Technique Falling Apart

[Roy125]

What I noticed from playing tennis a lot now is that my technique for my shots are more vulnerable to fall apart the longer the match goes on. My backhand is usually the first shot that breaks down. Then my serve, my volleys, and then my forehand. I also notice that whenever I'm inside a long match, my mentality goes to winning as fast as possible and getting off the court in as less time as I can.

Is there any secret or way for me to fix these problems quickly? Or is good old practice the only way to achieve playing consistently for long hours at a time? I mean, I know the right technique for my shots, I just don't do it when I get tired.

 

[Jonny S&V]

What I noticed from playing tennis a lot now is that my technique for my shots are more vulnerable to fall apart the longer the match goes on. My backhand is usually the first shot that breaks down. Then my serve, my volleys, and then my forehand. I also notice that whenever I'm inside a long match, my mentality goes to winning as fast as possible and getting off the court in as less time as I can.

Is there any secret or way for me to fix these problems quickly? Or is good old practice the only way to achieve playing consistently for long hours at a time? I mean, I know the right technique for my shots, I just don't do it when I get tired.

It sounds like a fitness problem (or an short-attention problem) to me. Putting 100% of your focus on practice can help simulate what you should be doing in practice, and don't forget to take rest days so you aren't stretching yourself out too thin.

 

[GetBetterer]

Well, you know it, so practice well help your body know when to use energy, and when to save it.

Personally, in order to last on the court I eat Latino + Italian foods. They're full of carbohydrates, so they can help you last a long time. If that doesn't work, yes practice will help.

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Well, you know it, so practice well help your body know when to use energy, and when to save it.

Personally, in order to last on the court I eat Latino + Italian foods. They're full of carbohydrates, so they can help you last a long time. If that doesn't work, yes practice will help.

No... It's 100% a fitness problem like stated above... He just needs to work on his conditioning. Eating the right foods does help, but the main thing he should do is get out and do some running.

And you can't ever go wrong with pasta. You REALLY do notice the difference in your endurance when you've had some pasta.

 

[charliefedererer]

Are you already playing tennis nearly every day? Then there may not be that much room to add in an intense workout regimen for you. But if you feel like you are no where near getting burned out, then adding in some sprints (HIIT), and agility drills may provide you with some greater on court speed and fitness level. Hill/stair running is great for power and increased anaerobic capacity. And don't neglect cross training by cycling, and if you swim fast, swimming. But again, don't burn yourself out, and if you are still rapidly improving your strokes and consistancy, don't neglect your on court time practice where intense play may be what you mainly need for increased fitness.

The mind and body are connected. If you are getting physically tired, it will be more difficult to maintain focus. So increased fitness will help your focus, as well as just practicing fighting through those long difficult matches.

Don't forget the importance of plenty of sleep and eating a good breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a recovery snack with protein + carbs after practice/workouts/matches.

Are you hydrating even before getting on the court, and staying hydrated with a Gatorade-like drink during practice/matches?

Are you determined to train in the offseason so you don't run into this same problem next year? http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/tennis-training.html

Finally, don't think for a second your opponents are not also fighting the same battle. Like you, they are also trying their best not to let their opponent see thier struggle.

You may find the following information helpful in reviewing to be sure you are doing all the right steps to recover from practice and matches as quickly as possible, so you can train aggressively each day: http://www.usta.com/USTA/Global/Pla...nce/RECOVERY PROJECT 22410 EMAIL VERSION.ashx

 

[EP1998]

You might need to eat a snack during the match. Everyone is different with respect to that. Try having a low sugar energy gel or bar midway through the match and see what happens. If your blood sugar starts dropping it can make a player late mentally and physically and the shots start breaking down. As others have said you can step up your training too. That will make you tired in the short term but better off in the long term.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Roy, you're not alone.

I think my fitness is fine, but for some reason my technique gets worse through the singles match. Then my confidence goes (Why try to smack the ball again when I missed the last time I tried?) and before you know it I'm not doing a whole lot out there. This is despite the fact that I am in no sense of the word "exhausted." A better description would be, "Not fresh." It's more of an intensity problem than a fitness problem.

I wish I knew the answer . . . .

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Roy, you're not alone.

I think my fitness is fine, but for some reason my technique gets worse through the singles match. Then my confidence goes (Why try to smack the ball again when I missed the last time I tried?) and before you know it I'm not doing a whole lot out there. This is despite the fact that I am in no sense of the word "exhausted." A better description would be, "Not fresh." It's more of an intensity problem than a fitness problem.

I wish I knew the answer . . . .

Read his post more clearly. It shows clear signs that exhaustion is what is holding him back. If you lose confidence in your strokes, you actually try to lengthen your rally time. You either degrade your strokes to the most basic possible form and focus just on getting the ball in or you just keep missing and don't care about rally length.

He says that he tries to shorten points. You never try to force the issue unless you know you're outmatched or you know you're out of fuel.

His backhand dies first because it's his weakest shot and requires the most footwork. When you become tired, the first thing to go is your footwork. Then the serve goes because he doesn't get enough of his body up into the ball to get it over the net. Then the volleys because he doesn't close in quickly enough and ends with a tough volley or he reacts late and makes contact late by being lazy. He wants to get off the court because he wants to lie down or sit on his butt and suck in air.

To solve your problem, it's purely mental. You need to learn to forget about your mistakes. You're human. You WILL make errors occasionally, more so when you try to crush the ball. Simply keep hitting the ball and make smarter decisions. That or develop more consistent strokes. If you make smarter decisions, you can keep your shots and play maybe a full half NTRP level better simply because you become more consistent, you are in position more often, and you're in more control of the rally.

 

[LeeD]

You have all the problems of players new to the game. Play more.
Or you can adopt the first strike technique, end rallys in 3 shots, take no prisoners.

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Or you can adopt the first strike technique, end rallys in 3 shots, take no prisoners.

I love first strike tennis. But it piles up so many unnecessary errors. Haha.

 

[LeeD]

Seems to me, if you KNOW you're gonna fall apart upstairs before 6 shots, why hit 6?
Now if you're consistent, can maintain good mental attitude, run like the wind forever, THEN play defensive baseline bashing tennis.
If you're not, don't.

 

[Blake0]

It shows how much time you spend on each stroke. The faster it breaks down, the less you have practiced it, overall with the motion/technique you use now. Practice is the best way to stop it from breaking down, but keeping your technique short and simple is good too. Its easier for a long/complicated motion to break down under pressure or when tired. (Ex: A rushed stroke, like a quickdraw serve can break down faster then a smooth relaxed stroke. Another one is, a big complicated forehand like Roddicks old forehand can break down easier then Agassi's short and simple forehand.)

during a match when you need a quick fix though, start playing safer and looping balls for a bit. If you can't, then go back to the fundamentals of your stroke and make sure everything is good technically there. For some people though, not thinking about their strokes at all helps them recover in a match from this problem.

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Seems to me, if you KNOW you're gonna fall apart upstairs before 6 shots, why hit 6?
Now if you're consistent, can maintain good mental attitude, run like the wind forever, THEN play defensive baseline bashing tennis.
If you're not, don't.

It's more like, if you go for something big and it comes back, you'll go for something bigger the next time you try it. Then you keep repeating the cycle until you can't control the shot anymore. Sometimes I'll just play first strike points, but mostly I'll play controlled aggression points.

 

[LeeD]

I seldom play a MichaelChang on our courts. A winner or forcing shot works against anyone I play.