How To Aim In Tennis For Better Ball Control
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- One of the most common reasons for poor consistency of your tennis strokes is something you may not have considered at all. It’s how you AIM your shots.
www.feeltennis.net/how-to-aim/
In my discussions with many players I realised that they are not aiming the shots the way I am.
And I know that the reason why my shots are consistent and my tennis technique is clean is because I AIM my shots in a very specific way - and that’s what I want to explain to you today.
While the mental image in my mind is just of one trajectory, I can break that down into 3 different concepts:
- I have a "lane" in my mind which leads from my contact point towards the target
- I visualize spinning the ball exactly in a horizontal axis
- I AIM into a window above the net
It is the "window" part that I feel is the most important part of AIMING the shots in the right way and yet almost none of my clients ever says that they are aware of the height of their shots when they attempt them.
0:00 Intro
1:41 #1 - Hit Along The Track
9:40 #2 - Spin Around Horizontal Axis
11:45 #3 - Aim Into A Window - Sport
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So the key are lanes and windows. How generous of you putting this free on CZcams. Thank you so much Tomaz for your passion to guide us non professional player to play better tennis everyday.
Yes, always aim and decide very early where to aim. And you're very welcome, more ideas to come, stay tuned...
@@feeltennis please sir!
Goat of CZcams tennis coach. It’s criminal that we can see this without going to a lesson
Very much appreciated!
Absolutely incredible lesson.
This lesson is unbelievably strategical , methodical, and practically logical to the mental art of tennis. Couldn't be better . THANK YOU SIR.
One of the best videos I’ve seen yet!! Most focus on “what to do” in the swing, none have explained “why”. Invaluable learning - tyvm! These mental pictures are exactly what I have been missing to correct multiple issues I’ve been struggling with!!CHEERS!!
Wonderful, thank you! See how it works for you, it may take a bit of time to get used to "seeing a window" above the net but without that piece of information your mind and consequently your body cannot hit in a controlled trajectory.
One of the best tennis coaches on the internet
It's impressive how Thomas always go for what really matters .
Another benefit of aiming at a window is that the window is always *above* the net. Aiming at a target on the ground in the opposite court leads us to hit *at* the target, which we can only see *through* the net. The result is too many balls hit *into* the net.
As Nick Bollettieri (?) said, The problem with tennis is that we can see through the net.
Good point and that really comes into play when serving. The window idea applies to serving as well - choose the direction and then aim into a window above the net in that direction.
Brilliant instruction/ideas!!
To je kvaliteta, bravo Tomaž 👍
So useful in all racket sports. As I teach badminton, the swing sideways, swing hard is all kids see. Their only intention is to hit. The extension of the swing helps me as I feed shuttles to a spot for students. Because we have many used shuttles, I can outline tracks to help them hit a target. All you videos have psychological insights which informs my teaching. Thank you for posting!
Gold. Thank you so much
Exactly what I am needing for the game - thank you so much Tomaz.
You're very welcome, test these ideas in real play and see how they work for you...
Einstein of tennis. Thanks for sharing
Best tennis lesson ever! Thank you!
One of your best videos to date. My coach describes something similar especially on the backhand as corridors or to view it as hitting along a corridor. So it makes sense to move it in that direction, the only issue is during high intensity rallies and certainly in matchplay you have to ingrain this into you always.
Yes, similar concept, good idea. And yes, it has to ingrain and you have to stay calm enough to always aim otherwise you hit just with panic. Realise that a good player ALWAYS aims no matter how much in trouble they, if they are fully stretched, on the run, etc. They always aim and that's one of the main reasons why they control the ball so well when in trouble. Lower level players think it's their stroke that is to blame for missing when on the stretch but most likely it's their mind which is unable to stay calm under pressure.
Absolutely great info. Thank you so much
Coach Thomas! This is the most important tennis video anyone will ever see! Using an imaginary rectangle above the net to for aiming has changed my game completely. Also now that I know WHY I have to stay long on the tennis stroke, I hit the ball with much more confidence. I have heard many tips on tennis but this video shows an entire system that is very easy to follow and improve upon. You're the best! Thank you so much and God bless you!
