I'm learning after ten years of illness at 56! This channel is brillient its filled me with positivity ...I can get mentally and physically fit again...I played for the school in my teens always loved tennis. Nothing is impossible! It's really hard going but push yourself a bit more each lesson...
I must have watched 10 videos about this topic but nobody talked about how the brain can get overloaded with ball flight processing to really do anything about taking the racket back. Brilliant! Thank you!
To make this advice more concise when you turn and pivot you also start to bring the racquet with you into the ready position. My coach drilled this into me. I was also trained to look at exactly where the ball hit the court and move forward into the ball and strike it on the rise in my comfort zone. You can generate a heavy ball if you use your lower body and rotation of your hips. Having played a lot of baseball I was conditioned to step into the ball and hit it out in front while my legs and hips drove into and through the ball.
Early preparation (the kind Tomaz demonstrates here) is the 80/20 consistency. In one fell swoop it will solve: - timing issues (you'll seldom feel rushed ever again) - weight transfer issues (you'll seldom hit falling backwards ever again) - drop and lag issues (you'll seldom fail to drop the racket and accelerate to create lag) The beautiful thing is you can easily fix it on your own. No need for pricey lessons. Just do what Tomaz tells you to do: call the side out loud or in your head the moment your opponent hits and immediately perform your unit turn on that side. Now use a feedback loop: If you were prepared before the ball hit the ground, you did it right. If not, you were not prepared early enough. Rinse, repeat until it's automatic. Then you can work on the remaining last 20% (more RHS, more angles, ...).
Super effective tip that I use the moment I feel I'm having an "off day." This technique eliminates a lot of the jerky, rushed strokes that are caused by a rushed backswing.
I would also suggest working on this with shadow swings. It works well to start just with the unit turn. Say "forehand," and immediately turn and set the racket (start the turn at "fore"--don't wait for "hand.") This helps make the turn and set more natural and automatic before complicating things with the swing and then with the ball. People often want to "find the bounce" before starting the swing preparation. So they wait and they're late. Since they do not pay a price against a short, softly-hit ball, they don't realize there is a problem, and the habit becomes ingrained. Great job by Tomas on this video, first rate.
Turn and pivot with racquet back was the primary phrase when I was participating in my USPTR Certification training and testing back in 1989. Watch where the ball hits the court and move forward into the ball. As a tournament player and coach I was a big proponent of moving forward taking the ball early or on the rise to hit it in front. This creates more opportunities to create angles and reduce your opponents reaction time.
I have played tennis for about 3 years in the past. I went to a few contests , sadly never won a single match. Most likely because I was not really paying close attention to whatever my coach would teach me about tennis. Truth be told his methods for teaching were not great . Still, his advice was good and only now I begin to understand how much better things could have been , had I listened to him . A great tip for not hitting too late was to hit the ball while it was going upwards . Now that is not always possible during a match but it does help quite a bit . It is also very useful for getting more power on your strokes and making sure the ball does not hit the net or goes out of court .
I had timing problem also. The hint to prepare early really worked for me. I was busy to reed the ball. Instead I should have just decide if it is backhand or forehand and start to prepare. No one knows at this point if the ball is deep or not. That was my missconseption about the preparation and ball direction. Other reason why I was hitting late was that I didn’t really knew where the optimal hitting point must be. W
Tomasz, you're the best!!!!! I tried twice in practice and today in real match and it helped me a lot. Keeps my mind busy with thinking/doing the turn and snapshooting. It was always my major issue. Sure, I still forget sometimes and i'm not in balance then. But next shot i remeber and force me to say it loud, then it actually works the best. Especially in returns... thx so much!... i bought your courses now!...you are one of the 3 best yt coaches !!!
Hi Tomaz! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips with the world. I put this tip in practice and within minutes I went from always hitting late and feeling frustrated to well timed groundstrokes and a consistently relaxed attitude on court. Muchas gracias!
Besides call the direction, players also need to call if the ball is short or long. A common problem is waiting the ball drops on the ground then initiate the stroke. judgement can be trained, but it's not easy as each bouncing could be different.
Great video. I've noticed that when I prepare before the ball approaches I hit Sooo much cleaner and more consistent and time it better. This video really reinforces it!
very smart idea, i had a session today and was so late on so many forehands, it was so frustrating. Makes great sense, cannot wait to test this out next time out.
