What level do you have to reach before you start to 'aim' your shots?

[Swerve]

I'm a 3.0 and I can aim pretty well. Granted I'm pretty athletic, played other sports, and took to tennis very quickly but I find that it doesn't take much to learn how to use the court wisely. The most important thing in my opinion is your movement. If you get in good position you can hit the ball anywhere.

That being said when I hit with buddies who are 3.5-4.5 level players I find that I can only really aim when they're hitting their rally ball. If they start adding lots of spin/pace I can only aim in the general direction of cross court or down the line, but it's much harder when those variables come into play.

The best lessons I've learned from higher level players is knowing when to hit a 70% ball with lots of spin/depth that's placed well and when to hit a 99% winner. If you keep hitting a good 70% ball you'll find that the points may last longer, but you'll make a lot less errors. Another good thing to keep in mind is when to change direction during a rally, i.e. inside shots

 

[Graf1stClass]

If you go to any large public library and check out the tennis instruction books you will see that the consensus of advice is to develop, in this order:

1st steadiness
2nd control
3rd spin
4rth (if ever) power

Thus, by working on power and spin before control, you are doing wrong.

Why thanks for that detailed and well-cited, well-articulated analysis of general progression with respect to tennis mechanics.


At TC: You usually learn to aim your shots at the 3.0 level. There's a difference between the direction and control of your shots.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

If you go to any large public library and check out the tennis instruction books you will see that the consensus of advice is to develop, in this order:

1st steadiness
2nd control
3rd spin
4rth (if ever) power...

I prefer the sequence I presented in post #26. While variety/control of spin is not listed until step 7, topspin is actually presented very early in the sequence...

1- Learn to hit the ball
2- Learn to hit the ball over the net
3- Learn to hit the ball over the net consistently
4- Learn to hit the ball over the net with direction
5- Learn to hit the ball over the net with direction & depth
6- Learn consistency in rallying
7- Learn variety and control of spin, depth & trajectory
8- Learn to hit with power

 

[GuyClinch]

I don't think you need to go in some perfect order. You can work on power without having perfect control or massive spin.

A good example is on the serve - a common drill is to try to serve very 'long' but with full power. If you worry too much about targets you won't be able to teach your body how to really accelerate the racquet head. Likewise you might practice your serve just trying to hit cones - and not switch to a new part of the drill before you hit a spot 10 times.

You can use the same approach with your groundstrokes - at least that seems logical to me. You can work on spin, power and control all at the same time. Now for rank beginners yeah obviously they have to learn to hit he ball over the net. But beyond that I don't subscribe to any order - and most coaches don't seem to either. You need it all.

 

[JohnB]

I have 117 books on tennis, most of which start out by advising beginners to start with eastern forehand grips on serves and forehand volleys. I'll maintain that this is horrible advice because players who start with these grips have the hardest time making the change to continental.

I preface this post with this information because you should not just believe basic instructional books, as while they may articulate similar advice, this does not always make it so.

My 35 years of training beginners to world class players always starts with teaching stroke technique and spin FIRST. Players need to learn from the start what spin feels like, what it does to the ball and how it reacts, and how to impart different spins. Otherwise most players become "gravity reliant" players...hitting flat, hitting high enough and hard enough to clear the net, soft enough that gravity can bring the ball into the court. This almost always produces dinkers.

I'm not saying you shouldn't take into account what books offer, but also understand that many of them don't understand the true dynamics of what it takes to create skilled players...only players who can play at rudimentary levels.

I'm also not saying my way is the only way. However, having seen different teaching philosophies come and go, and having attended dozens of tennis teaching conventions and networked with many of other top pros in the U.S., I have found this to be the most productive in terms of developing players to reach their true potential.

I'm interested in your opinion about teaching technique by putting a student in a set situation on court where he or she is tempted to execute functional/proper technique. for instance, you want to teach topspin on the forehand. A way to put the student in a set situation could be: a higer net, which encourages a low to high swingpath and a target 1 á 2 meter in front of the baseline, which encourages topspin. IOW, a trainer has to be creative in setting up situations in which the student is triggerd to execute funtional technique. And the student has to let the body find a way to execute the suitable technique. If the student doesn't succeed, it is supposed that the trainer should give advice then and not before the exercise.

