental game
1. Give you more confidence
2. Give you more time to really feeling you have the mind to execute the shot you want to make
3. Maybe win more
[/QUOTE]

Very good insight. As it happens, I did originally put “mindset” into my original post, as a weakness, but then I removed it, so thought the post was too long at that stage.

But yes, I have a mindset to overcome. I played to a decent std in my teens and 20’s and played singles predominantly. What I’ve found of late, is when I for example look to play in the internal club singles ladder, 20 groups of 5 people, i dissuade myself. I played this ladder in 2012-2013 and was in group 1 and normally in first or second spot. This is not a ladder with the best players in the club, probably the 15th best players and downwards. The best players get their singles in tournaments and so on, OR, they just don’t play singles anymore.

But recently, I find myself saying “I don’t want to be seen losing to those guys in group 1, I’m better than that”. There’s a decent chance I would lose to them as I’m overweight for singles and haven’t played any singles in years really.....but it’s a horrible mindset.

To be honest, I “think” I’m over it, which hopefully means I’ll just play freely and what happens happens. But it’s a sh@t mindset to have developed.

 

[Coop1978]

There is a old term, "occupational build", where the person's build adapts to theIr job

Thanks a lot for taking the time to right that post. I’ll have a good read and respond in a bit. Yea, I’m certainly out of shape for tennis. Not unfit as such, but out of shape yes. I can still run 10k (6mile) in 50 mins on the road, did that last week. I was running that in 42 mins 7 years ago when I was lighter, but stamina is still there, just not a good level of fitness or weight for a knee and hip impact sport like tennis.

 

[pencilcheck]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to right that post. I’ll have a good read and respond in a bit. Yea, I’m certainly out of shape for tennis. Not unfit as such, but out of shape yes. I can still run 10k (6mile) in 50 mins on the road, did that last week. I was running that in 42 mins 7 years ago when I was lighter, but stamina is still there, just not a good level of fitness or weight for a knee and hip impact sport like tennis.

If that's the case, focusing on squatting might help develop stronger hip and thigh muscle.

 

[travlerajm]

I think if you start playing singles 3 times per week, the doubles body will naturally morph into a singles machine.

 

[J011yroger]

I think if you start playing singles 3 times per week, the doubles body will naturally morph into a singles machine.

Worst case you will find out where your weaknesses are...

J

 

[Coop1978]

Thanks a lot folks, truly appreciate the insight. I've raised a new post, following on from this one a bit. Have a look, see what think. It essentially involves changing my drive backhand back to 2-hander from a single-hander. I'm thinking pragmatically. Killer slice is my key backhand attack weapon and the approach to net off back of it when I can....so what I want is a backhand drive that I can get control from. Ideally.

Changing backhand styles is normally something people detest....but I'm 42 man, I'm not looking to become the next Seniors champ anywhere ;-)

 

[E46luver]

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[FatHead250]

The most important thing that led to me developing as a player is learning to enjoy the rally. A lot of players get dismayed when their pace doesn't trouble the oppponent and they jsut crumble. Almost all matches at lower levels get decided by who misses more shots. At a step above that, whenever your opponents actually hits the ball back, think to yourself - oh great - i can finally start playing a game of tennis and craft rallies.

After you have that mindset, you start working subconsiously on your footwork, torso roations on shots on the move, percentage play, spin, ways to craft and finish teh point and etc

 

[E46luver]

A lot of players get dismayed when their pace doesn't trouble the oppponent and they jsut crumble. Almost all matches at lower levels get decided by who misses more shots.

excellent post! this is da mindset for 4.0+ most players never get it the big secret that 3.5 think they neeed to hit harder to get to 4.0 when the truth is that 4.0 just means not tryiing to hit winners. hit softer and you instantly have the mindset that 3.5 lifetimers never figure out. the problem is that a 3.5 won't even recognize a 4.0 unless in sanctioneed USTA match when they only play other 3.5 if they play a 4.0 in casual match they will think hes a bad play and makee eexcuses why they lost 6-2 (pusher i will not play him again) and they don;t even realize the bad player is actually higher level tham he! and they stay in 3.5 hell for life. most 3.5 never see an actual 4.0 player and if they did they would uderstand your point that allowing rally is ok and yu dont need to hit winnner after 2 balls dont make opponent make error

 

[shamaho]

Study up on goal-setting for sports (there are goals, then performance goals, then process goals) and also read up on SMART framework for goal setting (in very unlikely case you never heard of it) !

performance and process goals are crucial for your 3 year plan !
good luck

 

[r2473]

- Very strong serve, has always been my strength, since I was a kid. Pacey, and I can place it where I want with flat, slice or topspin. Very comfortable there. Been timed at 110mph

If you can really place your 110 mph serve where you want and vary the spin, I don’t think you’ll have much problem winning matches at the rec level

 

[travlerajm]

If you can really place your 110 mph serve where you want and vary the spin, I don’t think you’ll have much problem winning matches at the rec level

He didn't say how long ago his 110 was. I inferred that his 110 was back when his body was young and springier.

 

[TennisCJC]

Number 1 shot is serve and you said serve is strong. Practice it regularly.

Number 2 shot is return. Work on 2 types. One small block to get a lot is balls back and two an aggressive drive.

In singles, hit CC a lot. When you get a shorter ball, approach or go for bigger ground stroke.

Play ad side in doubles league and run around 2nd serve returns to hit aggressive inside out FH.

You’re welcome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sovertennis]

You slap the ball and generate speed by pulling into your body.

Stand in the forehand corner and drop feed yourself inside out backhands until you can hit 18-19 out of 20 into the opposite doubles alley beyond the service line, then go to the backhand corner and do the same for inside out forehands.

J

When I'm waiting for my players to arrive, I often do this exercise. I place the basket in the middle of the baseline, then hit 6-8 of each shot, alternating sides. It's very good for improving service return, esp in dubs.

 

[MathGeek]

Dropping weight will improve your speed a bit, but ramping up your cardio will help you maintain that speed throughout the match.

Once you're playing the 45+ crowd, consistent mobility is a huge advantage. The legs feed the wolf.

 

[Deleted member 770618]

I think the best way to train for singles is to play more singles. Singles is a great workout.