Ryan, Thank you for all the wisdom you share on your videos. I tend to watch them over and over again to burn them into my memory. I don’t get much time to practice, but with the constant seeing your movements and positions my forehand is getting much better when I play. I really appreciate that you’re teaching to the recreational player and not compromising. I’ve always had a tendency to think I can play like the pros with their techniques and Equipment. But your videos have brought me back to reality and having much more fun playing tennis. I love your Q&A‘s. I think they are very informative and helpful. Please keep them coming. I will be watching. Thank you again
I been playing, teaching and coaching since the 1970’s. I like your answer in regards to practice and match play. While we all use ground stroke drills like you mentioned I like to then move on and play practice points. Try a game to 11 with a drop and hit from the baseline with a rule that the ball must be hit 3 times before a player can win a point. So we have to rally for 3 shots before you can close out the point. I always tell players that every shot should have a placement and purpose towards winning the point. Shots can be defensive, neutral or aggressive. Practice the way you want to play which means even in practice the placement + purpose rule is in effect. I also like to use toe breakers to practice.
Thank you so much for answering my question Ryan!😄 very interesting, because I’ve been very conflicted with that on the volley. So you believe flatter backhand volleys with no chop are better right? Thanks 🙏
Just finished practice lol. I think Ryan nailed the answer. One thing I’d add, when practicing, set physical target zones on the court, keep practice competitive and play games to see who can hit the most. In matches always always have a target in mind before you hit the ball
Great statement and advice. I aim either to middle of court deep or about 3 feet from sideline and 3 feet from the baseline. I only aim within 3 feet of sideline if going for a winner.
Ryan, your points are right about the practice vs. game. But I will say that most people don't play points when they practice and doing this emulates a competitive match better. I play points either starting with an easy feed and after two rally shots, the point starts or through serving. Serving is better at simulating a match obviously but you are can't work on technique as much as starting with a feed. The second question you answered about ball height is a good one and I think you answered well. But I think there are two schools of thought here, 1. to become a better player, you must be able to play the ball at any height. Obviously, your ultimate goal is to be perfect but until then, you want to make the same amount of errors at every zone. So short low balls shouldn't scare you at all. It's an opportunity to get to the net with a good response. 2. you want to be able to judge the ball coming off your opponents racket. If they are chipping or slicing the ball short, you have time to move up. Read the spin, speed and the bounce. This includes where your opponent is on court and what type of stroke he is playing. Then if you have the time, move up to a better hitting position. You can only do this with practice by forcing yourself to be aware of this every time you play. This will take time. Maybe a long time. The last question about pros volley technique, I disagree. This video on Fed: ruclips.net/video/cbEKVw20b8Q/видео.html shows that he always has some slice on his forehand volley. His grip is around 2 to 2.5 which is what you said. I too play with a similar grip. I too don't hit a flat forehand volley unless the ball is so weak and I want to pound the ball. I always use underspin of some kind. Particularly love to knife that volley down. Sometimes I will even take a full swing at the ball if my opponent foolishly gives me a floater. Everything depends on where you are at the net and what your intent is on the volley. Volleys are a lot like ground strokes. There are infinite variations that depend on your court position and your intent. If you want to a great volleyer, just mastering the fundamental form is only 10 percent of your journey. You have to practice and play the net at every opportunity. Most people spend about 20 percent of their court time on volleying when they should devote 50 percent.
The groove is needed to develop/maintain muscle memory. I would think. It's the same as martial artist would practice the same kick thousands of times but he probably would do the same kick a few times in real fight.
Thanks for all your helpful insights! If I could pose a question, it would be regarding how to best deal with doubles opponents who choose to play 2 back or 2 in the service box. Specifically, If both play back at the service line, should I still stand at the service line if my partner is receiving a serve? If both take an aggressive stance and play in the service box, where should we try to aim our returns? Thanks for any thoughts.
Coach Ryan, I have some difficulty in launching the ball. A teacher said to me that I should use continental grip and hit without spin. Could you make a video, explaining this subject and all the warm up procedure before the matches?
