Thursday Ladies Badge Team 2 Training

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Manly Thursday Ladies Badge Team 2 training

 

 

 

 

Coach Tim

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The Tennis Whispherer is pleased to welcome Coach Tim!

Tim was born in Sydney but journeyed with his family to the United States in the late 1970s, where his passion for tennis blossomed in the competitive junior circuits of the Missouri Valley.

Throughout his collegiate tenure, Tim honed his skills at the Muir Tennis Academy, a cradle for top-tier US junior talent. Having returned to Australian shores, Tim’s zeal for the game remains undiminished. His dedication to teaching mirrors his commitment on the court, striving to unlock the pinnacle of performance in every student he coaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies Badge Team 5 Training

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Manly Saturday Ladies Badge Team 5 training.

Running Down Lobs

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Running down a lob in tennis demands not just physical agility but also sharp mental acuity and refined technique. For advanced players like Axel and Anthony, who typically employ a semi-western grip for their ground strokes, integrating specific grip adjustments into their response to lobs can be crucial for maintaining both defensive resilience and offensive potential. Here’s how to masterfully run down a lob, with special considerations for players using a semi-western grip:

General Strategy for Running Down Lobs

1. Anticipate and React Quickly: The moment you discern a lob, swiftly evaluate its trajectory. This rapid assessment and movement towards, but not directly under, the ball are fundamental to positioning yourself optimally for the return.

2. Side Movement: Veer diagonally towards the side of the lob’s path rather than retreating straight back. This approach not only keeps the ball within your field of vision for better judgment but also mitigates the risk of the ball landing behind you—a common pitfall when running directly backwards.

3. Get Behind the Ball: Strive to position yourself slightly behind the baseline or where you anticipate the ball will descend. This setup, akin to preparing for a ground stroke, affords you greater control over your return by allowing for adjustments based on the ball’s speed and bounce.

4. Lift and Carry Through: Employ a low-to-high swing to propel the ball back into the air, ensuring a high finish to your swing. This not only facilitates a deep return, compelling your opponent into a defensive stance but also gives you time to reposition for the next play.

5. Aim High and Deep: Your lob return should aim to drive your opponent backward, complicating their aggressive shot-making. Achieving depth and height with your lob can be a tactical maneuver to reclaim point control, particularly against net-assertive opponents.

Special Considerations for Semi-Western Grip Players

For players wielding a semi-western grip, such as Axel and Anthony, Coach Tim outlined the essential adjustments to manage lobs:

1. Grip Adjustment for Lob Returns: The semi-western grip, while beneficial for generating topspin, requires modification for lobs. Slightly altering the grip or the racket face’s angle by using your wrist prior to the lob can make a significant difference.

2. Open the Racket Face: Prior to the return, ensure the racket face is moderately open to counterbalance the semi-western grip’s tendency to close the racket face. This adjustment is pivotal for getting underneath the ball, particularly from stretched positions or outside the usual striking zone.

3. Finish Skywards with Follow Through: Highlight a follow-through that ascends skyward, propelling the ball high and deep into the opponent’s court. Visualize the wrist action akin to “drying your fingers,” as in basketball, to facilitate the necessary lift and depth on the lob. This technique not only aids in depth and height control but also in buying crucial time for repositioning.

Incorporating these nuanced strategies and adjustments, particularly for semi-western grip users, enriches a player’s capacity to hit lobs effectively. It transforms a defensive scenario into an opportunity to regain and dictate the point, offering an offensive edge even from the back of the court.

Badge Draws

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Saturday Men’s Team 4

Saturday Ladies Team 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies Badge Team 5 Practice

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Manly Saturday Ladies Badge Team 5 practice.

Thursday Ladies Badge Team 2 Training

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Manly Thursday Ladies Badge Team 2 training

 

 

 

 

Ladies Badge Team 5 Practice

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Manly Saturday Ladies Badge Team 5 practice.

What’s the Origin of the Scoring System in Tennis

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Tim inquired about the origins of tennis’s unique scoring system.

Responding with expertise, Tony R, our knowledgeable historian and avid student of the game, shared his findings: “Greetings, Tim. After investigating your query regarding the tennis scoring system’s origins, it appears to stem from the 12th-century French sport ‘je de paume’ (handball), where the face of a clock was used for scoring—0, 15, 30, and 45. When rackets were introduced, the score of 45 was adjusted to 40, and the game eventually came to be known as tennis, or ‘tenez’ in French.
A classic example of the French making things overly complicated!”

Appreciation to Tony!

 

 

Where you stand on the doubles court really, really matters!!!

