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TennisOne Lessons 
Playing at the 4.5 Level David W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne Many tennis players seeking to reach higher levels of play take lessons from pros to better understand and develop those skills necessary to progress. Many also read books, or, in today’s era of computers and Internet availability, look up specific articles and video clips of pros hitting shots to understand what makes up a “skilled” tennis player. Yet, it amazes me when I’m watching the vast majority of these players in competition. All to often they resort to very cautious or “safe” shots in any given rally. Many are capable of executing more effective shots yet they avoid those shots in fear of making a mistake. And it is just that fear that will force those players into perpetual stagnation. Obviously, those who have inaccurate or improper form must resort to cautious shots because their form becomes exponentially more limiting when they try to hit with more speed or power. There is a common misconception about playing tennis: If you hit enough shots or play enough years, you will somehow magically, morph into some highly-skilled player! It’s as if there is some tennis bible out there that states in the Book of McEnroe, (Chapter 7, verse 3), “Yeh, I sayeth unto my brethren, in the tenth year, seventh month, first week, and third day you shall be exalted unto the celestial level of 4.5. Rejoice and enter unto your court a new person.” Sorry, but this just isn’t going to happen! The fact is, if you practice ten years using 3.0 shots, the best you can expect is that you will become a very good 3.0 player.
Fellow editor, Jim McLennan, described, in a recent Quick Tip on TennisOne, his experience with his coach Tom Stowe on actually “over-hitting” or hitting harder to discover something new. This is great advice. Because if you never explore more proficient strokes, you will never discover more proficient strokes! This does not mean to hit wildly on every shot, or swing so hard that you lose the foundation of your stroke. The idea is to experiment within proper swing mechanics but, increasing the baseline level of such strokes or shots. And, as Jim mentioned in his Quick Tip, swinging harder will often magnify elements of your stroke that are either flawed or that can break down, giving you an idea of the areas in which you need to improve. It is interesting to observe junior boys, (usually boys but girls too!), starting to play tennis with the intent of become better. These younger players are more than willing to make errors (oftentimes horrible errors!) in the attempt to hit a spectacular or incredible shot. In the hundreds of such misses, these players discover several key points about their games: They learn what works and what doesn’t; they discover how to create more effective shots; they embellish shots and learn how such embellishments can improve or corrupt those shots. I often remind my students: “If you don’t attempt 4.5 level shots, how can you expect to become a 4.5 level player?” This logic is often lost when a player is playing with his or her friends. We all know that when we try to play shots that, in our minds, are lower percentage shots, we run the risk of losing the point, letting our partner down, and very likely losing our confidence. Making a mistake while attemping a shot we feel is outside of our realm of competency seems to magnify this feeling of dread. Yet, when these same players miss using their old, comfortable form, the same miss is shrugged off as insignificant. This is because using comfortable form does not present a sense of unfamiliarity. Missing with our old comfortable habits is not as daunting as missing with a new grip or swing pattern.
I often tell my students, “Miss using more effective shots.” Obviously, using a shot or stroke more often, especially in competitive situations, makes such a shot less unfamiliar, and more likely to go where you want it to go. Avoiding the shot will only make it impossible to own it. Developing Junior Players Many times I see parents working with young children, (usually around 6 or 7 year old or so) tossing balls to them over and over again. I see these kids flailing away, making contact on some, missing altogether on others. There is a sense of success when a kid makes clean contact with the ball, and the parent starts thinking, “OK! Yes! We are on our way to the U.S. Open! Only 20,000 more of those and we are in the money!” Yet, such success is short lived when the kid, obviously using inadequate form, can’t repeat the stroke (or the parent can’t throw the ball to very exact spot as before!), and misses the next three balls. This is a common scenario. These parents often shun the teaching program that might be available thinking that if they throw their kids enough balls, over time they will become a Venus Williams or an Andy Roddick. While most parents probably don’t really believe this, there is often a strange belief that if the kid swings enough times at the ball, he or she will somehow figure out tennis strokes. The truth is, they will, at best, only figure out a way to hit the ball over the net. Few, if any, ever assimilate more prolific form without accurate instruction. In fact, most will develop form that becomes so entrenched that when the chance to learn more effective strokes becomes available, the changes needed become exponentially more difficult.
