Download our FREE Tactics Guide Here - www.top-tennis-training.com/tactics-guide/ Inside the PDF, we cover five tactics and strategies that will help you win more singles matches in 2020
Thank you for this video! I have a question - If I am serving from deuce side, to her backhand (so center of the T), should I still recover to right of center? I did this a lot thinking I was doing the right thing and expecting her to return cross court. But she kept backhanding it hard down the line and I couldn't get to it because I was standing right of center. I am still so confused because I thought returning down the line was a risk, but she did it repeatedly and beat me over and over. I also thought serving to the backhand side was best but it kept helping her do this to me. What am I missing? Thank you!
Simon and Alex, peharps for the next video, you guys could do a video discussing tactics, tips, experiences, do and donts on different types of surfaces. Thanks
Yup! That was good. Most people at recreational level don't get into trading and don't understand the importance of being in a neutral rally, pushing the opponent and building a point. They are always trying to hit a winner. This video really explains the concept of court positioning and playing to the percentage well. I find the idea of leaving the high risk difficult shot open to the opponent but closing in the low risk easy one, very interesting. So that even if they hit a winner it should come at a great physical and mental cost to them. And this should eventually grind them down. I often play with some people who don't realize this. They would be very upbeat in the beginning of the match and be hitting winners on the high risk shots, but eventually the percentage catches up with them and the winners become errors and match begins to slip away from them.
Not really "...it should come at a great physical and mental cost...", but actually, they're taking a lower percentage shot which means they'll miss it more often statistically. It's not about wearing them down, but just making the probability a little higher that they make a mistake.
Best video I've watched on this channel, so far. After you learn the proper technique, it all comes down to footwork, anticipation and court positioning (or, simply put: strategy). Tennis is a challenging sport, specially if you care about doing everything "right" - I' m talking to you, tennis nerds (myself included hahaha). Keep up the good work, you guys are the best tennis instruction channel on RUclips. 👏👏👏
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Sorry for the late answer! Everything related to proper court positioning and space coverage, point patterns and also adapting to different opponent play styles. Regarding personal flaws of my game, how to avoid doing a streched volley motion (a bit of over movement, bringing the racquet back too much etc) and how to do a proper pinpoint stance - in my case, I tend to bring the back foot to the front of the left foot, not to the side. It works, and I've seen some pros doing the same, but I'd like to fix it somehow. It's probably my toss, I don't know. I've tried hitting platform, but it feels weird to be stuck in the place and without much forward motion.
Good video, I'll have to work on this for my singles game. I'd love to see you guys expand further on approaching the net, since I have a very solid net game in doubles and wouldn't mind implementing it a bit more in singles.
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons thanks for the reply! It would be cool to see some tips for dealing with deep shots when you play a one handed backhand, something I often struggle with.
Thanks for the support Jo, If you would like to support the channel you can always join one of our premium courses on our website or join us for in-person coaching on one of our camps or tennis holidays. Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
Excellent. Keeping the game tight. It's easy to get lazy and casual and lose sight of what went wrong on points. Mainly I think cause you want to forget a bad point quickly while playing. But this gives a great pattern to review after you play and before you play again. Great job and keep an eye on that 🐻 peaking out of the trees in back.
This is a really good video. One thing I noticed watching nadal is that he doesn’t always actually recover to the ‘correct’ position, is that because the rallies at that level are so good he might not have time to and/or tactics are so advanced that he might purposefully recover to a slightly sub optimal position but one which tempts the opponent to for example hit into the slightly bigger space towards his forehand strength for example?
Often the player doesn't get back into position simply due to the speed of the rallies, but also Nadal tends to lean one way, teasing the player with the higher risk shot or he often gives up space on his forehand wing so that he can get more running forehands, or run around the backhand to hit reverse forehands, so it puts the opponent in a hard predicament
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial you guys have loads of content already, but how about fitness conditioning for tennis, ever thought about that? I am now playing amateur tournaments and to raise my level and do 3 sessions a week instead of 2 with my trainer (maniac as you can tell) I have started with the fitness coaches at my gym (which also is a tennis club). Maybe that is not your thing, just an idea. Other than that I think you guys are doing great on the tennis content front. Maybe show drills and patterns to practice with a clear theme behind.
Thank you for this. I hope to remember it when I step on court next! There was one aspect I hoped you would cover, which I've been thinking about. Should I always recover to position X with no momentum to either side, ready to split step? (That seems to be what you're doing) Or does is make sense to recover less far than X but retain momentum in that direction?
