Free Hitting - The Most Underrated Way Of Tennis Training
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- čas přidán 10. 04. 2017
- www.feeltennis.net/free-hitting/
With so much information online and on the court about tennis technique, practicing patterns of play with drills and working on your mental game, you may forget that one of the best ways to practice is to just hit down the middle with your partner.
It is one of the most important practice sessions you can do for your tennis as it has many benefits.
You will learn:
- why playing for points is one of the worst things you can do for your technique if it's not stable yet,
- two ways of improving your technique and other skills when rallying with your partner,
- why a free hitting session is not boring (I will say everything that goes through my mind as I play),
- and one the hidden benefits of such practice that affects your mind.
I have played thousands of hours just hitting down the middle with my tennis buddies over the years and I credit this type of practice for developing high level skills and techniques in tennis.
So I really recommend that you set some time away for this (long) video and consider all the ideas I share in it. - Sport
This dude is literally the best teacher I have ever encountered. He’s teaching is just brilliant, yet so simple.
I know, right? I’ve tried to recommend him to friends, but I’m disappointed at how few (uh, zero?) take me up on it/him. I guess he’s a rarified taste? God, you can lead people right to the answer in the back of the book... and they just bitch that in the wrong font or something. (Not that I’m making a comparison) but in biblical times, I wonder how Jesus didn’t run screaming into the desert!
P.S. I guess he should have?
As a recreational player, I've been trying to convince my friends for months that structured, focused "knock-about" training sessions (aka "free hitting") are a better use of our limited court time than trying to play for points.
It's reassuring to see a professional coach confirming this.
This is why I love you! You probably sit down and think.....how can I give my audience extremely simple, but fundamentals-building exercises for them to get better. This is once again, a perfect video that has reminded me of something I haven't done in a year: self feeding! I love your Agassi esque forehand
This is by far the very best tennis instruction video I have ever watched. I could be very satisfied with a 1 or 2 hour free hitting session every day when I was young. Now I'm 65 years old so a 2 or 3 times a week would be about all my body could take. The biggest obstacle for me over the years has been to find a partner who understand and appreciates free hitting as much as I. Not only is it near impossible to find willing partners for free hitting sessions it is even rarer to find a willing partner who can hit a "nice ball" with you. Very recently I found a partner who fits all the requirements for being a free hitting partner. I only hope he will be around for a long time - at least a couple of years would be great! Thanks Tomas for making this video! I hope it serves to make many new "free hitting" believers!
Thanks! I hope too that this video will "convert" ;) more competitive and impatient players to cooperative rally partners with whom you can work on improving your game.
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Agree i have the same problem! To me free hitting is better then points because points can be very ugly to watch when you play as amateur:)
Yes I agree with this. Hitting out front is my mantra. Also crucial to stay on your toes to keep balanced. I also hit on the wall constantly. I good hitting partner is hard to find.
absolutely no one wants to hit back "nice" to you. I think ego gets in the way or people find it boring. smh
This is the best advice. I also have a hard time finding someone to free hit with, but I also have a ball machine, which I will now be using more
Thomaz, there is so much tennis wisdom in this video. Thanks for sharing it, and I hope viewers appreciate the full value of what they are getting. I'll be watching this quite a few times. Your videos and TTT are the best resources available on the Internet by a wide margin. Please keep adding to this fantastic channel.
Much appreciated, Harish!
Wow after watching over 100 tennis videos I can confidently say this is the ONE video anyone who is really committed to improving their game should watch. This is important topic of "how" to practice is rarely discussed, yet is the most important determining factor of how fast and well you will improve. Hope my two rivals don't see this video ;=)
I didn’t realize my ego until I saw this instruction. Definitely will take the advice and try to improve
I'm a 5.0 level player and still think the best way to improve my strokes and technique is hitting against a wall. Repetition is key.
Is a ball machine worth it? Do other players get upset if you are using a court for practice with a ball machine?
I agree, it goes to the point above, that finding like minded and similar level hitting partners is difficult. I wish more clubs would have a decent hitting wall area, but I guess they don't get much fees out of that. I would actually pay like £10 an hour for a decent half court wall area.