Coach, I am Brazilian. I don’t speak English very well. I am going to try to explain: for me, in the beginning of the warmup, the first hitting is the launching of the ball. So it is not a serve, a forehand or a back hand. It is the first hitting of the practice. Some minutes ago, during a practice with Alcaraz and Rublev, I saw Ferrero launching the ball to Alcaraz start hitting with Rublev. In other words, when the players arrive to the court, one of them has to launch the ball to the other. When they are practicing, one of the coaches launches the ball.
@@WilliamJPwa got you. So feeding the ball out of your hand to get the rally going. Ok I’ll be sure to make a video about that at some point. Thanks so much!
Great video and I think I have a question. How do pros return such fast serves without any effort? If they served that fast to me I would swerve and hit the ball out by a mile.
Hi Coach, i am playing most of the time on Clay. Are your strategies how to play true on clay as well or do i need to adopt some things ? Thanks, Berni from Salzburg, Austria.
Hey Ryan. Thanks! For qu2 my interpretation (and an issue I have) is that, despite split stepping and trying to be aggressive with my footwork, I pick the DEPTH of the ball up late (short and long but esp long - often on me before my racquet prep is ready) hence can't get to hit in zone 2 as often as I'd like. Any tips to pick the depth up earlier and hit more in zone 2 despite aggressive early footwork?
it take me quite a long 40 minutes of warm up of free hitting to groove my forehand and back hand before match. Is there any way to go straight to match after about 5 minutes of warm up?
I was intrigued when you mentioned the Proton ball machine from Hydrogen Sports. I have one and can not stop talk about the small and powerful training partner which should never be compared to the underperforming slinger ball machine. Anyways I watched your serve video ruclips.net/video/x8U1qppe2IA/видео.html and was laughing that 1) you wore a birthday hat and 2) you never knocked the party hat off on your serve. Ryan you need to get a Proton.
@@garychin4138 Thanks for watching, and glad that you got a laugh out of it, Gary. As you can see, nobody is perfect! What WOULD be perfect though is if you recorded yourself hitting against the proton machine because I'd love to see it working in practice.
Here is a link that demonstrates the Proton. ruclips.net/video/_8-BZe7clDQ/видео.html This video does not give it the accolades it deserves. They probably had it at the easiest setting. I use it at the medium setting and hopefully move up to the hard setting. I am a 3.5/4.0 player.
Question: I know that most club players don’t rotate into the shot enough. They stay turned sideways and swing with the arm. But is it possible for a player to have the opposite problem of opening the hips/body too much or too soon? Of letting the arm stretch and lag too far behind the hips? Or is this not something I should really worry about?
More great content, love it. However I feel that an obvious follow-up question was missed. Worried I am missing something obvious myself but why are the pros using the single grip if it so greatly dictates the backhand volley shot? I did a search but could not find anything helpful. My only guess would be consistency but it’s very counter-intuitive that the highest level players would lower the variety. I would expect the opposite to be true.
Great question. It’s bc of the great lie that’s passed down from generation to generation. And that lie is that there’s not enough time to change grips. Until coaches stop teaching that players will always struggle with backhand volleys. Thanks!!
@@2MinuteTennis Hi, Ryan. I understood why you suggested changing a grip in a volley. I also agree that there is enough time for changing in 95% of time. Yet, changing the grip from continental to "in between continental and backhand eastern" seems to have an important consideration. I think the grip dictates the swing. Meaning, with a grip "in between continental and backhand eastern", people tend to use extension of the elbow as a power source, while people with continental grip will often use a spination of fore arm or shoulder. I tried both, and I prefer the latter, because I can handle balls in more difficult situation (far, high, low, etc.).
@@2MinuteTennis I my case you are preaching to the choir. I use my off hand to change my grip. Like you I use a little more towards the backhand grip on certain backhand volleys. Also use that same grip for my kick serve to generate more spin. I am not a tall guy but have good success playing all court/ serve and volley. I was a big fan of Patrick Rafter.
