I have been a tennis coach for 28 years, and this video is super smart, players that will understand and follow this tip will improve their consistency for sure 👌🏻🎾
this is so true... sometimes we are thinking too much about our swing path but we should be thinking abou tthe path of the ball coming and leaving the racket
Absolute true. Likewise when a heavy slice comes at you at the net, you need to slice it back or punch it harder forward, not just touch it, otherwise the ball will simply spin into the net.
Hey I want to thank you for this. I was playing a guy who’s serve is slow but has a bit of kick and I used to struggle with it and make tonnes of unforced errors. Today I realised this lesson and that the kick serve is rising so I need to hit through it and I started to really take it nicely. Thanks again
I was almost "RUclips picture perfect biased" and scrolled on for a second. But thought I'd give it a try. Excellent video, very underrated channel i.m.o. I'll be sure to check out more of your content! 🎾
This is one of those things that seem so simple you wonder why you never thought of it… but when I heard you say it I thought, “That’s genius!” 😂 I will give it a try, thanks for the very informative video!
I'm not sure whether to be happy or extremely annoyed with myself at how well this idea works. Honestly just having the mental task of paying attention to what the ball is doing helped with focus, footwork and anticipation so much
Great video - can’t wait to try focusing on this next time on court. I’m a 4.0 and regularly get frustrated with lack of consistency. Hope working on this will improve it. Thank you.
This is brilliant content. As a self-learning tennis player on RUclips, I thought the video title is a click-bait like many others at first, but after watching, I am surprised how useful and unique concept this is. So simple yet often overlooked. A little suggestion to change the video title that may hook more viewers like me is giving it the keyword of the video , for example "Use LAUNCH ANGLE to immediately reduce error". Many thanks Will, for the information you delivered today!
I have been a tennis coach for a long time, never heard this before but love it.. gave a lesson this morn had my student identify was the ball rising or falling.. he didnt get it but it helped coach and we have lots of time . Apprec ur videos more than u know .. the best !!!! 👍🎾🔥
What I love about videos like this is that you help players learn to diagnose what's going wrong and get better even if a coach isn't present. That's a very valuable skill for developing players.
If you ever put together an instructional series this vid should be one of the very first. I wish I’d seen this earlier. For sooo long I thought I just wasn’t putting enough topspin on the ball when it would launch into space or go long (or both) and now I realize I was just playing one stroke for all balls. D’uh! I’d love to see a vid of hitting flats with control and power. Flats tend to go through the fences….
I've been playing for years, and it's funny how all of these things leave your head in the midst of play. This is a great reminder. I'm keeping this in mind this week on the court.
@ironwilltennis great content by the way. I've watched a half dozen of the videos tonight alone. I have a lot of holes in my game after a long layoff so it's all been super helpful!
@ironwilltennis I am counting on it brother. I have flashes of my former self, but I find my timing is off. Moreover, my movement is technically off. I find I am moving laterally sometimes vs taking a step into the court to cut off an angle which puts more out of position for the next shot. Also I noticed 2x in the past two weeks I ran to a couple of short balls vs to the spot I should have moved to in order to have good contact- so I handcuffed myself. It's a lot of timing, rhythm, recognition, and movement stuff. Your videos are helpful indeed. I'll be chipping more of my returns vs my opponent tomorrow. The guy is 6'3" and a former college player who has a legitimate 115+ mph 1st , and a huge kick second. Thanks again!
Yes, another thing to realize is that your court position has a large bearing on this. If you are rallying from 7 feet behind the baseline, you will be more successful hitting a ton of topspin, like Rafa. If you are inside the baseline, the better stroke is more linear, like Mannarino. So be aware that your depth of position on the court will dictate which angle the ball is likely to come at you.
This is not an easy concept. I often think about the point of contact but this video makes me reallize there’s another variable i need to consider. Awesome!
great tip! such an eye opener. Nevertheless, I've been doing this intuitively without thinking of why it should be struck that way. I think this concept will be wired to our muscle memory after countless hours of hitting. Understanding this concept might help us to improve faster.