@@timkoolski4777 ball machine is fine also, don't worry about other players. Try to take either first court or last court so at least one side you won't have to worry about your hits going to another court. And I agree wall hitting is excellent. Sometimes I even hit in a racquet ball court if it is open/available.
This is the best instruction on any activity that I have ever seen. The two alternative but complementary approaches are marvelous: 1) focus on the one thing I want to improve or 2) be aware of what didn't go well and this awareness will automatically lead to improvement (Zen). For me, a ball machine is the perfect partner for this.
I just took 6 months off and did exactly this on saturday - it felt like starting again, especially because I went back to a single-handed backhand. I think you're absolutely right - a 10 minute free hit session was more useful for my strokes than the entire 2 1/2 hrs worth of doubles matches played either side of it.
Tomaz every one of your videos that I watch makes me say ah yes!! that's it! I love your tennis intuitive philosophy.
You have improved my game more than anyone else out there. Thank you so much.
This is the ONLY channel I would recommend to any one who wants to learn tennis. It has helped me immensely. Great job!
Thanks, Tomaz. Really good video. As you pointed out, the trick is to find a playing partner who is consistent and who is willing to work on cooperative practice. Easier said than done. Most hitting partners are trying to work on hitting winners, not on grooving their swings. I'm lucky that where I play there are one or two people who show up who enjoy cooperative hitting.
I always had problems finding tennis partners who wanted to practice like this. But then I met Mrs Ball Machine, and my life changed. Wow! The best free hitting session partner you can imagine. It's like hitting with a pro coach for hours, but cheaper. If you can - definitely try it out. ...and great video btw.
I repost the comments because I feel the same way as they are. Me too, me three...and me most
Awesome. Thank you Tomaz. You're the best!
This is the ONLY channel I would recommend to any one who wants to learn tennis. It has helped me immensely. Great job!
Fun to see this video. I have two regular hitting partners. One I have been playing with for 20+ years, and we have never played a match. One other I have talked into hitting, even though he always plays sets with his other tennis chumps. We do however normally start to challenge each other, after getting the ball over some times. Other times we just practice groundies, for good depth and stability.
However, my ambition "before I die", is to enter a tournament at my club, so times may be a changing. I am 56.
Povl Erik Carstensen k
Can't believe I'm discovering this great training now. I get overwhelmed by trying to improve everything at the same time
I never thought about free hitting this way. Excellent instruction and now totally agree with this way of training. Thank you sir.
Excellent video. I agree entirely. But finding a like minded practice partner is not so easy.
Genius!
Yes...partners just want to play to win instead of focusing on good-quality shot preparation.
Get a ball machine.
I agree it not always easy to find such a partner, but I think it's still worth looking, because it really pays off once you do...
Thomas, thanks a lot for your videos. I am argentinian who lives in Brasil, Im 52 years old and Ive been improving my game lately following your tips... Thanks a lot and God bless you!
thank you!! I always thought this but so hard to find someone who loves just hitting as much as me !
Excellent. Perfect.
Perfect spead ( coaching instructions )
Thousands of points mentioned and that's what we the tennis players has to learn, focus adopt and practice.
Thanks a lot.
This is the most underrated tennis channel on You Tube.
I want to put something out there.
Me and my friend started tennis out of the blue this autumn.
At first learning and improving was really hard because neither of us could hit a decent ball.
It was very discouraging and frustrating since there is a million reasons you can't make your shot, and the balls we received were all around the place.
Also, my friends personality was a little too demanding often times, and the practice mostly consisted of making deliberate hard shots since 'its what we strive for'. It was tough, but we pushed through and now we're on a much better level, where we can both agree that relaxed and slow-paced free-hitting is by far the best way to up your tennis-technique with a partner.
To anyone struggling with basic shots, I whole-heartedly suggest relaxing as much as you can, clearing your mind and just focusing on the ball. Hell, I even feel like I get the best and the most enjoyable moments in tennis by playing with sound-proof headphones on. You should try it sometime.
