The Myth of Teaching Tennis Technique

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

Even though it may sound strange, after many years of coaching tennis, I have come to the conclusion that:




We don't need to teach technique; instead, we must develop it.




And the difference between teaching and developing is significant. All the skills required to play tennis are based on fundamental abilities such as throwing, catching, hitting (a combination of catching and throwing), and running. Therefore, there's no need to teach anything; it has all been there for hundred thousand of years. The only thing to do is to adjust these skills to the timing of the ball and monitor the evolution through the trial-and-error process: try, fail, try again, fail better.




For years, the focus of tennis coaching has been on providing children and players with technical tools to play. Personally, I was part of that large group of coaches concerned with "rotate, step, hit, followthrough."




Many players, regardless of age or level, come to my academy, attempting and succeeding in executing good technical movements but devoid of the basic tactical decision of placing the ball into the court limits. All of them have been taught the "ideal" technique, and the moment a slight variation in conditions occurs, their strokes fail to adapt, leading to collapse and loss of confidence.




On the contrary, developing strokes means nurturing them like an onion, layer by layer, going through all the necessary stages, and always adhering to four fundamental principles:




1. Vision


2. Timing


3. Touch


4. Tactics




T hese four items, although they may seem obvious, are not so in practice. Very few players master all four points. It is nearly impossible to consistently master timing if I don't watch the ball, nor can I have good touch without proper timing, and I can't make good tactical decisions without the preceding elements.




1. Vision:


Everything, absolutely everything, starts from vision. Very few players watch the ball correctly, neither when they hit nor when the opponent hits. How and where I look at the ball will determine the proper activation and organization of my legs to achieve the correct distance from the ball and establish the swing's rhythm. Some might argue that you can't see the ball at the contact point, and that's true, but you can predict when the ball will be in the ideal position. The more I try to see the ball before impact, the better the prediction, and the better the timing.




2. Timing:


It is doing something at the right moment. In tennis, it's about hitting the ball at the most opportune point for me, and that is achieved by watching the ball and choosing the moment of impact. Timing is 100% related to the quality of vision. If I look well, I choose well, and if I choose well, I have good "touch."




3. Touch:


Let's say that "touch" is the dialogue between my hand and the racket, the sensitivity to feel that I can decide to hit the ball hard or caress it gently. If I have a good touch, the ball will do what I command. Touch is the seed of technique; it just needs to grow and develop through tactics.




4. Tactics:


It is the intention, what I want the ball to do in that stroke: cross-court, down-the-line, deep, short, etc. If I change my tactical intention, then the movement will naturally be organized completely differently. If I want to hit a quick and flat shot, I will organize my movement differently from when I want to hit a topspin lob.




These four factors are, in my opinion, the most important, although there may be others.




So, how do I develop the shots technique based on these four factors? In reality, it is straightforward. If I look at the ball well, I achieve a good distance; if I achieve a good distance, I can choose/intuit (depending on the level) when to hit; if I can choose/intuit when to hit, the rhythm and swing of the arm will adjust to the tactical intention. And the followthrough? Believe me, if we do all of the above, there won't even be a need to mention the followthrough. The secret lies in having patience and giving the player a tactical challenge slightly above their current technical abilities, pushing them to find technical solutions within their reach to achieve it, guiding them to solve it but never telling them how.




The body is tremendously intelligent when it comes to organizing movements; it has been doing so for millions of years. We just need to give it a goal, and sooner or later, it will find the solution. By following this development system, the player will achieve a greater body awareness that will greatly facilitate any future adjustments that may be necessary if they reach a high level of performance.




Just as when you plant an apple seed, you don't expect to harvest tomorrow; you have to plant the seed of technique and take care of it, let it grow. Your best technique will happen when you are ready for it; the apple will simply fall when it is ripe.




Trying, failing, trying better, failing better—error as a teacher and not as a factor of incompetence. But that's a topic for another blog."