Very good question, on paper you would say for sure try to get back to X but that's not always possible. If you're at the level where you can start reading your opponent's shots then building momentum in the right direction and leaning one way for sure helps you conserve energy and get to the next ball quick enough. Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons Thanks for asking, Simon! I have to say that I would really love to see some or better more analyses of pro point plays like you did in this video, since I want to improve my shot selection and (further) understand how, for example, Top-Ten-Players constantly get the better of pros ranked lower. Thank you very much in advance, Nils
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial thanks for asking. I’ve watched a fair amount of your videos. As someone who is working toward 5-6 UTR, I would say: 1. Your suggestions on how to play based on what the score is during the game and the game count during the set. I realize not all opponents are the same, and it’s best not to focus so much on the score, but I’ve noticed I win more matches when I try to hold my opponent to 30-30 and won’t give up easy points. 2. Is there a specific way you aim your shots to make sure you it flush on the sweet spot? You guys make such good contact on the videos, and I feel like I am so close to raising my game, but when I hurry my shots and don’t aim for a certain zone in the racquet frame (I aim to hit the ball with the dampener on serve and grounds). Just seeing if there is any trick you guys use to make sure you don’t frame the ball or is it just muscle memory? 3. I have a one-handed backhand. Is there any tips you guys have for returning high kick serves on the backhand wing as a one hander or if they serve very well to your backhand and it is low and fast, how do you quickly determine if you should slice, do you guess? I just feel like when I’m playing someone who hits high kick to backhand on the ad court and does Serve and Volley, Slicing is almost a give up shot and they dunk it easily, a coach told me it’s better to just hit at them and hit more side to side above your waist. Any good advice? Thanks Simon!
I had been pondering where to stand after a down the line approach - too close to the net & get lobed, too far back & get dropped, too far one side & get passed. Not always able to do an aggressive approach when the ball is short & no pace so cross court & recover to cross court side of center service line mid point?
If you approach crosscourt, you leave the down the line pass open to your opponent. I'd work on your approach shots and getting into a good position faster
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hi Simon! Yes, I would actually. I am really struggling with my aim on serve. My technique is certainly not the best yet, but I have no problem to hit with effortless power on serve. On the other hand I have big problem to hit consistently into a service box. Most of my serves are just too deep, even without trying to generate much power. I would describe myself as intermediate player. I've been trying to find something on the internet on the subject, but I haven't found anything that helped me to improve this. Thank you for asking! All the best!
Hi Simon, do you know some drills to practice keeping the eye on the ball/keeping your head still when hitting the ball. I can't seem to be able to focus on it for longer than a couple of games. Especially when I'm playing a match when the score gets tight i get into my old habbit.
You have to master it many times over in training before it will stick in a match. Start off every training session with 10-20 minutes of solely focusing and tracking the ball, with 100% concentration. Once you master that skill, you'll know what true tracking means and try to replicate that in points
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hello Simon. I ´m especially interested on trainig tactics and other skills for advance and pro levels: concentration, perception, decision making, anticipation and coordination. I´d like to know if it would be possible to know more on these subjects. Thank you very much for your response and take care. Best regards.
The advise to hit cross court and to do so at an angle is good advise. But as a 3.5 player, I often find my opponent has a weak backhand. If I hit it cross court but it is short, he will now be offensive w his forehand. In the other hand if I hit a slice or looper to his backhand let's me force play to his backhand. The big move to position left of the center line is a challenge but the advantage I get going backhand to backhand puts me on offense. The theme of my comment is that for park players, other strategies might be considered.
At the rec level, I find a lot of players more comfortable hitting down the line to a big target than hitting short angle cross-court on the forehand. Their cross-court shots are usually still deep to the baseline. In this case I should probably shade towards cross-court less, but how much less?
The only time you recover in the middle of the court is when you hit down the middle so your opponent has less angle on both sides. Thanks for watching Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
I had an 'Ah-huh' moment during the video. I was always taught to recover to the middle and logically that made sense. As my game has improved I have naturally started to recover to an off-center position as you say. Especially important when playing stronger players with consistent groundstrokes. I have been finding I'm much better positioned for the next rally ball (FH or BH) without really knowing why. Now the fog has lifted... Thanks for the lesson Simon.
yet another amazing video! I think Simon could improve any player so dramatically if they follow his tutor-age and advice. Do you have a video on how to counter people who do lots of down the line drop shots or slice backhands to your forehand, either bringing you into the net or then coming into the net from that approach shot themselves? I'm about a 6.1 at the moment but stangely my backhand is actually slightly stronger than my forehand, just always loved hitting a 2 handed backhand and clever players realise that as i'm a counter puncher they won't out rally me at the baseline if they're similar level to me and even agressive baseliners struggle due to too many errors so what some of them do is chip and charge to my forehand or they literally do a drop shot to my forehand and i just don't know where to hit it from there, do i do another drop shot in return and if so also back down the line or cross court? do i try and hit heavy topspin to get the ball back up and over the net either down the line or cross court, do i do a deep slice forehand down the line or cross court and come into the net? Also the net is my weakness so i know i need to work on that but also at 5f 7ins i don't have the net coverage of some of the 6ft + guys, do you think that matters at this level or its more about positioning, technique and anticipation?
Logical and insightful. Thank you for this. Without watching this, every time I miraculously manage a down the line shot, I would just stay on the same spot to admire it and keep punished by a short angle counter over and over again until my death.