Hello Ryan, I have 2 questions, you could put one for each episode, I don`t want occupy someone else spot for questions 1. For kick serve, I make the contact while ball dropping, but I am confused how high the ball to my head I should make the contact, I tried to put racket one edge on my head, one edge upward (string toward the net) as a reference, and wait the ball reaching the height as same as the upper edge of racket, then making contact, is this a reliable way or you have a better idea? 2. For volley, when I play double, my opponent always hit the ball toward my body instead of forehand or backhand side to force my error, it`s hard to control the ball, could you give help for impoving that? Thanks a lot, Randy Wang from Toronto, Canada
If you're playing a lower level of tennis you could probably switch your grips on your volleys. But in better competition you do not have the time to do that
Hy coach my friend Fabio Luciani Italian 20 year and 5.7 foot tall Want to be a top player.And he need to have a great serve. Which are the most importants keys to improve It?
Change of grip on the backhand is actually a really good idea as continental puts too much strain on your wrist with the backhand against fast balls
Ryan I’m really grateful. I can’t explain how useful and practical all this content is for us.
Ryan, Thank you for all the wisdom you share on your videos. I tend to watch them over and over again to burn them into my memory. I don’t get much time to practice, but with the constant seeing your movements and positions my forehand is getting much better when I play. I really appreciate that you’re teaching to the recreational player and not compromising. I’ve always had a tendency to think I can play like the pros with their techniques and Equipment. But your videos have brought me back to reality and having much more fun playing tennis. I love your Q&A‘s. I think they are very informative and helpful. Please keep them coming. I will be watching. Thank you again
I been playing, teaching and coaching since the 1970’s. I like your answer in regards to practice and match play. While we all use ground stroke drills like you mentioned I like to then move on and play practice points. Try a game to 11 with a drop and hit from the baseline with a rule that the ball must be hit 3 times before a player can win a point. So we have to rally for 3 shots before you can close out the point. I always tell players that every shot should have a placement and purpose towards winning the point. Shots can be defensive, neutral or aggressive. Practice the way you want to play which means even in practice the placement + purpose rule is in effect. I also like to use toe breakers to practice.
Thank you so much for answering my question Ryan!😄 very interesting, because I’ve been very conflicted with that on the volley. So you believe flatter backhand volleys with no chop are better right? Thanks 🙏
Yes 100%. You can put a little backswing on them but do it with a slightly different grip than forehand. It’ll be so much better. Thanks!!
Love these videos Ryan. Please make more.
All the 3 questions were good and interesting
You answered all questions I was wonder!! Thank you!
Just finished practice lol. I think Ryan nailed the answer. One thing I’d add, when practicing, set physical target zones on the court, keep practice competitive and play games to see who can hit the most. In matches always always have a target in mind before you hit the ball
Yes you’re 100% correct. Thanks Pak!
Great statement and advice. I aim either to middle of court deep or about 3 feet from sideline and 3 feet from the baseline. I only aim within 3 feet of sideline if going for a winner.
Thanks for doing these Ryan. i’d love tips for keeping your stroke consistent and maintaining pace once you’re fatigued.
Hmm I always use continental for both of my volleys and they’re pretty good.
As mentioned in the video if that works for you then awesome. 😊👍
Really bloody good questions you got there! Love this segment you are doing mate!