 

[Curious]

Very interesting. Can you tell us more about it? Especially if you have real life experience of teaching that way, videos etc.

 

[eah123]

I like this idea of developing vs teaching technique, but I think that developing is a kind of teaching.

For example, at work, I am a “senior director” and part of my job is to “develop” the more junior people under me. Sometimes and I do some direct “teaching” where I have them read and article or watch an instructional video, and then I review the content and what they learned. But more importantly, I have them do tasks, supervise their work, provide encouragement, advice, and correction when needed. With the idea that knowledge+experience+feedback will develop them into more independent workers.

As I am my daughter’s main tennis coach, and I’ve developed her from zero to a low-high school varsity player, I think I can say a lot about what it took to get her to this point.

For example, right now, I’m developing her baseline game. Step 1 teach her to hit a competent topspin forehand from baseline with easy consistent feeds. Step 2 stress test the forehand by varying the feeds to center, body, and wide. Step 3 teach her how to use the baseline forehand in a tactical shot sequence - example: 2 inside out + 1 inside in forehand pattern. Practice the pattern using only consistent feeds from basket. If necessary, practice only inside-out and inside-in forehands in isolation. Then practice the full pattern using a single live ball. Final step is for her to play a fast 4 set against somewhere where she tries to win as many points utilizing that tactical shot pattern.

 

[optic yellow]

good content

 

[AnyPUG]

<We don't need to teach technique; instead, we must develop it.

Teaching - Organized sharing of knowledge, skill and experience.
Is it not true that the method used for developing technique is to teach it in the first place ?

>The only thing to do is to adjust these skills to the timing of the ball and monitor the evolution through the trial-and-error process
How much to adjust? What's the size of the error? Doesn't it require prior experience and knowledge? Isn't sharing of that prior experience and knowledge teaching? Study of previous research is the first principle of scientific discovery.

>The body is tremendously intelligent when it comes to organizing movements.
What evidence supports this assertion? Every champion in every skill has had great teachers early on to put the student on the right path. What explains why 99.99% of the folks who didn't hire someone to teach them are stuck at near beginner level for eternity?

 

[Mongolmike]

If I follow these 4 points, will I be able to drink from David's Cup in 3 years? Asking for a friend.... errr.... for another poster....

 

[tennis_balla]

Even though it may sound strange, after many years of coaching tennis, I have come to the conclusion that:




We don't need to teach technique; instead, we must develop it.




And the difference between teaching and developing is significant. All the skills required to play tennis are based on fundamental abilities such as throwing, catching, hitting (a combination of catching and throwing), and running. Therefore, there's no need to teach anything; it has all been there for hundred thousand of years. The only thing to do is to adjust these skills to the timing of the ball and monitor the evolution through the trial-and-error process: try, fail, try again, fail better.




For years, the focus of tennis coaching has been on providing children and players with technical tools to play. Personally, I was part of that large group of coaches concerned with "rotate, step, hit, followthrough."




Many players, regardless of age or level, come to my academy, attempting and succeeding in executing good technical movements but devoid of the basic tactical decision of placing the ball into the court limits. All of them have been taught the "ideal" technique, and the moment a slight variation in conditions occurs, their strokes fail to adapt, leading to collapse and loss of confidence.




On the contrary, developing strokes means nurturing them like an onion, layer by layer, going through all the necessary stages, and always adhering to four fundamental principles:




1. Vision


2. Timing


3. Touch


4. Tactics




T hese four items, although they may seem obvious, are not so in practice. Very few players master all four points. It is nearly impossible to consistently master timing if I don't watch the ball, nor can I have good touch without proper timing, and I can't make good tactical decisions without the preceding elements.




1. Vision:


Everything, absolutely everything, starts from vision. Very few players watch the ball correctly, neither when they hit nor when the opponent hits. How and where I look at the ball will determine the proper activation and organization of my legs to achieve the correct distance from the ball and establish the swing's rhythm. Some might argue that you can't see the ball at the contact point, and that's true, but you can predict when the ball will be in the ideal position. The more I try to see the ball before impact, the better the prediction, and the better the timing.