Good tennis to you all.
I wish I could train with you Tomaz. The way you explain the psychological aspect of the game, apart from technical stuff, is spot on. For eg- the part where you talk about satisfying ego by playing points instead of free hitting is absolutely right.
Thanks for the videos!
Excellent info! I have a friend that plays tennis all the time and he wonders why he doesn't get any better; all he wants to do is play for points and not practice. I'll definitely forward him this video.
This is exactly how I like to approach tennis training and learning. I wish more people agreed.
your easily one of the best CZcams coach's!
As a teaching pro of many years...I could not agree more with this post...if you are new to tennis, watch this and watch it again.
If i am 27 years old now is it too late to learn and be good in tennis?
This is among the very most valuable videos that Tomaž has produced. Thank you!
I've done this for 11 years , just concentrating on 1 thing per session until all of my strokes are good , each stroke takes a long time to master
Imo this is why most players reach their top level after around 20 years , they build muscle memory build stamina then they learn the tactics
As they play matches
I go on CZcams find great coaches then practise what they teach with my hitting partner , he isn't into match playing so it suits us both
I play at clubs we both hit in public parks
To become a good player you need to know how to change your grip on each shot most social tennis players don't even realise this
And they never improve, if your opposition hits a great shot , just accept it , don't blame yourself for their good shots
Great vid , thanks
Everything you said is coming from my brain..Thank you so much Thomas...This is what is realistic thing in tennis! Like it or not but key to good tennis is rally with good partner.
Free hitting has helped me improve my strokes tremendously. My hitting partner in Seattle and I would sometimes just do short then full court free hitting for an entire practice. We both really came to fully appreciate this by watch the pro's warm up before a match, especially Fed.
freehitting is also a lot of fun
Great vid as always! alot of people want the quick ego boost of playing sets when most cant even tell the ball where to go and and arent willing to work on their groundstrokes.Theyre impatient and find it boring which is crazy to me. Because of this they get good at playing matches with poor technique, but if you hit with these players you'll soon notice they have no strokes at all sadly for them they will stay at that level and not progress. To all my fellow passionate tennis players that are students of this great game, take your time keep working on your strokes and serve and develop your game, you'll soon get to a point where all you'll be doing is playing great quailty tennis that has thought, intelligence and structure to it. There are people out there that believe in hitting sessions and I'm one of them! At my current stage of development now, I find even if loose to a player who cant hit and doesnt have much groundstrokes, I still feel good about the progress of my game because I see the quality in certain aspects such as my serve, return of serve the 1 2 punch and coming to the net and volleying. All these things will come together, and once it does you can truly enjoy playing your tennis. Quailty Substance, and Longeivty over mediotcrity.
thank and agree totally, tomas! I love to do free hitting sessions but did not have an access like you to focus and evaluate each stroke. now I'm aware and it will certainly give my tennis a big push. great job!
Your explanation of the free hitting makes so much sense. I think it's easy to find a tennis instructor but very difficult to find someone as good as you who take the effort to explain everything in such thoughtful way. you really know how to teach tennis.
I've watched hundreds of videos for years about how to improve my technique. This is definitely the most helpful that I've seen seen so far and so different from the rest. Everything seems so simple that just makes sense. Thanks so much!
It's like you read my mind. I'm trying to work with my kids and train them up, since we live in a tennis desert. I have slowly developed some principals through this process (about 6 years now) and I can't believe the overlap with what you teach, especially in this vid. I feel so reassured and supported by what you say. I have the same issues you mentioned - trying to convince my kids to free hit, that it's the best (maybe only) way to really make solid improvement, that you need to make it a cooperative, not competitive effort - but their energy and hunger and lack of patience makes it tough. We will all sit down and watch this vid soon, so I have the "proof" that I'm not just making this stuff up!
Poor you, for living in a “tennis desert”. Worse, now the crabgrass of pickle-ball has started popping up everywhere - even the “desert”! But in all seriousness, I have not given it a real try, maybe there is some benefit to playing p-ball, ie some crossover skills that can help with one’s tennis game. I hope so, ‘cause it’s a tsunami that will either support our beloved game, or wipe it from the face of the earth. Here’s hoping for the former...