Ryan, your points are right about the practice vs. game. But I will say that most people don't play points when they practice and doing this emulates a competitive match better. I play points either starting with an easy feed and after two rally shots, the point starts or through serving. Serving is better at simulating a match obviously but you are can't work on technique as much as starting with a feed. The second question you answered about ball height is a good one and I think you answered well. But I think there are two schools of thought here, 1. to become a better player, you must be able to play the ball at any height. Obviously, your ultimate goal is to be perfect but until then, you want to make the same amount of errors at every zone. So short low balls shouldn't scare you at all. It's an opportunity to get to the net with a good response. 2. you want to be able to judge the ball coming off your opponents racket. If they are chipping or slicing the ball short, you have time to move up. Read the spin, speed and the bounce. This includes where your opponent is on court and what type of stroke he is playing. Then if you have the time, move up to a better hitting position. You can only do this with practice by forcing yourself to be aware of this every time you play. This will take time. Maybe a long time. The last question about pros volley technique, I disagree. This video on Fed: ruclips.net/video/cbEKVw20b8Q/видео.html shows that he always has some slice on his forehand volley. His grip is around 2 to 2.5 which is what you said. I too play with a similar grip. I too don't hit a flat forehand volley unless the ball is so weak and I want to pound the ball. I always use underspin of some kind. Particularly love to knife that volley down. Sometimes I will even take a full swing at the ball if my opponent foolishly gives me a floater. Everything depends on where you are at the net and what your intent is on the volley. Volleys are a lot like ground strokes. There are infinite variations that depend on your court position and your intent. If you want to a great volleyer, just mastering the fundamental form is only 10 percent of your journey. You have to practice and play the net at every opportunity. Most people spend about 20 percent of their court time on volleying when they should devote 50 percent.
Love this video!! thank you Ryan!
The groove is needed to develop/maintain muscle memory. I would think. It's the same as martial artist would practice the same kick thousands of times but he probably would do the same kick a few times in real fight.
Great stuff!
Thanks for all your helpful insights!
If I could pose a question, it would be regarding how to best deal with doubles opponents who choose to play 2 back or 2 in the service box. Specifically, If both play back at the service line, should I still stand at the service line if my partner is receiving a serve? If both take an aggressive stance and play in the service box, where should we try to aim our returns? Thanks for any thoughts.
Coach Ryan, I have some difficulty in launching the ball. A teacher said to me that I should use continental grip and hit without spin. Could you make a video, explaining this subject and all the warm up procedure before the matches?
Can you explain what “launching” means? Is that a serve? Forehand? Backhand? Not sure what you mean by launching… thanks
Coach, I am Brazilian. I don’t speak English very well. I am going to try to explain: for me, in the beginning of the warmup, the first hitting is the launching of the ball. So it is not a serve, a forehand or a back hand. It is the first hitting of the practice.
Some minutes ago, during a practice with Alcaraz and Rublev, I saw Ferrero launching the ball to Alcaraz start hitting with Rublev. In other words, when the players arrive to the court, one of them has to launch the ball to the other. When they are practicing, one of the coaches launches the ball.
@@WilliamJPwa got you. So feeding the ball out of your hand to get the rally going. Ok I’ll be sure to make a video about that at some point. Thanks so much!
Exactly, Teacher!😊@@2MinuteTennis
Great video and I think I have a question. How do pros return such fast serves without any effort? If they served that fast to me I would swerve and hit the ball out by a mile.
What’s your take on playing “relaxed” in match play? It’s easier said then done since we have emotions.
Hi Ryan, do you have different techniques for serves and return of serves for people with bad knees?
Hi Coach, i am playing most of the time on Clay. Are your strategies how to play true on clay as well or do i need to adopt some things ? Thanks, Berni from Salzburg, Austria.
Hey Ryan. Thanks! For qu2 my interpretation (and an issue I have) is that, despite split stepping and trying to be aggressive with my footwork, I pick the DEPTH of the ball up late (short and long but esp long - often on me before my racquet prep is ready) hence can't get to hit in zone 2 as often as I'd like. Any tips to pick the depth up earlier and hit more in zone 2 despite aggressive early footwork?
I'm unable to give elevation to the low and fast pace ball. It goes into the net while I try to return. How to deal with such balls?
it take me quite a long 40 minutes of warm up of free hitting to groove my forehand and back hand before match. Is there any way to go straight to match after about 5 minutes of warm up?
I am just like you!