2. Timing:


It is doing something at the right moment. In tennis, it's about hitting the ball at the most opportune point for me, and that is achieved by watching the ball and choosing the moment of impact. Timing is 100% related to the quality of vision. If I look well, I choose well, and if I choose well, I have good "touch."




3. Touch:


Let's say that "touch" is the dialogue between my hand and the racket, the sensitivity to feel that I can decide to hit the ball hard or caress it gently. If I have a good touch, the ball will do what I command. Touch is the seed of technique; it just needs to grow and develop through tactics.




4. Tactics:


It is the intention, what I want the ball to do in that stroke: cross-court, down-the-line, deep, short, etc. If I change my tactical intention, then the movement will naturally be organized completely differently. If I want to hit a quick and flat shot, I will organize my movement differently from when I want to hit a topspin lob.




These four factors are, in my opinion, the most important, although there may be others.




So, how do I develop the shots technique based on these four factors? In reality, it is straightforward. If I look at the ball well, I achieve a good distance; if I achieve a good distance, I can choose/intuit (depending on the level) when to hit; if I can choose/intuit when to hit, the rhythm and swing of the arm will adjust to the tactical intention. And the followthrough? Believe me, if we do all of the above, there won't even be a need to mention the followthrough. The secret lies in having patience and giving the player a tactical challenge slightly above their current technical abilities, pushing them to find technical solutions within their reach to achieve it, guiding them to solve it but never telling them how.




The body is tremendously intelligent when it comes to organizing movements; it has been doing so for millions of years. We just need to give it a goal, and sooner or later, it will find the solution. By following this development system, the player will achieve a greater body awareness that will greatly facilitate any future adjustments that may be necessary if they reach a high level of performance.




Just as when you plant an apple seed, you don't expect to harvest tomorrow; you have to plant the seed of technique and take care of it, let it grow. Your best technique will happen when you are ready for it; the apple will simply fall when it is ripe.




Trying, failing, trying better, failing better—error as a teacher and not as a factor of incompetence. But that's a topic for another blog."

This has similarities to the book Inner Game of Tennis which I’m sure you’re aware of and read.

As a coach myself, I see too many players become paralyzed by instructions from other coaches. Constant ‘feedback’ and talking and too much explanation. I did the RPT Europe/Sanchez coaching course in Barcelona a while back and what you describe is again similar stuff Luis Mediero talks about in RPT Europe. Really good stuff.
I was on court with Daniel Sorribas doing the course and I quickly picked up on how manipulating the drills a certain way, especially hand fed, can help the player understand and develop their skills without going into long explanations and demonstrations. The body has a way of figuring things out on its own like you mentioned. Put the player into a certain situation and see how they react, adjust, and see how they do again. The body will then figure out the most efficient and natural movement. It’s kinda what I call you can tell a player what to do, which is ok. You can show them, which is better. But if you can make them feel it, bingo! Then they have a complete understanding of it and can then make it their own.

Hope to read more of your posts on here in the future!

 

[matterer]

Learn tennis unconsciously with the body's intelligence? Isn't that how that hippie Gallwey taught tennis to lazy boomers? Unless you wanna play tennis like Bill Gates for the next few decades I wouldn't recommend going down that road.

 

[Dragy]

Learn tennis unconsciously with the body's intelligence? Isn't that how that hippie Gallwey taught tennis to lazy boomers? Unless you wanna play tennis like Bill Gates for the next few decades I wouldn't recommend going down that road.

Well at least you can do something like Bill Gates

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

Very interesting. Can you tell us more about it? Especially if you have real life experience of teaching that way, videos etc.

yes, off course. I ll share more soon. In my youtube channel, you have a few ( a bit old) videos with some exercises. My website is www.elitennis.com and the you will find the youtube link.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

How many times is enough to reinvent the wheel? 1, 2, 5 or 10?