 

[Topspin Shot]

I'm interested in your opinion about teaching technique by putting a student in a set situation on court where he or she is tempted to execute functional/proper technique. for instance, you want to teach topspin on the forehand. A way to put the student in a set situation could be: a higer net, which encourages a low to high swingpath and a target 1 á 2 meter in front of the baseline, which encourages topspin. IOW, a trainer has to be creative in setting up situations in which the student is triggerd to execute funtional technique. And the student has to let the body find a way to execute the suitable technique. If the student doesn't succeed, it is supposed that the trainer should give advice then and not before the exercise.

That's definitely a valid teaching method, but I wouldn't start a player with exercises like that. I would teach the basics to the topspin forehand, get the player spinning the ball consistently over the net and into the court in rally situations, and then, when I wanted to augment his topspin, get him to really learn to use it to his advantage, I would add the high net and short target. That way, the student has an idea of what he's supposed to be doing and then can let his body do what it needs to. A student with no idea of how to consistently generate topspin put in that situation may well start to roll the racket face over the ball. If he does that, the drill has then done more harm than good since it has established poor muscle memory that then has to be overwritten.

 

[CoachingMastery]

I'm interested in your opinion about teaching technique by putting a student in a set situation on court where he or she is tempted to execute functional/proper technique. for instance, you want to teach topspin on the forehand. A way to put the student in a set situation could be: a higer net, which encourages a low to high swingpath and a target 1 á 2 meter in front of the baseline, which encourages topspin. IOW, a trainer has to be creative in setting up situations in which the student is triggerd to execute funtional technique. And the student has to let the body find a way to execute the suitable technique. If the student doesn't succeed, it is supposed that the trainer should give advice then and not before the exercise.

I'm all for any means in which you create an opportunity to condition a player to do the "right" shot with the right technique. When a method or exercise causes a breakdown in technique, and then reinforces that inadequate or ineffective method, I would move away from it.

I also like to create opportunities where the players "self discover" some aspects. However, in reality this is difficult as the most effective methods seldom feel comfortable or familiar...and if that is the case, the player will almost NEVER try or stay with a pattern that feels this way. A player can do a shot exactly correct in the desired method or technique, but it feels so different that the player abandons the method. Or, a player hits a ball correctly but miss-times the shot and hits it into the net or out...again, abandoning the method because the outcome was not what they wanted. Yet, again, they did the technique correctly.

People seem to not understand this simple idea: Players WILL gain comfort and familiarity with an uncomfortable or unfamiliar technique over time and with dedicated repetition. (Why else could Rafa, a right handed individual learn to play left handed???)

So many pros avoid teaching patterns that initially feel uncomfortable for their student. If the pro would learn better ways to make the uncomfortable feel comfortable, they would allow that student to reach their potential.

 

[HughJars]

This is a crazy thread...how can you play this game without a thought to aiming? Its like putting a golf ball and not aiming at the stick. Ridiculous.

Aiming where you want to put the ball develops correct technique. Hitting the ball to the ad court as opposed to the duece court requires different form. Unless you purposely attempt to aim, then how can you develop these differences in form?

 

[CoachingMastery]

This is a crazy thread...how can you play this game without a thought to aiming? Its like putting a golf ball and not aiming at the stick. Ridiculous.

Aiming where you want to put the ball develops correct technique. Hitting the ball to the ad court as opposed to the duece court requires different form. Unless you purposely attempt to aim, then how can you develop these differences in form?

If you have not developed proper technique, aiming does NOT develop correct technique. Players will compromise technique to accommodate their aim. Skilled players aim to accommodate their technique. There is a big difference and unless you understand it, you will become a good "dinker" if you only use aim as the means to develop your technique.