Well said, it is super important to know how to aim in tennis and I appreciate that you recognised that and glad that you felt improvement. Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the invaluable lesson, which give me visual target where to aim. Cannot wait to try it on the court
What a great and insightful lesson. Thanks Tomaz
Thanks for taking so much time to explain. I hope I can implement your approach.
You definitely can, just give your mind time to get used to this new visualisation.
Thomaz, I am extremely happy you chose to explain and demonstrate these concepts!! I truly believe a lot of recreational players would play significantly better if their coaches or someone taught them and went over these concepts first instead of just letting them hit balls. Thank you for all you do! I always learn something new with your videos.
Wonderful to hear! Yes, I have to constantly remind players to be aware of the height, they usually just know the direction and even that just approximately.
Excellent teaching! 🙏 appreciate
Amazing content !
Hands down, best coaching on YT. Love your explanations. Really making things "click" for me with proper mental models. Can't wait to try this out
Very much appreciated!
Wow, perfect guidance! Thanks for "body rotates as needed" tip :))) Warm thanks from Turkiye!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you much Coach🎉
Best lesson of all time. You're the best.
Glad you think so! It may be one of the more important topics to master to play tennis consistently.
Great explanation on a topic that most players don’t know. Can’t wait to try it on the courts. Thanks, you are an excellent teacher.
Awesome, thank you!
Your way of teaching is great, always looking for ways of making us understand things under new light.
Awesome, thank you!
This is a great mental model that I can use to correct my backhand, which has a tendency to go down the line more than cross court. I am going to work with this on Monday. I also like the idea that the window is much closer, and mentally achievable, than the ultimate target. Thank you, Tomasz for such an excellent set of mental approaches to the game. And I didn’t even mention the tracks, another excellent mental model.
Very much appreciated, let us know how it goes!
@@feeltennis Well, I had a session on Monday and I will say that it takes some effort to begin to apply this new mindset. I drifted in and out of it. That said, I did have some success with it and I plan to continue to bring this concept to my practice sessions. Thank you again, Tomasz.
I think this is the reason why players hit the passing shot very well and efficient when opponen is in the net , beacause they Aime un aéra by side the opponen .
Thank you very much for yours vidéo
Wow, this is so well explained. I am going to apply this to padel. Thank you so much
Glad it was helpful, it definitely applies to padel too...
This is an excellent concept! Great visualization and you convey the idea very well. I'm going to implement this immediately.
Glad it was helpful!
This is the key for consistency and control..
I know Mike! Great video I appreciate all the tips🙏
Excellent lesson content and presentation. You remove all the complexities and make everything so simple. I can’t wait to try it on the court. I sent you a couple of messages recently to inquire about private/semi-private lessons. I look forward to hearing from you. Mark M
Amazing “system” Tomas (instead of just indiscriminately hitting the ball).
Thanks!
Very much appreciated!
My KSports Tennis Rebounder Net has painted lines for this aiming method. When I am in the groove I can make the ball hit the intended line for 10+ shots in a row alternating forehand backhand.
Excellent! I will use this window and path idea when warming up before a match, opponent is at net warming up volleys and me at the baseline.
I usually am so concerned to not hit over their head nor into the net, so I aim at them, which I think makes it worse. I think I need to ignore them, and think path/ window.
Yes, you can do that or just aim at their chest area, that also gives the mind a certain window above the net to aim into...
it's exactly what i'm working on. 😮Why are your sharing this for free ?? It's supposed to be a secret 😢
Glory to tennis.
Bravo thomas !
Tennis is in my view the most difficult sport there is so us coaches need to help the world wide tennis community as much as we can...