It's totally irresponsible not to learn from the past and repeat the same old mistakes.
Of course add/modify to what's already known. But to start from scratch is not efficient. Teaching is the only method known to man to gain efficiency in acquiring skills.

teaching is for sure the only method for you. I m talking about "coaching" no "teaching". Coaching IS the evolution of the wheel.

 

[ppma]

If I follow these 4 points, will I be able to drink from David's Cup in 3 years? Asking for a friend.... errr.... for another poster....

I came to somehow reflect the idea of this post.
Thanks to deliver, man.

 

[ratherlosethanpush]

It's sounding like dynamical systems theory which uses a constraints based model to address motor learning.
The 3 constraints are iirc (it was 30 year's ago I did this stuff) individual, task and environmental and you basically manipulate them to aid learning.

Edit as an example you want to create more shape on a topspin shot so you put up an obstacle the player has to hit over.

It's pretty common stuff and arguably very useful.

 

[tennis_balla]

Learn tennis unconsciously with the body's intelligence? Isn't that how that hippie Gallwey taught tennis to lazy boomers? Unless you wanna play tennis like Bill Gates for the next few decades I wouldn't recommend going down that road.

You’re over simplifying and misrepresenting what was said.
Have you been involved in coaching in any way?

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

It's sounding like dynamical systems theory which uses a constraints based model to address motor learning.
The 3 constraints are iirc (it was 30 year's ago I did this stuff) individual, task and environmental and you basically manipulate them to aid learning.

Edit as an example you want to create more shape on a topspin shot so you put up an obstacle the player has to hit over.

It's pretty common stuff and arguably very useful.

yes, exactly. Instead of the coach giving indications every single second, create an exercise that pushes to the player find the solution in the way that I'm looking. In that way the player will connect with the feedback and with the feeedforward

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

Learn tennis unconsciously with the body's intelligence? Isn't that how that hippie Gallwey taught tennis to lazy boomers? Unless you wanna play tennis like Bill Gates for the next few decades I wouldn't recommend going down that road.

yes, learn using body intelligence... like the last 500 000 000 years. The unconscious has a bit of an advantage concerning movement over the conscious.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

<We don't need to teach technique; instead, we must develop it.

Teaching - Organized sharing of knowledge, skill and experience.
Is it not true that the method used for developing technique is to teach it in the first place ?

>The only thing to do is to adjust these skills to the timing of the ball and monitor the evolution through the trial-and-error process
How much to adjust? What's the size of the error? Doesn't it require prior experience and knowledge? Isn't sharing of that prior experience and knowledge teaching? Study of previous research is the first principle of scientific discovery.

>The body is tremendously intelligent when it comes to organizing movements.
What evidence supports this assertion? Every champion in every skill has had great teachers early on to put the student on the right path. What explains why 99.99% of the folks who didn't hire someone to teach them are stuck at near beginner level for eternity?

about the size of the error... wait for my next post. Thanks for participating.

 

[optic yellow]

yes, learn using body intelligence... like the last 500 000 000 years. The unconscious has a bit of an advantage concerning movement over the conscious.

the conscious should do nothing but guide the preparation of the unconscious

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

I agree, I'd suggest starting by age 7 or 8 and court time of 2 hours or so a day during school and some on the weekends and 5 hours a day in the summer every summer before college . That will cement technique in almost anyone.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

This has similarities to the book Inner Game of Tennis which I’m sure you’re aware of and read.

As a coach myself, I see too many players become paralyzed by instructions from other coaches. Constant ‘feedback’ and talking and too much explanation. I did the RPT Europe/Sanchez coaching course in Barcelona a while back and what you describe is again similar stuff Luis Mediero talks about in RPT Europe. Really good stuff.
I was on court with Daniel Sorribas doing the course and I quickly picked up on how manipulating the drills a certain way, especially hand fed, can help the player understand and develop their skills without going into long explanations and demonstrations. The body has a way of figuring things out on its own like you mentioned. Put the player into a certain situation and see how they react, adjust, and see how they do again. The body will then figure out the most efficient and natural movement. It’s kinda what I call you can tell a player what to do, which is ok. You can show them, which is better. But if you can make them feel it, bingo! Then they have a complete understanding of it and can then make it their own.