@wirrudan9191 it definitely helps, especially with when we hit the random mistake that we are sure we hit correctly. Sometimes it's the decision not the actual technical flaw
Wow, this is one that makes me wonder how on earth I never realized it before. Beautifully and strikingly true and simple. That said, realizing is one thing and correcting another, but the second is impossible without the first.
I prefer to think of what height I should set my racket - low medium or high. Same general idea, also helps me to get my racket set early as I am watching the incoming ball, and the natural side effect of me picking a racket height is I put my racket in that position.
Thank you, Will, very helpful video. Just one small question, do we also need to adjust the racket face angle slightly when choosing different swing paths?
I always wondered about the physics behind hitting a half villey. You need the racket perpendicular to the ground or a slightly closed angle. If you open the racket angle it will soar well over the height of the net which you do not want
Please make a video about hitting back slices. I have trouble identifying the type of incoming slices and how best to get them back consistently and strongly
I feel like I knew this subconsciously but never thought it through in practice. However, hitting the ball off the rise is also harder inherently because you have less time between when it bounces and when you make contact with it.
Coach Will, greetings from Brazil. I generally have a good serve, but some matches I quite can’t get my serve in, when it happens i feel like im on a downward spiral where i start to miss even more than i was missing to begin with. My first serve is flat, and I miss most shots long. Is there anything I can do to reset and improve during a match?
Great stuff! I just realized the other day that I’ve been hitting balls long when they are high to my forehand (on the rise?). Perhaps your techniques will help. 👍
@@ironwilltennis Yes please do, I frequently follow your channel and love the content :) Two guys at my club got golfer's elbow from that racquet and I'm the 3rd one, probably something related to the high stiffness
I am fine when someone hits with heavy pace. What has been throwing me lately is when an opponent I play hits a ball to me with no pace and I have to generate it all. I am finding that I am over swinging and hitting too many balls out. Can you do a video on how to generate more pace without ending up with more UE's. Particularly moon balls with no pace to my backhand. I am either trying to out push a pusher or I get frustrated and over cook the shot. Any advice is appreciated!
I have a question: I can first serve 120+ mph but for some reason I lost my ability to second serve 100+ mph. I would like to know how to translate power into your second serve and in general how to learn to shift from power to spin/consistency and vice verse in your serve and what the factors you can manipulate to be able to practice this
In other words .. be aware of angle of reflection.. (intermediate skills). You can hit flat or spin on either ball simply adjust the angle of your strings at contact point to cope with the angle the ball is arriving at. I don’t want my stroke dictated by the angle the ball is coming I want to dictate to my opponent with my spin choices. Just sayin 🤷
You're stroke is actually being dictated by your footwork and positioning. Some players are better at positioning themselves closer to the baseline. And we tend to find these players also have naturally flatter stroke for example
@@ironwilltennis respectfully disagree.. I see an incoming ball, decide my intention then approach the ball with my favoured foot positioning and balance for my chosen shot. I played the game div one stateside then internationally after that. I played tight to the baseline and could easily mix spins or flat hitting.. admittedly if I was spinning a ball tight to my feet I would defer to aggressive hook spin for margin of error. By that I mean letting the racket drop partially behind me and ripping up and around the outside of the very low ball. I do think your advice is solid for intermediate players who struggle with trying to rush a rising ball and don’t accommodate the fact that it’s rising. Keep your the good work 👍
You got a link to the dill match? ( he seems a level under you...) 😕 Ok- just watched both sets. The midget took it to you! Wow. Didn't think dill could serve lights out, but he surprised me. His forehand was money too. Entertaining match up, for sure. You guys should do it again.
I have been a tennis coach for 28 years, and this video is super smart, players that will understand and follow this tip will improve their consistency for sure 👌🏻🎾
It's so overlooked by many coaches, I'm happy to be able to bring attention to it 😁
I watch a ton of tennis bids and this is the first one I've come accross that covers this. Mind blown.
