I think that Tomaz' s instruction is outstanding. I find my instructors tell me I'm not keeping my eye on the ball or hitting it late and so on but don't explain why I'm doing that or how to remedy it. It is so much easier to understand how to correct an error in play when you know how/ why your body/ brain are doing what they are doing. And in understanding that you are then able to better apply the correction. I also love that he establishes reasonable objectives for how long it will take you to correct a problem area. Fabulous stuff!
I've been playing tennis for 20 years and reached a high standard aged 17-18 but now - in my 30's, even with consistent play - my groundstrokes have become very inconsistent. I would recommend this video to anyone looking to improve their game, period, it's so fundamental to every shot in tennis! A perfectly explained and demonstrated video. Thank you so much!
Keeping the eye on the ball is one of the most difficult thing to do in tennis, believe me ! You have to focus on each shot and to keep concentrated during all the match. But if you manage to do that, you will be surprise of your own ability to progress an hit good shots. Thank you so much for this video, and as other commentaries said, the most useful for beginners.
My brothers and I have been practicing a lot based on your video instructions. You would not believe how much they and I have improved over the past 6 months! I can't thank you enough for making all of these amazing videos; they are so informative and easy to understand. I may have to post some videos of my own, showing the improvements that my brothers and I have made. Cheers!
This is one of the most important videos a tennis player can watch. Inevitably, whenever anyone misses the ball, it is typically related directly to the head movement and tensing up!!!!!!!!! Thank you for this video
Kenneth Nakamura Some people make simple mistakes, and many more aren’t completely fluent in English and do their best, yet still make mistakes. Why get so riled up over a TH-cam comment? Calm down, it’s not that serious.
I knew I had a problem with hitting the ball correctly, bu always thought it was linked to positioning. Now I realise I always look at my target right when I take the shot. Thank you very much
First time I hear the reasons why we don''t look at the ball. Love it. Tomaz, you are really a great tennis instructor for recreational players. I realized that whenever I miss hit a volley, a millisecond before, my eyes flicked away from the ball, not the head move, it's the eyes. My hypothesis is, that you do that when you are under stress. Under stress our eyes are more "twitchy". So its impportant to stay calm in the middle of the battle. Simply the fact that I got aware of this issue, improved my volleys. I wonder, if there is some eye training to keep the eyes stable during rapid movement? But thx again for your valuable insights.
Best Info so far. My shots are always inconsistent because of either looking at my opponent, trying to see if I can. Wrong foot him and also trying to look where I want to put the ball. My ba ends up at the net or I over hit the angle and the ball goes out.
Congratulation. I am tennis coach too from France and now I am coaching in Australia. I have seen many many videos and this one is one on my best. I agree with everything, manly the big target. Where are you coaching?
Great video! Very logical and well explained. I've actually heard of one more reason why recreational players look up before hitting the ball. A study found that rec players are worried that the ball will be coming back to them before they are ready for it if they keep their eye on the ball. It's illogical, but that's what was found by researchers.
I just watched your videos and I am going to do these: 1) Call out what you are going to hit, forward hand and backhand. 2) Aim at the big target, left or right. 3) Not to move the head until hitting the ball.
I have watched so many tennis videos here and this is the one I needed the most. Your teaching was clear and concise. No waste, no unnecessary words or joking. It was a perfect video. Thank you very very much.
Dude, I teach out of SoCal and I have my girl playing L1-L3 and I have to say, you’ve been the only coach I trust online. Keep up the great work coach!
I have had this problem for such a long time and his different points are spot on regarding the body movement, mental ability about not having to see the opponent and self confidence in my game. Another wonderful video from Feel Tennis. You have improved my serve, my forehand and now one upped my whole game.
This is very important while receiving fast serve. Basically you need to track the path of the ball with your eyes steadily the moment the opponent tosses it in the air but not just with the eyes. Your head and eyes would move along with the path of the ball to track it from up in the air to the ground then to the time you hit it, and of course at moment of contact with your racquet, it's like he explained here, the head can't move until after the ball leaves your racquet. You might be a bit uncomfortable at first when the ball comes fast and you hit without seeing where it might go, but this is the only way. For me the difference is night and day. In fact, you'd want to do the same with all shots. The moment the ball leaves your opponent's racquet, you track it by moving your eyes and head together, then the moment you hit, the head stays still.
EXCELLENT! The head cannot move until the ball Leaves the racket, I need to burn this into my brain every single day, not only for tennis, but for Golf and Pickleball too. “The moment you hit the head stays still.” It’s gonna take a lot of work and concentration, but it’s the best thing to improve our playing
I love coach like you who breaks down a seemingly easy concept into such detail. A lot of coaches know looking at the ball is important and will tell their students to do so without really understanding why it's important.
thank you SO MUCH!!!! I was about to quit tennis just because of that - could not force myself to look at the ball, despite saying to myself 'llok at the ball, look at the ball' EVERY TIME i shot, but could not do it because i wanted to control the other part of the court. that depressed me A LOT! this video was an eye opener for me. now i feel filled with positive energy and can not wait to try it on the court.
Hi teacher. I am from Mexico City, and I have been practicing your recommendations during my last six play days. Great improvement. I have start winnig games to those who always win to me. Your recommendation to enshure hitting with the sweet part of racket is a true. My shots are powerfull and very well directed. Also "not to see my opponent / target" works incredible. Thanks a lot again teacher....
I haven't seen anyone explain this skill in such a detailed way. Excellent! This made me realize that as an aging player , I have to pay more attention to keeping the head still. The comments on the body pulling the neck and head really rang true! I'm going to do the suggested training and work on improving the rotational flexibility in my neck , which should help. Thanks !