Hope to read more of your posts on here in the future!

Thank you for your comment, and yes, it is about avoiding permanent verbal feedback from the coach and letting the player listen to his/her own feedback and connect with the feedforward in terms of learning how to make better decisions. As coaches, we do not have to teach from our experience but generate experience in the players, and guide them to reach our experience. What's the difference between teaching and coaching? When I teach I'm saying what to do, what is good and what is wrong. When I coach, I'm guiding the player in learning how to learn.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

Thank you for your comment, and yes, it is about avoiding permanent verbal feedback from the coach and letting the player listen to his/her own feedback and connect with the feedforward in terms of learning how to make better decisions. As coaches, we do not have to teach from our experience but generate experience in the players, and guide them to reach our experience. What's the difference between teaching and coaching? When I teach I'm saying what to do, what is good and what is wrong. When I coach, I'm guiding the player in learning how to learn.

100% agree, but it takes a lot of time for that approach since it involves participation and repetition.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

I agree, I'd suggest starting by age 7 or 8 and court time of 2 hours or so a day during school and some on the weekends and 5 hours a day in the summer every summer before college . That will cement technique in almost anyone.

The movement yes, for sure ... but the tactical decisions?? Technique evolve through tactical decisions

 

[ppma]

What I very much agree about the OP is the sense of "touch".

For me, that connects directly with the hitting by feel approach. This means, connecting how the movement of the body/arm/racquet feels (or so to say, wants to feel as it is how the brain works) with the results of the stroke. Of course, I do not believe this eliminates technique from the equation, but somehow it can be incorporated to the game in a not so analytical way as it is seen here in the forums, but in a more organic way of learning. Of course, some slight changes here and there with the due knowledge of tennis biomechanics and racquet-ball dynamics would be in place to approach corrections in an efficient manner.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

100% agree, but it takes a lot of time for that approach since it involves participation and repetition.

not really, the exercise has to be designed just a bit over the player's current capacity. in that case, the player will be able to identify and act proactively from his/her current capacities. Repetition, in my opinion, are important but after the player has discovered by him/her self what we are trying that he/she discovers. (sorry my English is not that fluid)

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

i going to set up a new post with one question. maybe in that way will be more untestable

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

not really, the exercise has to be designed just a bit over the player's current capacity. in that case, the player will be able to identify and act proactively from his/her current capacities. Repetition, in my opinion, are important but after the player has discovered by him/her self what we are trying that he/she discovers. (sorry my English is not that fluid)

Your english is good, don't worry about it.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

Your english is good, don't worry about it.

you are the one that is managing the youtube channel ?

 

[tennis_balla]

For anyone who is doubtful of @Elite Tennis Barcelona approach to coaching I will say this.

Each coach has a different way of describing this methodology. What Elite described is 100% correct and used by a ton of good coaches around the world with their own style to it, but the core fundamental is there.
In the most simplest terms, a coach should be guiding the player from behind or another way to put it is the coach should not be the center of attention and micro-manage and be involved in every little aspect of development. Coaches feel too much self importance sometimes which is detrimental to a player’s development.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

For anyone who is doubtful of @Elite Tennis Barcelona approach to coaching I will say this.

Each coach has a different way of describing this methodology. What Elite described is 100% correct and used by a ton of good coaches around the world with their own style to it, but the core fundamental is there.
In the most simplest terms, a coach should be guiding the player from behind or another way to put it is the coach should not be the center of attention and micro-manage and be involved in every little aspect of development. Coaches feel too much self importance sometimes which is detrimental to a player’s development.