Thank Tomaz enlighten us the way to improve the skill to play tennis through free hitting of tennis. I will try to do that in my warm up with my friends in my tennis club, say in 5 - 10 minutes, before we start to play our friendly games in double.
Thank you for the video, Tomaz! It has really helped me get the most out of my time at my local court. But are you really that ambidextrous?! I had to watch it a few times to see you were hitting clean left handed forehands! :-P Fantastic!
very useful tomasz...i used to take free hitting session lightly and just want to play for points..from now I'm going to spend more time in free hitting to evaluate my stroke.. thanks again for your suggestions ...
I have never seen any coach, teacher taking so much efforts and pain in explaining while playing such tough game, no dought Tomaz Sir is shaping the future Tennis Players. Hats off to you Sir and lot of thanks for uploading this vedio. God bless you Sir. 🙏🙏
Superb Tomaz! Focus, feedback...so well said!!!
I play once a week with a good friend and we only practice and focus on playing well, every year we get a bit better and feel good, sometimes we have a federer hit😉👍🏻
These instructional videos are fantastic. Many thanks Tomaz!
loving the new opening!
Very interesting counter-intuitive advice. It's certainly in contrast with many other's. I would say this comes with a caveat: only if you implement these specific methods of improvement is it bound to help your game. Other than that it relies on being an intelligent and acutely-aware player who can diagnose issues and come up with ways to fix them. If you do happen to have 4hrs a day to set aside then you might be able to figure it all out perfectly. However, if you didn't think to keep your racquet farther away from you throughout your backhand then it may never occur to you and you would default to whatever feels the most comfortable.
Very useful instruction. Logical and makes sense as a plan that can be used routinely with your practice partner. I like the comments abut what does not work well also (doubles being a hard place to stay on task because of the intensity and irregularity of shots and time to prepare). Thanks for your effort to help we who love tennis and strive to improve with limited resources.
Great sensible advice that nobody else ever told me. Thank You!
You are really something else! I also always thought that free hitting is a great way to improve, unfortunately not that many players understand it.. And they always want to play points, and even when they rally they try to go for a winner or a shot way beyond their level on the third shot..So I often have to pay some very good player to to it, and do it in a way that s steady and allows me to concentrate on my shots instead of running around chasing different balls every time.
I think it would be a lot of fun and very useful to get a few lessons from you!
Very helpful. I felt like I was performing far worse at doubles. And much better at free hitting. Thank you!
Tomaz you are the best!!!! This is the most interesting video and for me it is dense of useful suggestions for improving my technique. Many thanks and I hope to meet you for tennis lessons.
Tomaz this video puts into words what I have tried to do since I came back on the tennis court 10 year ago at 30 years of age. It is unfortunately very very difficult to find hitting partner with the attitude of self improving and mastering technique. I would spend all day on the court free hitting, constantly watching my strokes. I was considering to get a ball machine!
Thanks for this video you are the best tennis instructor on line!! Grazie
I agree, when i have a 20-30 minute free hit session i can feel my strokes improving, but it is difficult to find other players who are happy to do this as most want to play points, even after a couple of minutes of warming up they are trying to hit winners when we're supposed to be rallying. I find a good balance is to play "11s" where we have to rally for a few shots before we begin the point.
Thanks Tomaz. I always enjoy your sessions - you put the right amount of details into your videos and your lessons are very informative. I enjoy your work. FYI, I do free hitting with a 4.5 player three times a week and I don't really enjoy it but I do it for the cardio. As a result, I have not benifitted from the hitting as much as I should have. He loves to free hit for an hour three times a week but I want to play a match. You've help me understand my hitting partner's approach to practicing and now I too can get more out of our hitting. Regards, Dr. Kariyim McCoy Alhusaam
What is a 4.5 player? From where to where does the scale go? I'm asking because we have a different system in Germany, where 1 is the highest level and 23 is the lowest.