WOW, I started doing this one day while hitting at the park and it worked so well for me, then I watch this video shocked that coaches actually recommend this as well.
In time your videos will come to be considered the best on TH-cam. I spend a fair amount of time looking at tennis instruction, and I probably watch your videos 5x relative to any other channel. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge so freely. It's been a great help.
Good evening sir....im also a tennis player for more than 12 years and i realized when i watched your video. You are really correct sir. A very fruitfull video Now i learned more from you. Thank you sir. Focus on doing and not on thinking.
Great video as usual ... thank you so much!!! This issue is emphasized with angled and fast ball : in that case one has to run and open at the same time ... it's very difficult! Your tips are outstanding!!!
Hi tomaz your instruction was awasome… i practice this tips and my forehand was more natural tan before.. and the same with backhand. Thanks for sharing your knowledge to the world!!
I couldn't help noticing that along with her rushed and stiff preparation and stroke in the "before" video, Charlotte was wearing the obligatory elbow brace that is so common among players with that approach. And in the "after" images, her arm is so much more relaxed as she gets a good deal more racket head lag -- more power from less effort -- and her follow through after contact is much more fluid. I bet after a couple of months for her extensors to desensitize, that brace comes off.
There is another way to ensure that you are not late. Once you recognize that you are going to hit a backhand or a forehand, you do a small "push down and out in front" with both hands where you intend them to be at the contact point...it's like you are "measuring" the shot. Obviously, for a forehand, you will not have both hands on the racket when you make contact, but you still perform this move with both hands. This has 2 positive effects. First, it is the start of your swing and you do it the instant you've decided which shot you're going to hit. Second, it gives your brain a tangible place "to be" when making contact which is out in front of you. I used this method the last couple of times I played and it completely transformed my backhand which had been late much of the time.
This is the instruction I wanted to hear, wow small correction can bring so much satisfaction in my game.... I was coming frustrated and dissatisfied from all my tennis sessions
Tomaz, I don't know if you've ever seen any wheelchair tennis, but we're so busy pushing ourselves into position to hit the ball, pretty much until the last possible moment - how can we possibly prepare early? My own answer is, to somehow get yourself into position ASAP so you can prepare, i.e. take the racket back, before the ball bounces. The other is, let yourself GLIDE (roll) into position from the last push, this again as early as possible, so you can take back before the bounce. Both are nasty difficult, but the only other option is a rushed swing, something we do a lot of! One last note: one other thing I try to do is _not take the racket back very far_ and, because the backswing is so abbreviated (and rushed), there is an automatic stretch-shortening lag that helps a little with racket head speed. But really, if I had realized how truly difficult wheelchair tennis is, I never would have become paralyzed in the first place! 😉
I told my son to use this technique. He had Instant improvement. Thank you so much. My own difficulty is to judge the time to accelerate my swing and i am frequently late on fast shots out of my comfort zone. Could you suggest some training tips to improve, as a recreational player?
Tomaz - Watching this video and watching the “How to keep your eye on the ball” video brings me to this question. If the sequence is to split step when they hit, and then recognize forehand vs backhand and prepare....and then when you hit the ball you have already chosen where to hit and you don’t look up but focus on the ball - when are you making the decision where to hit the ball in the sequence? (to the ‘big’ targets you mentioned in another video).
I have a simple alternative to calling the stroke. Many players can call the stroke but they don't tend to react accordingly. My advice would be to rotate your hips and make sure that your racket head arrive at your pre-established ideal contact point. If there is no pre-established ideal contact point on your head, you are allowing the ball to dictate the contact point causing you to be late. By just rotating your hips, you will have an automatic racket take back.
I'm learning after ten years of illness at 56! This channel is brillient its filled me with positivity ...I can get mentally and physically fit again...I played for the school in my teens always loved tennis. Nothing is impossible! It's really hard going but push yourself a bit more each lesson...
I must have watched 10 videos about this topic but nobody talked about how the brain can get overloaded with ball flight processing to really do anything about taking the racket back. Brilliant! Thank you!
Wonderful, thank you!
