Beyond Technique

What is the most critical part of hitting a shot and playing a point? Technique? No. In my opinion, the most critical part is reading your opponent and recognizing your opponent’s ball. Other critical components are the movement and adjustment to the ball, the decision-making process (aka shot selection), the technique and finally the recovery. So, why do so many coaches spend a disproportionate amount of time working almost exclusively on technique?

Hitting a good shot takes more than good technique. You can have the best technique in the world, but if you don’t read your opponent’s ball, you have nothing! No matter how good your technique is, if you don’t move efficiently, you will not be successful. And if you don’t recover properly, you will not be in position to hit the ball with that great technique.

World number one Novak Djokovic said, "If you cannot be in balance for the ball, and to hit the ball, then everything becomes twice as difficult.” Getting in position to hit the ball is the most important objective, and it all starts with reading your opponent and moving efficiently.

“Getting in position to hit the ball is the most important objective, and it all starts with reading your opponent and moving efficiently.”

In my experience directing high-performance elite training programs, we may have to break down the components and separate them while teaching. For example, working on recognizing the ball, working on technique, etc., but the quicker we put all of the parts back together again in drills encompassing multiple factors, the better it is for our students.

There are many juniors worldwide with good technique, but how many of those juniors truly know how to play tennis? How many of those juniors know how to play the ball and not just hit the ball?

Tennis is a technical sport, but all components—reading, movement, decision-making, technique and recovery—together comprise one unit. You cannot separate them when you play tennis. Buy if you do, you will not be successful.