Just a quick reminder - I often share conversations with players like in the video above in the Membership section. Click the JOIN button above to see what your options of joining the Membership are. If you want to see all the videos that have been uploaded so far in the Membership section, click this link: kzread.info/head/UUMOTK9oKMGU0XIQpLJYDs45fw

I think it is important to recognize that Michalis did not really play a single aggressive shot in the 47 shots rally, whereas Felix tried to attack on a couple of occasions and was rewarded by eventually drawing his opponent out of position and finishing the point with an aggressive shot deep to the backhand and then the put away shot at the net. You could say that Michalis used the "keep hitting one more shot than the opponent" strategy as well, but it did not work out for him. This also left Michalis is a position where he could see his opponent was not trying to hurt him with any shots, which takes the pressure of Felix. I think when the opportunity to attack presents itself in a point, that you have to learn to take advantage the opportunity as Felix did and not just keep hitting the ball back as Michalis did. It doesn't need to be a clear winner, but playing a penetrating shot will set up an opportunity to win the point. So I think you need this mindset as well as being mentally and physically strong.

I have been so focussed on hitting winners, and I have to agree that its probably one of the biggest reasons why I don't win more matches. this however isn't because I can't physically stay in the rally. I'm a runner / sprinter my whole life and have excellent cardio. I can't stay in the rally because frankly, I enjoy hitting winners - it's my favorite part of tennis. Hitting a clean, fast, perfectly placed shot is the golden apple of tennis. But, I recognize after watching this video that focussing on that golden apple is a sign of mental weakness. I need more discipline and patience, to sit in the rally and lean into my great cardio. Thank you for framing this problem so that I can understand it.

God, how much I wish I had a coach like this. My coach clearly doesn't love the game like this guy does. I see passion in his instruction and it inspires me.

One of your best videos Thomas. And you’ve made many excellent ones over the years.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated!

"You must not run from trouble." I equate this with Nadal's "chase every ball down" mentality. Both embrace the no backing down philosophy, so at least your opponent knows this match will not be an easy one from the start. I've also started to "embrace the rally" in recent matches, and am doing better at waiting for the right return to attempt or nail a winner. It's actually made tennis more fun, for me. All solid pointers, Tomaz - nicely done!

@brucewhittaker1282

2 жыл бұрын

This is an important distinction, you are waiting for the right ball to attack. You aren't just getting the ball back hoping the other guy is going to make a mistake, ad infinitum. That, I believe, is the right mindset to have. Always look for the right ball to attack. Sure, you do need to be consistent until that ball comes along.

Out of all the videos I've watched of yours Tomaz, I think this is the one I needed to see the most. This one cuts deep. I've often used the excuse of 'Oh, I'm not a pusher so I don't play that kind of style of tennis, because I don't have the patience for it'. When underneath that statement is the truth that 'I will often get beaten by a pusher because I don't have the physical and mental toughness to stay with them'

@feeltennis

11 ай бұрын

Yes, as the old saying goes:"The truth will set you free." With the truth you know what choices to make. Do you even want to play competitive matches and fight with pushers when you come across them here and there? Or not... I don't need that crap in my life anymore, so I don't play points any more. While my main reason for not playing points is because I am fulfilled in tennis competition sense, there is a small component of also not having all the annoying frustrations of rallying for 3 hours or dealing with bad luck like net cords, passing shots when someone hits the frame, etc.

Another great lesson! love this conversation at the beginning. thanks 🙏 appreciate

What a wonderful message, Thomas! I will make a note of this and keep it in my bag. Thanks a lot for sharing this.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

Probably the best tennis video I've ever seen! Thanks Tomaz!

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful, if one really "gets it", it can change the course of your tennis journey.

Thanks Tomaz, good video yes I agree about tennis and suffering! Will work on hitting the two extra shots and not trying to end the point too quickly.