Absolutely awesome! How often had I heard from the coach "Keep your eyes on the ball", without any explanation, why it is so important and what prevents me from doing so, detailed and step by step. This skill seems to be one of the most important ones, way before working on the stroke techniques, but it is often overseen. Thank you!
i have seen hundreds of video's on various tennis subjects. this is without question one of the very best. clearly explained in lay terms i feel like i have come away with great advise that i can actually use. i have always believed in the importance of keeping your eye on the ball and head steady but never new y it was so difficult.
This is one of my biggest problems. I tend to frame the shots too frequently, and off center shots are the norm. The reasons you detail are exactly what I need, since the "how" is pretty straightforward, but difficult to do. Thank you very much for the video!
Thank you very much! This is one of the best tips for junior players. Well explained. My son doesn't usually like my long explanation of anything but I'll have to make him sit down for 15' to listen to this one.
My coach tells me, 'The lines on the court don't move. You know where they are without looking.' Which is essentially what Tomaz is saying. Fantastic video. So helpful to me.
Very timely video. Seems like a simple cure for my inconsistency and frustration lately. Maybe it will help me overcome my tendency to be over anxious and reach out for the ball before it arrives. Thanks much.
I just wanted to add to this - I've been focusing exclusively on *just* keeping my eye on the ball and *not looking up*, but rather trying to predict in my mind where the shot will land. I've just tried this a couple of times, but the results have been spectacular. I feel like I've finally discovered the key to hitting the ball cleanly, or relatively cleanly. I wanted to wait for a few more tries, but I couldn't wait. I'll let you know if it lasts, though.
Now that you mention it, I've been hitting the ball reasonably cleanly. I'm still inconsistent, but when I remember to visualize where the ball will land while keeping my head down, it helps. Where I get in trouble is when I get too conservative and make a weak swing. If I remind myself to stay aggressive, and not get too attached to winning or losing, it puts me in a better state of mind.
I tried to this technique today. Awesome! I just want to add a point. When I firstly tried to do it, I worried if I can hit the target region. Later, I talked to myself "let it go". Yes, I only watch the ball and let it go. Now, I felt much relaxed and the ball has amazing power without effort.
You’re definitely right about it being a summer project. I watched the video and fully intended to execute it for every shot i played. But lo, the game begins and can’t remember more than 3-4 shots where i could actually execute it. The ones i did were screamers. But darn it sure is a difficult but important skill....
Thanks, Thomas! Btw, the church bells in the background have blessed this instruction of yours. God bless you for all of your instructional videos. I’m learning a lot with them. Keep up the good work.
Required viewing for anyone who plays or teaches tennis. Well done, Tomaz. Here’s a trick I learned from Oscar Wagner on developing this same skill. Practice hitting the ball while closing your eyes at the point of contact. It defeats a lot of the instinct about moving your head with the stroke. The head stays more still, and it surprises players how little they lose in stroke execution, and gain in making consistently clean contact.
Excellent! this is my weakness not only in tennis but in golf and Pickleball, too. Whenever I miss, I’ve moved my head and looked up. 🤦♀️ it is not just keeping the eyes on the ball, it is keeping the head down and still until the ball leaves the racket! TRUST! excellent video and thank you
OMG i have been playing for 3 years. Watching a lot of instruction tennis videos and now all i could say is that this is one of the best. From Vietnam with love
Definitely, by far it is the most useful, concrete and convincing tennis instruction I have ever watched. For sure, it will be my summer project. I do not know if it solves all my ball control problem but I am sure it can make huge difference. Great job. Many thanks and congratulations. Pls keep up such good works.
dear Coach .. tQ for this video. yes, I am 6 years late😅. I used to be an intermediate level tennis player, maybe in the 90's, just started playing again about 1 month ago, and everything is haywire. yes, I have this tendency of not keeping my eyes at the ball through the stroke. tQ for saying that it will take time to improve and now I have a reasonable time period expectation of improving the skill as u put it. again, tQ tQ Coach. your presentation, explanation and rational of the issue is superb. I will be viewing all your videos especially me being a classical tennis player. take care.
10:46 "..because you are free to miss your target.." - misses a butterfly. Presentation of a highest level. haha Nice, informative video, thank you for doing this.
OMG this is SO helpful!! I have stopped doing this and now it seems so obvious TO do it! Great video. I will definitely start doing this every time i hit.
I hit against the wall alot and tend to have the balls return fast. So I will try letting the ball bounce twice and keep my eye on it. I am old and have bad habits. This is great to know how to break a bad habit and keep my eye on the ball. Thanks.
Clear, concise and excellent instruction. This makes so much sense; my matches consistently suffer because I keep my eye on my opponent ...not the ball. I will implement this pronto!