"Coaches feel too much self-importance sometimes which is detrimental to a player’s development." i could not be more agree. The platform just permitted me to give you one like.... i will give you 1000 likes

 

[tennis_balla]

100% agree, but it takes a lot of time for that approach since it involves participation and repetition.

100%
Something that juniors have an easier time doing, because they just want to play and hit balls but adults have it tougher. Job, family, money, injuries etc and also how most adult lessons are run by coaches. Not enough hitting, lots of feeding drills, goofy stuff taught thats not needed because the coach runs out of ideas and so on.

Biggest improvement I’ve found in my adult lessons a while ago was let them hit, just rally from the baseline. Give them a task, something to work on and hit the ball back and forth.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

100%
Something that juniors have an easier time doing, because they just want to play and hit balls but adults have it tougher. Job, family, money, injuries etc and also how most adult lessons are run by coaches. Not enough hitting, lots of feeding drills, goofy stuff taught thats not needed because the coach runs out of ideas and so on.

Biggest improvement I’ve found in my adult lessons a while ago was let them hit, just rally from the baseline. Give them a task, something to work on and hit the ball back and forth.

100% agree. Every shot has to be a tactical decision, and the golden rule in tennis is: PUT THE BALL IN! then after we will see how to do better, but please.... BALL INNNNNNN!!!! hahaha

 

[tennis_balla]

100% agree. Every shot has to be a tactical decision, and the golden rule in tennis is: PUT THE BALL IN! then after we will see how to do better, but please.... BALL INNNNNNN!!!! hahaha

I have a good friend in Florida, great coach, and I love his quote he says “You have 2 choices in tennis, IN or IN!”

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

I have a good friend in Florida, great coach, and I love his quote he says “You have 2 choices in tennis, IN or IN!”

he is a very very good coach!!!

 

[matterer]

yes, learn using body intelligence... like the last 500 000 000 years. The unconscious has a bit of an advantage concerning movement over the conscious.

A small child learning tennis consciously from an excellent coach would quickly surpass an adult with every physical advantage and decades of unconscious "learning." Many such cases.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

A small child learning tennis consciously from an excellent coach would quickly surpass an adult with every physical advantage and decades of unconscious "learning." Many such cases.

Last summer came to my academy, a 17-year-old guy from the USA, according to him, playing since he was 9. When he started to warm up I thought, wow... what good shots. When we went to a more dynamic and tactical exercise he was not able to combine 2 shots in a row. I had to put him with a beginner player who at least was able to play more than 4 balls in and guess what... the "solid Beginner" beat the "perfect Technique"
Technique is an empty skill if is not linked with the tactical decision and with the emotional load of the moment. I'm not against the technique, I do not agree with putting the technique as the main goal. The technique is adaptative to the tactical situation and is not necessary to teach but yes to guide and develop with no verbal instructions. We speak and read English, and the body speaks and understands Egyptian geoglyphs. Are different languages

 

[Shroud]

yes, learn using body intelligence... like the last 500 000 000 years. The unconscious has a bit of an advantage concerning movement over the conscious.

what if the body naturally hits with a chicken wing FH with the elbow stuck to the body? What drills can be done to get that chicken wing gone for good?

 

[TennisCJC]

toe-may-toe vs toe-mot-toe. Developing vs teaching. Interesting post but I think developing is a form of teaching. Developing seems like a philosophical approach to teaching by using development of natural skills. I am not a tennis teacher but did teach a few junior teams decades ago and taught my family. I think all players will occasionally need technique pointers such as "lay the wrist back as you start the forward swing" or "attack the ball on edge as you come up to contact", or "use fixed wrist angle on the volley" or "turn the shoulders", ... You can probably do a lot without over stressing technique but hard to get around technical pointers altogether unless the student is a naturally gifted athletic exception that I have yet to encounter.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

what if the body naturally hits with a chicken wing FH with the elbow stuck to the body? What drills can be done to get that chicken wing gone for good?

if the body is setting a chicken wing FH, then the problem is in the distance, if is the distance then is footwork, and if is footwork then is vision/reading.
The solution? watch the ball

 

[sureshs]

what if the body naturally hits with a chicken wing FH with the elbow stuck to the body? What drills can be done to get that chicken wing gone for good?