I'm here for that exact reason 🤯
this is so true... sometimes we are thinking too much about our swing path but we should be thinking abou tthe path of the ball coming and leaving the racket
Very often overlooked by coaches
Absolute true. Likewise when a heavy slice comes at you at the net, you need to slice it back or punch it harder forward, not just touch it, otherwise the ball will simply spin into the net.
@@DonYang73 well said. I'll he touching on that in another video soon 🫡
This really improved my game immetiately, first time I see this happpening, thank you so much
happy to have been able to help even a little bit😁
Hey I want to thank you for this. I was playing a guy who’s serve is slow but has a bit of kick and I used to struggle with it and make tonnes of unforced errors. Today I realised this lesson and that the kick serve is rising so I need to hit through it and I started to really take it nicely. Thanks again
@thugzclub4070 greatly appreciate the chance to help 🙏
I was almost "RUclips picture perfect biased" and scrolled on for a second. But thought I'd give it a try. Excellent video, very underrated channel i.m.o. I'll be sure to check out more of your content! 🎾
Greatly appreciate the compliment 🙏 hope to see you here again
Ahah, this detail explains a lot! Many years playing and quite a few lessons I’ve never heard this mentioned.
That's what I'm here for 😁
This is one of those things that seem so simple you wonder why you never thought of it… but when I heard you say it I thought, “That’s genius!” 😂 I will give it a try, thanks for the very informative video!
@@josh_reagan you're very welcome 😁 I do hope it's helpful to you
you put it so well. it is always there - unnoticed . thank you coach for helping us discover 🙏🏼😊
@@vinodsagardarbare1187 happy to be able to help you out 😁
I'm not sure whether to be happy or extremely annoyed with myself at how well this idea works. Honestly just having the mental task of paying attention to what the ball is doing helped with focus, footwork and anticipation so much
😁 this is what I love to read!!! Way to take it an extra step further💪
@@ironwilltennis so you are using censorship on your page?
@@AdvancedTennisFoundation-ph9zo don't believe so
sorry, just thought one of my comments was removed... thanks..
Very logical concept, haven't seen it before. I didn't find enough contrast when you were hitting with the machine at the end. Thanks
@fabz1509 very welcome 😁
this is actually one of the most perceptive and useful teaching videos. Nicely done!
Greatly appreciated 🙏
Great video - can’t wait to try focusing on this next time on court. I’m a 4.0 and regularly get frustrated with lack of consistency. Hope working on this will improve it. Thank you.
@phlipdubious2474 you're welcome and best of luck 😁
Following up to say my consistency has definitely improved since applying what you teach in this video. Thank you
@phlipdubious2474 glad it stuck 😁👍
Very good video ❤🤩👍 Never heard any trainer mentioned this before - been playing for ten years in a club in an intermediate level.
@AndreS-of4gp it's a very easily overlooked detail many people will never hear
Awesome, very insightful. I haven’t really thought about this before. Thanks again!
Thank you 😁hope it helps
This is brilliant content. As a self-learning tennis player on RUclips, I thought the video title is a click-bait like many others at first, but after watching, I am surprised how useful and unique concept this is. So simple yet often overlooked. A little suggestion to change the video title that may hook more viewers like me is giving it the keyword of the video , for example "Use LAUNCH ANGLE to immediately reduce error". Many thanks Will, for the information you delivered today!
Never really heard this addressed! Instant subscriber
@@grimson welcome to the team 😁
Me too.
@@garramiro welcome to the team 😁
I have been a tennis coach for a long time, never heard this before but love it.. gave a lesson this morn had my student identify was the ball rising or falling.. he didnt get it but it helped coach and we have lots of time
. Apprec ur videos more than u know .. the best !!!! 👍🎾🔥
@jasondratman5584 hope it help your student 😁 thank you for the compliment
Brilliant video Will! The wall demo was also a clever illustration.
@at1838 thank you, hope it was a little helpful 😁
What I love about videos like this is that you help players learn to diagnose what's going wrong and get better even if a coach isn't present. That's a very valuable skill for developing players.