You really are such a great teacher, thank you for your videos..I've watched a few of them today and your tips re really useful. I've just started playing tennis and I'm more enthusiastic about playing after watching your videos.. Thank you
I have played tennis for YEARS now and I never really learned how to watch the ball. Much like you said in the video, I was having moderate success without watching the ball very closely by "guestimating" where the ball was going to be at contact. I tended to do better against fast-moving balls, which deviate less from their flightpath than slow and/or spinning shots. But I wasn't getting anything like effortless power or proper topspin, and always had to swing very hard, it felt like my racket didn't even OWN a sweetspot, but the few times I did manage to hit the sweetspot it was a novel and odd-but-cool feeling! This summer, thanks to the microscopic invaders from China with the Mexican beer name, I have made it my sole mission, my _raison d’être_ , to train myself to track the ball properly and finally learn to make solid contact on a regular basis. So I went out to our local park with a bucket of balls and did some self-feeding, then hit against the wall, and then finally, hit with some other lonely tennis orphans...and lo and behold, I WAS DOING IT! Every ball struck dead center, smack dab in the middle of the sweetspot, flying off my strings with magical speed and mystical spin! It was like Federer Himself had descended from Mount Grand Slam-opolis, took possession of my body and was belting the ball for me! Tears streamed down my face as I raised my racket in triumph, bent back and facing the heavens roared, "So this, THIS...is what Tennis is all about!!" Nah I'm just kidding, of course, I shanked every third ball over the fence. The other two I hit closer to the frame than the sweetspot. But how? It seemed so simple on the video. Just do what Tomaz said. Come on you moron, children do it! Nope, I guess I'm gonna have to break down and ACTUALLY DO WHAT TOMAZ RECOMMENDS IN THE VIDEO. Dammit. It seems, as usual, that Tomaz is right again. Until you exorcise your demons, uproot your deep-seated misconceptions and insecurities - at least about watching the ball and keeping your head still - BEFORE you can ride out and slay the dragon. So that's my new mandate, which he clearly states is Step One, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $100!! Ah, when will I ever learn? (Probably never.) If Tomaz says "do this first", you should probably *DO THIS FIRST* . But then, you all knew that. I appear to be the only one with the pointy hat in the Dunce Corner. But don't worry, I'll get it. Eventually. Tell me again, uh, how much time to we have before the sun blows up?
Excellent points and clearly instructed how to get to another level of keeping my eye on the ball. Made a lot of sense the way he described the key reasons for this!
Thank you Mr. Mencinger for this great video. This is exactly THE area I want to work on. My question is: Does the approach need to be adjusted when playing doubles?
Tomaz, You Rock! I am determined to follow your advice! I hate miss-hits! I am sure this will really help my game! Many thanks again! You're the best!!
Thank you for sharing this video , this is the first time I heard about not moving the head nobody had told me that before , even know I take private lessons my couch never told me that ? I wonder ? Is he good ?
This was an absolutely great explanation. Really awsome!!! I would just add two reasons for keeping the head still: Once we had prepared early, all positions are fixed and memorized in relation to ourself position, so there's no need to look at nothing from this moment on. Another thing, is our sight field wich is reduced on small targets, we can only focus one small thing a time. That's, when focusing a tennis ball, we can not see even big letters or number that's writen in another ball some inches from it. Cheers!!!
#1 is me all day!! Not only looking to see where they're going, but looking to see their current position. Such as if I get lobbed once I've run the ball down and am ready to hit, I look to see if they rushed the net during my retreat or if they stayed back. The others don't plague me at much, but I shank so many shots by checking where my opponent is.
I think in lobs running back and waiting for the ball and hitting it clean without worrying about your opponents will give you a Higher success percentage. It works for me. I concentrate on running back, waiting, letting the ball bounce in my sweet spot and then hitting with my eyes lasered on the ball and I don’t worry about the opponents.
Great video. This is the number one problem most tennis players have, including myself. I will practice this until I get it. Another important thing is for your arms, shoulders and wrists to be relaxed when hitting a ball. Being stiff or rigid is no good. Your arms should be as relaxed as spaghetti noodles. Thanks.
Great thought process analysis. Learning to hit out in front of me really helped all my strokes. I think mostly because i can make solid contact while having my head looking, approximately, out towards my target while still keeping my eye on the ball.
Great advice - however, how about in doubles, where you have the added variable of the opposition net player(s)? I have more difficulty doing this in doubles than in singles due to wanting to keep tabs on the opposition net player and not giving them an easy volley :)
Hola, Daniel, esa pregunta que tu has hecho es la misma que yo le quiero hacer a Tomaz: in doubles, you always have to see where the oponent at the net is going to go constantly, so I don't know if those instructions are valuable in case of doubles match. A huge from Barcelona (Spain)
Awesome video as usual. Can't myslef stick my eyes on the ball. Will try your tips for sure! I really like your way of teaching, it's so clear in my mind, and you don't rush for "performance" at any price like the others. Great spirit = great teaching :D
Thank you for great tips! I'm having a bit of problem with the 2nd point - looking to aim at small targets. Sometimes, i'm more focused on target than the ball. Began working on it and your video helped very much. btw, you have beautiful technique. Cheers!
Wow,,,Tomaz! I saw so many for your clips and Now I make the comment! I had a tournament today and lost all of games,, of course I was upset, but I believe I can improve a lot with this one!!! I will make it definitely with your informative tips! Hope I can travel Slovenia and see you some day! Cheers!!!
Never connected so well with any TH-cam instructor. Thank you for such excellent instruction. Now I know why Roger Federer had such difficulty with challenge system. He wa never looking at the line he was looking at how to strike the ball. Indeed challenge system could be in the back of every player's mind, but first you need to hit the ball.
Tomaz your explanation has helped me make real progress in keeping my head still. I listened several time to your session and finally got my brain to start doing it on the court. But here is an added benefit that I didn’t expect. By keeping my head still I see my stroke and can tell why it worked, or not. Today I hit several balls into the net and could tell that I was not dropping the racket far enough below the ball. In the past I would not know that because I would look up too soon. Thanks again for your help.