Haha, a common error for many players, admiring their stroke and forgetting that the point might not be over. Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
They stay roughly the same, exception would be if your friend uses acute angles with their crosscourt forehand and on return. Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
Hi, I have a situation and I don't know how to solve it. I sometimes play against beginning players and I still lose because you never know where their shot is going to land. So how can I do this?
Agreed, more you play - more you get to know their game and predict better. The other thing is to do is to keep loose, active footwork and get to the ball (even if it is a defensive shot).
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hi! Maybe something like: first shot after serving, so after the return is coming. I have big problems with choosing what is right. Tnx!
This is very, very good. Great job at explaining how one should be positioned to close down the angles. Some sweet hitting, too. Simon, are you playing with the Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20, or 16x19?
PS I never "got" the ATP Cup... Especially as it comes on the heels of Davis Cup and the ATP Tour Championship. But as it has gone on, the games are more exciting with some very close matches. Shout out to Canada & Australia for punching above their weight, but the cream has risen to the top. Spain & Serbia in the Final tomorrow (depending on your timezone.) 👍
It's been a great event but they should combine DC and ATP Cup and make it one event, even if it's played over 10-14 days it would be better, maybe get rid of one of the end of season indoor events and replace it with that one. The guys have killed themselves this week and it's only the start of the season, Aussie Open next week and then a long 2020 awaits them
You two have the best RUclips tennis channel around. There's no doubt about it. One question: Where do you normally record your videos? Do you have a regular club in England?
Thanks for the support David This video was filmed in Oxford, we started filming on these courts in summer 2019 and now we're filming indoors in London at a club close to Alex's location. All the best Simon
Great video! I tend to cheat with my positioning towards my BH side because my running FH is much better than my running BH. Sometimes this can get me in trouble if my opponent can hit an aggressive FH short angle, but this is rare at my level. Do you recommend I switch up my positioning depending on my opponents?
That sounds good, it always depends on the opponent. Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
Small changes, every week tweak your grip a tiny bit and over the course of a few weeks, you'll be in semi-western. Why the change though? I use an eastern gripand love it!
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I feel like with eastern grip the timing has to be spot on and i hit the ball very flat with the grip so when it goes in it's like a bullet but fooling around yesterday with the semi western grip it just felt easier for spin short angles and i feel like the semi western forces me to use my lower half more for power where as the eastern grip for me is mainly arm action less leg power.
A friend of mine and a great player said that your first side move should be almost always crossing legs. What are your thoughts? I saw that on the volley section at 13:40 you moved with a small split before the crossing legs. Wouldn't be more efficient to cross and then side step? Thanks
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Yes. More precisely at 13:34. And by side step I mean that if I am standing and want to move left I will jump left with both legs. Like: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTCT2vX3vPnXLHUOmcduGCgDrwcAIDjYKpq1i3zDHESMAxwF98F And by step crossing the legs I mean that if I am standing and want to move left I will cross my right leg over my left leg and take an impulse. Like: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSysdhpaEHIyNWeUTk1QIyoE1U1Hyxh30R42Mcy2aGNnBiy0xhY
The footwork you will need to use will depend on the type of ball that's coming at you and how far you have to move. You'll always try to do a split step (wide base with body weight on both feet) and then you'll either step across the body with the inside leg if the ball is close to you/coming fast at you (one step volley) or you'll step out with the outside leg and then cross over with the inside leg (two step volley)
Thanks for watching Jeff But in this video, at what point is there an issue from the noise? This was filmed in a very secluded club at a time when there was nobody around All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Thanks for the reply. There is just a lot of noise from filming at that distance and from the camera and being outside. I'm guessing you're not using a dedicated mic, or not a shotgun mic. You should be able to speak at a normal voice level, but it almost seems like you're yelling at the camera. Maybe stand closer to the camera. Again, love these video so much and I've learned a lot from them!
We do use a shotgun mic, a rode one, the only issue was, that day during filming, the battery went down and was almost out of juice so the sound was very low. Normally, you can hear me much better
How would you play even level with power bashers if you're physically weaker than they are? Nothing I threw at them even pulling them to the edge then going opposite side got past them consistently.
Great video, Simon, thank you. Question, on his service return, Djokovic goes consistently for his opponents shoelaces. What are your thoughts on going down the middle and take away the angles from your opponent?
Thanks for watching Rob I use that return tactic often myself, a great way to jam the server and exploit them when they are most vulnerable. The server lands on one foot, is off balance and then has to deal with the ball coming right into them. Plus as the returner, you're hitting a high percentage shot and it's easy to return the ball back to where it came from. Couldn't recommend it more All the best Simon
You should aim that close to the lines? I always thought the target should be further away from the lines so that you give yourself good margin so that you don't hit the ball out. Please respond
What an amazing video. This will help me so much. However, I have a problem playing against this lefty advanced player. I’m a right handed, single handed backhand and I always struggle with my position and his forehand. Our H2H is so far 4-4. Can you give me tips Simon? Thanks so much
His forehand into your backhand is always going to be an issue, you have to find ways to neutralize that tactic, slices, taking it early, heavy moonballs that force him back, changing direction and going into his backhand (your backhand down the line) could all help Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial more tennis tactics videos are always welcome, as are gear review vids (asides from tennisnerd a lot of the guys out there who do reviews just don't play tennis at a very high level) - but I imagine it can be a little difficult to do without it being sponsored!