Adults are no different. I see dozens of adults daily who haven't taken lessons, use very poor form, then get mad at themselves when they don’t hit a ball where and how they want to and do not improve much over time. When you think about it, these players should never get angry. They really shouldn't have high expectations because they haven't put in the time learning the game correctly! Yet, they think that because they made a sharp angle backhand shot for a winner two weeks ago that somehow they should be able to do it again and again. But, like the parent fed junior player who swings over and over before finally hitting a ball on the strings and over the net, such a result is luck rather than skill. This is not to say that players can’t use unconventional form and still become skilled players (see my article 7 Habits You Should Adopt). Players like Fabrice Santoro incorporate the very elements that fit the mold of skilled players yet within some fairly unconventional stroke patterns. (He also can be seen using many very conventional shots within his arsenal as well!) However, in most cases, unconventional form is unconventional because it makes high level play difficult, if not impossible. Thus, it is important to understand the value of conventional form, and then train yourself to execute that form, and finally, apply such form in competition…regularly! When these elements are met, over time, a player can expect to improve and progress from lower levels to higher levels of tennis proficiency steadily and with recognized stroke and playing improvements. Using Your Resources I encourage all my students to study, train, and finally execute those strokes and shots in competitive play, always pushing to go “outside the box.” In other words, keep trying the shots that you know you should be hitting (for the level you wish to play at), only then can you expect to reach those levels. It isn’t rocket science that some make it to the 4.5 and 5.0 levels and others are stuck at 3.0 or 3.5 for a lifetime. Generally speaking, the better players are no more gifted nor do they have some predestined ability; they learn what they should learn, practice what they need to practice, and then try, over and over again, to execute the shots they know will move them to compete better and better at such levels.
Those who keep hitting 3.0 level shots, (knowingly or unwittingly), will remain at the 3.0 level for the rest of their life !Where to Start? If you understand the components of high level strokes, that is, the mechanics involve, then you are on your way. However, understanding these components is only a third of the battle. The other pieces include understanding how to execute these shots and the willingness to utilize these strokes in actual competition without reverting back to old, familiar and comfortable patterns. Let’s create a scenario (using the backhand volley) you can use to put all this into your own game. If you are like many recreational or intermediate players, you are probably using either an eastern backhand grip or doing the old "windshield wiper" move (where you use your eastern forehand grip and circle over your head to hit another forehand on the backhand side!) on the backhand volley, . Your first step will be to be gain familiarity and comfort with the continental grip. Why the continental grip? In addition to this grip being used by most top players to hit volleys, it is also the grip used by players to hit serves, overheads, two-handed backhands, and half-volleys as well. While using the more rudimentary eastern grip on the volley can be successful at the 3.0 levels, (because at the 3.0 level, you will generally encounter far less difficult rallies than you will at the 4.0 or above level), you will seldom be able to compete effectively at the 4.0 or 4.5 levels with that grip. You can gain familiarity and comfort with the continental grip by spending several days just carrying your racquet around and bouncing balls up or down as often as you can. There is only one way to become familiar and comfortable with a new grip: use it all the time! There are many drills to work on from catching a bean bag on your strings, (simulating a forehand or backhand volley), to working on severe angle volleys in order to overcome the urge to switchback to the eastern grip.
The next step is to rally in a cooperative setting either with a pro or partner and attempt to keep 10 or 20 balls in play using the new grip. Don’t just rally head to head, work on crosscourt angles as well as moving volleys. (Start at the net post and hit while both partners move across the court to the opposite net post, keeping the volley going. This drill helps you learn to lead your partner as well as learn to anticipate where to make contact with the ball.) Also, work on deeper volleys and moving forward volleys, again using the correct grip and footwork. Start with your partner on the service line and feed a waist-high volley and keep the ball in play crosscourt as both players migrate towards the net. Remember to stay our wide and don’t move diagonally towards the middle of the net as many players like to do. Finally, when you play your next match after working on these aspects, resist the urge to revert back to your old grips and volley habits regardless of how well the new grip is working for you. It is a lot like an alcoholic who stays away from booze for a while and, in a moment of weakness, imbibes in a drink, facilitating a return to their old drinking habits. As a tennis player, once you revert back, the familiarity and comfort is revisited and you will be more likely to completely go back to your old ways after that first occasion. Conclusion Remember that creating more prolific results in anything requires a clear understanding of the elements of such skills. Because of the internet and advances in teaching techniques, there has never had a better opportunity for anyone interested to clearing understand, view, hear, and read about modern tennis strokes and strategies. Remember, high level tennis technique, while seldom initially comfortable for most, is actually biomechanically simpler and more efficient. It does take repetition and steady practice to integrate such techniques to the point of comfort and competency. (Please read “Reaching Unconscious Competency” for more on this topic!) Given time, nearly all players can indeed become more proficient at tennis and that opens the door to surprisingly better and more sustained improvement. If a player simply continues to execute lower-level stroke patterns, improvement becomes limited, if not impossible, and stagnation at such levels becomes permanent. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
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