Thanks for sharing, John. So in other words, you have a better awareness of the your body and your racket and that allows to better self-correct, correct? ;)
Tomaz, I’m getting better but still hard to keep my head down all the time. I’ve realized why it is so difficult for me. One of your reasons was the players want to watch the ball to see where it goes; but why? I realized I do that because seeing my shot gives me much pleasure. I think that is one of the joys of tennis for me is to see my “good” shot go where I want it. It is euphoric. Now that I understand that about myself I can start training my brain to get joy from seeing the ball strike, keeping my head down and finding the ball went where I aimed. Thanks again for your help.
Good insight, John. You still have time to see where your goes even if you keep your head down for 0.3 seconds. You just won't see the ball flight on your side of the net but you will see the ball land on the court. But as you can tell, being euphoric for hitting a good shot is not going to serve you well because some of those shots will come back and if you're in a state of joy you will not react quickly and well to that returned ball. One or a few good shots in a match is nothing. Cool shots are for spectators, winning the match is for players.
Tomaz, out of this change in my thinking I have a realization. Why do I watch where my ball lands on my opponents side? I’m thinking as soon as I raise my head after hitting I should look directly at my opponents (I play doubles). It doesn’t matter what my ball does, or where it lands. What my opponent is doing is all that matters. When they hit, then I watch the ball come to my side. Am I correct? Thanks
Yes, you should focus on what your opponent is doing and just notice where the ball lands with your peripheral vision. And yes, once they hit the ball, forget about them and just focus on the ball. "Know" or anticipate what they are doing without looking at them. It's a numbers game rather than "If I see opponent do A, I will do B, but if I see them do C, I will do D." We don't play tennis like that as that takes our eye off the ball and then it's game over for ball control and precision.
You’re a genius! This is soooooo on point! You are awesome! I could use all the great words to compliment you! I just played my finals match in the sectionals last Sunday. 🏆 My partner and I won but the other two lines lost, so we didn’t make it to the nationals. But anyway, this is still what’s missing in my game to add more power to my forehand. I do this unconsciously with my backhand, but not with my forehand. All my offensives are through my backhand and the only offensive that I have on the forehand is the lob. I think this tip will improve my forehand ground strokes by a mile!!! You are God-sent! 👏👏👏🏆🥇👍👍👍 I do this unconsciously in singles, but I believe this works on doubles, too. It’s just a little trickier. Thanks so much!
Very good video, I appreciate I meet very great teacher like you here. I believe your four reason why it is the challenging, but I'd rather say my concern is to look up the return of the opponent, so my head will recover naturally. You are right absolutely, it is not a one-week project, we need more practice. I am more encouraged, thank you :)
Great video! I remember we chatted about this a while ago and you told me you had a video planned on this subject. It's very well thought out and explained, as always. I'm glad to see that we're on the same page. Good luck and stay loose!
thank you! thanks for your effort at explaining the basics and reasons for doing certain things. it will help me a lot. I will work on it , I am sure you are an excellent coach .
It become very clear to me the REASONS why I can't keep my head still on the point of contact., now I can practice and maybe i can develop this skill of actually seeing and feel the collision of ball and the sweet spot of the racket. Salamat po
Its the same in golf, keep your head down at the point of contact. It goes to show the wisdom of that saying "the body can only move in certain ways", its why you see the same principles show up in different sports and in different fighting systems. Great Video :-)
Also in golf think about targets, none of the pros look up to "target" while they are swinging the club, because they aimed already before they addressed the ball, the ball will only go in the direction that the body's structure has determined, all that remains is to throttle the POWER you put into your swing to get distance, and remember power has nothing to do with muscles but club head SPEED. Cheers I thought it would be analogous for anyone who has played golf. Cheers :-)
I think that Tomaz' s instruction is outstanding. I find my instructors tell me I'm not keeping my eye on the ball or hitting it late and so on but don't explain why I'm doing that or how to remedy it. It is so much easier to understand how to correct an error in play when you know how/ why your body/ brain are doing what they are doing. And in understanding that you are then able to better apply the correction. I also love that he establishes reasonable objectives for how long it will take you to correct a problem area. Fabulous stuff!
I've been playing tennis for 20 years and reached a high standard aged 17-18 but now - in my 30's, even with consistent play - my groundstrokes have become very inconsistent. I would recommend this video to anyone looking to improve their game, period, it's so fundamental to every shot in tennis! A perfectly explained and demonstrated video. Thank you so much!
Keeping the eye on the ball is one of the most difficult thing to do in tennis, believe me ! You have to focus on each shot and to keep concentrated during all the match. But if you manage to do that, you will be surprise of your own ability to progress an hit good shots. Thank you so much for this video, and as other commentaries said, the most useful for beginners.
My brothers and I have been practicing a lot based on your video instructions. You would not believe how much they and I have improved over the past 6 months! I can't thank you enough for making all of these amazing videos; they are so informative and easy to understand. I may have to post some videos of my own, showing the improvements that my brothers and I have made. Cheers!
Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
Send this guy some money so that he can keep up his excellent work 🤓😉
This is one of the most important videos a tennis player can watch.
Inevitably, whenever anyone misses the ball, it is typically related directly to the head movement and tensing up!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this video
Kenneth Nakamura Some people make simple mistakes, and many more aren’t completely fluent in English and do their best, yet still make mistakes. Why get so riled up over a TH-cam comment? Calm down, it’s not that serious.
The part about the breakdown of four outcomes of missing a little was brilliant. Fantastic vid
Thank you SIR, you have assisted me in over coming a very bad instinctive habit. God Bless You.
The most important part for me was that you are the first who explain the difficulty of not waching the ball. I have all 4 problems. Thanks !