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Where you stand on the court to start the point in doubles really, really matters!!!
FOCUS: Positioning of the Returner’s Partner.
The Returner’s partner is by far the most challenging position to play on the doubles court. The other three players all get to hit the ball before they do. The Returner’s Partner will often react to what somebody else has done instead of attacking themselves.
When the server is hitting their 1st serve, it is imperative to be neutral or defensive with mindset and positioning. A quality first serve will pressure the returner and bring the Server’s Partner into play.
So, let’s look at the following scenario and pinpoint why the serving team won the point.
Herbert is serving, and his partner, Mahut, is at the net. Peers is returning, and his partner, Polasek, is positioned INSIDE the service box.
This is where the percentages immediately drop for the returning team to win the point – even before the first serve has been hit. Polasek is standing in a highly aggressive position with two feet inside the service line. That’s more acceptable when facing a second serve, but it’s rolling the dice against a first serve.
Why? Reaction time.
If this first serve goes in and Peers is under pressure, Mahut will be swarming the net and looking to put the ball right at Polasek because he won’t have enough time to react to hit the ball back over the net.
Herbert makes a quality first serve out wide to Peers. Now, Peers possesses an excellent backhand return, but look how his feet are together on this occasion, and he is reaching for the ball.
He has a tough shot. How do we know? Look at Mahut at the net. He is picking up on all the same signs and knows it’s tough for Peers to beat him down the line. So he is cutting to the middle of the court early to go and put the ball away.
Source: Brain Game Tennis

 

 

Rafter Would Chop Today’s Deep Returners

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Pat Rafter Would Chop Today’s Deep Returners

I was sitting courtside in Miami last week watching Andy Murray battle Daniil Medvedev. Sitting next to me was Tim Henman.

Our discussion initially focused on Andy’s resurgence and how he is feeling better and better on court. Medvedev won the match 6-4, 6-2, pulling away from Andy after an even start to the match. We also chatted about the ultra-deep return position of Medvedev and other current players who like to stand a loooong way back to return serve.

The obvious counter-attack to that is serve and volley.

Tim (and I) felt confident that players such as himself and Pat Rafter would have a “field day” serving and volleying against current players that stand 5+ metres behind the baseline to return serve. We discussed how effective Rafter would have been hitting a heavy kick serve out wide in the Ad court and having so much time to get to the net before the returner even made contact with the ball.

It turns out Carlos Alcaraz completely vindicated Tim’s strategic sentiments just a few days later.

Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 in the Miami final, winning all 11 serve and volley points he played. Ten of the 11 were heavy “Rafter-Esque” serves out wide in the Ad court. He ate Ruud’s lunch with this key strategy, oftentimes finding Ruud 6+ metres behind the baseline trying to counter Alcaraz rushing straight to the net.

Good luck with that!

The Hawk-Eye graphic below shows Ruud’s return location vs. Alcaraz in the final. Yellow dots represent 1st serve return hit points. Blue dots are 2nd serve return hit points.

2022 Miami Final: Casper Ruud Return Hit Points

Ruud made contact with one 1st serve return more than seven metres behind the baseline. It’s almost impossible to win the point from there against a serve-and-volleyer.

Source; Brain Game Tennis

 

Why Letting Go of Old Habits Can Boost Your Tennis Game!

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Ever thought about shaking off those old tennis habits? It’s all about unlearning  those techniques, habits or even those little pep talks you give yourself that might be holding you back.

This unlearning idea is super important in tennis because sometimes the strategies or styles we’ve gotten cozy with aren’t doing us any favours as we try to step up our game against better opponents.

Letting go of these old ways can really open up your game and make the best of your personal skills.

Here’s a friendly rundown on how this whole “unlearning” thing works in tennis:

Tweaking Your Tactics

– Mixing Up Your Game Plan: If you’ve been sticking to one game plan (like all power, all the time), it might be time to mix in some new tricks, like getting creative with your shot placement or playing around with spin.
– Learning from Your Opponent: Forget sticking to a one-size-fits-all strategy for every opponent, every playing condition. Watch and learn from each match, and tweak your tactics on the go to suit the conditions and the opponent.
– Key Areas: Focus on changing up your court positions, choosing your shots wisely, and being ready to switch things up when the wind blows.

Refreshing Your Mindset

– Busting Through Mental Blocks: It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of negative thinking (“don’t double fault”), especially after a few tough games. Time to shift to a growth mindset where it’s all about effort and learning.
– Keeping Your Cool:  Work on letting go of those knee-jerk emotional reactions to slip-ups or high-pressure moments. Try some mindfulness to stay chill and focused.
– Mind Matters: Dive into the basics of tennis psychology (breathing, rituals, life skills)

Sprucing Up Your Techniques

– Spot the Not-so-great Moves: First up, figure out which parts of your game aren’t exactly your strong suit. Sometimes, you need a fresh set of eyes, like your coach’s or even a video replay, to catch these.
– Out with the Old, In with the New: Found a stroke that’s not cutting it? Time to gently push it aside and bring in a better technique. Practice makes perfect, so work on those strokes until they feel like second nature. BUT be patient — focus on small improvement rather than radical improvements!
– What to Watch: Keep an eye on improving your volleys, serves, and strokes.

Making Unlearning Work for You

Jumping into unlearning can feel like a leap into the unknown, and you might even see your game dip a bit as you replace old habits with new ones. Here’s how to make the transition smoother:
– Baby Steps: Small changes can lead to big improvements. No need to overhaul everything at once.
– Practice Practice Practice: Keep up with regular training sessions focused on nailing down those new techniques and tactics.

Embracing change in your game isn’t always easy, but it’s a powerful way to unlock new levels of play and enjoyment on the court.