What a Good-Looking Tennis Stroke Can Tell You About Your Game
Have you ever watched professional tennis players and been struck by the grace and beauty of their strokes? From Roger Federer's one-handed backhand to Serena Williams' powerful forehand, the look of their strokes is nothing short of captivating. And while it's tempting to dismiss the aesthetics of a tennis stroke as mere showmanship, the truth is that the way your stroke looks can indicate the quality of its form. In fact, the better your stroke looks, the more efficient it is likely to be. In this blog post, we'll explore why the look of your tennis stroke matters and how you can use it to your advantage on the court.
What Good Looking Tennis Form Means
A good-looking tennis stroke means that a player has proper technique and form when executing shots. This includes having a correct grip on one’s racquet handle, maintaining an athletic posture, keeping movements fluid on court, and making contact with the ball in precisely intended locations.
Above all, good-looking tennis form means that your body movements work together in harmony, and that your stroke production is efficient.
Visually-attractive form also means the player is relaxed, free of using unnecessary muscles or muscle tension while playing tennis. Tennis players should strive to relax, which helps them to execute their strokes calmly and smoothly.
What "Ugly Form" Means
An “ugly” looking stroke typically indicates incorrect technique or form which often leads to errors in shot accuracy as well as wasted energy due to inefficient movement patterns. Common forms of ugly form include incorrect wrist and arm usage and/or poor hand positioning on the racquet handle, hitting too close or far away from yourself, and especially excess of muscular effort - all of which hinder performance either directly or indirectly.
Let Your Eyes Be The Coach (If It Looks Good It Is Good)
Film your practice. You'll instantly remember the shots you hit, and you'll be much better able to judge whether your shots were hit easily or with extra effort. You may want the help of an outside eye to help you understand what you see, but make no mistake, anyone, including non-tennis players, will instinctually recognize attractive and unattractive form.
Again, if your form looks loose and effortless it generally means you are doing something right whereas if it looks tight/awkward chances are you need improvement in some area(s).
Easy = Efficient
There is a direct correlation between good aesthetics and ease of play. In other words, the more relaxed you are, the more aesthetic your stroke will look. As you practice, challenge yourself to remain as relaxed as possible. When you film your practice, note the degree of your ability to remain relaxed.
Control The Variables With A Scaled Progression
Always begin your practice with shadow strokes, followed by controlled feeds to you, controlled feeds away from you, then unpredictable feeds, then feeds from a distance, progressing to rally and finally points – this progression allows for increased repetitions which build confidence & consistency within each person’s game. Following such a progression will help you find the point at which your strokes begin to break down, helping you make the most of your practice time. For ultimate efficiency, concentrate on that point of breaking down. Too much or too little challenge will be less fruitful a practice.
Don't get hung up on where the ball goes.
Sure, hitting the ball and watching it soar over the net is one of the most satisfying feelings in tennis, but don't let the outcome of your shot stress you out. Instead, focus on your technique and form. If it feels good, you're doing something correct, at least technically. Maybe you need a bit of adjustment in your grip, timing, or racket path, but you're in general closer to where you are headed than hitting a shot that feels bad but somehow goes in.
If you're too preoccupied with where the ball is going, you're more likely to make mistakes and miss out on important opportunities to improve your game. Instead, focus on what feels good, and let your intuition guide the necessary adjustments to get the ball in. A shot that lands in and also feels good is the ultimate goal, but don't prioritize one of those factors at the expense of the other.
Good Technique does Not Guarantee Results
Keep in mind there are many factors that lead to wins, or losses, in tennis. Factors like speed, strength, consistency, focus, and raw hand-eye coordination vary among players, and you can even see on the pro tour that players with the cleanest technique (e.g. Dimitrov) often fail to defeat players with more awkward strokes (Medvedev). However, keep in mind that tennis is a game of tools. Technique is one of those tools, and a very important one at that. Not only will it maximize (or limit) your ceiling as a player, it also has the capacity to reduce (or increase) your risk of injury.
But the best part of all of this? The better your technique, the easier tennis becomes, and the more consistently you will experience the sublime feeling of the perfect shot. For me, that's enough reason to get back out on the court again and again.
Happy playing, and stay loose, everyone.
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