Great video. one of the most useful I ve seen. you are an awesome teacher and communicator.
Golf
I knew I had a problem with hitting the ball correctly, bu always thought it was linked to positioning. Now I realise I always look at my target right when I take the shot. Thank you very much
First time I hear the reasons why we don''t look at the ball. Love it. Tomaz, you are really a great tennis instructor for recreational players. I realized that whenever I miss hit a volley, a millisecond before, my eyes flicked away from the ball, not the head move, it's the eyes. My hypothesis is, that you do that when you are under stress. Under stress our eyes are more "twitchy". So its impportant to stay calm in the middle of the battle. Simply the fact that I got aware of this issue, improved my volleys. I wonder, if there is some eye training to keep the eyes stable during rapid movement? But thx again for your valuable insights.
Best Info so far. My shots are always inconsistent because of either looking at my opponent, trying to see if I can. Wrong foot him and also trying to look where I want to put the ball. My ba ends up at the net or I over hit the angle and the ball goes out.
Congratulation.
I am tennis coach too from France and now I am coaching in Australia. I have seen many many videos and this one is one on my best.
I agree with everything, manly the big target.
Where are you coaching?
Great video! Very logical and well explained. I've actually heard of one more reason why recreational players look up before hitting the ball. A study found that rec players are worried that the ball will be coming back to them before they are ready for it if they keep their eye on the ball. It's illogical, but that's what was found by researchers.
I just watched your videos and I am going to do these: 1) Call out what you are going to hit, forward hand and backhand. 2) Aim at the big target, left or right. 3) Not to move the head until hitting the ball.
I have watched so many tennis videos here and this is the one I needed the most. Your teaching was clear and concise. No waste, no unnecessary words or joking. It was a perfect video. Thank you very very much.
Dude, I teach out of SoCal and I have my girl playing L1-L3 and I have to say, you’ve been the only coach I trust online. Keep up the great work coach!
So, today I did everything in this video and won 6-1. My opponent/friend said she had never seen me play so well. This works!
Share this video with your friend, that way she'll have the chance to improve her game as well. You'll both become warriors 😉
I have had this problem for such a long time and his different points are spot on regarding the body movement, mental ability about not having to see the opponent and self confidence in my game. Another wonderful video from Feel Tennis. You have improved my serve, my forehand and now one upped my whole game.
This man has great human insight, as well as tennis skill. Thanks
This is very important while receiving fast serve. Basically you need to track the path of the ball with your eyes steadily the moment the opponent tosses it in the air but not just with the eyes. Your head and eyes would move along with the path of the ball to track it from up in the air to the ground then to the time you hit it, and of course at moment of contact with your racquet, it's like he explained here, the head can't move until after the ball leaves your racquet. You might be a bit uncomfortable at first when the ball comes fast and you hit without seeing where it might go, but this is the only way. For me the difference is night and day. In fact, you'd want to do the same with all shots. The moment the ball leaves your opponent's racquet, you track it by moving your eyes and head together, then the moment you hit, the head stays still.
EXCELLENT! The head cannot move until the ball Leaves the racket, I need to burn this into my brain every single day, not only for tennis, but for Golf and Pickleball too. “The moment you hit the head stays still.”
It’s gonna take a lot of work and concentration, but it’s the best thing to improve our playing
I love coach like you who breaks down a seemingly easy concept into such detail. A lot of coaches know looking at the ball is important and will tell their students to do so without really understanding why it's important.
Looking at the ball is important, but keeping the head still is vital
thank you SO MUCH!!!! I was about to quit tennis just because of that - could not force myself to look at the ball, despite saying to myself 'llok at the ball, look at the ball' EVERY TIME i shot, but could not do it because i wanted to control the other part of the court. that depressed me A LOT! this video was an eye opener for me. now i feel filled with positive energy and can not wait to try it on the court.
Wonderful to hear, thanks for the feedback!
Hi teacher. I am from Mexico City, and I have been practicing your recommendations during my last six play days. Great improvement. I have start winnig games to those who always win to me. Your recommendation to enshure hitting with the sweet part of racket is a true. My shots are powerfull and very well directed. Also "not to see my opponent / target" works incredible. Thanks a lot again teacher....
I haven't seen anyone explain this skill in such a detailed way. Excellent! This made me realize that as an aging player , I have to pay more attention to keeping the head still. The comments on the body pulling the neck and head really rang true! I'm going to do the suggested training and work on improving the rotational flexibility in my neck , which should help. Thanks !
"There is nothing to see." Love it when sports instructions sometimes approach zen :)
The most consistent advice to this day, thank you
Absolutely awesome! How often had I heard from the coach "Keep your eyes on the ball", without any explanation, why it is so important and what prevents me from doing so, detailed and step by step. This skill seems to be one of the most important ones, way before working on the stroke techniques, but it is often overseen. Thank you!
i have seen hundreds of video's on various tennis subjects. this is without question one of the very best. clearly explained in
lay terms i feel like i have come away with great advise that i can actually use. i have always believed in the importance of
keeping your eye on the ball and head steady but never new y it was so difficult.
This is one of my biggest problems. I tend to frame the shots too frequently, and off center shots are the norm. The reasons you detail are exactly what I need, since the "how" is pretty straightforward, but difficult to do. Thank you very much for the video!
Thank you very much! This is one of the best tips for junior players. Well explained. My son doesn't usually like my long explanation of anything but I'll have to make him sit down for 15' to listen to this one.