That's what I people to feel 😁 tools for you to use on your own
Great tip, thanks! I'll be thinking about this next time on the court.
Thanks 👍 let me know how it goes
If you ever put together an instructional series this vid should be one of the very first. I wish I’d seen this earlier. For sooo long I thought I just wasn’t putting enough topspin on the ball when it would launch into space or go long (or both) and now I realize I was just playing one stroke for all balls. D’uh! I’d love to see a vid of hitting flats with control and power. Flats tend to go through the fences….
@@bijano7320 you got it😁
Outstanding explanation. Sounds like you were educated as an engineer and "saw the light" to teach/coach tennis. Well played, Sir!
I do see things in that type of way sometimes 😁
Wow can’t wait to try this new insight for my strokes
Let me know how it goes 😁
I've been playing for years, and it's funny how all of these things leave your head in the midst of play. This is a great reminder. I'm keeping this in mind this week on the court.
@Agency323 it's a very subtle yet easy point of focus that anyone can use 😁
@ironwilltennis great content by the way. I've watched a half dozen of the videos tonight alone. I have a lot of holes in my game after a long layoff so it's all been super helpful!
@Agency323 best of luck😁 hope I can help in the future as you comeback to the game
@ironwilltennis I am counting on it brother. I have flashes of my former self, but I find my timing is off. Moreover, my movement is technically off. I find I am moving laterally sometimes vs taking a step into the court to cut off an angle which puts more out of position for the next shot. Also I noticed 2x in the past two weeks I ran to a couple of short balls vs to the spot I should have moved to in order to have good contact- so I handcuffed myself. It's a lot of timing, rhythm, recognition, and movement stuff. Your videos are helpful indeed. I'll be chipping more of my returns vs my opponent tomorrow. The guy is 6'3" and a former college player who has a legitimate 115+ mph 1st , and a huge kick second. Thanks again!
@Agency323 best of luck in the match
Very useful info and well-presented. 1st time viewer, think I'll be back! Thx - JD, Canada
Hope I can help again 🙏
Very helpful video, never thought about that aspect before.
That's why I'm here 😁
so simple and logical yet it´s the first time I ever hear about this! Such great knowledge thank you!
@@mark-OTU appreciate the chance to help 😁
Fantastic video, I’ve never heard this angle!
Thank you 😁 hope thus view helps a bit
Great stuff. I haven't seen anyone cover this concept before.
That's why I'm here 😁
Yes, another thing to realize is that your court position has a large bearing on this. If you are rallying from 7 feet behind the baseline, you will be more successful hitting a ton of topspin, like Rafa. If you are inside the baseline, the better stroke is more linear, like Mannarino. So be aware that your depth of position on the court will dictate which angle the ball is likely to come at you.
Definitely a factor to be aware of at all times 🫡
This is eye opening. Even though I have been told to hit most balls on the rise, this video clarifies it so well. Thank you!
Once again, an excellent video, insightful and explained in a clear and easy to implement manner. Great job!
Thank you 😁 as always hope it's helpful
This is not an easy concept. I often think about the point of contact but this video makes me reallize there’s another variable i need to consider. Awesome!
@nabirum it's often overlooked but it pays off huge when you pay attention to it
@@ironwilltennismind officially blown!!! Amazing video!
@@ananta7556 it's all in the details 😁
Excellent video. This makes so much sense. This is very practical advice that can be put in to practice tomorrow. Thank you. Great channel btw!
That's what I people to feel 😁 tools for you to use on your own
Nice analysis of an under recognized problem. Thanks.
That's what I'm here for 😁
Perfect, my friend. This is the point 👏👏👏
Thank you, hope it helps 😁🙏
Very useful information that I have not heard before. Thanks.
That's why I'm here 😁
great tip! such an eye opener. Nevertheless, I've been doing this intuitively without thinking of why it should be struck that way. I think this concept will be wired to our muscle memory after countless hours of hitting. Understanding this concept might help us to improve faster.
