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You're welcome @shan-tennis I'm glad you thought so, I hope it helps you on the courts 👍💪

Glad you enjoyed it @nelsondd5361 thanks for the support 👍

Love it Nathan! Couple of great quotes in there, I'm going to steal those 😂💪

@PatrickSmithTennis my pleasure, always glad to help, yes feel free to use the quotes as your own! 😅🙏

​@nathanmiller6051 thanks Nathan 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis 🤜🤛 💯

Wow, thanks glad you enjoyed it! Comments like this really mean a lot and remind me why I make these videos so can help players like yourself @AnthonyChee-g3i so it's appreciated 👍

No problem Nathan, the kick serve is an important shot to have once you get to a certain level. It was good for me to get some practice as well haha, it's not my best serve and I usually go to more a slice so we can all still improve 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis Absolutely 🎾💯 Awesome! thanks Coach Patrick 🙏 appreciate you!! 🤜🤛

No problem Nathan thanks for the continued support. I hadn't heard of Hadi Habib but just saw the news before I read your comment, amazing achievement from him. Will keep an eye on his result against Humbert. As for the 🏆 I've got to go Sinner, sorry for being boring and going chalk but can't look past him on hard courts at the moment

@PatrickSmithTennis thanks Coach, yes I would love to see Sinner win!🏆🎾💪 Appreciate you, I always learn a lot!!!🙏

Thanks @shahwaliullah3842 I appreciate that it means a lot knowing I am helping passionate players like yourself

Thanks @shahwaliullah3842 glad to hear I could help 👍 💪

You're welcome @shahwaliullah3842 anytime, glad it was helpful 👍

It comes down your footwork and timing. You need to ensure you are still finding a good contact point between your waist and shoulder and not letting the ball kick up too high above your head. You have two options you can either step in, so move forwards to play the ball on the rise before it gets too high. Or get back far enough in time to let the ball drop so you can still rip it. You don't want to get caught leaning back, late, or with the ball up around your head when you will have to play a loopy defensive ball. Hope this helps 💪🎾.

@PatrickSmithTennis thanks so much for your kind advice

​@shahwaliullah3842 no problem 👍

Dear Sir, please suggest how to handle this situation now I am facing regularly. While playing a match, I'm in total control, with high confidence, playing shots anywhere I like, hitting ace services on both corners, score is 4-1 or 5-2; suddenly I freeze, doing unforced errors one after other, service loses it's pace and I end up losing the set!

You're welcome @shahwaliullah3842 glad you enjoyed it

Haha absolutely @TNToncourt 🚀👍

I hope so @laurencecorray

You got it @watcher687 💪🎾

Let me know how you get on @mightbefire

Thankyou @FairwayJack 👍

Thanks Nathan, I'm excited to share the coaching video ideas I have coming up this year with all 👍🎾

@PatrickSmithTennis sounds awesome! 🎾💯🙏

No worries Neil glad it was helpful 👍

No problem @peterpark3065 you're welcome 👍

Happy New Year Nathan 🎆 thanks for the feedback on the tennis board it's great to hear you enjoyed it. No video next week as I'm taking some time off from tennis over the holidays but will back and hopefully bigger and better in 2025 👍🎾

@PatrickSmithTennis Thanks, Yes indeed, sounds good, Enjoy!! Have a wonderful time and safe travels 🙏 💪💯🎾

I'm not saying that I know everything by any means but would be interested to hear what areas of the video other coaches would pull apart and have that discussion with them but glad to hear you enjoyed the video thanks

Thanks @musarra195, yes not an easy shot and with the grip change but great to hear you are always trying to work on your one handed backhand and if you put in the work on the areas I covered in this video you will get the results. Good luck 💪

No worries @paulypierre463 glad you liked it

Thanks for the suggestion @gydscutroo9973, not a shot I'm sure I've got in my locker personally haha but noted and stay tuned 👍

Well put comment @gydscutroo9973, it's one of the reasons I usually teach a two handed backhand with new students you have more margin for error with the contact point and with the one hander you have to be more precise with spacing and making contact out in front, but if you can develop a technically sound one handed backhand it's a great shot to play and to watch 👍

Hey @gydscutroo9973 yes I do have more of a straight arm at contact on my forehand myself. Federer has always been my favourite player and I'm sure I probably did try and model some of my game around his a junior though the straight arm at contact is about all we have in common! Wow that's a mouthful of a shot 😂 but i only what you mean. I have done a video on the inside-out forehand but will noted and will add to the list 👍. Thanks for the comment

Hey @dmf30 thanks for the question. The continental grip is definitely best for a slice 👍

Thanks @svenzerx8490, I do love an analogy 😂. It means your swing path is slightly across the ball rather than up the back of the ball on a low to high swing path needed to hit with topspin. So make sure you have enough space and try to swing out to ball and that you are not cutting across. Good luck 💪

