Barefoot Tennis

If you've read Christopher McDougall's book "Born To Run" (if not, I strongly recommend that you do), you will understand that humans are literally made to run. That is, our ancestor ran a lot in order to survive (be it after food, away from predators, and as a way to cover distances for various reasons). And, guess, what?! They did not possess the latest shoe designs with air pockets, straps, ankle support, inserts, or other bells and whistles. Their footwear, if they possessed any, was nothing more than a piece of leather which protected the foot from scrapes, blisters or cuts. As a result of this lifestyle, their feet (and, as a result, OUR feet) were shaped to resemble carriage springs (upside-down "U" shape). Accordingly, when people run barefoot, the forefoot tends to strike the ground first which then automatically propels the person to "spring" forward again.

However, due to technological developments (and our sedentary lifestyle) our feet have not only been weakened but our stride has shifted from toe-to-toe running to heel-to-toe rolling. The problem is that spending too much time on your heels is not good for tennis. Tennis players need to be EXPLOSIVE, they need to SPRING to and away from the ball. That's why coaches emphasize  "playing" or "moving" on your toes. This is that same movements that boxers use in the ring and, consequently, why boxers AND tennis players need to spend a lot of time jumping rope (in order to strengthen the muscles in their feet and ankles - which allow them to bounce around the court). 

A good way for players to understand what "moving on the toes" means, is by having them take their shoes off for a few drills (they can keep the socks on). These, obviously, don't need to be very difficult drills. Just some basic side to sides, inside-outs, up-and-backs, returns, etc. By being barefoot, the player will NATURALLY grasp the concept of shifting the weight forward onto the balls of their feet and keeping the feet "under their bodies" (as opposed to sloppily getting off-balance). It will be very uncomfortable for the player to lean their weight back on their heels and, God forbid, actually land on their heels. The players will try to avoid this pain at all costs and move the way nature and evolution intended us to move - on our front-foot. After the player feels that she has learned the concept, re-do the same drills and have the player explain the difference. This is a very fun way for players to learn proper footwork and balance. 

Who Does Roger Federer Practice With?

Parents usually have the best intentions in mind for their children. When playing practice sets (or even tournaments), they sometimes believe that the best strategy is to have their children practice with players who are of a higher caliber. When feeling like you're getting sucked into this mentality stop and ask yourself: WHO DOES ROGER FEDERER (OR WOZNIACKI, NADAL, SHARAPOVA, DJOKOVIC, ETC.) PRACTICE AGAINST? I guarantee you that the answer is not one of the other players  are of the same caliber. Often times,  Federer actually practices against juniors. The fact is that there are a lot of good players that someone can, and should, practice against in order to improve. 

I believe that the best option is to play 33% of the time against players who are "worse" than you. These are the players who might not give you all the pace, spin and consistency you want, but against whom you can play your game and work on certain components without worrying about hurting their feelings. For example, when playing sets, you can practice serving and volleying, hitting no forehand winners, chipping-and-charging, hitting mostly backhands, hitting only slice backhands, finishing the point in less than 3 (or 4, 5, 6) strokes, hitting only second serves or slice serves, working on not hitting winners, etc. These opponents will push you just enough if you don't pay attention but, overall, you can use them as a way to boost your confidence and develop feel. And remember, the way you "zone" against better players (because you have nothing to lose) they will be "treeing" against you. 

33% of the time, you should practice with players at or around your level. These are the players who will beat you even if you're only 2% off your game. These practices are often very competitive and, unfortunately, a lot of juniors tend to shun them because they are afraid that their confidence will be ruined if they happen to lose. Losing and winning is part of the game and you can use these matches to constantly fine-tune your game during drill workouts. 

33% of the time, you should play against people who are better than you. Unlike the players who are your level, these players will give you more pace, spin, consistency and accuracy so you really have to be on your game in order to even come close to them. But, beware! Just because you play well against them doesn't mean that you are AT their level. Sometimes, weaker player step up the game because they feel that they have "nothing to lose". But this is not always the correct attitude. Often times, during a match, you will play against people your level and there is something to lose even if that one thing is pride. Therefore, you should practice under pressure as well as when there is no pressure. 