Dear Tomaz, thanks for another excelent vídeo. I started following your channel about five years ago and I have learnt a lot. I have been a serve-and-volley player for most of my tennis journey. That made me really uncomfortable in the baseline and I often saw myself rushing to the net in the first ball of the rally. I decided to change my gamestyle and play from the baseline. It has proven a great challenge and I often resort to serve and volley in difficult matches. But I am also having a lot of fun, like playing another Sport. Your instruction has been a precious help! There is a very important message in this vídeo and only now I am able to see it clearly. A player must stay consistent and use his best shots to resist the rally until an oportunity to finish the point appears. This is not being a pusher! One has to develop deep groundstrokes with decent amount of spin to keep the oponent behind the baseline and generate pressure until they brake. I think this is the best way to win points from the baseline. You are a great teacher and a great thinker!

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the wonderful feedback! Tennis is all about discipline - if there is no opportunity to create pressure (don't think winners!), then you have to hit a deep neutralizing shot and wait for the next opportunity. Against good players you will be about 30% of the match in defense, 40% in neutral and 30% in offense. That also means 70% of the time not in offense! That has to be normal to you...

Gold.. I have never taken any lessons just learned from your videos.. Been playing for 13+ years but my game got better after watching your videos.. The mental aspect you covered in this one hit me .. I try to go for winner more often than not and end up making unforced errors.. Will try this strategy and see how I do.. I am at 3.5 level and working to go to 4.0

@feeltennis

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind feedback! What if I told you that even at my level I never try to hit a winner? I don't moon ball, I play aggressive, but safe aggressive and I don't attempt winners at all. Too risky... Create pressure for opponent, move them around and try to force errors.

Excellent!!!

Great content as usual. I think it's true only when both players have similar levels as sometimes even if one player wants to stay in the point, he simply won't be able to match the pace of his opponent. In this case mental and physical toughness become irrelevant.

Truth often hurts. Great lesson!

Best video I have seen

Thanks! Agree.... As of late- tennis talk seems to "cater" to serve plus one, first four shots, big shots; I believe I understand and agree with the suffering/outlasting aspect in regards to winning. Can I assume your practices will be designed so students' suffer at times and would you also include in your practices-- attention to the weapons so as to deal with the "first four shots?"

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

The practices in junior and higher level tennis are always geared towards defense, neutral and offense. One needs to master all these situations with as many shots as possible. But a 12 year old will hit a serve with a 70 mph and a forehand with a 50 mph whereas an ATP pro will hit a serve with a 130 mph and a forehand with a 90 mph. Therefore a pro will get many more chances to go on offense and finish points quickly than the junior / recreational tennis players. What Brain Game guy who keeps pushing these stats online (most points end in 4 shots) doesn't tell you (or doesn't know) is that on junior / recreational level most points that end early end on an unforced error whereas on top pro level most short points end with a winner (or forcing an error). Therefore lower level players should really focus on AVOIDING making stupid mistakes in the first 2-3 shots they make. Tennis at "non-professional" level is played very differently than at pro level because the power and precision of shots are way way worse but the movement and reaction skills of many players are really good. (like former soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball players...). Therefore many more shots are "reached" and many more long rallies happen. There are almost no aces or service winners at recreational level (2.0 to 4.5) especially on clay and almost every serve is returned deep and then one has to start building the point through long rallies. So eventually it comes down to what I share in the video above, mental and physical toughness and willingness to suffer more so that you break your opponent mentally and physically. It doesn't mean you have to push the ball, it means you play the best shot you can that is consistent. Felix played super consistent point with high percentage shots and yet none of that was pushing. It was just safe tennis for his level of shots. So everyone needs to find the best shots they can play that is still highly consistent.

Thank you for this video. It resonated with me. I’m a 3.5 and I lost to a pusher who didn’t hit a single ball by me. I hit several winners but made many more errors. I kept getting angry with self for being tight and getting jammed on my forehand. However the main reason I lost was that he was more consistent and tolerated the hot conditions better. Gotta work on my fitness and overall rally tolerance. I got so tired at a certain point that I wanted to end points quickly but I don’t have the skill to pull that off consistently.

