Choking in games and not going for shots

[eaglesburg]

I have tried bounce hit before but I always gave up on it after a few shots. I'll try to stick with it longer next time.

[GeoffWilliams]

Won't be getting any more help from me.

[eaglesburg]

Won't be getting any more help from me.

What is something I said?

[stotty]

Right now I'm reading Mindset. Maybe when I'm finished I'll read Tilden's books.

I think you are right about my mental game. Many times I play literally with almost zero emotion. Like stone face. At a camp I went to they said they wanted to see more emotion. So it might not just be the emotion...the lack of emotion could be caused my brain not being completely concentrated on the game because they are some matches where I do get really into it (and play really well usually).

I do need to work on my touch shots. I am predictable. I am also bad at making strategies. I think I become uptight and less confident which is why I am not decisive.

About my bad days...those videos were one of them. Yes the shots don't look terrible. But I didn't feel much control over them at all especially on my forehand side and also the shots oftentimes felt like I was hitting off enter. Sometimes this would mean I get no pace. I would guess this is just watching the ball, so it seems your post is bringing everything together. Thanks!

Mindset is good book. Tilden's books are good also. Most don't read Tilden because his books were written 80 years ago, but Tilden's observations on strategies and matchplay as relevant today as they were then.

You seem all over the place in assessing yourself. Try to narrow things down a bit. Just work on a few things and see how they work for you. don_budge has laid down some great advice for you to follow and it may be useful for you to take that onboard.

You are what you are. There are no rules on that one. Stoney faced is fine...an asset actually in my view. Don't feel you have to be emotional if you aren't wired that way.

Your serve:- Don't get us started on abbreviated motions with some of us on this forum. Nine out of ten players, are better off with a deeper wind-up. Your ball toss has very little leverage because you are starting your ball toss from around your shoulder line! You might be able to get your serve to go much better with a few changes...and a little work and application.

[eaglesburg]

Strokes look ok. touching on what don_budge mentioned about the practicing and tennis mind, do you practice with a purpose? If so, describe your hitting session. Is there a specific thing you like to work on or do you just go out and "hit". Do you work on the nuances of each stroke, the spins, the placements, the heights, the angles, or is it just a slugfest? It's easy to fall into that habit. It may not seem as fun to have a regimented plan but it will pay off as you will have greater confidence and better focus.
Championship tennis players know they can't always win on their terms, They understand that if you want to shine, you need to embrace the grind.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

It's either a match or drills. The drills would be cc, dtl, groundstroke to volley, volley to groundstroke, serve and return.
First, what do you suggest, a match or drilling? If drilling what drills? I don't really work on the nuances like you mentioned. Actually I don't really know if I ever have. What suggestions do you have for that?

[eaglesburg]

Today my forehand was off again. My hitting partner said everything was relatively flat compared the heavy topspin I usually hit. I realized he was right and that this is what usually happens to me on these days: I hit flat and long losing the ability to hit with controlled power. I wasn't able to fix it but at least I know what is going on. I ended up just playing smart and won 6-0, 6-2,6-3. I tried bounce hit and it helped my timing for sure but I was still unable to get in a rhythm with my forehand. Still, half the solution is finding the problem!

I also did about ten minutes of visualization both last night and when I woke up. I also got there early and visualized for a little more. I also tried to visualize some shots before I hit them. I did not have much success with it, but I will keep at it.

[klacr]

It's either a match or drills. The drills would be cc, dtl, groundstroke to volley, volley to groundstroke, serve and return.
First, what do you suggest, a match or drilling? If drilling what drills? I don't really work on the nuances like you mentioned. Actually I don't really know if I ever have. What suggestions do you have for that?

Matches and drills are both good. Just be sure you give yourself some measurable performance goals while you're doing it. Examples: 75% of first serves. Win first two out of 3 points (30-15) in 70% of all games. Win 80% of 40-30 points. When drilling, 20 consecutive forehands crosscourt past service line. 15 volleys down the line etc etc.

Its important to practice with a purpose and an opportunity to measure your performance and progress.
You are thinking a lot and asking many questions. That is great but like licensedcoach (stotty?) said, try to narrow it down. Focus on one issue at a time. Don't go out there and fix everything in one session.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[eaglesburg]

Matches and drills are both good. Just be sure you give yourself some measurable performance goals while you're doing it. Examples: 75% of first serves. Win first two out of 3 points (30-15) in 70% of all games. Win 80% of 40-30 points. When drilling, 20 consecutive forehands crosscourt past service line. 15 volleys down the line etc etc.