I do agree that we all "aim" whenever we hit any shot. However, how we let aiming affect our technique will determine if we are improving or simply becoming a hitter.

 

[JohnB]

Good points Topspin Shot and CoachingMastery.
Question about Rafa. When he got on the scene, his technique wasn't considered correct according to a variety of coaches. After he had won the French Open and adapted to grass their opinion changed. I believe Rafa played left handed because his coach advised him/made him do that. The question is, did his coach had a better vision about the future (once considered incorrect) technique, or did he let Rafa's body figure a way out to develope his personal technique? Or a combination of both?

 

[dknotty]

This is a crazy thread...how can you play this game without a thought to aiming? Its like putting a golf ball and not aiming at the stick. Ridiculous.

Aiming where you want to put the ball develops correct technique. Hitting the ball to the ad court as opposed to the duece court requires different form. Unless you purposely attempt to aim, then how can you develop these differences in form?

The OP is trolling.

 

[GoudX]

Yes you're right I never really look at my opponent - because I'm always looking at the ball, I was also told never to look anywhere else but the ball otherwise you'll never make clean contact.

If I had to guess where my subconscious is aiming (because I never put any conscious thought into where to aim the ball) - it would be slap bang in the middle of the court and roughly more crosscourt than down the line.

If my opponent is somehow leaving a gaping hole down the line that's begging to be hit into - firstly I wouldn't see the hole because I'm watching the ball, but even if I did see it, I will never take the shot down the line because I've been told to play to the middle of the court because it's safer tennis, so I'd rather just re-start the point and just try to grind them down with heavy high balls into the middle of the court...?

So basically you're so scared of missing that you'll let your opponent stand in the centre of the court and control every point. Any half decent counterpuncher or grinder would be able to use the fact they know where the ball is going every time to run you off the court and get an easy put away. Anyone with good net skills will run in and volley the predictable shot to the middle of the court into a corner, knowing they won't have to worry about passing shots. On serve, unless you are varying power and spin a lot, your opponent will get their eye in very quickly and have an easy time. Also a baseline blaster will be able to tee off on high pace shots rights can just stand there.

By 4.5 you will need to aim every shot, the reason you can't aim your 'perfect shot' attempts is that you are trying to destroy the ball rather than hitting the ball cleanly at targets. The only way you can develop 'pro' shots is to practise the shot you want to hit, you can't magically turn a vague shot to the centre of the court to a sharp angle crosscourt shot as technique is different and you won't have practised aiming.

 

[GoudX]

My 2 cents is that you can do what your coach is asking but you just dont know how.

For instance do you ever think of your form when riding a bike? Do you ever concentrate on when to push your right leg down, etc, NO!

Reason is you are busy steering and looking at the hot chicks on rollerskates. Yet somehow you manage to ride just fine.

Tennis is the same. You just need to get out of the way and let your body do what it can do. So here is a test. Get your phone and put on some headpones so you can make a call (you know hands free). Hit against the wall and call a friend or loved one and just talk. Much like you can carry on a conversation while driving with little thought to driving, you will be surprised how well you hit when you arent focused on hitting. Once you figure that out, you can focus more on your opponent.

there is a book about it that is called the "inner game"

Actually developing good cycling technique initially requires a lot of patience and concentration, as good technique requires even power input around the entire movement to maximise sustainable power output, especially at high cadences. Top track sprinters hit cadences of around 175rpm at top speed, and the best time triallers often maintain 110rpm, both of which require incredibly good form. If you doubt this, go on a bike and try to develop a good power spinning the crank twice a second. Eventually, with a lot of cycling, you develop good muscle memory and you gain the co-ordination to spin gears up to high cadences without paying any attention.

Similarly learning how to place the ball in different parts of the court in different situations does not come naturally, it requires a lot of practise and experience to get the feel for the swing angle, power, spin, trajectory, etc... to hit different parts of the court. Sure, OP could probably hit vague and simple DTL or crosscourt shots right now, but hitting targets will take a lot of work if he has never tried. After lots of practise you gain the experience and muscle memory to select the correct technique without thinking.