This guy knows about tennis,i had to learn these things with trail and error over a period of 25 years.Any young kid watching here,listen to this man,its very good advice. Important to have quick footwork,but as you stroke the ball be relaxed,focused,be balanced.
This video is spot on. As a coach, I have worked with a lot of professional players both at Hopman Academy and IMG during Bollettieri’s golden years. The reason I believe Americans have dropped tremendously compared to the Europeans and South Americans is because Americans value a muscular look that is larger in the upper body where most Europeans and South American players value large, powerful legs with a thinner but still muscular upper body. The American players are notoriously upper body heavy and it takes a huge toll on their balance under extreme movement and that lack of balance causes a reduction in hitting efficiency and precision. Why has Serena done so well? Look at her legs. Massive. Great balance. The key to the great stability and balance begins with the legs and a lean upper body that can easily be controlled by the powerful legs. There’s a reason soccer players make great tennis players. Thin upper bodies and massive legs for the great base.
I m following ur video from few days. From our school days , I used to watch tennis for time pass. Now I am making my daughter learn tennis and asking her to take tennis seriously. She is giving a lot of effort. As we dont have better or u can say good basic coaching classes I am playing with her morning n evening just to keep her rhythm. As I dont have any idea of technique I used to c lot of TH-cam video. But more I c d video more I get confused. From few days I started watching ur video I m getting better n clear picture of tennis. Keep uploading more video so parents can learn n give more efforts from there side.
I have self isolated for the last week or so and have been thinking about balance and poise a lot. I thought about several weeks when I played tennis with really cheap shoes. They were actually wrestling shoes and the soles were so thin I started walking on eggshells. I played unbelievably and the chief thing I noticed was that my heels were always off the ground, but that the bottoms of my feet were very close to parallel with the ground at all times. Further, when I played table tennis as a kid, My swing evolved away from the use of ground force. I ended up always turning my toes so the foot pointed away from the target on every shot. That puts them in the position where you can land on the inside of the ball of the foot on every shot. Finally, connection and poise seem to me to be initiated by a slight stretch in the wrist/finger at the end of the backswing and flicking the racquet down and out with that finger or thumb to hit your groundstrokes.
Tom, I am just learning to play tennis and still struggle with so many things..but I just have to look for one of your videos and I can find out what am I doing wrong..love the way you explain and reason each concept, rather than just tell what to do..
Thank you for your dedication to the tennis techniques. Your videos are very helpful to me. Sometimes I go back and learn more. Thank you for the “Tennis balance” part 1 and 2, It is so useful and deep knowledge. I cannot wait to practice after the pandemic.
Thank you Tomaz, I watched your video now, it is very useful for me. I have movement my upper body while hitting the ball in short balls especially. I learned to stay stable of my body and wrist beside baseline from this video. When I approach to short balls and then going to net, I am in rush and I am not waiting to finish my stroke. Is there any drill to keep stable my body while hitting for short balls and then approaching net on time for volley? I mean how (or when) is the transit steps from approaching stroke to volley stroke? Thanks.
Instinctively I always thought staying on the heels as a sign of being lazy. I have the tendency to take my foot through the contact point and hence never ending up in the same position as when I started the stroke. This is a revelation. Thanks Tomaz. Will try to implement it religiously.
Sorry i read the answer afterwards. thanks Tomaz hi Tomaz, i liked it very much and i have a question : for my part i thought that you should be on " tip-toes" for your footwork so what i find difficult is the transition between tip-toes and full foot on the ground when making your shot. As i watched your vid till the end i realised that may be the split step should be the time to change from tip toe to plain foot on ground to move to the spot where you want to be when hitting the ball. Any comment on that ? May be i should not think about it and all will come naturally but watching your videos really help focusing on parts that are not all "natural" for recreational player like me. Any way thanks a lot, you changed my tennis forever. cheers from France.
Thank you Tomaz, I watched your video now, it is very useful for me. I have movement my upper body while hitting the ball in short balls especially. I learned to stay stable of my body and wrist beside baseline from this video. When I approach to short balls and then going to net, I am in rush and I am not waiting to finish my stroke. Is there any drill to keep stable my body while hitting for short balls and then approaching net on time for volley? I mean how (or when) is the transit steps from approaching stroke to volley stroke? Thanks.
I think what you're missing is a split step after the approach shot. You need to slow down a bit and prepare your feet for a reaction either left or right and you need a split step for that. And yes, you need to finish your stroke, you have to slow down a bit for that. That little loss of time is not going to cost you much in terms of how close you get to the net but not really executing the stroke well can cost you a lot in terms of consistency and accuracy.