To make this advice more concise when you turn and pivot you also start to bring the racquet with you into the ready position. My coach drilled this into me. I was also trained to look at exactly where the ball hit the court and move forward into the ball and strike it on the rise in my comfort zone. You can generate a heavy ball if you use your lower body and rotation of your hips. Having played a lot of baseball I was conditioned to step into the ball and hit it out in front while my legs and hips drove into and through the ball.
Early preparation (the kind Tomaz demonstrates here) is the 80/20 consistency. In one fell swoop it will solve:
- timing issues (you'll seldom feel rushed ever again)
- weight transfer issues (you'll seldom hit falling backwards ever again)
- drop and lag issues (you'll seldom fail to drop the racket and accelerate to create lag)
The beautiful thing is you can easily fix it on your own. No need for pricey lessons. Just do what Tomaz tells you to do: call the side out loud or in your head the moment your opponent hits and immediately perform your unit turn on that side.
Now use a feedback loop: If you were prepared before the ball hit the ground, you did it right. If not, you were not prepared early enough. Rinse, repeat until it's automatic. Then you can work on the remaining last 20% (more RHS, more angles, ...).
Super effective tip that I use the moment I feel I'm having an "off day." This technique eliminates a lot of the jerky, rushed strokes that are caused by a rushed backswing.
I would also suggest working on this with shadow swings. It works well to start just with the unit turn. Say "forehand," and immediately turn and set the racket (start the turn at "fore"--don't wait for "hand.") This helps make the turn and set more natural and automatic before complicating things with the swing and then with the ball. People often want to "find the bounce" before starting the swing preparation. So they wait and they're late. Since they do not pay a price against a short, softly-hit ball, they don't realize there is a problem, and the habit becomes ingrained. Great job by Tomas on this video, first rate.
This tip actually helped me a lot! Amazingly simple and astonishingly effective. Thank you very much!
Turn and pivot with racquet back was the primary phrase when I was participating in my USPTR Certification training and testing back in 1989. Watch where the ball hits the court and move forward into the ball. As a tournament player and coach I was a big proponent of moving forward taking the ball early or on the rise to hit it in front. This creates more opportunities to create angles and reduce your opponents reaction time.
Exactly my problem. Late stroke=not being in good position + a short ball for my opponent. Cannot wait to try this on court.
Not only You!... Rsss
I have played tennis for about 3 years in the past. I went to a few contests , sadly never won a single match. Most likely because I was not really paying close attention to whatever my coach would teach me about tennis. Truth be told his methods for teaching were not great . Still, his advice was good and only now I begin to understand how much better things could have been , had I listened to him . A great tip for not hitting too late was to hit the ball while it was going upwards . Now that is not always possible during a match but it does help quite a bit . It is also very useful for getting more power on your strokes and making sure the ball does not hit the net or goes out of court .
you are a terrific coach
Thanks for showing slo-mo video analysis. Its fundamentals like this that make a big difference and make you a better player.
I had timing problem also. The hint to prepare early really worked for me. I was busy to reed the ball. Instead I should have just decide if it is backhand or forehand and start to prepare. No one knows at this point if the ball is deep or not. That was my missconseption about the preparation and ball direction.
Other reason why I was hitting late was that I didn’t really knew where the optimal hitting point must be. W
Tomasz, you're the best!!!!!
I tried twice in practice and today in real match and it helped me a lot. Keeps my mind busy with thinking/doing the turn and snapshooting. It was always my major issue. Sure, I still forget sometimes and i'm not in balance then. But next shot i remeber and force me to say it loud, then it actually works the best. Especially in returns... thx so much!... i bought your courses now!...you are one of the 3 best yt coaches !!!
Very much appreciated! I plan to post more videos on the topic of timing and rhythm next year to help players time their strokes better, stay tuned!
one of the best tennis videos on the Internet!!!!!!!!!! Thank you.
When I hear "Hi, Tomaz from Feel Tennis", I know it's gonna be good!
It makes me feel sexy
@@progressivedemagogue8480and I know it
Hi Tomaz! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and tips with the world. I put this tip in practice and within minutes I went from always hitting late and feeling frustrated to well timed groundstrokes and a consistently relaxed attitude on court. Muchas gracias!
Besides call the direction, players also need to call if the ball is short or long. A common problem is waiting the ball drops on the ground then initiate the stroke. judgement can be trained, but it's not easy as each bouncing could be different.
