AcidRock23 wrote:I found the wall is actually bad b/c you use backspin against the well to get it to kick down hard and come back to you which is the opposite of actual tennis, where topspin is a big advantage.
Actually, you can use both (backspin and topspin) when practicing against a wall, and you use both in matches, so practicing against a wall isn't all that bad.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
AcidRock23 wrote:I found the wall is actually bad b/c you use backspin against the well to get it to kick down hard and come back to you which is the opposite of actual tennis, where topspin is a big advantage.
Actually, you can use both (backspin and topspin) when practicing against a wall, and you use both in matches, so practicing against a wall isn't all that bad.
I dunno, the kind of backspin you use to get it back to you against the wall is waaay different from what you use to hit a drop shot. As I got better at tennis, I pretty much discarded the wall. AcidDaughter is taking lessons though so it could come up again. Although if she takes to it as she seems to, there wouldn't be much need for a wall anyway!
AcidRock23 wrote:I found the wall is actually bad b/c you use backspin against the well to get it to kick down hard and come back to you which is the opposite of actual tennis, where topspin is a big advantage.
Actually, you can use both (backspin and topspin) when practicing against a wall, and you use both in matches, so practicing against a wall isn't all that bad.
I dunno, the kind of backspin you use to get it back to you against the wall is waaay different from what you use to hit a drop shot. As I got better at tennis, I pretty much discarded the wall. AcidDaughter is taking lessons though so it could come up again. Although if she takes to it as she seems to, there wouldn't be much need for a wall anyway!
True, the backspin is different if you want a ball returned to you with a perfect shot all set up. Personally, I never worried about how the shot coming back to me was set up, I just hit the shots I was given. Makes you more versatile to be able to return anything that can be hit at you.
Good luck to AcidDaughter! Maybe we'll see her on TV some day.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
AcidRock23 wrote:I found the wall is actually bad b/c you use backspin against the well to get it to kick down hard and come back to you which is the opposite of actual tennis, where topspin is a big advantage.
Actually, you can use both (backspin and topspin) when practicing against a wall, and you use both in matches, so practicing against a wall isn't all that bad.
I dunno, the kind of backspin you use to get it back to you against the wall is waaay different from what you use to hit a drop shot. As I got better at tennis, I pretty much discarded the wall. AcidDaughter is taking lessons though so it could come up again. Although if she takes to it as she seems to, there wouldn't be much need for a wall anyway!
True, the backspin is different if you want a ball returned to you with a perfect shot all set up. Personally, I never worried about how the shot coming back to me was set up, I just hit the shots I was given. Makes you more versatile to be able to return anything that can be hit at you.
Good luck to AcidDaughter! Maybe we'll see her on TV some day.
But they're talking about doubles. I would definitely recommend hitting off a wall as a method to improve your ability to return against a pair of net guys. That said, a wall has its downfalls. Hitting off a wall will cause you to shorten your stroke to compensate for the shorter distance the ball must travel when moving from you to the wall and back to you. In a singles match, if you use the same stroke, you will get killed because your shortened stroke will result in a shorter ball that will set up for a guy at the baseline.
I've always had a reputation as being an excellent return man and a tough as nails against net players. I credit most of that to the time I've spent hitting against the wall.
Good point on the doubles. Backspin groundstrokes that are anything other than drop shots tend to rise as they get deeper and are more 'touch' practice shots. I haven't played doubles in eons, except for a few times as the 'single' in Canadian.
Obviously opportunities for chopped/angled shots do crop up but a topspin forehand will drop down on the court so you can hit it harder and deeper w/ topspin. I think that using backspin off the wall will get in the way of refining your groundstrokes to where they are REALLY nasty.
We clearly need to have a Café invitational somewhere in Kansas. Maybe St. Louis?
Hey Great to see other Tennis Players here . I also just got done my tennis season. Are team finished 7th in the state.
This summer I'm going down to the Bolletieri Tennis Academy down in Bradenton Florida. this is my 3rd year there, and as being know as the greatest Sports Academy in the World, they have a few good drills there.
1. Have either you or your brother stand 7-10 feet inside the court, from the center of the baseline. Set up a cone a little behind the bsaeline. The peson inside the court will hand feed balls to the person hitting behing the bsaeline. You rotate forehand and backhands, while keeping active the whole time running around the cone. This helps you work on defensive shots deep in the court, which is vey common in HS tennis.
2. Another great drill is the windshiels wiper drill. Where one person feeds from the opposite side of the net, and anotehr person stnds on the bsaeline. The feeder feds the shots near one alley, after you hit it you run back to the "T" touch it and hit it again.
3. Anotehr good drill is to play a game by rallying. It is regular rules, but you autoatically lose the point if your shot does not gop past the service line. This helps keep good depth on your shots.
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by JTWood » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:40 pm 