Amazingly simple yet so rich. Ok guys, your paid courses are a bit unaffordable for me, but how can I donate a dozen bucks to you? Can't watch all that great stuff for free withiut feeling guilty.
As soon as you see your opponent in the trams, I'd go line on the next shot to get them running and off-balance. It could even be a slice or a softer shot but get them moving. Thank you for watching Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial so you recommend keeping cross court rallies and waiting for an opportunity to attack or changing direction i.e. weaker/shorter ball.. What about changing direction in neutral rally just to mix up the play/force the opponent to run/ not to let him find the rhythm ? @ i would welcome more videos on tactics
"Position yourself in the middle of your opponents two best possible shots" Good advice, but how do we know what our opponents two best possible shots are?
Same rules apply for right and left-handers. The court dimensions don't change Thanks for watching Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020? All the best Simon
This has been mofils problem for years. Poor shot selection and recovery. His speed and athleticism keep him in the match for a hard fought 1st set but it slowly wears him down.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial shorter videos please. 1 idea at a time. I'd rather watch several shorter videos than one long one. My attention simply gets shorter every day. Still, I like your videos so keep up the good work!
Download our FREE Tactics Guide Here - www.top-tennis-training.com/tactics-guide/
Inside the PDF, we cover five tactics and strategies that will help you win more singles matches in 2020
Thank you for this video! I have a question - If I am serving from deuce side, to her backhand (so center of the T), should I still recover to right of center? I did this a lot thinking I was doing the right thing and expecting her to return cross court. But she kept backhanding it hard down the line and I couldn't get to it because I was standing right of center. I am still so confused because I thought returning down the line was a risk, but she did it repeatedly and beat me over and over. I also thought serving to the backhand side was best but it kept helping her do this to me.
What am I missing? Thank you!
This is an invaluable lesson, a concept I learned recently but still need to work on. Thanks as always TTT.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Thank you! Strategy vids mixed with technical tips are what sets this channel apart from others! 💪
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Simon and Alex, peharps for the next video, you guys could do a video discussing tactics, tips, experiences, do and donts on different types of surfaces. Thanks
Thanks for watching
We'll keep that in mind for the near future
All the best
Simon
Yup! That was good. Most people at recreational level don't get into trading and don't understand the importance of being in a neutral rally, pushing the opponent and building a point. They are always trying to hit a winner. This video really explains the concept of court positioning and playing to the percentage well. I find the idea of leaving the high risk difficult shot open to the opponent but closing in the low risk easy one, very interesting. So that even if they hit a winner it should come at a great physical and mental cost to them. And this should eventually grind them down. I often play with some people who don't realize this. They would be very upbeat in the beginning of the match and be hitting winners on the high risk shots, but eventually the percentage catches up with them and the winners become errors and match begins to slip away from them.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Not really "...it should come at a great physical and mental cost...", but actually, they're taking a lower percentage shot which means they'll miss it more often statistically. It's not about wearing them down, but just making the probability a little higher that they make a mistake.
Best video I've watched on this channel, so far.
After you learn the proper technique, it all comes down to footwork, anticipation and court positioning (or, simply put: strategy).
Tennis is a challenging sport, specially if you care about doing everything "right" - I' m talking to you, tennis nerds (myself included hahaha).
Keep up the good work, you guys are the best tennis instruction channel on RUclips. 👏👏👏
Thank you for watching and for the support Guilherme
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Sorry for the late answer! Everything related to proper court positioning and space coverage, point patterns and also adapting to different opponent play styles.
Regarding personal flaws of my game, how to avoid doing a streched volley motion (a bit of over movement, bringing the racquet back too much etc) and how to do a proper pinpoint stance - in my case, I tend to bring the back foot to the front of the left foot, not to the side. It works, and I've seen some pros doing the same, but I'd like to fix it somehow. It's probably my toss, I don't know. I've tried hitting platform, but it feels weird to be stuck in the place and without much forward motion.
Great video! I don't know why so few coaches talk about this subject. This is so important!
Thanks for watching Gustavo
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Thanks for covering net position in this vid, I found that very helpful 👍
Glad it was helpful!
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial maybe where to aim/shot options when chasing down a drop shot v close to the net, and or, have been lobbed.
Good video, I'll have to work on this for my singles game. I'd love to see you guys expand further on approaching the net, since I have a very solid net game in doubles and wouldn't mind implementing it a bit more in singles.
Thank you for watching
We'll keep that in mind for 2020
All the best
Simon
Simon, wonderfully explained. Perfect blend of didactic and demonstration. Already put to good use. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
All the best
Simon
This is a really good video, essentially explaining the home base strategy and high percentage tennis.