@thugzclub4070

Жыл бұрын

This is my issue…at the start of the game, I can hit winners and maintain. But after the lack of fitness gets to me so I want to end the point quickly..

@ayhayuba3969

Жыл бұрын

For amateur players with a ‘power’… conditioning vs a pusher is probably our kryptonite.

Thanks!

@Nina-xx1kb

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tomaz for your excellent work!

And keep improving!

Make them suffer while I suffer. This is gold

Tomaz this is another fine video. This may be slightly off topic but wanted your thoughts. I picked up tennis later in life and had the typical "old school" way of hitting the ball. Over the last few years, I developed more modern strokes using semi-western forehand and I seem to play well against opponents that have a similar style. However, I struggle against "old school" players now. In my mind, I feel I should be winning against these players but most of them play low flat shots that are below my knees (I'm 6'2" tall) and I make many errors in the net using my modern grip/style. I don't know how to adapt my modern approach to an old school opponent. Appreciate any thoughts.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind feedback! OK, the first though is that you shouldn't think you should be winning. As this video tries to explain, winning is not about who is more skilled (unless the difference is really too big but then it's not really a match), but who is willing to suffer more and who can put one more ball in. I can't say for sure what the problem is but likely you are hitting those difficult low balls too hard which means you are underestimating them. Or perhaps underestimating tennis difficulty in general. A semi-western forehand grip has no problems handling low balls but you need to accelerate the racket according to your skill level and according to the difficulty of the ball. So if they are low and skidding, you'll need to play the ball back more safely. And then you'll realize what this video was all about...

@jscott4431

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis Thanks Tomaz for your response. I will watch this video several more times, I'm sure. I'm ready to suffer!!

This is solid advice. I think it could revolutionize a lot of people's gameplans, but I just hope it doesn't push the general meta (any extra) towards being a pusher/moonballer hahah.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Pushers are the most successful players at recreational level according to their skill level. Tennis firstly a game of not committing unforced errors and only secondly of trying to win points in various ways. But the typical players has been brainwashed from watching tennis highlights for years and having a completely skewed picture of how tennis is really played - even at the pro level.

Yeah, I played today and noticed that most of the points I won by keeping it in play. As soon as I pushed the point and tried to hit winners, I would mess up and lose the point. Not always for either of them, just more often than not.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Don't think winners but just to create pressure when you can. That means make it difficult for your opponent to hit a good controlled shot.

That’s my problem....anxiety to get the point and I end up hitting the ball out or into the net by throwing power into it and usually loosing some balance....3 bad shots for every good shot.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Good that you're aware now. So now practice what I suggested - stay in the rally for 2 more shots than you're comfortable. Do that for the next 2-3 months and come back to this comment and report what happened. ;)

How do serve-volley players fit into this?

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

They generally don't but they need to be ready and trained to long rallies when they happen.

After watching last two sets of the 2022 French Open final, it's obvious this advice is exactly right. Ruud was not willing to do this against Nadal. He kept trying to go for winners too early. He's a good enough shot maker that he could have won a set against Nadal but he wasn't willing to do this. He wasn't willing to grind out the points enough. UPDATE: After seeing Tomaz' reply to me elsewhere, I see I was not quite right on that. Nadal is just that much better... Yes Ruud did force some errors on Nadal, but he had to play almost perfect tennis to do it. He commented after the match that playing Nadal is different from everybody else because he hits so much spin.

That’s why the Pushers/Grinders/consistency players are so successful at the club level

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Yup, spot on.

@leebr2010

Жыл бұрын

And sometimes their technique doesn’t even look good. Sometimes I think fitness is more important than technique.