@wirrudan9191 it definitely helps, especially with when we hit the random mistake that we are sure we hit correctly. Sometimes it's the decision not the actual technical flaw
This is soooo important!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!
🫡 happy to help
Your video's are great!!! Thanks!!
@steveboom9175 appreciate the compliment 🙏 hope it helped
Wish I could still play tennis now that we have this you tube coaching.
Wow, this is one that makes me wonder how on earth I never realized it before. Beautifully and strikingly true and simple. That said, realizing is one thing and correcting another, but the second is impossible without the first.
Well said😁 I hope it helps
@@ironwilltennis I hope that too!! 😉
@@ironwilltennis BTW, question: do you advise using a different grip in the two situations? I use a semi-western FH
@giorgioc6765 No, grip changes are situational like move into the court for example
I prefer to think of what height I should set my racket - low medium or high. Same general idea, also helps me to get my racket set early as I am watching the incoming ball, and the natural side effect of me picking a racket height is I put my racket in that position.
Makes sense 🤔 everyone has their own little tricks 😁
That was VERY helpful..Thank you for this..!!!
You're welcome let me know how it goes on court
Great tip and great ball machine.
Lol thank you 😁
Thank you, Will, very helpful video. Just one small question, do we also need to adjust the racket face angle slightly when choosing different swing paths?
In a very adjustment sometimes l, but nothing drastic
Great advice how to hit tennis balls. Now I understand why my shots are not going in even with proper technique.
Hope it's helps 😁
I always wondered about the physics behind hitting a half villey. You need the racket perpendicular to the ground or a slightly closed angle. If you open the racket angle it will soar well over the height of the net which you do not want
@@garychin4138 very accurate 👌
Now I know why I do so much errors in my tennis game 😂 thank you this video is very informative and useful
It's a very understated issue most coaches don't catch 😁 happy to help
I've been thinking about this recently after playing table tennis and you verbalized it perfectly!
Thank you 🙏 hope it helps
Please make a video about hitting back slices. I have trouble identifying the type of incoming slices and how best to get them back consistently and strongly
Can do🫡
Like many others. I can't believe I haven't thought about this!
That what I'm here for 😁
I feel like I knew this subconsciously but never thought it through in practice.
However, hitting the ball off the rise is also harder inherently because you have less time between when it bounces and when you make contact with it.
@@hanishag that is definitely true. It's all in being prepared early
They are all technically in descent when you hit them, in this video, however the point is well=made about when to make contact with the ball.
Half volley? 'service return?
Thank you!! very useful
Very welcome 😁
Great video. Thank you
You're welcome, hope it helped
Great instructions. Respect. 😍
@pxnguyen67 thank you for the compliment 😁
Coach Will, greetings from Brazil. I generally have a good serve, but some matches I quite can’t get my serve in, when it happens i feel like im on a downward spiral where i start to miss even more than i was missing to begin with. My first serve is flat, and I miss most shots long. Is there anything I can do to reset and improve during a match?
Great stuff! I just realized the other day that I’ve been hitting balls long when they are high to my forehand (on the rise?). Perhaps your techniques will help. 👍
Let me know if it helps
very good advice!
😁🙏
GREAT TIPS!
Thank you 😁
man you look fit and well built but still watch out with that racquet it's the ultimate arm killer (babolat pure strike 3rd gen)
Appreciate the concern, I'll pay attention to any bad signs 😁
@@ironwilltennis Yes please do, I frequently follow your channel and love the content :) Two guys at my club got golfer's elbow from that racquet and I'm the 3rd one, probably something related to the high stiffness
Good insight
Thank you 😁
Never thought of this.. But I cant imagine how I could have the time to make the right decision in that split second
@connyberg5665 it's more about finding a home base where most of the balls do 1 thing and noticing a difference occasionally
I am fine when someone hits with heavy pace. What has been throwing me lately is when an opponent I play hits a ball to me with no pace and I have to generate it all. I am finding that I am over swinging and hitting too many balls out. Can you do a video on how to generate more pace without ending up with more UE's. Particularly moon balls with no pace to my backhand. I am either trying to out push a pusher or I get frustrated and over cook the shot. Any advice is appreciated!