Thanks for watching James
Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons thanks for the reply! It would be cool to see some tips for dealing with deep shots when you play a one handed backhand, something I often struggle with.
Quality content yet again..almost feel guilty getting such good advice for free!! xx
Thanks for the support Jo,
If you would like to support the channel you can always join one of our premium courses on our website or join us for in-person coaching on one of our camps or tennis holidays.
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Dear Simon and Team, Thanks for the exceptional videos and coaching. It is very much appreciated. Cheers, J
Thanks for watching 🙏
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Excellent. Keeping the game tight. It's easy to get lazy and casual and lose sight of what went wrong on points. Mainly I think cause you want to forget a bad point quickly while playing. But this gives a great pattern to review after you play and before you play again. Great job and keep an eye on that 🐻 peaking out of the trees in back.
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Fantastic tips! Thanks very much Simon.
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
This is a really good video. One thing I noticed watching nadal is that he doesn’t always actually recover to the ‘correct’ position, is that because the rallies at that level are so good he might not have time to and/or tactics are so advanced that he might purposefully recover to a slightly sub optimal position but one which tempts the opponent to for example hit into the slightly bigger space towards his forehand strength for example?
Often the player doesn't get back into position simply due to the speed of the rallies, but also Nadal tends to lean one way, teasing the player with the higher risk shot or he often gives up space on his forehand wing so that he can get more running forehands, or run around the backhand to hit reverse forehands, so it puts the opponent in a hard predicament
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial thought so but glad you agree thanks mate.
What a dude. Thanks Simon!
Thank you for watching 👍
Brilliant video. Great mixture of instruction and clips. Top work!
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Love the technical nature of the video.
Basic concepts condensed into one beautiful video
LIKE LIKE LIKE
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Excellent lesson on positionning in singles. Very professional and also an excelent presentation! Keep up the great content guys
Thanks for watching Cristian
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial you guys have loads of content already, but how about fitness conditioning for tennis, ever thought about that? I am now playing amateur tournaments and to raise my level and do 3 sessions a week instead of 2 with my trainer (maniac as you can tell) I have started with the fitness coaches at my gym (which also is a tennis club). Maybe that is not your thing, just an idea. Other than that I think you guys are doing great on the tennis content front. Maybe show drills and patterns to practice with a clear theme behind.
Thank you for this. I hope to remember it when I step on court next!
There was one aspect I hoped you would cover, which I've been thinking about. Should I always recover to position X with no momentum to either side, ready to split step? (That seems to be what you're doing) Or does is make sense to recover less far than X but retain momentum in that direction?
Very good question, on paper you would say for sure try to get back to X but that's not always possible. If you're at the level where you can start reading your opponent's shots then building momentum in the right direction and leaning one way for sure helps you conserve energy and get to the next ball quick enough.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Loved it coach Simon! Wish this was written up (or drawn up!) .. I can keep it around to remind myself of this!
Glad you enjoyed it
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons - more on running plays like this one! Also anything written up to revise would be useful!
Great content and video! Very helpful advice well explained and put in a nutshell!
Thank you for watching Nils
Are there any lessons you would like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons Thanks for asking, Simon! I have to say that I would really love to see some or better more analyses of pro point plays like you did in this video, since I want to improve my shot selection and (further) understand how, for example, Top-Ten-Players constantly get the better of pros ranked lower.
Thank you very much in advance,
Nils
Thank you so much for this awesome video!
Thank you for watching 👍
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
Best regards,
Simon
Great video Simon, very well edited and makes sense!
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial thanks for asking. I’ve watched a fair amount of your videos. As someone who is working toward 5-6 UTR, I would say:
1. Your suggestions on how to play based on what the score is during the game and the game count during the set. I realize not all opponents are the same, and it’s best not to focus so much on the score, but I’ve noticed I win more matches when I try to hold my opponent to 30-30 and won’t give up easy points.
2. Is there a specific way you aim your shots to make sure you it flush on the sweet spot? You guys make such good contact on the videos, and I feel like I am so close to raising my game, but when I hurry my shots and don’t aim for a certain zone in the racquet frame (I aim to hit the ball with the dampener on serve and grounds). Just seeing if there is any trick you guys use to make sure you don’t frame the ball or is it just muscle memory?
3. I have a one-handed backhand. Is there any tips you guys have for returning high kick serves on the backhand wing as a one hander or if they serve very well to your backhand and it is low and fast, how do you quickly determine if you should slice, do you guess? I just feel like when I’m playing someone who hits high kick to backhand on the ad court and does Serve and Volley, Slicing is almost a give up shot and they dunk it easily, a coach told me it’s better to just hit at them and hit more side to side above your waist. Any good advice?
Thanks Simon!
unbelievably amazing lesson, thanks a lot
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Great video! But how do you actually aim your shot? How do you go about hitting a crosscourt/down the line shot?
That's an entire video in itself
This is a very good video, congrats and thank u
Thanks for watching
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Simon
I had been pondering where to stand after a down the line approach - too close to the net & get lobed, too far back & get dropped, too far one side & get passed. Not always able to do an aggressive approach when the ball is short & no pace so cross court & recover to cross court side of center service line mid point?