Remember, winning can only be LEARNED. It CANNOT be TAUGHT. A coach's job is to help you with technique, strategy, tactics and attitude. But she cannot do the playing for you! You have to learn to figure stuff out (what/when/how to do it) on your own. If you constantly play matches against better players who kick your butt, what are you really learning?! You're learning how to LOSE. Furthermore, once you're content with losing, then turning the ship around is very difficult. All good players have learned how to WIN and have learned how to DEAL with losses. That's why not every tournament is a Grand Slam Event. Some smaller tournaments ("tune-up events" anyone?) are utilized for working on certain kinks and gaining confidence for the bigger tournaments. Same concept applies to practices. 

Pre Tournament Practice: One Week Before Event

Every player is different so every player will require a different practice regimen during the week leading up to a big event. I venture, however, that the routine for most high level players often follows a specific pattern (unless the player needs specific work with a part of her game). 

In a previous tip, we have covered the practice regiment that the player should follow in the 2-3 months leading up to the main tournament. Here, we are focusing on the week immediately prior to the event. I would recommend that for a Saturday/Sunday event, the practice schedule should be tailored to achieve peak performance for the weekend of the event as follows:

1. Monday - Monday is you basic "consistency" day; this should be your longest workout day of the week. In these practices, your focus should be on long rallies and high percentage plays. You are reinforces the foundation that you have established in the prior week. Imagine studying for the bar exam or the boards - although the main work is done, you are trying to establish feel, timing and consistency with all of your shots. You should do a lot of cross-courts, down-the-line and figure 8s. In addition, infuse some side-to-side drills, inside-outs, volley-overhead repetitions, and serves. You are laying the foundation for your "C" game. 

2. Tuesday. Tuesday is your an intense day in that you are incorporating more pattern drills into the practice and transitioning from more artificial practices to point-playing. If possible, drills should alternate between high-intensity feeding drills, to rallying drills and points. Rinse and repeat until you are comfortable implementing the plays and pattern into your game. 

3. Wednesday. Wednesday is your match day. Here is where you play 3 sets (I never recommend playing less, regardless of score) and see how all the things that you've practiced come together. By analogy, this would be your practice exam day. Coaching should be relatively minimal so that you can learn to teach and correct yourself. At the end of the practice, work on serves and returns and go over some of the points. The coach's job is not to judge you or "put you down" but provide you the quick-and-dirty criticism on the points. 

4. Thursday. Thursday is the day when you go over - in a focused fashion - on the parts of your game that still need more work. This is synthesized from your previous practices. Maybe you have specific problem with a certain type of shot or ball in particular part of the court. Focus the practice on improving this part of the game but also work on your favorite shots and plays as well. Again, the key is to alternate between feeding drills and live-ball drills but with more emphasis on limited parts of the game. Your weapons - you want to establish confidence that you "still got them". With regard to your weaknesses, you will want to improve them so that, in the worst case scenario, you know what to do to get yourself out of a jam.

5. Friday. Friday is your "fun" day. I am an advocate of a light day on Friday that is focused on some fun shots. Maybe drop shots or drop volleys; doubles; overheads and sky-hooks; jump shots; swinging volleys; etc. Maybe you want to play some tie-breakers, hit some light cross-courts, work on some returns; etc. Normally, you will not try to kill yourself during this practice and are only sharpening your hand-to-eye coordination in order to make sure that you're "firing on all pistons" the next day and seeing the ball nice and big. 

Slices

For some reason, American coaches tend to de-emphasize the slice (and also, it's cousin, the chip). Perhaps, it's because these are not seen as forceful shots and we tend to view ourselves as an aggressive nation - always taking the game to the opponent. Maybe it's because so many of our players utilize a two-handed backhand. Nevertheless, slices are one of the most effective weapons (uhmmm.... Federer???) that a player can hope to master but the player will be successful only through lots of practice as the preparation, grip, stroke, footwork, balance, finish, etc. is quite different than on a topspin. The player should learn not only when and how to hit a slice but also when the slice is inappropriate. 

