The Lesson Lounge - Tennis Warrior

Your Link to Professional Thinking!

Moving out of your comfort zone

One of the most important mental challenges I teach my students is to take risks. Most players will not challenge themselves by venturing outside of their comfort zone. In a practice match if they have a particular shot they are comfortable hitting, that's the one they hit. Even if it's the wrong shot!

Remember the practice match oxymoron? It goes like this. You may be having a practice match, but there is very little practice...everyone is trying to win! As a result players continue to hit the wrong shots and never change an incorrect pattern of play. During practice matches you must PRACTICE moving out of your comfort zone and taking some risks. If you do not, you become predictable.

Let me show you an example where players have become to predictable. When teaching a doubles clinic I would often play with my students. When my opponents were up at the net volleying they would be amazed how I could, with very little speed, figure out where they would hit the ball. I would explain that the reason why I could read their shots quickly was because they were hitting the most comfortable shot and not attempting to hit the correct shots. Usually the shots that are the most comfortable to a player are the easiest ones to hit, but not necessarily the correct shot. All I had to do was stay mentally ready to cover that side.

Because my students had not challenged themselves to hit the more difficult correct shots during their practice they had unknowingly become predictable.

Here is what I noticed that made my opponents so predictable. You should PRACTICE changing this pattern of play in your fun matches or in your practice sessions. The explanation will be for a right handed player. For lefties it will be the opposite.

THE EASIEST SHOT TO HIT WHEN EXECUTING A FOREHAND VOLLEY FOR A RIGHT HANDED PLAYER IS TOWARD THE LEFT. THE EASIEST SHOT TO HIT WHEN EXECUTING A BACKHAND VOLLEY FOR A RIGHT HANDED PLAYER IS TOWARD THE RIGHT.

Why? Because moving the arm across the body to hit a crosscourt shot is more natural and easier than moving the arm across the body than outward to hit to the opposite direction. And if that's the easiest shot, that's the shot players practice. Whether it's the right or wrong shot is irrelevant!

This simple fact enables me to anticipate many of their volleys without using my speed. Now, let's take this fact and show you a doubles scenario that occurs constantly. The players are in a one-up, one-back formation. The right handed net player on the deuce side receives an extremely low forehand volley. Where does he hit the ball? Answer, crosscourt. Why? It's the easiest shot. You may be thinking, what's wrong with that? Well, for starters there is a net person that's catercorner to them. The chance of taking a low ball and hitting it back low at the opposing net player is not very probable. More than likely he will pop it up and set up his opponent to smash the ball down at his feet.

Usually the player who popped up the low ball to the net person feels like there are no other probabilities. They have been so conditioned to hit the easiest shot and not the correct shot, they think it was the only option they had! By the way the correct shot would have been to hit the low ball away from the netman back toward the person who was on the baseline and wait for a better opportunity to hit at the netman's feet. A better opportunity would be a ball that is high and short.

The next time you are practicing attempt to hit a number of forehand volleys toward the right and a number of backhand volleys to the left. Even if you do not make the volleys, at least you will begin changing the incorrect pattern of play. Stepping out of your comfort zone will increase the options you will have in match play and make you less predictable.

Remember, the easiest shot to hit when executing a forehand volley for a right handed player is toward the left. The easiest shot to hit when executing a backhand volley for a right handed player is toward the right. If you would like to break this predictable pattern you must make a conscious effort to PRACTICE. Here is where a ball machine or a friend feeding balls to you can make a huge difference in your game. Get out there and hit forehand volley after forehand volley to the right side and backhand volley after backhand volley to the left side.

To direct the ball correctly with your volleys simply aim the racket face toward the direction you would like the ball to go. We have been over this before - the racket face determines the direction of the ball. Point the racket face toward the left and that's where the ball will go. Point the racket face toward the right and that's the direction the ball will also go. The concept is simple, but the application of that concept requires many hours of repetition to acquire a feel for the racket face.

In this fashion you will break out of your comfort zone and begin developing a new volley for your repertoire. Also as an extra bonus, you will be politically correct. You are on the LEFT as well as on the RIGHT. :)

Tom Veneziano