If you approach crosscourt, you leave the down the line pass open to your opponent. I'd work on your approach shots and getting into a good position faster
great lesson, simon. thanks!
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Simon
This is so good to know! Thank you!
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Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hi Simon! Yes, I would actually. I am really struggling with my aim on serve. My technique is certainly not the best yet, but I have no problem to hit with effortless power on serve. On the other hand I have big problem to hit consistently into a service box. Most of my serves are just too deep, even without trying to generate much power. I would describe myself as intermediate player. I've been trying to find something on the internet on the subject, but I haven't found anything that helped me to improve this. Thank you for asking! All the best!
Brilliant content!! Keep it up
Much appreciated!
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Simon
Awesome video! Thanks 💪
Thank you for watching Andres
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Simon
This is exactly what I need, whenever a rally goes over 6-7 shots I feel like I need to rush a winner or rush to the net
Thanks for watching
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Simon
I‘ve watched you for the First time, but i must say that i‘m in Love with youre backhand
Thanks for watching Erwin
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Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Lol that's not his name, it's a Nazi commander
Excellent lesson. Thanks
Thanks for watching Gary
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Simon
Hi Simon, do you know some drills to practice keeping the eye on the ball/keeping your head still when hitting the ball. I can't seem to be able to focus on it for longer than a couple of games. Especially when I'm playing a match when the score gets tight i get into my old habbit.
You have to master it many times over in training before it will stick in a match.
Start off every training session with 10-20 minutes of solely focusing and tracking the ball, with 100% concentration.
Once you master that skill, you'll know what true tracking means and try to replicate that in points
Great explanation! Thank you.
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Simon
Great video, more on tactics appreciated
Thank you for watching
Anything in particular when it comes to tactics?
All the best
Simon
Amazing video. Congrat for such a clear and usefull explanation.
Thanks for watching
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All the best and stay safe
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hello Simon. I ´m especially interested on trainig tactics and other skills for advance and pro levels: concentration, perception, decision making, anticipation and coordination. I´d like to know if it would be possible to know more on these subjects. Thank you very much for your response and take care. Best regards.
The advise to hit cross court and to do so at an angle is good advise. But as a 3.5 player, I often find my opponent has a weak backhand. If I hit it cross court but it is short, he will now be offensive w his forehand. In the other hand if I hit a slice or looper to his backhand let's me force play to his backhand. The big move to position left of the center line is a challenge but the advantage I get going backhand to backhand puts me on offense. The theme of my comment is that for park players, other strategies might be considered.
Absolutely. There are plenty of ways to construct points against different opponents - ruclips.net/video/zD3_GHYTp7w/видео.html
Another great video Simon!
Thank you for watching Todd
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Simon
Nice shoes bro!
Thanks for the vids, please keep it up!
Thanks for watching Daniel
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Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons practice routines for me and a partner, and how to handle spin
Have you watched these drills videos?
One - ruclips.net/video/hQ2ETdwn4-w/видео.html
Two - ruclips.net/video/WYeppLXm4bA/видео.html
At the rec level, I find a lot of players more comfortable hitting down the line to a big target than hitting short angle cross-court on the forehand. Their cross-court shots are usually still deep to the baseline. In this case I should probably shade towards cross-court less, but how much less?
It would depend on the opponent, once a few games have passed, you'll see their main strengths and will know where to position yourself
Been looking for a vid like this for years
Thanks you so much
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Great video!! But i didn’t quite understood when you have/can recover in the middle behind the line? Thanks!
The only time you recover in the middle of the court is when you hit down the middle so your opponent has less angle on both sides.
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Simon
I had an 'Ah-huh' moment during the video. I was always taught to recover to the middle and logically that made sense. As my game has improved I have naturally started to recover to an off-center position as you say. Especially important when playing stronger players with consistent groundstrokes. I have been finding I'm much better positioned for the next rally ball (FH or BH) without really knowing why. Now the fog has lifted... Thanks for the lesson Simon.
Thank you for watching Peter
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Simon
Great masterclass ;)
Thanks for watching
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Simon
Hey Simon
Your videos are really good. Plz keep continuing the good work.
Love from INDIA.
Thank you for watching
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Simon
I just wanted to know how frequently should we slice the ball on a hard court and on a clay court?
Good lesson indeed 👍🏻❤️🎾
Thank you for the support 🙏
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Simon
great video, thanks
Thanks for watching
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Simon
yet another amazing video! I think Simon could improve any player so dramatically if they follow his tutor-age and advice. Do you have a video on how to counter people who do lots of down the line drop shots or slice backhands to your forehand, either bringing you into the net or then coming into the net from that approach shot themselves?