Hey Nathan yes sorry I missed that one! I worked with Mark for a year in Warwick when I was a younger coach, he always used to call me Paddy for some reason 😂. I can tell you he is excellent with great knowledge especially when I comes to how to coach so I've a lot of respect for Mark. I knew he had a channel as well so I'll have to dip back in to some of his stuff 👍. Happy Christmas my friend 🎄

@PatrickSmithTennis That's awesome! really cool!! He talked about balance in one video, which you don't hear about from many tennis coaches, so that's good, I asked him who his mentors were and he listed names and responded with a good message, so I appreciated that of course. Yes! thank you and Merry Christmas to you too my friend 🤜🤛🎄

Balence is really important you see at lot of different styles of shots from the best players but a common trait is good balence allowing you to control the contact and recover to the next ball. I like players to focus on feeling balenced at the end of the swing whatever the shot. Like I say Mark was definitely a mentor to me so would he interesting to hear who his mentors were in the first place

@@PatrickSmithTennis One name he mentioned was Ian Barclay, the comment is on Mark's 5 tips on ball toss video. With balance, Welby Van Horn comes to mind, (RIP) I don't know much about his teaching, I only work with athletes (my buddies) 😂 and I'm hoping they fall over! lol but I do know some of the history and connections, Steve Smith has a podcast on Horn that's almost three hours long, Eric Diaz who is coaching Learner Tien who was in the Nex-Gen final, his dad Coach Manuel Diaz worked with/for Van Horn and is all about him haha I better do some research into Horn's coaching. Thanks Coach Patrick 🙏 appreciate

Excellent thanks Nathan 👍

Thanks for watching 👍

Thanks for the comment. Agreed @kkarx a bounce smash would be difficult and some courts do not have the run off to get back far enough so as mentioned in the video in that situation the solution is to play the ball on the rise before the ball gets up out of that waist to shoulder zone using the techniques of shorter swing, earlier preparation, initiate swing on the bounce of the ball 👍

Thanks for the support Nathan wishing you a Happy Christmas and New Year

@PatrickSmithTennis 🎄🌟 thanks Coach Merry Christmas!!

I'm glad it was helpful @marionikols4374 thanks for the support

You're welcome @BabyandLittleGuy, tennis is an outdoor sport and it's great but not always possible in the winter in the UK so it's very fortunate to have the indoor courts as well. You summed up the takeaways from the lesson perfectly 👌. Thanks for the subscribe 👍!

You're welcome @MrBrunoThai anytime 👍

I know with the accent as well 😂. Yes, you're right, even though there was more neutral stance in the past with older racket technology, of course players still played open stance if the ball determined it as remember it depends 👍!

@PatrickSmithTennis Yes indeed, the great thing about you Coach Patrick is you are still a true student of the game even though you've been coaching for years 👍🎾💯🤜🤛🙏

Guilty of being a tennis nerd for sure or I should say a tennis historian 😂. I love researching tennis, technically work but still feels like a hobby

@@PatrickSmithTennis That's awesome! I have you beat in the nerd department today tho, I've been watching old tennis conference talks 😁🎾 haha 😅

You've got me there, respect to you Nathan, did you learn learn anything new?

Appreciated that @rangerxairsoft8171 glad you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more to come 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis Just recently I had an argue on a Mouratoglou post on Fb with ppl that are sayin that open stance it's a loss of power and all kind of similar nonsense. This video is like the perfect showcase of the situational technique that may be required for various balls.

That is nonsense, open stance allows the optimum coiling and body rotation which is the biggest power source in tennis. Absolutely you need all options and stances depending on the situation, why limit players? It's like forcing a certain stance depending on which eye is dominant. Though I haven't done a lot of research into this and you should experiment with what works for you I know the top players will have a dominant eye but are able to play forehands and backhands in all different stances without it causing a problem. Working on a stance depending on the ball would be more important and allow you to improve your tennis at a faster rate which is what it's all about 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis Tbh I really never thought about eye dominance in tennis since I always hit with both eyes open and do all the variations I please without even bothering. That eye dominance is a thing when shooting guns though especially if shooting ambidextrous but in tennis is more of a gimmick imho.

​@@rangerxairsoft8171I don't know anyone who DOESN'T t hit both eyes open

Thanks for the comment and support, Nathan 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis 🙏 forsure, glad to do 🤜🤛 💯

Thanks @ChandruKrishnamurthy glad it was helpful 👍

Thanks Nathan, name it and claim it 😂 love that! You are so right about the tennis world being connected, the best coaches are the best thief's always taking a little bit of information here and there from other coaches or players and adaptating drills where needed using their own experience.

