Controlling your shots
In this post, we will cover why hitting as hard as you can will not win you matches.
So what will? Controlling your shots and using directionals to move your opponent from side to side. When I was a Junior growing up, I remember playing a player who was ranked top 10 nationally. I thought to myself how in the world is this little kid who was 110 pounds and under 5ft tall winning against players much bigger and older then him.
I quickly learned how. He was able to move bigger, stronger, more older players from side to side using a variety of spin and angles that took away all the power from the bigger boys. You can apply this same principle to your game as well.
The Test of a Good Player
Ask yourself the following questions to measure your progress toward becoming a good player.
- Covering the Court
- Hit the ball
- Control my shots
- Setting up the points
- Control my nerves
- Learn from my mistakes
- Intimidate my opponents
- Pressure my opponent
- Enjoy the battle
- Handle the outcome
Controlling the Ball
As we just learned, hitting the ball with power is not enough. You must hit it over the net and in the court. It is even better if you can hit it where you are aiming it. The followthrough of your shot in combination with the angle of your racquet face will determine where your shot will land. Do you followthrough every time you hit the ball? If you don’t give the ball direction, don’t expect your shot to be accurate.
These first three topics: covering the court, hitting the ball and controlling your shot, are what you should expect your tennis instructor to show you. The remaining topics are more in the realm of “coaching “. If you continue to take lessons, your instructor will probably spend less time on your hitting techniques and more on the coaching aspects of the game.