David Lin thanks!!
So true, the landing is always different, totally agree
What about the trajectory and the spin of the ball ? Predict and intercept where the ball its going to land .Make preparation and execute the ball...
Great video. I've noticed that when I prepare before the ball approaches I hit Sooo much cleaner and more consistent and time it better. This video really reinforces it!
Tomaz is simply the best instructor on TH-cam, he’s not trying to have you copy the pros, but to be a more consistent player.
very smart idea, i had a session today and was so late on so many forehands, it was so frustrating. Makes great sense, cannot wait to test this out next time out.
WOW, I started doing this one day while hitting at the park and it worked so well for me, then I watch this video shocked that coaches actually recommend this as well.
In time your videos will come to be considered the best on TH-cam. I spend a fair amount of time looking at tennis instruction, and I probably watch your videos 5x relative to any other channel. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge so freely. It's been a great help.
Very very helpful lesson. Quick thinking and relax are the keys! Thanks a lot!
This is a great tip. I used it 30 years ago and had forgotten about it.
Mr Mencinger thanks for all tennis videos you share.They are all helpful for all of us tennis players.
Tomasz..you are simply the best!
WOW this lesson is FANTASTIC. I've discovered this and I'm so subscribing. Great replay of Charlotte, because we see the problem up close.
I wish I was that slim!!!!!
Good evening sir....im also a tennis player for more than 12 years and i realized when i watched your video. You are really correct sir. A very fruitfull video Now i learned more from you. Thank you sir. Focus on doing and not on thinking.
I just started practicing tennis, and you are very encouraging and helpful, thank you😊
Brilliant!!! The Best Coach in Internet SO FAR!!
Thank you Tomaz this really increase my confidence of not missing the ball
Great video as usual ... thank you so much!!!
This issue is emphasized with angled and fast ball : in that case one has to run and open at the same time ... it's very difficult!
Your tips are outstanding!!!
Hi tomaz your instruction was awasome… i practice this tips and my forehand was more natural tan before.. and the same with backhand.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge to the world!!
Thomas, you are one AWESOME teacher to say the least, thank you sooooo much
Great advice & instruction! Won all my matches this morning because of it!
Many thanks
I couldn't help noticing that along with her rushed and stiff preparation and stroke in the "before" video, Charlotte was wearing the obligatory elbow brace that is so common among players with that approach. And in the "after" images, her arm is so much more relaxed as she gets a good deal more racket head lag -- more power from less effort -- and her follow through after contact is much more fluid. I bet after a couple of months for her extensors to desensitize, that brace comes off.
Correctly pointed out this very very common mistake, thanks & thanks also for your guidance!
Nice Tip - Awesome - Will try it out. I am prone to be late on strokes. Hopefully this fixes it
Calling out forehand or backhand made an immediate difference. Thank you coach!
Congratulation it's a very good way to make people realise that they prepare too late.
Good drill mate. I will try today with my student.
Excellent advice
Brilliant! I'm using this now and it helps a ton! Thank you very much for this
Glad it helped!
Best coach, every lesson worths at least 1000 dollar
Super excited to try this out!
Detail explanations and examples. I learn a lot from your videos. Thank you coach!
Absolutely fantastic video.
Fantastic vídeo! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!
Practical advices! Thank you
There is another way to ensure that you are not late. Once you recognize that you are going to hit a backhand or a forehand, you do a small "push down and out in front" with both hands where you intend them to be at the contact point...it's like you are "measuring" the shot. Obviously, for a forehand, you will not have both hands on the racket when you make contact, but you still perform this move with both hands. This has 2 positive effects. First, it is the start of your swing and you do it the instant you've decided which shot you're going to hit. Second, it gives your brain a tangible place "to be" when making contact which is out in front of you. I used this method the last couple of times I played and it completely transformed my backhand which had been late much of the time.
Best tennis skill website.
excellent video.....great advice which simplifies a common fault...the best bit..."thinking too much may hurt your game"!!!!
Thank you, this sounds great!
Excellent video! 👏👏👏👏
Excellent video on timing! I find that I'm usually late on fast incoming balls and this should definitely help improve my game.
Super super preparation....Thank you coach Tomaz.
Thanks for the wonderful pointers.