"stay in the tension of the rally"

I can agree to a certain extent, but Tennis should be about constantly finding ways to win a point, not about finding ways to not lose the point. And this encourages just staying in the point and hoping the other player makes a mistake. Sure, for players at a certain level this may help but to keep improving I believe you need to look at ways to win the point. This is why Carlos Alcarez is making such an impact, because he is looking for a way to win every point, not just a way to stay in the point. I confess that I use the consistency strategy when I come up against an inconsistent player because then they beat themselves. But when I come up against another consistent player this mindset is counter productive. Better to have the attacking mindset from the start then.

@davidsherby1964

2 жыл бұрын

True, but, you can't win a point if you throw a return away by going for a hero shot when you shouldn't! (Guilty as self-charged.) I watched Alcarez's RG first round match last night and lost track of the number of times he "made one more (Sacré Bleu!) return" - and stayed in the point. Those were awesome gets and smart plays by an extremely talented player who won, convincingly, in straight sets. He also had several one-and-done winners! And several lost points on close, but still out, returns. My guess is any pro at that level is always looking to win the point. I would also venture most of us who watch Tomaz's videos are not Alcarez talented/skilled (I'm referring to 3.0 - 3.75 recreational skill level here) but even against a consistent player there exists a shot tolerance where they start to get j-u-s-t a little antsy. I don't disagree with your attacking mindset comment though, because that is what starts to separate you from your "old" tennis self to someone who wants to improve and win more matches. It's an aggressive sport, after all. Cheers, and here's to better play, everyone -

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

My videos are geared towards to people who watch videos on KZread and these are recreational tennis players. 99% of them will never develop the power nor the consistency to hit winners or forcing shots regularly. Their game needs to be based on consistency and good placement. Since neither of two players can finish the point quickly with high consistency, long rallies will happen. The winner for most rallies and therefore matches is the player who understands how tennis is played at such level - which is to sustain the suffering longer than your opponent. If you are training high performance juniors and they will eventually play higher level tennis like college or ITF then obviously you need to train them to become more aggressive because they CAN become more aggressive and hit more winners. Recreational tennis players WILL NOT become better in that department because they don't train nearly enough to develop consistency with power and likely the brain / body adaptations happen too slow at adult age. So forget putting Alcaraz name in the same context as a dentist, accountant or an IT tech guy playing tennis twice a week who started tennis 3-5 years ago. You are throwing some theory out just to prove a point without considering who is the audience of KZread. I know my audience since I teach them daily and I run this KZread channel for more than 15 years. And finally, you should not look for ways to win the point, I will explain the actual tennis philosophy in one of my future videos. In one sentence - we don't try to win points directly, we play to create pressure and at some point the opponent will crack. We never try to hit a direct winner where opponent would not touch the ball. That applies to all levels of tennis except ATP and WTA. And because this is so counterintuitive (because you have all been brainwashed by highlights where only winners are shown), that's why majority of club level tennis players play so poorly and make so many unforced errors and get massively frustrated playing tennis.

@brucewhittaker1282

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis I'm not a coach so yes, my theory is only based on my own experience. Maybe I should consider it, but I've been playing for more than 40 years now with the attacking, win the point mentality, can't teach an old dog new tricks and all that. And at 52, I'm way too old for 47 point rally's, that won't cause mere suffering but probably be the end of me. But for your audience and students your strategy would definitely be the best way to go. Makes a lot of sense.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Well, the question is whether you have been successful. One has to have very good skills (way way above average 3.5 level player) to come often to the net and be successful at it in singles. So if you were successful then you likely have no idea how poorly skilled other normal people are and how impossible it is for them to pull that off. Talented players typically have no idea how non-talented people feel and perceive situations in tennis or other sports. Only when you teach them for many years and you teach many many "regular folks" you do understand their problems. I also played very aggressive tennis with a lot of net rushing but I trained volleyball seriously for 16 years and I had high level reaction, coordination and timing skills. I likely played between 5.5 and 6.0 NTRP level but 80% of my audience is 3.0 to 4.0 and they can't pull it off. If they want to win, they'll need to grind it out.

