Lesson #15 with Eldon

4/29/09  Wednesday  10:00A.M.

Chico Racquet Club

 

We began today’s lesson by discussing what had taken place in my last match with Marty, a match which Eldon had watched for a short while.  The main thing in the discussion was the fact that I had gotten to the net probably 30 times, but had not executed the finish many of those times.  I explained that some times I got caught in no man’s land and other times missed overheads and volleys or went the wrong way with my volley or short ball.

 

Eldon decided that we were going to work on my approach game by playing points (game situations).

 

Here’s what happened:

 

1)  I usually approached at the right time (appropriately).  These were usually balls that I had hit deep and into the corners and had Eldon running.

 

2)  I hit patterns where I was going down the line with my backhand and coming to the net, but would sometimes not want to repeat that pattern on the next point.

Eldon explained that it was okay to keep going down-the-line multiple times developing a pattern because I would eventually be able to break that pattern by hitting behind my opponent.

 

3)  On a number of ground strokes, especially the backhand side, I changed my mind on the direction at the last minute and netted the ball.  This I noticed was usually connected to not wanting to repeat my down the line shots.  (As long as it’s working, keep doing it.)

 

4)  Coming in on short balls approaching the net a number of times I popped up, moving my head around.  I was basically standing up before I finished the shot. (This is something I have definitely noticed taking place in my matches with some frequency.)  These balls all went into the net.  This is probably from overexcitement, knowing that I have an opportunity ball.  Eldon agreed that as I gain experience and learn to put myself in a position to encounter opportunity balls numerous times within a match, I will calm down and be able to hit through these shots without losing my stroke form.

 

5)  One of the main points of this lesson was to make an approach shot, to get up to the net and then remember to keep my volley in front of me, by going down the same side of the court that I came up on.  I have a tendency to want to go crosscourt with my volley in this situation.  Going crosscourt is a much more difficult angle, a narrower lane to hit into.  So keeping the volley in front of you by going down the line is a much better choice in shot selection.  This also pertains to a ball that has bounced short near the net.  The best shot selection is to hit the ball in front of you going down the line.  (And usually for some reason that side of the court is totally open.)

 

6)  A couple of times I approached the net well, but finished with a volley shot that went long. These would have been easy winners.  Eldon was telling me here to remember that my forward momentum would require a short backswing.  (Also, you have a shorter distance to hit into after you have moved forward.)  So keep the backswing short and punch the ball well out in front of you.  Also, aim for the service line.  One doesn’t have to swing hard or big since solid pace will come from one’s forward momentum while striking the ball. 

     The positive thing here in these missed volleys, though, was that I got up to the net and volleyed in front of myself going down the line instead of crosscourt.  It’s interesting, here though, how I finally comprehended the basic concept, but the second concept of a short backswing to keep the ball in the court was a little too much for me. 

     Eldon and I commented on this.  I told him how I noticed this same confusion when I introduced a secondary concept in teaching Spanish grammar, that most of my students would, with some effort, get the first concept, but would totally mess up when a second concept was added to the mix.  Eldon concurred that my teaching experience was right on with his teaching experience.  So Eldon was actually happy with me just conquering the first concept of volleying in the same direction that I was approaching.  He and I were in total agreement with the slogan of “one concept at a time will do.”  The second concept of a short backswing will come with time.

 

7)  Another concept that was discussed was that of counter pressuring.  Eldon on a number of occasions took some of my shots that I had hit with some pace and stepped in on them to return balls that gave me less time to respond.  One should remember that counter pressuring is a good way to try to take an opponent out of his comfort zone.  A good example of this is the half-volley back at the baseline.   A half-volley from the baseline comes back with speed and pace that will often catch your opponent off guard.

 

  At the end of the lesson I told Eldon how pleased I was with my forehand ground strokes and my adaptation to using the closed stance.  He concurred that I was getting some good pace especially with my forehand down the line.  He said he couldn’t catch up to a number of those shots which meant the balls had some pop on them.

 

9)  Eldon says the closed stance is going to make the forehand crosscourt shot feel a little different.  With the semi-open stance it’s a little easier to swing across your body.  Also, with a closed stance you see the ball differently since your shoulder is generally turned more and this in turn blocks your vision to a certain degree.

 

10)  Eldon and I also discussed the proper stance for returning a ball hit wide into the corner.  Eldon showed me how an open stance often doesn’t work in that situation since your forward momentum carries you off the court and makes recovery awkward.  It is really more practical to return a wide ball using a closed since because it allows you to recover with good balance and makes moving back towards the center of the court easier.

 

Three things to remember about moving forward into court:

 

When approaching the net, if at all possible try to get to at least the service line.

 

The further you move into the court the narrower your focus becomes as to where you will hit the ball.

 

Moving forward into the court makes your field of force larger and thus makes your opponent feel that he has less area to hit into. 

 

(If you consistently move forward into the court you make your opponent feel that the court is becoming smaller and smaller. His strokes may very well crack under this kind of pressure.)

 

 

A couple of other things to always remember:

 

Don’t give up on any ball.

 

Don’t admire what you think is a winner.  It may come back!