I'm about a 6.1 at the moment but stangely my backhand is actually slightly stronger than my forehand, just always loved hitting a 2 handed backhand and clever players realise that as i'm a counter puncher they won't out rally me at the baseline if they're similar level to me and even agressive baseliners struggle due to too many errors so what some of them do is chip and charge to my forehand or they literally do a drop shot to my forehand and i just don't know where to hit it from there, do i do another drop shot in return and if so also back down the line or cross court? do i try and hit heavy topspin to get the ball back up and over the net either down the line or cross court, do i do a deep slice forehand down the line or cross court and come into the net?
Also the net is my weakness so i know i need to work on that but also at 5f 7ins i don't have the net coverage of some of the 6ft + guys, do you think that matters at this level or its more about positioning, technique and anticipation?
Logical and insightful. Thank you for this. Without watching this, every time I miraculously manage a down the line shot, I would just stay on the same spot to admire it and keep punished by a short angle counter over and over again until my death.
Haha, a common error for many players, admiring their stroke and forgetting that the point might not be over.
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Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial My friend calls that "signing autographs"
How do I stop my shots from floating up especially on forehands?
Use more topspin.
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Simon
i have learnt more from this video than in 30 lessons from my tutor
Glad to hear it Mario
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Simon
Thanks great video as always. Quick question - I am a righty but my friend is a lefty do my recovery positions change.
They stay roughly the same, exception would be if your friend uses acute angles with their crosscourt forehand and on return.
Thank you for watching
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Simon
Hi, I have a situation and I don't know how to solve it. I sometimes play against beginning players and I still lose because you never know where their shot is going to land. So how can I do this?
Keep playing against those type of players, you need to learn how to defeat them.
The only way is to play them and adapt to their style
Agreed, more you play - more you get to know their game and predict better.
The other thing is to do is to keep loose, active footwork and get to the ball (even if it is a defensive shot).
Thank you!
Thank you for watching 👍
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Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Hi! Maybe something like: first shot after serving, so after the return is coming. I have big problems with choosing what is right. Tnx!
This is very, very good. Great job at explaining how one should be positioned to close down the angles. Some sweet hitting, too. Simon, are you playing with the Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20, or 16x19?
i would like to know something about tactisc is a better to attack or just play defensively ?
You need to be able to do both
PS I never "got" the ATP Cup... Especially as it comes on the heels of Davis Cup and the ATP Tour Championship. But as it has gone on, the games are more exciting with some very close matches. Shout out to Canada & Australia for punching above their weight, but the cream has risen to the top. Spain & Serbia in the Final tomorrow (depending on your timezone.) 👍
It's been a great event but they should combine DC and ATP Cup and make it one event, even if it's played over 10-14 days it would be better, maybe get rid of one of the end of season indoor events and replace it with that one.
The guys have killed themselves this week and it's only the start of the season, Aussie Open next week and then a long 2020 awaits them
Superb session 👍
Thank you for watching 👍
All the best
Simon
You two have the best RUclips tennis channel around. There's no doubt about it. One question: Where do you normally record your videos? Do you have a regular club in England?
Thanks for the support David
This video was filmed in Oxford, we started filming on these courts in summer 2019 and now we're filming indoors in London at a club close to Alex's location.
All the best
Simon
@David - This was filmed in August 2019, I wish the weather was this good now haha, I'm missing that heat
Great video! I tend to cheat with my positioning towards my BH side because my running FH is much better than my running BH. Sometimes this can get me in trouble if my opponent can hit an aggressive FH short angle, but this is rare at my level. Do you recommend I switch up my positioning depending on my opponents?
That sounds good, it always depends on the opponent.
Thank you for watching
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Simon
Hey top tennis training how do you transition from a eastern forehand to a semi western?
Small changes, every week tweak your grip a tiny bit and over the course of a few weeks, you'll be in semi-western.
Why the change though?
I use an eastern gripand love it!
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I feel like with eastern grip the timing has to be spot on and i hit the ball very flat with the grip so when it goes in it's like a bullet but fooling around yesterday with the semi western grip it just felt easier for spin short angles and i feel like the semi western forces me to use my lower half more for power where as the eastern grip for me is mainly arm action less leg power.
Interesting
A friend of mine and a great player said that your first side move should be almost always crossing legs.
What are your thoughts? I saw that on the volley section at 13:40 you moved with a small split before the crossing legs. Wouldn't be more efficient to cross and then side step?
Thanks
By the way. I have been doing it wrong for 20 years. Thanks for correcting me!
Do you mean at the net?
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Yes. More precisely at 13:34.
And by side step I mean that if I am standing and want to move left I will jump left with both legs.
Like: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTCT2vX3vPnXLHUOmcduGCgDrwcAIDjYKpq1i3zDHESMAxwF98F
And by step crossing the legs I mean that if I am standing and want to move left I will cross my right leg over my left leg and take an impulse.
Like: encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSysdhpaEHIyNWeUTk1QIyoE1U1Hyxh30R42Mcy2aGNnBiy0xhY
The footwork you will need to use will depend on the type of ball that's coming at you and how far you have to move. You'll always try to do a split step (wide base with body weight on both feet) and then you'll either step across the body with the inside leg if the ball is close to you/coming fast at you (one step volley) or you'll step out with the outside leg and then cross over with the inside leg (two step volley)
I sometimes its quite similar to football(soccer)
Down the line is like near post shot
Cross court is like far post shoot,
haha
And a similar ready position when anticipating a hard strike, low and wide base, ready to react
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial
Yes!