Hoi Ryan, how do i practice hitting the bal with my forehand on the right side off my body not passing the middle of my body
4:35 I wonder whether the Proton ball machine might help here, as you can program sequences (and probably random sequences too)
I was intrigued when you mentioned the Proton ball machine from Hydrogen Sports. I have one and can not stop talk about the small and powerful training partner which should never be compared to the underperforming slinger ball machine. Anyways I watched your serve video ruclips.net/video/x8U1qppe2IA/видео.html and was laughing that 1) you wore a birthday hat and 2) you never knocked the party hat off on your serve. Ryan you need to get a Proton.
@@garychin4138 Thanks for watching, and glad that you got a laugh out of it, Gary. As you can see, nobody is perfect! What WOULD be perfect though is if you recorded yourself hitting against the proton machine because I'd love to see it working in practice.
Here is a link that demonstrates the Proton. ruclips.net/video/_8-BZe7clDQ/видео.html This video does not give it the accolades it deserves. They probably had it at the easiest setting. I use it at the medium setting and hopefully move up to the hard setting. I am a 3.5/4.0 player.
How to recover when you played a non power competitor who made you change your normal stroke
Ok here’s one - why do pros usually choose to receive when they win the coin flip.
The obvious answer is the pros have not settled in a groove at the beginning of the match and offers the best time to break serve.
@@garychin4138 thanks!
Question: I know that most club players don’t rotate into the shot enough. They stay turned sideways and swing with the arm. But is it possible for a player to have the opposite problem of opening the hips/body too much or too soon? Of letting the arm stretch and lag too far behind the hips? Or is this not something I should really worry about?
Hey Anthony. Great question here’s a video I made last week about this exact topic. ruclips.net/video/FASZNlPJwA8/видео.html
How to hit inside out forehand?
More great content, love it. However I feel that an obvious follow-up question was missed. Worried I am missing something obvious myself but why are the pros using the single grip if it so greatly dictates the backhand volley shot? I did a search but could not find anything helpful. My only guess would be consistency but it’s very counter-intuitive that the highest level players would lower the variety. I would expect the opposite to be true.
Great question. It’s bc of the great lie that’s passed down from generation to generation. And that lie is that there’s not enough time to change grips. Until coaches stop teaching that players will always struggle with backhand volleys. Thanks!!
@@2MinuteTennis Hi, Ryan. I understood why you suggested changing a grip in a volley. I also agree that there is enough time for changing in 95% of time. Yet, changing the grip from continental to "in between continental and backhand eastern" seems to have an important consideration. I think the grip dictates the swing. Meaning, with a grip "in between continental and backhand eastern", people tend to use extension of the elbow as a power source, while people with continental grip will often use a spination of fore arm or shoulder. I tried both, and I prefer the latter, because I can handle balls in more difficult situation (far, high, low, etc.).
@@2MinuteTennis I my case you are preaching to the choir. I use my off hand to change my grip. Like you I use a little more towards the backhand grip on certain backhand volleys. Also use that same grip for my kick serve to generate more spin. I am not a tall guy but have good success playing all court/ serve and volley. I was a big fan of Patrick Rafter.
Hello Ryan, I have 2 questions, you could put one for each episode, I don`t want occupy someone else spot for questions
1. For kick serve, I make the contact while ball dropping, but I am confused how high the ball to my head I should make the contact, I tried to put racket one edge on my head, one edge upward (string toward the net) as a reference, and wait the ball reaching the height as same as the upper edge of racket, then making contact, is this a reliable way or you have a better idea?
2. For volley, when I play double, my opponent always hit the ball toward my body instead of forehand or backhand side to force my error, it`s hard to control the ball, could you give help for impoving that?
Thanks a lot,
Randy Wang from Toronto, Canada
If you're playing a lower level of tennis you could probably switch your grips on your volleys. But in better competition you do not have the time to do that
You must have never tired it. :)
Hy coach my friend Fabio Luciani Italian 20 year and 5.7 foot tall Want to be a top player.And he need to have a great serve. Which are the most importants keys to improve It?