Its important to practice with a purpose and an opportunity to measure your performance and progress.
You are thinking a lot and asking many questions. That is great but like licensedcoach (stotty?) said, try to narrow it down. Focus on one issue at a time. Don't go out there and fix everything in one session.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Should I focus on one thing for many days or switch it up every day? I am leaning towards as many days until the goal is achieved well, but I'm not positive. And some coaches have said that I should make the drills a competition for example a cc game to 11. Should I mix that up too?
A separate issue is that I am terrible at low forehands. Any tips for that? I don't know what it is but I just have so much trouble hitting good shots off of those.

[eaglesburg]

Am I probably just swinging too hard at my low forehands? He doesn't look like he is swinging as hard as he usually does at this ball.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Roger_Federer_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Forehand/RF_FH_Short&stroke=RFFHShortClosedStanceFront_500fps.mp4

[don_budge]

Choking in Games and Not Going for Shots…Watching the Ball and Preparation

Should I focus on one thing for many days or switch it up every day? I am leaning towards as many days until the goal is achieved well, but I'm not positive. And some coaches have said that I should make the drills a competition for example a cc game to 11. Should I mix that up too?
A separate issue is that I am terrible at low forehands. Any tips for that? I don't know what it is but I just have so much trouble hitting good shots off of those.

klacr and licensedcoach think you are all over the map…and you are. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing but you do need to get organized. You actually do need a map of sorts with the destination being that you yourself are a match player. I could say these things to any fledgling tennis player so it makes you an ideal subject.

Step number one is to watch the ball as fundamental as that sounds. As I have prescribed the bounce hit method keep this in mind. For every single stroke in the game my teaching model is a six-step approach…much like a guy by the name of Welby Van Horn whom you can access on this site under Famous Coaches or Classic Lessons. Welby is a fundamentalist right out of the Bill Tilden model and he has an excellent methodology.

For any given stroke…

Step 1…Ready position
Step 2…Set the racquet
Step 3…Turn the shoulders taking the racquet back (strings now facing the opposite wall for groundstrokes)
Step 4…Get in position!!! To go forwards with your stroke.
Step 5…Impact
Step 6…Follow through

When the ball bounces you must register in your brain that precise instant and this takes an incredible amount of concentration. The ability to concentrate being paramount in the tennisplayer's abilities. After the ball bounces it is tempting to start looking at the target of your shot or to look up to see where your opponent is. It's best to train your brain with feedback from your eyes and making an audible noise at this moment because this further reinforces the feedback from your eyes. Plus you engage your senses additionally. You must make certain that your racquet is back in position as in Step 3…strings facing the opposite wall with your eyes on the ball when the ball bounces…the eyes must stay on the ball until they meet the strings of your racquet. Keep you head down in this position for a split second after you hit the ball…just to make certain. In this way you now have killed two important fundamental birds with one stone…you have the ball in your sights and you are prepared to go forwards…aggressively. In match play you must endeavor on every single ball and every single point to be in control and this is where it starts. Get you ass in position! Literally.

I think that you must give some serious thought to every single shot and work on them to make them as solid and repeatable so that they will hold up under pressure and under difficult conditions. In this manner I recommend desigatning some of your training time to working against the wall. Many people disregard this important and fundamental way of practicing because it can be a bit boring if you do not have the patience for it. It is an excellent way to BEGIN to develop an iron will of patience…which you will sorely need throughout your competitive career. Learning to hit through the repetition of thousands of repeats is tried and true. Once you understand the importance of proper footwork and weight transfer after hours and hours of hard work in this manner you will find that your ability to get yourself into good position from which to swing will increase incrementally as time goes on. Against the wall you also train yourself to watch the ball without any other distractions so use your audible practice along with it…even if you are talking to yourself. Select a shot of the week and devote that week working on a specific shot.

Many times when we go into a match we may be nervous and one big reason is poor preparation. Preparation…preparation…preparation! This is the mantra of the competitive tennis player. Even I start preparing for my practice matches way in advance as I start to measure each and every step in the day and hours leading up to my match. In this manner I am starting to eliminate any excess nerves or doubts about my ability. I believe that you have to approach your practice match play as if it counts for real. I hate to lose…and that includes practice. Roger Federer is the prime time example for preparation at this point in his career. At his age it ultra important that he arrives at a tournament in perfect condition…mentally and physically. Fit…but not tired.

When you are nervous the first thing to stop performing is the feet. This is largely a mental thing though. Too much energy in the head with concerns about the match and not enough left for the lower extremities. Then if the feet are not working properly you are late for your shots. Nothing will encourage you to be timid and tentative with your shots like being late in your shot preparation. Once you are late a few times you get even more nervous and frustrated and now your opponent has you back on your heels…you are going backwards and being defensive instead of assertive and aggressive. You must be going forwards into your shots in order to be aggressive. Even before you take the court you must make certain that your energy is in your feet and not in the doubts in your mind. You are going to have to do a lot of scampering about…you might as well mentally as well as physically get yourself prepared to do so.