Awesome. Thank you Tomaz. You're the best!
slight difference to the second exercise is to 'watch or notice your dissatisfaction'. So all your attention is on this watching . You will find that the body does what it does, and it a much more efficient way because 'you' are not interfering. You will find that you start doing things with the body that you don't normally do. And that they come automatically. The body relaxes. You begin to do all the things that you have been taught without consciously doing them, they just happen.. Just focus on your sense of dissatisfaction or unease. There is no end to dissatisfaction, and therefore no end to satisfaction. We tend to not want to acknowledge our dissatisfaction. Our ego is not proud of it. so it rejects it. But the key is to 'let it be', and this transforms it. So standing, waiting for the ball , i notice my dissatisfaction, instantly i relax, I am now more prepared. I cannot be prepared if i am tense. There's no end to that tension, and no end to the relaxation, therefore no end to the being prepared.
This is such a crucial video and it cleared up soooooo much for me. Thank you!!!!
Here due to the Covid-19 shut down and wanted to learn a new skill. I have not played tennis but this looks like so much fun. What a fantastic introduction to the sport. I hope I can find a partner to play this way with me so I can learn most effectively. Thanks Coach!
Great video. I wish more people would post videos like this. Everyone that I hit with either wants to play points, or hit aimlessly. There are so many videos online of pros engaged in controlled hitting and still most people fail to make the connection.
You are an AMAZING coach. I enjoy watching your videos. I am a beginner tennis player and I watched your videos then go out to the tennis court and practice techniques and drills that you suggested. Oh, I wish I could work with you in person. Keep making great videos. YOU ROCK!
i totally agree what you say, you should have your good ground stroke before going into game
as a joung man i had a nice level in tennis, now after 30 years without playing (i am 50) i restart and it´s a bit annoying that everybody nowerdays wants to play points. so it is important to find a good hitting partner and simply enjoy to work on the technique and to get better . then the worst case occurred, that what you mentioned in your video: a double with three 65 years old men (still better than me in the moment). i lost my rhythm totally and in the end i missed even the most simple strokes. so frustrating. so, no more doubles and playing for points. a tennisfriend showed me good compromise: after five shots to the hitting partner we start to rally, so that you have a mixture of simple hitting and "trying" something to win that imaginary point. that was fun an good practice.
Dzięki. Twój film dużo mi uświadomił.
What a great lesson Tomaz! Love the idea of having players verbalize their feedback.. most times, the coaches are yelling the feedback from the other side of the court and it isn't as helpful to the player and certainly not internalized and modified in the feedback loop. Also, players need to seek different coaches for different parts of their develpment. Not all coaches can manage this kind of controlled hitting for their players during their free hitting workouts. Thanks!
I'm watching this 3 years after you posted this and I find it very helpful. Like you, I enjoy practice as much as any match. Ball machines are invaluable for this practice because as an adult there are not many partners that enjoy long practice sessions. lol Thanks, Tomaz. You are an amazing coach and so easy to listen to. I reside in the USA.
one of few best instruction videos. More videos?
very very useful video. Couldn't agree more
I think "my backhand sucks" all the time :). But you are right, you should think what to do to improve it instead of crying about it.
I have seen many videos but through your tip have improved a lot of my game. Thanks Tomaz
I remember watching this video when it first came out, but I don't think I really understood its importance until very recently, after finding some suitable practise partners and actually trying it. What this does is to enable you to build up by starting from what you already can do, rather than "build down", where you try something that you can't do and have to correct issues. It promotes much more progressive and implicit learning. I would go as far as to say that this is more beneficial to your matches than just playing points. This seems counter intuitive given that you're not under much pressure here, but actually most misses under pressure happen due to tension, hence the relaxation and the feel for the ball you get from this is invaluable. I've also seen pros spend most of their practise session doing this rather than playing any points.
It is however difficult to find the right partner, because it's about working out the right pace for both players at the matching level (00:01:40). What can often happen is that players are used to going for too much when they're not under pressure - this then creates a pressure situation for the partner who will then miss and the rally is interrupted. So it's very important that each player should relax and work at creating a "nice" ball, as Tomas describes.