Another reason for looking up is wanting to admire how amazingly I crushed the shot. Vanity :) great video
My coach tells me, 'The lines on the court don't move. You know where they are without looking.' Which is essentially what Tomaz is saying. Fantastic video. So helpful to me.
great comment
Very timely video. Seems like a simple cure for my inconsistency and frustration lately. Maybe it will help me overcome my tendency to be over anxious and reach out for the ball before it arrives. Thanks much.
I just wanted to add to this - I've been focusing exclusively on *just* keeping my eye on the ball and *not looking up*, but rather trying to predict in my mind where the shot will land. I've just tried this a couple of times, but the results have been spectacular. I feel like I've finally discovered the key to hitting the ball cleanly, or relatively cleanly. I wanted to wait for a few more tries, but I couldn't wait. I'll let you know if it lasts, though.
I have been trying this as well! how's it going for you?
Now that you mention it, I've been hitting the ball reasonably cleanly. I'm still inconsistent, but when I remember to visualize where the ball will land while keeping my head down, it helps. Where I get in trouble is when I get too conservative and make a weak swing. If I remind myself to stay aggressive, and not get too attached to winning or losing, it puts me in a better state of mind.
@@jackbenimble99999👏👏👏 very helpful to this new comer
I tried to this technique today. Awesome! I just want to add a point. When I firstly tried to do it, I worried if I can hit the target region. Later, I talked to myself "let it go". Yes, I only watch the ball and let it go. Now, I felt much relaxed and the ball has amazing power without effort.
fabulous feedback
You’re definitely right about it being a summer project. I watched the video and fully intended to execute it for every shot i played. But lo, the game begins and can’t remember more than 3-4 shots where i could actually execute it. The ones i did were screamers. But darn it sure is a difficult but important skill....
Thanks, Thomas! Btw, the church bells in the background have blessed this instruction of yours. God bless you for all of your instructional videos. I’m learning a lot with them. Keep up the good work.
Required viewing for anyone who plays or teaches tennis. Well done, Tomaz.
Here’s a trick I learned from Oscar Wagner on developing this same skill. Practice hitting the ball while closing your eyes at the point of contact. It defeats a lot of the instinct about moving your head with the stroke. The head stays more still, and it surprises players how little they lose in stroke execution, and gain in making consistently clean contact.
wow!
This is the best and most thorough explanation on this topic I've ever seen! Thank you!!!
Single most effective important improvement I made in years following this advise. Thanks.
"You probably never miss the ball completely"
Uhh, yes i do 😂
Excellent! this is my weakness not only in tennis but in golf and Pickleball, too. Whenever I miss, I’ve moved my head and looked up. 🤦♀️
it is not just keeping the eyes on the ball, it is keeping the head down and still until the ball leaves the racket! TRUST!
excellent video and thank you
One of the best tutorial for the logic behind the body movements. Thank you for sharing such valuable tips.
OMG i have been playing for 3 years. Watching a lot of instruction tennis videos and now all i could say is that this is one of the best. From Vietnam with love
Definitely, by far it is the most useful, concrete and convincing tennis instruction I have ever watched. For sure, it will be my summer project. I do not know if it solves all my ball control problem but I am sure it can make huge difference. Great job. Many thanks and congratulations. Pls keep up such good works.
This video and video about consistency/intentions is very helpful
dear Coach .. tQ for this video. yes, I am 6 years late😅.
I used to be an intermediate level tennis player, maybe in the 90's, just started playing again about 1 month ago, and everything is haywire.
yes, I have this tendency of not keeping my eyes at the ball through the stroke.
tQ for saying that it will take time to improve and now I have a reasonable time period expectation of improving the skill as u put it.
again, tQ tQ Coach.
your presentation, explanation and rational of the issue is superb.
I will be viewing all your videos especially me being a classical tennis player.
take care.
Very much appreciated for the wonderful feedback!
10:46 "..because you are free to miss your target.." - misses a butterfly. Presentation of a highest level. haha
Nice, informative video, thank you for doing this.
OMG this is SO helpful!! I have stopped doing this and now it seems so obvious TO do it! Great video. I will definitely start doing this every time i hit.
Tomacz is really a great instructor. His single little phrases can dramatically change your thinking and reduce errors. Thanks!
I hit against the wall alot and tend to have the balls return fast. So I will try letting the ball bounce twice and keep my eye on it. I am old and have bad habits. This is great to know how to break a bad habit and keep my eye on the ball. Thanks.
sometimes all I have is a walter practice and yes the balls come back fast, so so your advice about letting it bounce twice is a great solution !!
Clear, concise and excellent instruction. This makes so much sense; my matches consistently suffer because I keep my eye on my opponent ...not the ball. I will implement this pronto!
Feel tennis are the best videos on TH-cam! Thanks!
You really are such a great teacher, thank you for your videos..I've watched a few of them today and your tips re really useful. I've just started playing tennis and I'm more enthusiastic about playing after watching your videos..
Thank you
He's such a good coach! He should be coaching the pros !
I have played tennis for YEARS now and I never really learned how to watch the ball. Much like you said in the video, I was having moderate success without watching the ball very closely by "guestimating" where the ball was going to be at contact. I tended to do better against fast-moving balls, which deviate less from their flightpath than slow and/or spinning shots. But I wasn't getting anything like effortless power or proper topspin, and always had to swing very hard, it felt like my racket didn't even OWN a sweetspot, but the few times I did manage to hit the sweetspot it was a novel and odd-but-cool feeling!
