So you stand like a foot inside the baseline. That is weird. I always stand about 1 or 2 feet behind unless I'm coming in for the short ball.
I realized why I do this now. around beginning of last summer I think, I started playing closer to the service line to work on my reflexes, I guess I just got in that habit a little too much. That'd explain my standing into the baseline for return of serves against my friend who has big serves. Hmm, I wonder if the whole unconcious reflex/reaction "training" helps - i'll find out when I play this time and hang back just a little bit.
So I was analyzing my game and decided to write it down. I missed a lot of stuff that I had thought about cuz I forget by the time I write down but I think its still a decent and fair analysis of my game. I was reading quite a bit from tennis.com's article instruction (
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/instructionarticles/index.aspx) I think I have nearly exhausted this site's extensive lesson lounge, at least those that I looked into.
Read ahead if you want to know my game. Don't read ahead if you don't want to or think you might end up playing me one day (don't worry by that time I'll have fixed everything unless thats tommorrow or something).
Just the basics (everything boils down to this though doesn't it? so it covers almost everything I think - please do point out any aspects I might have missed and i'll analyze that too)
Serve -
what I can do: a decent slice serve, a good topspin serve. put pace on it when I am in the groove. steady serving motion. controlling the direction.
what I need to work on: bolder second serves. placement of second serves. get into the serving groove more often. use my legs to add power and control the ball with the power.
what I should do: work big time on second serve.
Serve follow through -
what I can do: follow to net and finish a point on the ad court. finish short balls. half volleys.
what I need to work on: getting right back into position after an all-out serve. volleying from a duece court serve.
Return of serve -
what I need to work on: backhand return deep. against s&v people. high serves. consistent and aggressive returns. proper technique and routine.
what I should do: focus on solid block back of serves deep. attack second serves. anticipate the serve better so i can prepare better for my two handed backahnd return. Split step.
Footwork -
what I need to work on: taking a split step more often at the right time. making a constant effort to bend my knees and stay low to ground on groundstrokes. stability at net (firm split steps and step through on volleys). open and closed stances.
what I should do: focus on taking many more steps setting up for shots. focus on split steps.
Strategy (singles only) -
what I can do: rely on my forehand and backhand to keep me in a point. change of pace and sping styles to throw opponent off.
what I need to work on: fighting off strong attacks to my backhand and keep me in the point. being too predictable most of the times.
what I should do:poaching an opponents one or the other side and wrong-step them more often. pull opponents off wide to set up winners. hitting balls a little higher and deeper (like a mini-lob) to disturb pace and give time.
Forehand -
what I can do: topspins, slices. dropshots. directional control. pace control.
what I need to work on: taking the ball at its peak or on the rise. flat shots.
what I should do: focus on height and depth when i need time to recuperate.
Net Game -
what I can do: volley back into play. dropshots.
what I need to work on: be bold and go for the angles to finish points. overheads.
Backhand -
what I can do: slice deep. drop shots.
what I need to work on: topspin/flat drives
what I should do: use both hands to prepare ahead of time. bend knees. focus on good solid contact and follow through.
Mental -
pros: good approach to most errors and winners. no temper.
what I need to work on: I usally play better when I'm not in the lead and I am trying to catch up, when I am in the lead I'm always more tentative and overall not myself.
what I should do: think more about the opponent and exploit his weaknesses mentally and game wise and use his game to my advantage. basically concentrate on strategic plays more often.