@@feeltennisyes I like that philosophy. Also tennis is still considered to be an upper class sport so allowing access to everyone through videos like this will help many. I play on free public courts and if playing and coaching was openly accessible to everyone like sports such as football it would help to grow tennis even more
That's an excellent video. Thanks for sharing that Tomaž 🙏
In my view, having a mental model as to how you formulate the intent helps the body focus on the task that will inevitably lead to a better biomechanical feedback loop for self correction. I find this approach compatible with the ideas of Mili Veljković who you introduced in the past.
It would also be good to mention what mental model adjustments you use for hitting the backhand slice, serve and forehands and backhands on the rise.
Keep up the good work 👍
Best
Danilo
All good points, Danilo. I hit all the shots into the window. Of course I may adjust the height of the window but it doesn't really matter to me how to the ball arrives to me. Serves should definitely be aimed into a window, very important to point out...
I used to have the same problem as the student in this video which is not externally rotating his shoulder and supinating his arm on the forehand and using his biceps instead of the forearm muscle which allows for more control and combined with a wrist lag will help generate more pace.
Exactly what the lesson is all about
Tomas, I have your two serve, forehand and backhand videos. A big fan! This is the first time I saw the concept of spinning the ball on the horizontal axis. It has helped my ball striking. Did I miss this in any of my member dashboard videos. Also, how is best to be review older modules for updates. Thank you
This visualization is so fundamental. On my FH I can exactly see how I want the ball to fly and then I do it. My BH I don't have the visualization and I make more errors.
Good awareness, Karen, see if you can apply this to the backhand too!
@@feeltennis yes I'm practicing with a local coach this summer. And also teaching my own kids. Visualization in sports is so important. Top basketball players know exactly how the ball should fly to get into the basket.
GREAT LESSON ,MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, THANK YOU TOMAZ ❤SOUNDS LIKE (ALCARAZ) 😂❤
Thanks! 😃
Hi coach excellent, basically line up... and imagine the clock.. to hit the ball from 6 to 12 o'clock
I was told by my old coach that tennis strokes are about efficient weight transfers. The direction of your weight transfer will dictate the direction of the ball.
Great lesson, it helped me a lot! In fact, your whole channel is awesome.
I was wondering if you also "aim in the window" on serves?
Thank you! Yes, I also aim into a window on the serves, it's even more important. That's because visually you see the target in the service box through the net and your brain then automatically aims through the net into the box. :) You have to "tell it" to aim above the net.
Tomaz, excellent video! One question: I would expect that "chapters" 1 and 2 would be the same for doubles - but would you lower the window significantly to avoid getting poached? Thanks
Hi Mike,
In doubles you generally play lower as you will get poached and you want to make it more difficult for opponent to put the volley away. To really avoid poaching you need to focus more on angles and not on the height...
Hey Thomas, thanks for the video. Maybe i missed it but how do i think about all three things at a time while playing? Is there an order or do you consider them all at once?
And is there a priority if i want to make sn aggressive pin point shot like thinking about the landing point more?
Eventually you think about all three at the same the same way as you think how to drive a car where you have to switch gears, turn the wheel and press on the gas. In the first driving lesson it feels overwhelming but eventually your subconscious takes over. Aiming in the window already suggest a path to it so I would start with the window first. The path helps with clean technique. Topspin can be added later. The landing point is also somewhere in the mind just like to need to keep the car in the lane all the time so that means your brain is constantly aiming to keep the car in the lane but you don't think about it. But it's there in the background. And so is aiming in the targets eventually.
Hello Tomaz and all. You present the three components here (lane, spin and window) but I find it difficult to have all three when I hit. I have the lane pretty solid, I have the spin (somewhat), but I don't have the window at all. I figure my ability to "calculate" all three at a time will get better, but I still feel too pressed for time for now. Would you advise a step-by-step approach ? Concentrate on the lane, then add the spin, then add the window ? Or should all three be there from the get-go ?
Thank you so much for all your advice, you have helped me a lot !
Yes, try them step-by-step. Note that having a window also in a way creates a lane, it determines the direction. Your spin rotation is likely mostly subconscious now, not much focus required. It just runs in the background. If you have not been "seeing" a window for your shots until now, it will quite some mental effort to see it and it will take a while.