This summer, thanks to the microscopic invaders from China with the Mexican beer name, I have made it my sole mission, my _raison d’être_ , to train myself to track the ball properly and finally learn to make solid contact on a regular basis. So I went out to our local park with a bucket of balls and did some self-feeding, then hit against the wall, and then finally, hit with some other lonely tennis orphans...and lo and behold, I WAS DOING IT! Every ball struck dead center, smack dab in the middle of the sweetspot, flying off my strings with magical speed and mystical spin! It was like Federer Himself had descended from Mount Grand Slam-opolis, took possession of my body and was belting the ball for me! Tears streamed down my face as I raised my racket in triumph, bent back and facing the heavens roared, "So this, THIS...is what Tennis is all about!!"
Nah I'm just kidding, of course, I shanked every third ball over the fence. The other two I hit closer to the frame than the sweetspot. But how? It seemed so simple on the video. Just do what Tomaz said. Come on you moron, children do it! Nope, I guess I'm gonna have to break down and ACTUALLY DO WHAT TOMAZ RECOMMENDS IN THE VIDEO. Dammit. It seems, as usual, that Tomaz is right again. Until you exorcise your demons, uproot your deep-seated misconceptions and insecurities - at least about watching the ball and keeping your head still - BEFORE you can ride out and slay the dragon. So that's my new mandate, which he clearly states is Step One, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $100!! Ah, when will I ever learn? (Probably never.) If Tomaz says "do this first", you should probably *DO THIS FIRST* .
But then, you all knew that. I appear to be the only one with the pointy hat in the Dunce Corner. But don't worry, I'll get it. Eventually. Tell me again, uh, how much time to we have before the sun blows up?
This is a Great comment and you are quite a creative writer. I enjoyed your comment immensely.
Excellent points and clearly instructed how to get to another level of keeping my eye on the ball. Made a lot of sense the way he described the key reasons for this!
keep your eye on the ball, but focus on keeping the head still
Thank you Mr. Mencinger for this great video. This is exactly THE area I want to work on.
My question is: Does the approach need to be adjusted when playing doubles?
I KNEW YOU WAS A VERY HUMBLE MAN AND YOU LOVE TENNIS !! THOSE PERSONS ARE THE BEST!!
Tomaz, You Rock! I am determined to follow your advice! I hate miss-hits! I am sure this will really help my game! Many thanks again! You're the best!!
Thank you for sharing this video , this is the first time I heard about not moving the head nobody had told me that before , even know I take private lessons my couch never told me that ? I wonder ? Is he good ?
Hi Tom,your each & every point is well taken and I wish I am 10yrs younger to keep my muscle memory stronger.
Thx a million
Prince
Very much appreciated!
Your every lesson is mind blowing. Out of this world.
Absolutely fantastic! So clear, so powerful! Many many congratulations Teacher!
Bravo, Funny how once in awhile we need to rehear things we have known for a long time to be true but just forget. Nice refresher, thanks.
This was an absolutely great explanation. Really awsome!!! I would just add two reasons for keeping the head still: Once we had prepared early, all positions are fixed and memorized in relation to ourself position, so there's no need to look at nothing from this moment on. Another thing, is our sight field wich is reduced on small targets, we can only focus one small thing a time. That's, when focusing a tennis ball, we can not see even big letters or number that's writen in another ball some inches from it. Cheers!!!
Excellent video. Really made me think and focus on what I need to fix.
#1 is me all day!! Not only looking to see where they're going, but looking to see their current position. Such as if I get lobbed once I've run the ball down and am ready to hit, I look to see if they rushed the net during my retreat or if they stayed back. The others don't plague me at much, but I shank so many shots by checking where my opponent is.
I think in lobs running back and waiting for the ball and hitting it clean without worrying about your opponents will give you a Higher success percentage. It works for me. I concentrate on running back, waiting, letting the ball bounce in my sweet spot and then hitting with my eyes lasered on the ball and I don’t worry about the opponents.
Awesome explanation! Love your videos. Could you do a two handed backhand instructions?
Great video.
This is the number one problem most tennis players have, including myself.
I will practice this until I get it.
Another important thing is for your arms, shoulders and wrists to be relaxed when hitting a ball.
Being stiff or rigid is no good.
Your arms should be as relaxed as spaghetti noodles.
Thanks.
8
great comment
Great thought process analysis. Learning to hit out in front of me really helped all my strokes. I think mostly because i can make solid contact while having my head looking, approximately, out towards my target while still keeping my eye on the ball.
Hi Tomaz. What a wonderful explanation. As u mentioned it's a skill n it has really helped me to trust my shot making ability.
Thanks.
The explanation is the very best I've ever heard
and I worked with really good instructors
Great advice - however, how about in doubles, where you have the added variable of the opposition net player(s)? I have more difficulty doing this in doubles than in singles due to wanting to keep tabs on the opposition net player and not giving them an easy volley :)
Hola, Daniel, esa pregunta que tu has hecho es la misma que yo le quiero hacer a Tomaz: in doubles, you always have to see where the oponent at the net is going to go constantly, so I don't know if those instructions are valuable in case of doubles match.
A huge from Barcelona (Spain)
Awesome instruction. I really like how you incorporate the mind into leaning how to produce good and clean shots. Thanks for sharing that.
Awesome video as usual. Can't myslef stick my eyes on the ball. Will try your tips for sure! I really like your way of teaching, it's so clear in my mind, and you don't rush for "performance" at any price like the others. Great spirit = great teaching :D
Top instructions! Very clearly explained! Thank you very much
Thank you for great tips! I'm having a bit of problem with the 2nd point - looking to aim at small targets. Sometimes, i'm more focused on target than the ball. Began working on it and your video helped very much. btw, you have beautiful technique. Cheers!