@PatrickSmithTennis Thanks Coach Patrick! Absolutely!! What I need is the book "Secrets of Italian Tennis" 🇮🇹🎾 it hasn't been written yet but you know some tennis coach out there is writing it!! haha 😂😂

​@nathanmiller6051 😂 very true Nathan. We are all looking to Italian tennis and what they are doing at the moment, an incredible year on both the men's and women's side. The Italian Tennis Federation deserves a lot of credit particularly in putting on so many tournaments at all levels of the game and giving their players opportunities to play. What role models they have now for the next generation as well!

@@PatrickSmithTennis Nooo it can't be hard work and match toughness 😉 it's got to be some secret method that I can learn in 15 minutes 🤷‍♂️ probably all that mineral water they drink! 😂😂😂

​@nathanmiller6051 sorry to break that to you Nathan 😂, I don't think it's just something in the water 😂

This comment means a lot @javaidawan3629. I'm glad to hear I can help passionate players like yourself it makes making these videos worth it, so it's appreciated 👍

You're welcome @TheLuc234 glad you enjoyed it and hope it helps 💪

Try leading with the bottom edge of your racket and the heel of your hand @haliam8828. This helps keep your elbow in front and maintains the racket/body structure instead of slapping at the ball out of control. Give it a try and let me know how it goes 💪👍

Hey Nathan thanks appreciate that and for the comment. Absolutely opportunities to be aggressive off the return, particularly a 2nd serve return. Are you asking which players had the best returns of serve in the 70s/80s? If so unfortunately I'm not not sure I haven't studied another of those players. I would have to go and watch some matches youtube as you said. Who would be on your list in that era? I'm guessing Connors must be up there? It's a difficult one as lots of variables on terms of 2nd serve return or 1st serve return etc but all time top have got to be Novak and Agassi in my opinion

@PatrickSmithTennis thanks Coach, yes Connors and Evert would be the best of the 70's and for many best of all time, still today talked about in those terms by many experts. Sorry I wasn't very clear, I was asking if there is any value in watching these old timers, haha I question it myself given the difference today in racquets and stings to some extent, I feel I would be returning differently, my racquets back in the 80's were not heavy, I don't remember thinking much about the return really haha 😬 maybe today's players would be better to emulate! Thanks always 🙏💯

​@nathanmiller6051 I would think return of serve strategy back in the days of wooden rackets was all about neutralising the serve and volley so giving the server a difficult first volley particularly down at their feet like a deliberate low chip slice return not seen as much today with players generally staying back after the serve and being able to whip away balls that drop short, even lower balls due to being able to still generate racket head speed with modern racket technology

@@PatrickSmithTennis thanks Coach 🙏🤜🤛 I was watching Taylor Fritz's mother play the other day, a short video, U.S. Open 1979 vs BJK a good example of what you're saying, a different world! Appreciate 👍💯

​@nathanmiller6051 certainly a talented tennis family! I was very impressed to see Fritz back up his US Open final with a run to the Final yesterday at the year end championships. And I didn't expect him to beat Zverev so I would have lost money there! Will be interesting to see what happens next year

Hey Mitesh thanks for the comment. It depends on the quality of the kick serve. If it really kicks up high and deep (not as common in recreational tennis) I would recommend backing up to let the ball drop slightly to a more comfortable height around chest high for your contact point to be able to rip it back. However if it's shorter or on an angle (for example bouncing to your left on the ad side) then you need to step in and cut off the angle to take more at the balls apex and flattern out your stroke. Hope this helps 💪

Thanks very much Nathan 👊

@PatrickSmithTennis 💯🙏

Thanks Nathan you ask a great question and always get me thinking! Perricard is obviously very relevant at the moment with his win at the Swiss indoors. But players like Goran were doing this 'two first serve strategy' some 25 plus years ago. It takes confidence and acceptance to double fault, which is not a problem if you are going for the 2nd serve. The analytics suggest that, but most players are not OK with double faulting mentally. There is the emotional side to it. I think Perricard is an exciting player bringing back earlier generation style of shorter points and when serving well on a fast surface he's going to be pretty much unbreakable. Recreational players may try to copy this strategy but this works when you can hit aces but if you can't really hurt your opponent with the serve you of course lose the benefit of this strategy and may actually be better taking a bit off the serve to get more 1st serves in if your serve speeds are more similar or you are more inconsistent this can take the pressure off your 2nd serve.

@@PatrickSmithTennis Thanks Coach Patrick for helping me understand this subject, an issue that really gets down in the weeds, as they say in the states! Appreciate it 🙏🙏🙏

​@nathanmiller6051 happy to talk 🎾 and share my 2 cents 👍

@@PatrickSmithTennis 🙏 appreciate you! 💯 🤜🤛

Slice is 8 to 2

Thanks @davitong glad it was helpful 👍. Most recreational tennis players are too level with their shoulder plane on the overhead and the serve and end up pushing the ball, so getting your non hitting arm up helps achieve this tilt and then shoulder over shoulder action on the way through allowing you to hit on a more downward trajectory. Good luck 💪🎾