Every once in a while, you come across an opponent whose winning record seems in sharp contradiction to the way he looks while playing.
Sometimes, these guys look slow, hit with no power, and yet they beat almost everybody except for the the top players.
I had the opportunity to play such a player this past weekend.
Now, this fellow comes with quite a tennis pedigree having been on touring junior teams for a South American country and having played the Orange Bowl tennis tournament.
The obvious way to play these type of players is to try and hit through them. But, this fellow's defense was superb. And, I'm not talking about Nadal type passing shots.
This fellow, let's call him Eduardo, has the ability to hit low, slow, slice balls down the line with extraordinary precision. This particular position on the court is a very difficulot position for most attacking players and especially for most club players who don't practice what to do with this ball.
The obvious response is back down the line but Eduardo knows this too and covers this shot.In hindsight, I think the shot to hit might be a short angled topspin crosscourt. However, this isn't a shot that most club players practice very often and isn't something that one might go to naturally in the heat of battle.
So, the lesson is to never to judge how good someone is until you've been on the court with them and see for yourself.
Until next time,
Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies How To Play Pushers And Win Big Matches guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray are two of the best players in the world. They both play a primarily defensive game although Nadal can convert to offense in an instant which I think makes him so incredible.
But, as I watching the most recent match between the two (the final at Indian Wells),I was struck by the intelligence of the types of shots they were both playing as they played defense in points.
When in a little bit of trouble, perhaps pulled out wide, watch how Nadal and Murray often hit loopy, deep shots with less pace than their normal groundstrokes.
They don't panic at all. They hit these higher, slower shots because they want a little extra time to recover their court position. You might also see slice backhands especially from Nadal.
So, as you're playing your matches at your club, remember this principal. Next time, you're in a bad position in a point, try to hit the ball to a safe place using a little more height over the net and maybe with less pace.
But, always remember that after hitting your shot, bust your gut getting back into good position so that, in essence, you can restart the point.
Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Top Tennis Tips AND Coaching Advice guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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If you're of a certain vintage, then you learned to play tennis with the classic linear forehand. You took the racket back early, played mostly neutral or closed stance, and followed through toward the target.
The modern forehand clearly looks different. It involves different grips and the use of more rotational force. The effect is far more spin, control, and angles.
There are really 2 issues to discuss here.
The first is the advantage of the modern forehand versus the classical for the club player. The second is how to hit the modern forehand and retrain yourself.
Let's start off with the first issue. As I see it, the classical forehand can be very effective at the club level if hit well. It is especially effective if your opponents are hitting a ball that doesn't bounce too high as the classic forehand is hit with a conservative grip ( eastern or continental).
However, if you're a bit of a old-timer and you're playing younger players who have grown up being taught the modern forehand, you may find that it becomes very difficult to handle the high bouncing balls produced by the modern forehand.
And, you may marvel at the ease of which the modern forehand players can destroy high balls.
So, the classical forehand may or may not be an advantage depending on whom you're playing.
The second issue is the technical differences between the two and how you can retrain yourself to hit the modern forehand.
The modern forehand is what is referred to as a multi-segment forehand as opposed to the single segment classical forehand. What this means is that in the classical forehand the entire arm from the shoulder down moves as a single block.
On the other hand, in the modern forehand, there is a movement of multiple segments including the shoulder. elbow, and wrist.
There's also far more rotation involved in the modern forehand.
Here are 2 resources to get you started in exploring the differences:
A short video illustrating the differences
A second video illustrating the differences
Until next time,
Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Top Tennis Tactics For Playing All Different Types guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
Tennis Cartoon Screensaver. You can download a trial version for FREE.
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Recently, I've had the pleasure of hitting with a 73 year old man at our club.
Not just any 73 year old man, mind you, but a former Davis Cupper and someone can regale you with stories about greats like Don Budge, Pancho Gonzalez, and the Aussies.
A fine gentleman as well.
But, let's get to the tennis part of things.
Obviously, he's from the old school with conservative grips and the traditional linear groundstrokes of that era. But, what an eye for correct technique on the volley and backhand approach shot.
All great volleyers contact the ball in front of them. Most club players contact the ball further back and then wonder why they don't get the stick and angle they desire.
The problem is that most club players may think they're contacting out in front but, in fact, actually aren't.
So, when I'm on the court with this senior with the wisdom of the ages, he continually reminds me to contact out front. When you start to get it, the ball has far more zip.
I noticed the difference in one of our weekly doubles matches. One of the foursome is a fine player with soft hands who can volley well but tends to catch the ball late and let it bounce off the racket instead of sticking it.
When, I got into exhanges at the net I was almost guaranteed to win since his volley had no stick and therefore gave me time to react, whereas my volleys had more zip and ultimately forced the error and won me the point.
So, even if you don't have an ex-pro drilling you on an in-front contact point, remind yourself and practice until you get the feel.
Until next time,
Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of Insider Tennis Strategies Top Tennis Tactics For Beating The Next Guy guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level. Also, check out the world's top tennis humor screensaver
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