Wow,,,Tomaz! I saw so many for your clips and Now I make the comment! I had a tournament today and lost all of games,, of course I was upset, but I believe I can improve a lot with this one!!! I will make it definitely with your informative tips! Hope I can travel Slovenia and see you some day! Cheers!!!
This is the best tennis lesson I saw on youtube. and I saw many lessons...
Never connected so well with any TH-cam instructor. Thank you for such excellent instruction. Now I know why Roger Federer had such difficulty with challenge system. He wa never looking at the line he was looking at how to strike the ball. Indeed challenge system could be in the back of every player's mind, but first you need to hit the ball.
You are a master coach. You have dissected the tennis game.
Congratulations.
J'ai pris le temps de vous écouter vos explications sont cohérentes Thanks
I love the story about missing a target to make agood shot! Iwill try this concept out! Thank you for this great lesson.
Tomaz your explanation has helped me make real progress in keeping my head still. I listened several time to your session and finally got my brain to start doing it on the court. But here is an added benefit that I didn’t expect. By keeping my head still I see my stroke and can tell why it worked, or not. Today I hit several balls into the net and could tell that I was not dropping the racket far enough below the ball. In the past I would not know that because I would look up too soon. Thanks again for your help.
Thanks for sharing, John. So in other words, you have a better awareness of the your body and your racket and that allows to better self-correct, correct? ;)
Tomaz, I’m getting better but still hard to keep my head down all the time. I’ve realized why it is so difficult for me. One of your reasons was the players want to watch the ball to see where it goes; but why? I realized I do that because seeing my shot gives me much pleasure. I think that is one of the joys of tennis for me is to see my “good” shot go where I want it. It is euphoric. Now that I understand that about myself I can start training my brain to get joy from seeing the ball strike, keeping my head down and finding the ball went where I aimed.
Thanks again for your help.
Good insight, John. You still have time to see where your goes even if you keep your head down for 0.3 seconds. You just won't see the ball flight on your side of the net but you will see the ball land on the court. But as you can tell, being euphoric for hitting a good shot is not going to serve you well because some of those shots will come back and if you're in a state of joy you will not react quickly and well to that returned ball. One or a few good shots in a match is nothing. Cool shots are for spectators, winning the match is for players.
Tomaz, out of this change in my thinking I have a realization. Why do I watch where my ball lands on my opponents side? I’m thinking as soon as I raise my head after hitting I should look directly at my opponents (I play doubles). It doesn’t matter what my ball does, or where it lands. What my opponent is doing is all that matters. When they hit, then I watch the ball come to my side. Am I correct? Thanks
Yes, you should focus on what your opponent is doing and just notice where the ball lands with your peripheral vision. And yes, once they hit the ball, forget about them and just focus on the ball. "Know" or anticipate what they are doing without looking at them.
It's a numbers game rather than "If I see opponent do A, I will do B, but if I see them do C, I will do D." We don't play tennis like that as that takes our eye off the ball and then it's game over for ball control and precision.
This advice already feel like the best advice. I think this is exactly what I need. Thank you very much.
You’re a genius! This is soooooo on point! You are awesome! I could use all the great words to compliment you! I just played my finals match in the sectionals last Sunday. 🏆 My partner and I won but the other two lines lost, so we didn’t make it to the nationals. But anyway, this is still what’s missing in my game to add more power to my forehand. I do this unconsciously with my backhand, but not with my forehand. All my offensives are through my backhand and the only offensive that I have on the forehand is the lob. I think this tip will improve my forehand ground strokes by a mile!!! You are God-sent! 👏👏👏🏆🥇👍👍👍 I do this unconsciously in singles, but I believe this works on doubles, too. It’s just a little trickier. Thanks so much!
Very good video, I appreciate I meet very great teacher like you here.
I believe your four reason why it is the challenging, but I'd rather say my concern is to look up the return of the opponent, so my head will recover naturally. You are right absolutely, it is not a one-week project, we need more practice. I am more encouraged, thank you :)
you have one more subscriber, i'l practice all you say, usually i move away my eyes from ball second before hit it, need hardwork for it
Great video! I remember we chatted about this a while ago and you told me you had a video planned on this subject. It's very well thought out and explained, as always. I'm glad to see that we're on the same page. Good luck and stay loose!
Thanks, likewise!
Excellent work, here. In golf, we're also admonished to keep the head still and eye fixed on the ball.
thank you! thanks for your effort at explaining the basics and reasons for doing certain things. it will help me a lot. I will work on it , I am sure you are an excellent coach .
It become very clear to me the REASONS why I can't keep my head still on the point of contact., now I can practice and maybe i can develop this skill of actually seeing and feel the collision of ball and the sweet spot of the racket. Salamat po
Another exellent lesson from Tomaz. Thanks a lot!
Its the same in golf, keep your head down at the point of contact. It goes to show the wisdom of that saying "the body can only move in certain ways", its why you see the same principles show up in different sports and in different fighting systems. Great Video :-)
Also in golf think about targets, none of the pros look up to "target" while they are swinging the club, because they aimed already before they addressed the ball, the ball will only go in the direction that the body's structure has determined, all that remains is to throttle the POWER you put into your swing to get distance, and remember power has nothing to do with muscles but club head SPEED. Cheers I thought it would be analogous for anyone who has played golf. Cheers :-)
You have a very rare skill in teaching tennis. Thanks a lot for this great video.
Beautifully explained...will incorporate
I also like how calm his voice is and explanations are full of sense😘
Best tennis instructor on TH-cam!