There are certain phrases that I still hear my coach teaching me every time I walk out on the court. Probably a tennis match doesn't go by where I don't think about my coach's favorite tagline--"placement over power."
Let me tell a little story that I think will help you understand the point my coach was trying to get me to see. It was this match that taught me the truth of his words.
I taught summer tennis lessons for many years when I was in high school. These lessons were through a city program, and I would use some community park's courts to teach. I went down to the park a little early one morning before my lessons and saw a group of three men playing tennis.
They were older, distinguished gentlemen all dressed in white. Each was no younger than seventy years old. As I pulled up and started walking to the court, they asked me if I would like to play with them because they were short a player. I quickly accepted, thinking that this would be a fun leisurely game of tennis.
Although they didn't hit fast, I don't think I touched one of their shots. They were the most consistent players I have ever played, and they could place the ball anywhere they wanted. In addition to being humiliated (and they were joking around with me a lot about how I was the most in shape but couldn't play tennis), I understood what my coach had been trying to teach me all along.
A lot of times a player will think if they hit fast, they will win. Although a nice fast shot is a great addition to anyone's game, placement and consistency are the more valuable tools. So next time you wind up to kill a shot, trying to overpower your opponent, realize you could probably safely angle the shot to one side or the other and win the point. Try the placement shot.
One qualification: The advice in this blog is not an excuse to sacrifice all speed for placement. If you don't put any pace on the ball, oftentimes it won't matter how well placed your hit is because your opponent will have plenty of time to get to it.
Life lesson--consistently and steadily work towards a clear destination. Avoid quick bursts of energy on goals when you don't know where you are going.
Let me tell a little story that I think will help you understand the point my coach was trying to get me to see. It was this match that taught me the truth of his words.
I taught summer tennis lessons for many years when I was in high school. These lessons were through a city program, and I would use some community park's courts to teach. I went down to the park a little early one morning before my lessons and saw a group of three men playing tennis.
They were older, distinguished gentlemen all dressed in white. Each was no younger than seventy years old. As I pulled up and started walking to the court, they asked me if I would like to play with them because they were short a player. I quickly accepted, thinking that this would be a fun leisurely game of tennis.
Although they didn't hit fast, I don't think I touched one of their shots. They were the most consistent players I have ever played, and they could place the ball anywhere they wanted. In addition to being humiliated (and they were joking around with me a lot about how I was the most in shape but couldn't play tennis), I understood what my coach had been trying to teach me all along.
A lot of times a player will think if they hit fast, they will win. Although a nice fast shot is a great addition to anyone's game, placement and consistency are the more valuable tools. So next time you wind up to kill a shot, trying to overpower your opponent, realize you could probably safely angle the shot to one side or the other and win the point. Try the placement shot.
One qualification: The advice in this blog is not an excuse to sacrifice all speed for placement. If you don't put any pace on the ball, oftentimes it won't matter how well placed your hit is because your opponent will have plenty of time to get to it.
Life lesson--consistently and steadily work towards a clear destination. Avoid quick bursts of energy on goals when you don't know where you are going.
0 comments:
Post a Comment