Hi Tomaž, I was wondering if you could do a video about how to practice with a wall. These days of lockdown would be much appreciated. Many thanks for your videos, it really helped me to improve and love tennis. JP
The connection between a stable base and stable wrist is known as the kinetic chain. Balance and stability of the lower body more efficiently transfers energy through the hips to the core and finally the upper extremity. As you pointed out if you have a death grip or if you arm the ball you kill much of the potential energy.
The kinetic chain only explains the acceleration of the last link in the chain but not its stability. The "chain" is not rigid, it's like a whip, accelerating the tip.
Feel Tennis Instruction The “whip” is only the end of a sequence of events. Each link (body segment) must be positioned optimally to take maximum advantage of the stored (potential) energy. If the movement being deployed via the links is not timed correctly it will kill the energy. If you are off balanced it is much more difficult to properly take advantage of the domino effect of the kinetic chain.
Hi Thomas, great video as always, I have one question... Planting the foot in the ground for me is clear in the backhand and in the close or neutral stance forehand, but in the open stance forehand is not that clear, we can plant the right foot before the swing, but when our swing starts we should rotate that right foot elevating the heel, right? And that's makes more difficult to me to have that sensation of stability after an open stance forehand
Yes, typically we rotate the foot and elevate the heel in the open stance forehand so the sensation of stability lasts shorter. But do try to play very slowly and keep the foot on the ground longer because in some types of open stance the weight transfer doesn't happen immediately and we stay longer on the ground. Observe carefully here how Roger Federer does it, for example at around 40 seconds into the video: th-cam.com/video/KLzaaln6Rf0/w-d-xo.html
@@feeltennis Thanks for your answer Thom, so the idea would be to try to keep that right foot plant in the ground until the ball leaves our racket, right? I don't know if there's like a fix rule for this, in the video Roger is playing at low speed, in more aggressive forehands I suppose the rotation of the right foot works different
There are two types of open stance forehands - one with no weight transfer as we're hitting and the other with weight transfer as we're hitting. In first instance, foot stays on the ground, in the second instance we pivot on the foot. I wish tennis technique was more simple but it isn't.
Hey Tomás! I am confused because we are always told to stay on the balls of our feet, so what are we supposed to do? Stay on the balls and on the last step step in with the heel to stay balanced? Great content as usual keep it up and stay safe!
Hey! Thanks alot for this video. I started learning tennis in my early 20s and i tend to stay on my foot with my heels lifted so that i can react or run faster. Seeing this video i feel my technique is quite wrong and i often tend to loose balance while hitting short balls. I will trying following your advice, any other tips for someone who has a messed up basic technique😅
Yes, we run on a tennis court just like in normal situation, which means mostly on the balls of our feet but once we start setting up for the stroke the foot comes completely down. In most cases the last 2 touches of the ground - so the step before the last and the last step both happen with the foot completely coming down on the ground.
Do not confuse simple and easy. Never will I say for anything in tennis that it's easy. Tennis is the most difficult sport there is and in my view 90% of the population shouldn't even try to play it as they will never reach any kind of decent level of play where they could enjoy themselves.
The real example of what is the main goal of a tennis player: stability! Thank you master!
Why does this video not has more clicks?! So important, thank you!
I think that's so key to realize...that you don't need to squeeze the racket tight, but rather that the solidity comes from a solid leg foundation
This guy knows about tennis,i had to learn these things with trail and error over a period of 25 years.Any young kid watching here,listen to this man,its very good advice. Important to have quick footwork,but as you stroke the ball be relaxed,focused,be balanced.
your discussion of balance is a true epiphany. Thank you!
I first like videos from feeltennis and then watch them :) because every single one is really good.
Think this series of videos on balance is very critical and most of the time, being overlooked.
This video is spot on. As a coach, I have worked with a lot of professional players both at Hopman Academy and IMG during Bollettieri’s golden years. The reason I believe Americans have dropped tremendously compared to the Europeans and South Americans is because Americans value a muscular look that is larger in the upper body where most Europeans and South American players value large, powerful legs with a thinner but still muscular upper body. The American players are notoriously upper body heavy and it takes a huge toll on their balance under extreme movement and that lack of balance causes a reduction in hitting efficiency and precision. Why has Serena done so well? Look at her legs. Massive. Great balance. The key to the great stability and balance begins with the legs and a lean upper body that can easily be controlled by the powerful legs. There’s a reason soccer players make great tennis players. Thin upper bodies and massive legs for the great base.