To be continued...

[eaglesburg]

I'm going on a family vacation till the 20th. There won't be any time for tennis () but I can use this time to plan and make my "map".

Unfortunately I'm unaware of any wall in my area. There definitely isn't one at the two places I usually go. And I have never heard of anyone using one. But I do have a ball machine (spinifire pro 2).
I could start my first week with just cross court topspin backhands. Then a week of 2nd serves, then a week of cross court forehands followed by a week of volleys and overheads. Then I'll work on changing the direction of inside balls to my backhand. Then a week of 1st serves. Then a week of changing direction on inside balls to my forehand. Then some backhand slice work. Finally I will do dtl changes of direction on outside backhands. Then all kinds of serves. Then dtl change of direction on outside forehands.

I think you are right about the nervousness causing my footwork to not be as good. When I play bad I usually feel late. I will try to work on my prep.

Does the map I made above look fine? It's not set in stone or anything; I can change it as I feel the need for example if I am struggling with a shot.
Thanks!

[gzhpcu]

What is something I said?

Just read the prior posts carefully and you should be able to figure it out...

[klacr]

I'm going on a family vacation till the 20th. There won't be any time for tennis () but I can use this time to plan and make my "map".

Unfortunately I'm unaware of any wall in my area. There definitely isn't one at the two places I usually go. And I have never heard of anyone using one. But I do have a ball machine (spinifire pro 2).
I could start my first week with just cross court topspin backhands. Then a week of 2nd serves, then a week of cross court forehands followed by a week of volleys and overheads. Then I'll work on changing the direction of inside balls to my backhand. Then a week of 1st serves. Then a week of changing direction on inside balls to my forehand. Then some backhand slice work. Finally I will do dtl changes of direction on outside backhands. Then all kinds of serves. Then dtl change of direction on outside forehands.

I think you are right about the nervousness causing my footwork to not be as good. When I play bad I usually feel late. I will try to work on my prep.

Does the map I made above look fine? It's not set in stone or anything; I can change it as I feel the need for example if I am struggling with a shot.
Thanks!

Maybe a break from tennis might do the body and mind some good. Or perhaps use that time to heal the body(blisters) and strengthen the mind with some good tennis books or peruse all the articles on this website. There is plenty to keep you entertained.

If you do bring your racquets and happen to hit, nothing wrong with shadow swings at first to really hone in and feel those technical checkpoints. Then add a ball into the mix. Nothing wrong with rehearsing and refining the fundamentals.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[bottle]

I'm going on a family vacation till the 20th. There won't be any time for tennis () but I can use this time to plan and make my "map".

Unfortunately I'm unaware of any wall in my area. There definitely isn't one at the two places I usually go. And I have never heard of anyone using one. But I do have a ball machine (spinifire pro 2).
I could start my first week with just cross court topspin backhands. Then a week of 2nd serves, then a week of cross court forehands followed by a week of volleys and overheads. Then I'll work on changing the direction of inside balls to my backhand. Then a week of 1st serves. Then a week of changing direction on inside balls to my forehand. Then some backhand slice work. Finally I will do dtl changes of direction on outside backhands. Then all kinds of serves. Then dtl change of direction on outside forehands.

I think you are right about the nervousness causing my footwork to not be as good. When I play bad I usually feel late. I will try to work on my prep.

Does the map I made above look fine? It's not set in stone or anything; I can change it as I feel the need for example if I am struggling with a shot.
Thanks!

Yes, your road-map sounds too definite, like the daily lesson plan required for long-term public school teacher substitution. When I graduated to college level, an older English teacher took me aside and explained that a plan is great only if you are ready to abandon it at the first best opportunity.

Also, I would go more for self-feed than a wall. Allows more time to THINK-- anathema to "real" tennis players one of whom you never want to be.

After the self-feed, concentrating on one stroke only, find somebody else who also is on vacation and hit with him or her, doesn't matter ability, trying out
the new stroke you practiced in self-feed. People like Paul Annacone of course make a big distinction between new flourish and overhaul, but any new flourish is a complete overhaul in my book.

After hitting with that person or another, start playing a few points. You could inject a session in between on your ball machine, I suppose, but personally, I would avoid the wall unless you were trying one serve followed by a volley put-a-way like klacr while hoping to not get hit in the balls.

Generally, wall is too much a different rhythm from self-feed and competition, two roads I find surprisingly close.

[hockeyscout]

The first thing you need to do -- diet. If you are not world class in this regards, you will have all the issues you mention.