This is the instruction I wanted to hear, wow small correction can bring so much satisfaction in my game.... I was coming frustrated and dissatisfied from all my tennis sessions
Glad that it helped! This is only scratching the surface of timing correction, stay tuned, I will publish many more...
Wonderful, simple, clear, effective instruction. Thank you, Tomaz.
Always outstanding - thank you
Your lessons are great Tomaz. Helped a lot. This one is amazingly good.
This has been helpful... Will use it next time I go on the court..... Thanks from Malawi
Another great video! 👍
Great tip to keep in mind while hitting. It will become muscle memory in time.
Wonderful. I make the exact mistake as a recreational player. Will implement the tip henceforth. Thanks for the video. From India.
You are a great coach.
Hi Thomas, thanks for your video. Do you have video(s) to improve my hand-eye coordination?
Hi tomaz... It is really helpful. Saw ur other videos too.. You are brilliant!
Excellent video! thanks!
Tomaz, I don't know if you've ever seen any wheelchair tennis, but we're so busy pushing ourselves into position to hit the ball, pretty much until the last possible moment - how can we possibly prepare early?
My own answer is, to somehow get yourself into position ASAP so you can prepare, i.e. take the racket back, before the ball bounces. The other is, let yourself GLIDE (roll) into position from the last push, this again as early as possible, so you can take back before the bounce. Both are nasty difficult, but the only other option is a rushed swing, something we do a lot of!
One last note: one other thing I try to do is _not take the racket back very far_ and, because the backswing is so abbreviated (and rushed), there is an automatic stretch-shortening lag that helps a little with racket head speed. But really, if I had realized how truly difficult wheelchair tennis is, I never would have become paralyzed in the first place! 😉
Good stuff man. Thanks from Vancouver
thank you for advice to improve on late hitting
as always, very good and helpful instruction - thanks
I told my son to use this technique. He had Instant improvement. Thank you so much. My own difficulty is to judge the time to accelerate my swing and i am frequently late on fast shots out of my comfort zone. Could you suggest some training tips to improve, as a recreational player?
Thanks sir , these are actually the main problems which players face may times
Maravilhosas dicas !!! Abraços ...from Brasil!!!
Tomaz - Watching this video and watching the “How to keep your eye on the ball” video brings me to this question. If the sequence is to split step when they hit, and then recognize forehand vs backhand and prepare....and then when you hit the ball you have already chosen where to hit and you don’t look up but focus on the ball - when are you making the decision where to hit the ball in the sequence? (to the ‘big’ targets you mentioned in another video).
Awesome, worked for both my wife and me. How do I get the serve unlock course?
I can't wait till i can hit ground stroke as well as you :) Thank you so much for your videos
very simple and direct...thanks again for a great video
I have a simple alternative to calling the stroke. Many players can call the stroke but they don't tend to react accordingly. My advice would be to rotate your hips and make sure that your racket head arrive at your pre-established ideal contact point. If there is no pre-established ideal contact point on your head, you are allowing the ball to dictate the contact point causing you to be late. By just rotating your hips, you will have an automatic racket take back.
Thank you for your attention to detail and nuance!!
Hi! Your tips are super and all of them are workable!
Excellent, Thomaz. Thank you.
The tips in this video helped me. Thanx
Great video! I used this tip with my students and it works, they were enthusiastic to be able to find timing on the ball.
Muito boas dicas. Vão me ajudar bastante. Desde Brasil, Rio Grande do Sul, Obrigado!
Excellente explanation and video
LOOKS GOOD AND I WILL TRY IT IN THE COMING MORNING
Great video and very timely to!!
Best coach on TH-cam. Nice to see so many beautiful courts in each video. Is this Singapore?
yes, it was in Singapore (Charlotte)
Thanks. Going to try it tomorrow.
EXCELLENT tennis instruction video. Thanks!
Great instructions! Thank you!
Amazona vídeo!!! This happens to me a lot!!! I'll try this next time on court playing and practicing!!! Thank's!!!
u are the best, you teaching way is excellent
great video lesson on how to develop early preparation & not hit late!
Nice tip! Thanks!
As usual Thomas you nail the subject on the head Great video ... And lovely court setting where is that court ?
Thanks for the instruction. Let me repeat my request. It is having good back hand stroke. How to it effectively? Ty