Love these videos, but please fix the consistent audio issue of background noise. This can address within the video editor or a wireless mic.
Thanks for watching Jeff
But in this video, at what point is there an issue from the noise?
This was filmed in a very secluded club at a time when there was nobody around
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Thanks for the reply. There is just a lot of noise from filming at that distance and from the camera and being outside. I'm guessing you're not using a dedicated mic, or not a shotgun mic. You should be able to speak at a normal voice level, but it almost seems like you're yelling at the camera. Maybe stand closer to the camera. Again, love these video so much and I've learned a lot from them!
We do use a shotgun mic, a rode one, the only issue was, that day during filming, the battery went down and was almost out of juice so the sound was very low.
Normally, you can hear me much better
Thanks bud!
How would you play even level with power bashers if you're physically weaker than they are? Nothing I threw at them even pulling them to the edge then going opposite side got past them consistently.
Check the comment I left on your other question
4:30 then is nick kyrgios a magician?
When he rips it with sidespin, yes, yes he is!
Great video, Simon, thank you. Question, on his service return, Djokovic goes consistently for his opponents shoelaces. What are your thoughts on going down the middle and take away the angles from your opponent?
Thanks for watching Rob
I use that return tactic often myself, a great way to jam the server and exploit them when they are most vulnerable.
The server lands on one foot, is off balance and then has to deal with the ball coming right into them.
Plus as the returner, you're hitting a high percentage shot and it's easy to return the ball back to where it came from.
Couldn't recommend it more
All the best
Simon
You should aim that close to the lines? I always thought the target should be further away from the lines so that you give yourself good margin so that you don't hit the ball out. Please respond
Which part of the video do you mean?
thanks TTT
Thank you for watching
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Simon
What an amazing video. This will help me so much. However, I have a problem playing against this lefty advanced player. I’m a right handed, single handed backhand and I always struggle with my position and his forehand. Our H2H is so far 4-4. Can you give me tips Simon? Thanks so much
His forehand into your backhand is always going to be an issue, you have to find ways to neutralize that tactic, slices, taking it early, heavy moonballs that force him back, changing direction and going into his backhand (your backhand down the line) could all help
Thank you for watching
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All the best
Simon
Quality content 👌
Thank you for watching
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All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial more tennis tactics videos are always welcome, as are gear review vids (asides from tennisnerd a lot of the guys out there who do reviews just don't play tennis at a very high level) - but I imagine it can be a little difficult to do without it being sponsored!
Amazingly simple yet so rich. Ok guys, your paid courses are a bit unaffordable for me, but how can I donate a dozen bucks to you? Can't watch all that great stuff for free withiut feeling guilty.
cross court rally .. angles become sharper with every ball.... when and how to stop such rally..
As soon as you see your opponent in the trams, I'd go line on the next shot to get them running and off-balance.
It could even be a slice or a softer shot but get them moving.
Thank you for watching
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Simon
Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons Kickserve tutorial would be great!
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial so you recommend keeping cross court rallies and waiting for an opportunity to attack or changing direction i.e. weaker/shorter ball.. What about changing direction in neutral rally just to mix up the play/force the opponent to run/ not to let him find the rhythm ? @ i would welcome more videos on tactics
Let’s see what i can do on Saturday
Go get them!
"Position yourself in the middle of your opponents two best possible shots" Good advice, but how do we know what our opponents two best possible shots are?
I explain this in the video, did you watch the entire lesson or skip parts?
Lol that's what the whole video explains 😅
And if ure a southpaw?
Same rules apply for right and left-handers.
The court dimensions don't change
Thanks for watching
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All the best
Simon
I will win tomorrow at millswood against nikola
Thanks for watching
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Simon
Cant hear clearly coach simon a little louder thal usual.
Problems with the audio?
As a goalkeeper i understand this quite fast
Awesome, thanks for watching Ahmad
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Simon
You said that you would explain 1 case in which you recover to the middle. But you didn’t...
I thought I mentioned that the only time you recover into the middle is when you hit the ball into the middle. . .
All this assumes that the opponent is going to make the rational choice of making high percentage shots.
No it doesn’t
This has been mofils problem for years. Poor shot selection and recovery. His speed and athleticism keep him in the match for a hard fought 1st set but it slowly wears him down.
Even the pros make the same errors.
Makes me feel better about my game haha
This was a bit confusing. Too much information for a 18 minute video.
What would you have preferred?
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial shorter videos please. 1 idea at a time. I'd rather watch several shorter videos than one long one. My attention simply gets shorter every day. Still, I like your videos so keep up the good work!
My understanding was straining until about half way through, then the penny suddenly dropped.
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All the best
Simon
Fala muito, fala muito...
de nada para a lição!