@brucewhittaker1282

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis Fortunately I have been successful with the attacking mindset, but yes, it probably cant be extrapolated to 'regular folk'. I'm a very unconventional player in that I have two forehands, so I can attack better from both sides. Years ago I injured my right shoulder so couldn't play for about 6 months. Instead of stopping for all that time I starting using my left hand to play forehands, and when I recovered I stuck with it because the left handed forehand allows me to attack better than my old double handed backhand used to. It's also worth a few extra points because it confuses players who aren't used to that for awhile. As a coach you will probably disagree with this, and it's a whole new discussion, but I believe that juniors should be taught to use two forehands from a young age along with all the other shots. It will give them an extra weapon and it improved my game all round for some reason. I see even pros that run around their backhand so that they can attack with their forehand. But this way, you don't need to run around the 'weaker shot' and can utilize space a lot better. Anyway, back to the original point, as you rightly point out, my strategy is not for the average player. Much better to stick to consistency and grind as you say.

so when professional players "try to shorten the point" when they are facing physical challenges (age, fitness, etc.) or when it is their play style, they are still in their comfort zoom somehow...

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

No one tries to shorten the point by taking higher risks. They are in a good position (or a terrible one way outside of the court from where is no recovery) and they have the skill to pull it off. Therefore the risk of missing is low. They will only try to shorten points with risk if they are injured or extremely fatigued. And at recreational level the risk of missing when going for the winner is very high from basically any situation. ;) Here's a tip - only attempt to finish the point if you are inside the service box area. If you are between baseline and service line, just look to apply pressure. And if you are behind the baseline, hit neutral or defensive shots (if you're in trouble). It's that simple and if you follow these simple guidelines with discipline, you will play very smart tennis.

@xiaoxiao8523

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis thanks Thomaz, always enjoy your videos and great tips!

@davspa6

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis that's why I've lost so many tennis matches. I had superior strokes technically, but tried to go for too much.

@davspa6

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis can we say that Casper Ruud did that yesterday? If you're facing somebody like Nadal who's extremely fast, or your shot isn't perfect, you're going to lose anyway because now you're out of position. I saw Ruud do that several times in the last couple sets. He hits a good but not great shot, attempting to force an error, seems to me was too early many cases, but now he's out of position. Nadal gets to it in plenty of time, for him, and just hits a winner. The commentators did not pick up on it.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

@@davspa6 Ruud probably estimated that Nadal is a better player if they go into long patient exchanges so he decided to increase the risk of his shots. It didn't work out but playing long points with Nadal also likely wouldn't have worked out. If someone is really better then there is no clever tactics to beat them. You will lose no matter what.

How come neither of them even attempted a drop shot? 🤔It's as though each was only focused on totally overpowering the opponent.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Drop shots are one of the riskiest shots in tennis. No one wants to risk a drop shot at such a crucial point in the match. I sure hope you learn this lesson too. Also, there was very little over-powering, all shots were controlled. They may seem powerful for your current skill level but for them it's a normal rally shot.

@Vicnsi

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis Thank you for the explanation. My appreciation and respect for successful drop shots has grown exponentially! I also now appreciate much more the importance of having good endurance during long rallies.

@miguelbarahona6636

2 жыл бұрын

A few years ago, almost no drop shots in pro matches. I think Djokovic started to use them extensively. Last 2021 RG Djokovic-Nadal, it surprised me the high number of drop shots done by both players. You can see young pros (Alcaraz, Rune, etc...) using it more and more. The best drop shot I´ve seen is just Alcaraz´s.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

I am not sure what your point is. The player must have the right conditions if they want the drop shot to have higher probability of success. Even then one should not attempt drop shots when feeling under pressure on big points because fine feel is not there and you'll likely miss. So Felix and his opponent are likely aware of that and no one is stupid enough to play a drop shot at 8:7 in final tie-break. Obviously drop shots are part of the tennis stroke arsenal and I've made quite a few videos on that topic, you can start with this one first if you want to know more: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aZOhw6WufM3ZlLg.html

My problem is choking.