Yes finally another feeltennis video!!!
I m following ur video from few days. From our school days , I used to watch tennis for time pass. Now I am making my daughter learn tennis and asking her to take tennis seriously. She is giving a lot of effort. As we dont have better or u can say good basic coaching classes I am playing with her morning n evening just to keep her rhythm. As I dont have any idea of technique I used to c lot of TH-cam video. But more I c d video more I get confused. From few days I started watching ur video I m getting better n clear picture of tennis. Keep uploading more video so parents can learn n give more efforts from there side.
this part I and part II is the best didactic video of learning tenis i have ever seen. And I am a tennis coach.
Wooo! Another feel tennis video baby! Thanks!
I come from Vietnam. thank you. I have learned a lot.
Another excellent piece of tennis teaching
Your insights surpass even Ian Westermann's--and he's a good explainer. Thank you for genuine help.
I have self isolated for the last week or so and have been thinking about balance and poise a lot. I thought about several weeks when I played tennis with really cheap shoes. They were actually wrestling shoes and the soles were so thin I started walking on eggshells. I played unbelievably and the chief thing I noticed was that my heels were always off the ground, but that the bottoms of my feet were very close to parallel with the ground at all times. Further, when I played table tennis as a kid, My swing evolved away from the use of ground force. I ended up always turning my toes so the foot pointed away from the target on every shot. That puts them in the position where you can land on the inside of the ball of the foot on every shot. Finally, connection and poise seem to me to be initiated by a slight stretch in the wrist/finger at the end of the backswing and flicking the racquet down and out with that finger or thumb to hit your groundstrokes.
Wow, the step on the ball drill is amazing! Thank you Tomaz
Awesome video that explains a lot of my problems of putting the ball in the net. Thanks again coach.
Tom, I am just learning to play tennis and still struggle with so many things..but I just have to look for one of your videos and I can find out what am I doing wrong..love the way you explain and reason each concept, rather than just tell what to do..
Thank you for your dedication to the tennis techniques. Your videos are very helpful to me. Sometimes I go back and learn more.
Thank you for the “Tennis balance” part 1 and 2,
It is so useful and deep knowledge. I cannot wait to practice after the pandemic.
ESPM NHAN
I have a inside garage tennis practice volley shots.
Under title “inside garage tennis volley“ 27 seconds for fun
Thank you Tomaz, I watched your video now, it is very useful for me. I have movement my upper body while hitting the ball in short balls especially. I learned to stay stable of my body and wrist beside baseline from this video. When I approach to short balls and then going to net, I am in rush and I am not waiting to finish my stroke. Is there any drill to keep stable my body while hitting for short balls and then approaching net on time for volley? I mean how (or when) is the transit steps from approaching stroke to volley stroke? Thanks.
Instinctively I always thought staying on the heels as a sign of being lazy. I have the tendency to take my foot through the contact point and hence never ending up in the same position as when I started the stroke. This is a revelation. Thanks Tomaz. Will try to implement it religiously.
Thanks for the feedback! Check this warm up of Djokovic and observe the front foot: th-cam.com/video/4iqzhhMe1l4/w-d-xo.html
This video is very helpful and thorough. Thank you.
consistently excellent instruction from Tomaz
As usual Great instruction
Thank you, master!
why would anyone dislike this??
Sorry i read the answer afterwards. thanks Tomaz
hi Tomaz, i liked it very much and i have a question : for my part i thought that you should be on " tip-toes" for your footwork so what i find difficult is the transition between tip-toes and full foot on the ground when making your shot. As i watched your vid till the end i realised that may be the split step should be the time to change from tip toe to plain foot on ground to move to the spot where you want to be when hitting the ball.
Any comment on that ?
May be i should not think about it and all will come naturally but watching your videos really help focusing on parts that are not all "natural" for recreational player like me.
Any way thanks a lot, you changed my tennis forever.
cheers from France.
테니스 실력 향상에 많은 도움이 될것 같네요
영상 잘 보았습니다
Hopefully you will consider about the importance of non dominant hand on forehand
Thank you Tomaz, I watched your video now, it is very useful for me. I have movement my upper body while hitting the ball in short balls especially. I learned to stay stable of my body and wrist beside baseline from this video. When I approach to short balls and then going to net, I am in rush and I am not waiting to finish my stroke. Is there any drill to keep stable my body while hitting for short balls and then approaching net on time for volley? I mean how (or when) is the transit steps from approaching stroke to volley stroke? Thanks.