For example, a properly executed slice tends to skid and stay low. This will force the opponent to bend under the ball and strike it in a completely different manner than a topspin. Whereas the ball rotates "top-wise" into the string bed, the slice actually rotates (or seems to rotate) backwards in the same direction as the "brush" of the string bed. The two forces combined often result in the ball going into the net. In addition, slices are great for taking time away from the opponent (since they tend to clear the net by only a few inches) or, if struck in a certain way, provide you with more time to recover. Furthermore, a knifing cross-court backhand is great to combine with a heavy, exploding cross-court forehand in order to yank the opponent around the court. On many occasions, the rotation of the ball can also cause the opponent to either miss a volley or pop up the ball. It's not always a bad idea to slice to a net-rusher. 

The key element to the slice is to have a strong forearm. The slice (chip or even the volley) is not a "swinging" shot; it's a "leaning" shot in that the player leans (with the shoulder in front) against the opponent's ball for purposes of utilizing the opponent's pace. To execute a proper slice, try to finish with the racket towards the intended target in a crisp manner. The best way to practice this shot is, unfortunately, against the backboard. I say "unfortunately" because not many players make the effort to utilize this awesome training tool. Hitting hundreds of slices against the backboard will develop strength (in forearm), feel and control. Furthermore, you will notice that the slice is more effective on lower shots (below the waist) as opposed to high balls (over the shoulder). As a rule of thumb, unless I'm trying to purposefully alternate the spin, I will try to slice almost exclusively against low balls. Balls around the waist should, generally, be belted. Also, high balls are difficult to control with a slice (or chip) because the face of the racket is open to the sky which risks sending the ball long. Again, these are shots that should be top-spinned more often than sliced. However, with practice, you will develop deadly accuracy with the slice enabling you to open up the court for the rest of your weapons. 

Once you master the slice, try having some fun with it by combining it (if the play calls for it) with a heavy, short-angle cross-court forehand. Maybe slice down the line to your opponent's forehand/strength in order to open up the weakness. If you get good enough, the slice may actually get to curve outwards (i.e. away from the middle); take an aggressive step inside the baseline and pound the next stroke into the open court. 

Passing the Eyeball Test

In a perfect world, everyone would like to hit with players at an equal or greater level than them themsleves.  It makes perfect sense, the ball always comes within the vicinity of one or two steps with solid power and consistency.  On the flipside, ill-informed players rather not hit with so called "scrubs".  I am calling them ill-informed for the simple fact that hitting with so called "scrubs" can be really beneficial to your game. 

Think about it from a different point of view.  

a)  The ball never comes to you.  That is great!  One of the best ways to determine who passes the eyeball test for being a good player if you are watching from the sidelines is if a player can track down any kind of shot and place it perfect to their hitting partner.  Now think about that.  How often does a "scrub" make you perform below par?  I already know the answer, most of the time.  For obvious reasons, the ball never comes within a 5 feet radius of you, the randomness of pace, heights, depths completely tinker with your timing, and mentally it wears on you.  Guess what?  Sounds like a real tennis match.  

b)  With all this variability being thrown in your direction, you can really develop a wide array of skills.  Your goal is to lay the ball right onto their racquet without having for them to move.  Can you put it there in such a way that doesn't require them to move wide, deep, or short and doesn't require them to deal with too much or too little pace and doesn't require them to raise or lower their racquet at contact?  Yes that's pretty tough, but that's what good players can do.  

c)  Improving your skills.  Sometimes the ball lands short and might bounce 5 times before it reaches the baseline.  Trust me, not an ideal shot for you to be scooping off the ground and having to generate enough pace to get it over the net.  A common problem rookies have is to overplay the shot.  Meaning if you have a semi-western forehand and the ball has no pace and is 3 inches off the ground- Why are you hitting a topspin forehand?  The experienced and mature player would saavily turn the grip towards a continental eastern grip and gently slice the ball in a way that the "scrub" can hit it back again.  These little skills can add up and help you win important matches against the equal to better players.  These are the types of shots average players miss and good to great players rarely miss.