This guy is too good. thank you
Thanks Tomaz. Great advice and instruction as usual. I see this watching videos of Fererer (and other pros) while they're free hitting. Federer repeats his chip backhand multiple times (for example) and, after watching this, I think he's making adjustments as he repeats the shot - doing what you're talking about here. Also he and his partner are hitting at maybe 60-70% pacing. I didn't realize it until he would blast winners once and a while. Quite beautiful (and frightening) to watch when he rips those shots...
awesome! that's exactly how i always seek to improve my own skills and i'm glad to see that that's how you (my favourite tennis coach) does it as well ;)
Thank you Tomaz, great videos.
Tomas is a most intelligent human tennis dynamics coach fun to watch and learn from his orbit - am 74 learning from him still with curiosity and joy today - thanks Tomas
keeping tennis such a mercurial game
Great video Tomaz, for sure I've always believe that free hitting is a fun way to improve a lot your game but unfortunately most of my friends don't think so. They like more playing matches, and it's fun also but I feel like that doesn't add too much to my game.
Send them a link to this video. ;)
I sent the link to my own mail box with intent to share it w/several personal friends including a teaching pro and a few good players.
I did
Can you have a good free hitting session with a ball machine, I don’t have a partner to just hit with. I take lessons from my club pro and have shared some of your ideas with him. He is receptive to my getting ideas from your teaching videos
Good thing, sounds like you have a pro who’s open to new ideas (what a rarity!). Keep him/her! I think Tomaz’s videos are pure gold, and they’re absolutely free (?!). Why people aren’t STAMPEDING for them is totally beyond me. And to think that people WILL stampede, literally trample each other, every Black Friday at the Dollar Store makes me doubt my faith in humanity. The answer is here, people, come and virtually sit at the feet of the master - for free. So far, I have no takers. Sad. 😣
Couldn't agree more! I see so many juniors drilling off of fed balls. They rarely practice serving, volleying or hitting overheads! When they compete they don't know how to play...
Great video.. Very useful information..
free hitting is how I taught myself how to hit with a 1hbh. I free hit a lot and it helps a lot.
Good topic very helpful & encouraging.Thank you for sharing.
Tomaz, I feel like your videos are revolutionizing my game. Thank you sir. I agree with what others have said- it is difficult to find a like minded partner to do so free hitting with. But I want to do it, as I want to relentlessly critique and improve my game. Love tennis!
Great video, I'm going to focus on just practicing my split step first before trying to work on other things. It's hard to work on multiple things at once.
Thanks Tomaz. I am as self-critical as you! I love free hitting and rarely hit the perfect shot. Also I feel that doubles play is not good for me when I'm trying to groove my strokes. Reassuring to hear similar things from a professional - thanks again. John.
Great, great video!
So true. I am one of those players who wants to have a steady rythm so I won’t have to think about stroke production.
Thank you.
I teach a lot of my students using this method. Thank you for validating this type of training.
Also forgot to mention that some students react better to audio stimulation and having them speak as they hit to is a very conducive to improving their timing which you did in the video but didn't really explain that. Also the self rating of each shot as they hit is also very helpful for some but I feel that depends on the student. Saying it out loud somehow works better than keeping it in your thoughts.
Again another perfect video.
Great job!
Tai Chi Tennis. Its not boring if you can maintain awareness of what's happening. Fantastic 👍
excellent lesson!!!
Thanks Tomaz, great video. I really like the tip of only working on one thing at a time. I believe an over crowded mind is a major impediment to playing good tennis. Many thanks.
So true! It is hard to find a like-minded partner who is available when you are though! Specially for recreational players who have to work to earn in other ways. I guess it is easier for pros!
I'm going to try to get access to a ball machine and see if I can use it to do this more often!
Thank you for explaining why playing without points is so good for beginners.
I am a tennis coach in Bangalore.
Fantastic!
Very very true and usefull!!
You're a fantastic coach.
Thank you coach.