@@Agency323 can do
Fantastic explanation
@@ravikumar-usa thank you, I hope it helps 😁
Never eared this, I have to try it next time I'm on the court.
Let me know if it helps 😁
I have a question: I can first serve 120+ mph but for some reason I lost my ability to second serve 100+ mph. I would like to know how to translate power into your second serve and in general how to learn to shift from power to spin/consistency and vice verse in your serve and what the factors you can manipulate to be able to practice this
great point
👌 that's the goal
This is super interesting. Just to clarify: In your demonstration, we are pretending that the wall is the racket?
@johncharles2357 yes and I am feed the wall from different angles 👍
Thanks of that tip!
Very welcome
Great stuff
Much appreciated 🙏
👍 not many coaches talk about this 👍
Little things can go a long way
This is awesome!
Glad you enjoyed
Could you do a video on poaching at the net in doubles?
I'm sure I can 😁🫡
When you call rise or fall does it mean at the height of the net or at the heigth of the player?
It's all based on the momentum of the ball. Is the ball descending right before contact? Or is the ball ascending right before contact?
Great lesson. I've tried to do this in training but hearing the actual method behind it is really helpful. Thanks Will!
Happy to help 😁
Thank you
Very welcome 😁
How come I did not subscribed yet… duh..
We were wondering 🤔
That means different spins coming at you affect your returning shot launch angle too?
Not as much unless we're talking about slices specifically.
In simple terms, when the ball is rising, we may hit it flat and when it’s falling, apply topspin. Generally speaking….???
@Jestpaxt you got it😁 just from a physics perspective it's the simplest to rely on
In other words .. be aware of angle of reflection.. (intermediate skills). You can hit flat or spin on either ball simply adjust the angle of your strings at contact point to cope with the angle the ball is arriving at. I don’t want my stroke dictated by the angle the ball is coming I want to dictate to my opponent with my spin choices. Just sayin 🤷
You're stroke is actually being dictated by your footwork and positioning. Some players are better at positioning themselves closer to the baseline. And we tend to find these players also have naturally flatter stroke for example
@@ironwilltennis respectfully disagree.. I see an incoming ball, decide my intention then approach the ball with my favoured foot positioning and balance for my chosen shot. I played the game div one stateside then internationally after that. I played tight to the baseline and could easily mix spins or flat hitting.. admittedly if I was spinning a ball tight to my feet I would defer to aggressive hook spin for margin of error. By that I mean letting the racket drop partially behind me and ripping up and around the outside of the very low ball. I do think your advice is solid for intermediate players who struggle with trying to rush a rising ball and don’t accommodate the fact that it’s rising. Keep your the good work 👍
Will, if you were gonna challenge another youtube coach, who would you take?
I want a rematch against @Dillplays but I'd love to take a shot at @simonfreund
You got a link to the dill match? ( he seems a level under you...) 😕
Ok- just watched both sets. The midget took it to you! Wow. Didn't think dill could serve lights out, but he surprised me. His forehand was money too.
Entertaining match up, for sure. You guys should do it again.
@hobbes4583 my serve percentage killed me that match. I couldn't find the serves to the FH side so he was pouncing on BH returns so early
@@ironwilltennis sometimes playing the djokovic game... couple extra bounces- deep breaths. I know you have those big serves!
If they run it back this offseason, NOT WATCHING THE KINGS THIS YEAR!
Is the same for a short ball?
Yes, just know your court is a little shorter and the height of the ball matters a little more
So, steeper swing path if the ball is descending, flatter swing path if it’s rising, correct?
@@watcher687 correct 👌
Wrong
no , i refuse to grind like murray, i put on a show for the people inthe club who watch me play. i play to win not to grind
That's hilarious 😂
@@ironwilltennis shame on u, playtowin