I think what you're missing is a split step after the approach shot. You need to slow down a bit and prepare your feet for a reaction either left or right and you need a split step for that. And yes, you need to finish your stroke, you have to slow down a bit for that. That little loss of time is not going to cost you much in terms of how close you get to the net but not really executing the stroke well can cost you a lot in terms of consistency and accuracy.
Thank you another basic learnings
Can't thank you enough.
Awesome . This is what i really
want .
Hi Tomaž,
I was wondering if you could do a video about how to practice with a wall. These days of lockdown would be much appreciated.
Many thanks for your videos, it really helped me to improve and love tennis.
JP
I have a inside garage tennis practice volley shots.
Under title “inside garage tennis volley“ 27 seconds for fun
Good job
The connection between a stable base and stable wrist is known as the kinetic chain. Balance and stability of the lower body more efficiently transfers energy through the hips to the core and finally the upper extremity. As you pointed out if you have a death grip or if you arm the ball you kill much of the potential energy.
The kinetic chain only explains the acceleration of the last link in the chain but not its stability. The "chain" is not rigid, it's like a whip, accelerating the tip.
Feel Tennis Instruction
The “whip” is only the end of a sequence of events. Each link (body segment) must be positioned optimally to take maximum advantage of the stored (potential) energy. If the movement being deployed via the links is not timed correctly it will kill the energy. If you are off balanced it is much more difficult to properly take advantage of the domino effect of the kinetic chain.
Hi Thomas, great video as always, I have one question... Planting the foot in the ground for me is clear in the backhand and in the close or neutral stance forehand, but in the open stance forehand is not that clear, we can plant the right foot before the swing, but when our swing starts we should rotate that right foot elevating the heel, right? And that's makes more difficult to me to have that sensation of stability after an open stance forehand
Yes, typically we rotate the foot and elevate the heel in the open stance forehand so the sensation of stability lasts shorter. But do try to play very slowly and keep the foot on the ground longer because in some types of open stance the weight transfer doesn't happen immediately and we stay longer on the ground. Observe carefully here how Roger Federer does it, for example at around 40 seconds into the video: th-cam.com/video/KLzaaln6Rf0/w-d-xo.html
@@feeltennis Thanks for your answer Thom, so the idea would be to try to keep that right foot plant in the ground until the ball leaves our racket, right? I don't know if there's like a fix rule for this, in the video Roger is playing at low speed, in more aggressive forehands I suppose the rotation of the right foot works different
There are two types of open stance forehands - one with no weight transfer as we're hitting and the other with weight transfer as we're hitting. In first instance, foot stays on the ground, in the second instance we pivot on the foot. I wish tennis technique was more simple but it isn't.
Hey Tomás! I am confused because we are always told to stay on the balls of our feet, so what are we supposed to do? Stay on the balls and on the last step step in with the heel to stay balanced?
Great content as usual keep it up and stay safe!
Stay on the balls of the feet to be active and ready to move. Plant and stable for strokes
Great!
Could you share the video about how to train the children from 0 to 1? Thank you
Hey! Thanks alot for this video. I started learning tennis in my early 20s and i tend to stay on my foot with my heels lifted so that i can react or run faster. Seeing this video i feel my technique is quite wrong and i often tend to loose balance while hitting short balls. I will trying following your advice, any other tips for someone who has a messed up basic technique😅
Yes, we run on a tennis court just like in normal situation, which means mostly on the balls of our feet but once we start setting up for the stroke the foot comes completely down. In most cases the last 2 touches of the ground - so the step before the last and the last step both happen with the foot completely coming down on the ground.
@@feeltennis thanks alot
prefer grass court/ better shoes/footwork.
To plant your foot better, plant heel first and th rest of foot will follow
I think thecfocus of all his video are to improve recreqtional players and it only make sense up to that level
First 😍😍
hey man You really use this racquet? why?
He's a coach. The vokl has good feel and most importantly very high comfort
@@Jon_Dang It's Wilson Five BLX.
It's easy, but when you start playing a game. It's tougher to employ all this things. You tennis coaches don't always tell the truth.
Do not confuse simple and easy. Never will I say for anything in tennis that it's easy. Tennis is the most difficult sport there is and in my view 90% of the population shouldn't even try to play it as they will never reach any kind of decent level of play where they could enjoy themselves.
Inertia is staying still, I think you meant momentum.