There is a poster here just like that. He also uses a very heavy frame.

 

[AnyPUG]

if the body is setting a chicken wing FH, then the problem is in the distance, if is the distance then is footwork, and if is footwork then is vision/reading.
The solution? watch the ball

You can watch to the MAX and still decide to slice using just the arm instead of setting up the body positioning for efficient weight transfer for a power shot. The use of body and momentum transfer using efficient means has to be taught by experts who have already learnt it. OP is either missing the communication aspects of his teaching or selling an idea not based on reality.

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

toe-may-toe vs toe-mot-toe. Developing vs teaching. Interesting post but I think developing is a form of teaching. Developing seems like a philosophical approach to teaching by using development of natural skills. I am not a tennis teacher but did teach a few junior teams decades ago and taught my family. I think all players will occasionally need technique pointers such as "lay the wrist back as you start the forward swing" or "attack the ball on edge as you come up to contact", or "use fixed wrist angle on the volley" or "turn the shoulders", ... You can probably do a lot without over stressing technique but hard to get around technical pointers altogether unless the student is a naturally gifted athletic exception that I have yet to encounter.

Agree,

You can watch to the MAX and still decide to slice using just the arm instead of setting up the body positioning for efficient weight transfer for a power shot. The use of body and momentum transfer using efficient means has to be taught by experts who have already learnt it. OP is either missing the communication aspects of his teaching or selling an idea not based on reality.

Using your logic, I can not write and participate in this forum because my English is not perfect. if every person who wants to learn to play tennis has to wait to know how to turn his shoulders and transfer the weight of the body, he would never be able to enjoy the game.
If I want to learn Chinese, should I do it by studying Confucian or should I start with the basics? How can we ask the body to organize a weight transfer to hit a powerful shot if it has not yet learned to decide when to hit the ball?

 

[AnyPUG]

Agree,

Using your logic, I can not write and participate in this forum because my English is not perfect. if every person who wants to learn to play tennis has to wait to know how to turn his shoulders and transfer the weight of the body, he would never be able to enjoy the game.
If I want to learn Chinese, should I do it by studying Confucian or should I start with the basics? How can we ask the body to organize a weight transfer to hit a powerful shot if it has not yet learned to decide when to hit the ball?

I think I'm getting what you are attempting to convey. Are you essentially advocating that the students should focus on what they are ready for at the moment? And develop by fine tuning in small increments?
Isn't there need for both rough tuning and fine tuning? Or boulder, rock, sand approach to fill empty space?

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

I think I'm getting what you are attempting to convey. Are you essentially advocating that the students should focus on what they are ready for at the moment? And develop by fine tuning in small increments?
Isn't there need for both rough tuning and fine tuning? Or boulder, rock, sand approach to fill empty space?

"Isn't there need for both rough tuning and fine tuning? Or boulder, rock, sand approach to fill empty space?"
If I understood the sense of this sentence, my answer is that: depends on the player's necessity. but i m not sure if I understood well

 

[user92626]

This has similarities to the book Inner Game of Tennis which I’m sure you’re aware of and read.

As a coach myself, I see too many players become paralyzed by instructions from other coaches. Constant ‘feedback’ and talking and too much explanation. I did the RPT Europe/Sanchez coaching course in Barcelona a while back and what you describe is again similar stuff Luis Mediero talks about in RPT Europe. Really good stuff.
I was on court with Daniel Sorribas doing the course and I quickly picked up on how manipulating the drills a certain way, especially hand fed, can help the player understand and develop their skills without going into long explanations and demonstrations. The body has a way of figuring things out on its own like you mentioned. Put the player into a certain situation and see how they react, adjust, and see how they do again. The body will then figure out the most efficient and natural movement. It’s kinda what I call you can tell a player what to do, which is ok. You can show them, which is better. But if you can make them feel it, bingo! Then they have a complete understanding of it and can then make it their own.

