Hi Tomaz,
Can you please explain the footwork for short balls that land in the service box. Also how do we add more topspin when dealing with these balls aggressively so they don’t fall out. If you have videos or drills it would be very helpful. How is the back hand course coming along when will it be online?
The footwork for short balls is coming up shortly, it will be posted very soon. The same goes for the one-handed backhand course.
As for more topspin – it may not that you need more topspin, which means faster rotation of the ball, it may mean that you hit the ball less directly and more just brush it.
So think of a very fine brushing of the ball so that you spin it but not really hit it hard.
This is one of better drills to develop such feel but I will plan to make a video on that topic:
Hi Tomaz.
In your demonstation here, your left foot is off the ground at contact. You have not mentioned this. Is it always the left foot off the ground at contact, or sometimes the right foot off the ground at contact (with the left foot making contact with the ground)? I have watched a lot of ATP tennis, and I believe (not 100% sure) I sometimes see FHOTR (forehand on the run) with the right leg off the ground, if the player is particularly stretched out. Or then it’s just that I saw them sliding with the right leg almost in a split, before contact (both feet making contact with the ground then). Djokovic and Nishikori come to mind.
Thank you for the videos!
Michaël
I am showing a more common type of footwork but of course the other way around is also possible since the player is on the run and just wants to reach the ball.
So the player cannot know in advance or plan in advance what foot they will plant last since they are just running to get to the ball.
So whatever foot happens to be on the ground doesn’t really matter that much, what matters is that the player learns to smoothly move their body sideways as they are making contact with the ball.
6 Comments
S Gun
November 8, 2017Hi Tomaz,
Can you please explain the footwork for short balls that land in the service box. Also how do we add more topspin when dealing with these balls aggressively so they don’t fall out. If you have videos or drills it would be very helpful. How is the back hand course coming along when will it be online?
Thank you
SG
Tomaz
November 8, 2017Hi SG,
The footwork for short balls is coming up shortly, it will be posted very soon. The same goes for the one-handed backhand course.
As for more topspin – it may not that you need more topspin, which means faster rotation of the ball, it may mean that you hit the ball less directly and more just brush it.
So think of a very fine brushing of the ball so that you spin it but not really hit it hard.
This is one of better drills to develop such feel but I will plan to make a video on that topic:
https://www.feeltennis.net/how-to-hit-topspin-in-tennis/
S Gun
November 11, 2017Thank you Tomaz. Would this brushing the ball work for hitting short balls inside service line as well as you are running in from baseline?
Tomaz
November 11, 2017Yes, the more you are inside the court, the less you need to “hit” the ball and the more you need to just brush it, otherwise it flies too long.
Michael Lebrun
December 1, 2019Hi Tomaz.
In your demonstation here, your left foot is off the ground at contact. You have not mentioned this. Is it always the left foot off the ground at contact, or sometimes the right foot off the ground at contact (with the left foot making contact with the ground)? I have watched a lot of ATP tennis, and I believe (not 100% sure) I sometimes see FHOTR (forehand on the run) with the right leg off the ground, if the player is particularly stretched out. Or then it’s just that I saw them sliding with the right leg almost in a split, before contact (both feet making contact with the ground then). Djokovic and Nishikori come to mind.
Thank you for the videos!
Michaël
Tomaz
December 1, 2019Hi Michael,
I am showing a more common type of footwork but of course the other way around is also possible since the player is on the run and just wants to reach the ball.
So the player cannot know in advance or plan in advance what foot they will plant last since they are just running to get to the ball.
So whatever foot happens to be on the ground doesn’t really matter that much, what matters is that the player learns to smoothly move their body sideways as they are making contact with the ball.