@feeltennis

Жыл бұрын

Check this article: www.tennismindgame.com/choking.html

@twistedwired

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, that was a thought provoking read, with a bonus photo of Ana. Following Feel Tennis is a mind expanding experience that often goes beyond tennis.

So I should give up trying to blast my opponents off the court (as a 4.0) 😔

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

No 4.0 level blasts people off the court and wins lots of matches. Unless you play a 2.0... If you play another 4.0 who plays consistent tennis you will lose as you make too many unforced errors. Perhaps you don't want to see them and your mind creates a very selective memory where you remember winners but not unforced errors... But whatever the case, what you think or I think doesn't matter. The only thing that matters in competitive tennis is whether you win consistently against same level of players.

@samuelforner6283

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis thank you for the reply sir. I agree it's not a winning strategy I have lost 10 matches in a row trying this. But it is my hope that my shot making ability will improve in time if I stick to this aggressive strategy in my free hitting sessions and matches. If I hold back how will I ever improve my shot making?

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

Your shot ability will not improve this way. Because you miss so many shots and you lose so many matches you will completely lose confidence in your strokes. And in tennis you simply cannot hit a good shot with low confidence not matter how nice your technique is. Tennis is not played with winners. What you see in TennisTV highlights are really just highlights. 80% of tennis is played by moving opponent around and not missing at the same time. And at recreational level tennis is played 10 times "worse" than what you see in the highlights. You need to first play WITHIN your level and see how it goes. That means hitting 90% of balls in. Figure out the target area and speed of your shots where 90% of balls go in. Then increase the speed by 5% !!! and see how it goes, if you're still relatively successfull. Successful means 2/3 or 3/4 of balls in. If your percentage is lower, you need to decrease the speed or adjust targetting area. You need to be CONSTANTLY SUCCESSFUL while you aim to progress. Successful does not mean hiting a winner but hitting the ball IN! You need to gradually increase the speed of your shots and monitor if you hit in 2/3 to 3/4 of balls in. If yes, stay at that speed level for a few weeks to a month or two, depending how much you play. If not successful, lower the speed back to your speed where you hit 80-90% balls in and stay there for a week or two. Then gradually increase the speed by 5-10% and see how it goes. Do that for the next few years and report back how it goes.

@samuelforner6283

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis thank you for taking the time to reply Tomaz, I will follow your advice. 🤝

@leebr2010

Жыл бұрын

This is the best advice Tomaz! I have to remember that and put it to use, instead of trying to blast every ball. This may be the best advice I’ve ever heard. Thank you!

"they never watched my video" 😀

So in your opinion tennis is just putting the ball on the other side to show you strong? Maybe like this you show physicality and lame tennis, instead of this i think its better to go for serve winner or 2-3 shots aggressive shots and that's it, many pros do this, train to hit good serve/return, good angles, and good flat accelerations, instead of waiting for the other to miss.

@feeltennis

2 жыл бұрын

No, you are twisting my message to try and prove your point. Does Simon's tennis look like he is just putting the ball in? Does Felix's tennis look like he is just putting the ball in? I already anticipate comments from arrogant people like you who will try to twist the message to prove their point and I include high level play with consistency examples to destroy your arguments. The second completely pointless argument is to point out what the pros do where 99% of the viewers of KZread tennis channels are recreational tennis folks with 3.0 to 4.0 level. You think they can hit serve winners? ;) You think they can finish the point in 2-3 shots? What a joke... Don't comment any more so that you don't make a bigger fool of yourself.

@iMMORTAL-bn5rv

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis I'm not twisting anything all you say is that tennis is all about showing to your opponent that you are stronger lmao and to get better just try hard to put every ball back in

@iMMORTAL-bn5rv

2 жыл бұрын

@@feeltennis i'm talking about what you say, not fucking simon or alex wtf