Hi Tomaz, this Video ist uncredible usefull who to aim the Ball.
My question ist:
Do you aim also on a Serve with Windows and Paths?
Nice Greets and thank you👍👍
Thanks! Yes, very important to aim the serve into a window in the direction you want to serve.
Hi Tomaz, you seem to have lot some pounds. Is everything okay?
This is so helpful. Your insights on how and why to play make the game so much more interesting and enjoyable. Thanks for sharing this.
Yes, thank you, I am good, feel very light and am less tired after lessons. Lowered my carb and sugar intake, my body remembered how to burn fats again. ;) For anyone into nutrition and weight loss, I follow Dr. Gundry among others: www.youtube.com/@DrGundry
@@feeltennis I was wondering too. Good to hear !
Very delightful class, Tomaz! By the way,
seems you lost a bit of weight.
Yeah he seems underweight. Hope he is okay.
Sharp eyes, yes, I lowered my carb and sugar intake, feeling very light on my feet now...
@@feeltennis don't lose the muscle Tomaz. And do some moderate weightlifting. As we age muscle mass becomes critical to quality of life. See new book "Outlive"
Is there a similar lesson for aiming serves to the opponents T, body, wide?
Same principle applies, choose your direction and aim into a window above the net.
Hi Tomaz, I think something might be wrong, the sound is too low in the video.
Ah OK, only in the intro part. Nothing’s wrong with the rest of it, I realized it as I’m watching it
I only had audio in right so perhaps volume is lower because left feed not recorded.
This feels like great advice... But I for most shots i don't feel as if i have the time to make a decision - i feel I'm just reaching and trying simply to hit the ball, as you said at the end. Any thoughts on how to learn to make the decision in time.
Oh, and thank you very much for the ongoing great advice!
Split step as opponent is hitting the ball!
you just have to play more competitive points and then you will know the patterns. And play doubles and singles since they produce very different patterns.
Playing points a lot before you're ready will keep you stressed all the time. Play as much as you can just free hitting with a partner so that you can calm down and process ball flight better. Then you'll also be able to make quicker decisions. At first just make a simple decision for every shot whether you want to hit it left or right and then know the window height.
@@feeltennis Thanks Tomaz - really helpful advice 👌
Could this concept be practiced against a wall? I am new to tennis and wondering if I can place a window target up on a wall and place my lane on the ground as a starting drill. I am self teaching as I do not have the funds for a teacher. Thank you so much for your insight.
Yes, absolutely, and the wall should have targets already drawn on it otherwise it's not a real tennis wall...
Hi Tomaz,
Awesome ideas! I am primarily playing doubles. I think my window needs to be lower in general to play higher level net players. What do you think?
Hi Dawn, aim lower only if you anticipate that there's a chance of opponent poaching your shot. Realise that playing lower increases the risk of missing into the net so that risk better be worth it. If you're in a cross court baseline rally and the opposing net player is not poaching much, then keep a good height above the net so that you can get good depth and possibly force a mistake or a short ball.
@@feeltennis That makes such good sense as I do play a lot of players that aren’t aggressive at the net. I am used to hitting higher deep balls actually so this is very welcome news. The track, spin and window are new to me though so I’m extremely excited to work on them🤗. Soooo good 👍
Let's say you're hitting a crosscourt forehand on the run. Are you really visualizing a window of where the ball's trajectory will intersect the net? Seems like it's easier to imagine the ball's final destination
Yes, I always visualise the window. If you don't, your mind is going to think in 2D, so just "left - right" and you'll hit in the net million times. Tennis is played in 3D, that means every shot must have direction and height "programmed" so that you avoid the net. So for you to always keep height in mind you need to visualise window...
This is when an engineer playing tennis 😅
But it”s old fashioned swing arc. We can not make a powerful spin with long lagging follow swing
This video does not teach heavy topspin, it teaches you how to aim.
@@feeltennis incorporating top spin and aiming is where most people struggle
*Promosm* 🙃
Excellent. Take PVC pipe and make a window.