Hope to read more of your posts on here in the future!

Thank you for your comment, and yes, it is about avoiding permanent verbal feedback from the coach and letting the player listen to his/her own feedback and connect with the feedforward in terms of learning how to make better decisions. As coaches, we do not have to teach from our experience but generate experience in the players, and guide them to reach our experience. What's the difference between teaching and coaching? When I teach I'm saying what to do, what is good and what is wrong. When I coach, I'm guiding the player in learning how to learn.

Sound overly complicated.

Let me ask you coaches this, much simpler:

You show a student the right or sound way to hit a FH. You tell him, to advance you must be able to perform it consistently like that or better.

At first the stroke will feel new and uneasy for him, but over time with practice he must feel more comfortable, deviate less from the form.

If he can't get "muscle memory" after reasonable time, then he can't make it.

Isn't that straightforward?

That's how it works with me. But I don't have a coach or a monitor to track my form and correct & remind me to reach a higher level. That's all.

 

[optic yellow]

What I very much agree about the OP is the sense of "touch".

For me, that connects directly with the hitting by feel approach. This means, connecting how the movement of the body/arm/racquet feels (or so to say, wants to feel as it is how the brain works) with the results of the stroke. Of course, I do not believe this eliminates technique from the equation, but somehow it can be incorporated to the game in a not so analytical way as it is seen here in the forums, but in a more organic way of learning. Of course, some slight changes here and there with the due knowledge of tennis biomechanics and racquet-ball dynamics would be in place to approach corrections in an efficient manner.

You are correct, this is the natural way someone picks up tennis when they are not instructed and it leads generally to much greater variety in shot creation.

 

[matterer]

Last summer came to my academy, a 17-year-old guy from the USA, according to him, playing since he was 9. When he started to warm up I thought, wow... what good shots. When we went to a more dynamic and tactical exercise he was not able to combine 2 shots in a row. I had to put him with a beginner player who at least was able to play more than 4 balls in and guess what... the "solid Beginner" beat the "perfect Technique"
Technique is an empty skill if is not linked with the tactical decision and with the emotional load of the moment. I'm not against the technique, I do not agree with putting the technique as the main goal. The technique is adaptative to the tactical situation and is not necessary to teach but yes to guide and develop with no verbal instructions. We speak and read English, and the body speaks and understands Egyptian geoglyphs. Are different languages

Would Toni Nadal agree that kid had perfect technique? How about Tracy Austin or Patrick Mouratoglou? If you asked Roger Federer to copy that kid's technique, wouldn't he have to make the conscious decision to make mistakes on purpose? I know I would.

 

[Shroud]

There is a poster here just like that. He also uses a very heavy frame.

i CAN hit without the chicken wing but it takes a conscious effort. But in a match I am sure I revert because that is the natural thing...said another way I don't think the racquet weight has anything to do with it.

But who knows? I can't seem to play light racquets without the ball sailing.

 

[Dragy]

But who knows? I can't seem to play light racquets without the ball sailing.

Try light, thin beam, flexible with low tension!

 

[Shroud]

Try light, thin beam, flexible with low tension!

Papa mango was demoing some sticks and he had some light weight Prince noodle strung at girly tensions. I will spare you the vid because it was horrible. Even the backhand was sailing. Can’t stand it when the strings give at contact

 

[Elite Tennis Barcelona]

I think I'm getting what you are attempting to convey. Are you essentially advocating that the students should focus on what they are ready for at the moment? And develop by fine tuning in small increments?
Isn't there need for both rough tuning and fine tuning? Or boulder, rock, sand approach to fill empty space?

Sorry, I forgot to answer the first part of your message:
Yes, it is 100% about that. We have to decide our shot from what we can control.