By Chris Walker
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When your game is off or your confidence is low and you can’t for the life of you hit the ball in the middle of the racquet with any consistency, what do you do? When this happens to me (and believe me it does!) I always go back to the basics and build again from there.
To help put your finger on what the problem is, I have devised a simple checklist for your convenience. Run through these in a practice session to help replace that lost confidence and bring your game up to scratch again.
1. The grip. Start by replacing your grip. It’s refreshing sometimes to just get a new feel when you are holding the racquet. Before you even get on the court make sure that the grip is comfortable in your hand. (See diagrams)
2. Prepare to hit the ball and check that you are holding the racquet suitably to allow the racquet face to be ‘open’ (i.e., the side of the racquet you are going to hit the ball with is facing the ceiling) when you swing—both forehand and backhand sides. (See diagrams)
3. Start hitting the ball. If you have a partner to hit with, start with a simple routine like ‘boast and drive’ or ‘drop and drive.’ (two players, one shot each). If you are alone, just hit the ball back to yourself using a target (ex.: getting the ball to bounce in the service box every time; you can then expand that to hitting lengths that bounce at the back of the service box OR then lengths that hit the floor followed by the back wall).
4. As you are swinging and preparing to hit the ball, check that you are keeping your distance from the ball so your swing is able to complete in as natural a way as possible including the follow through. (This is my most common mistake but focusing on it rectifies it relatively quickly).
5. As you start to get the feel for your swing arc (with plenty of space) and your follow through, you can then focus on your shoulder position. Often, if your shoulders are not turned to the ball enough, you find the ball sprays away from the sidewalls. So make sure, as you approach the ball (with all that space for your now suitably relaxed swing), that your shoulders are turned enough to allow a smooth swing that enables you to stay ‘on’ the ball. That is to say you can complete your swing (the back swing, impact with the ball and follow through) while in a balanced position—not falling over or coming ‘off’ the ball too quickly.
6. As a secondary check to parts 4 and 5, make sure you are moving your feet! Every shot should be completely separate in its approach and execution, so moving is important. Make sure you give yourself enough space to be able to approach the ball with movement rather than just waiting for it to come in to your swing.
When you go through these points try to change your focus from ‘getting annoyed that you aren’t hitting the ball well’ to each specific part. In this way you can build up your confidence once again. There may have been a little bad habit or an element of laziness sneaking into your game without you realizing. With a little work on the fundamentals you can get your game back on track.
Good luck, because luck has nothing to do with it!
WebExclusive! Video Clips:
Backhand Space Check
Forehand Space Check
Goof #1 (for fun!): Poor Cameraman!
Goof #2 (for fun!): Get Your Confidence Back!
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