Before we begin, I’d like to show you a video of what consistency looks like at its finest:
I have always practiced in phases. I build up a weak part of my game until I am satisfied with the progress, and then start working on another flaw (needless to say, I have plenty to choose from). Lately, my focus has been on consistency. To accomplish this I have adapted the world renown tennis coach Ken De Hart’s ‘5 Tactical Priorities’ for hitting your shots and have come up with the 4 factors of consistency, as well as provide drills to help you work on each part individually.
So let’s begin. The 4 factors of consistency are direction, depth, spin, and power. Now just as you should learn to walk before you run, you should attack each of these factors in order, only progressing to the next factor once you have a solid grasp on the current one. Notice that power is dead last (more on that to come). That brings us to our first factor:
Direction
Direction is a simple concept that most people at the club level can easily grasp. At its basic form, direction is hitting the ball to either your opponents forehand or backhand, while at its most advanced could be you deciding to what degree you would like to pull your opponent off the court. Direction is extremely important when you have an opponent at net because they are usually just waiting for you to hit a shot close enough to for them to attack.
Doubles Drill: Monkey in the Middle
This one is simple. Starting with a drop feed and both teams in a normal configuration (one up-one back), the two players on the baseline play out the point doing their best to avoid the players at the net. If they win the point in regular fashion against the other baseliner (error or winner) it counts for one point however if the baseliner hits a winner passed the net player or the net player hits a winner off of a poach then it counts for two points. Play to 11 points, no lobs allowed.
Singles Drill: Figure 8’s
Both players start on the baseline. Starting with a drop feed, one player is designated to hit only cross-court while the other is only allowed to hit down the lines. Players switch off every few minutes
Depth
After you have mastered direction, it is time to move on to depth. Depth is extremely important in preventing your opponent from ever getting on the offensive. If all of your shots are falling in the back three feet of the court, your opponent will be very hard pressed to find an opening to approach on.
Doubles and Singles Drill: Keep it Deep
All players start on the baseline. Starting with a drop feed, players begin a rally point with one altered rule, the service boxes (as well as the doubles alleys that are the same length as the service boxes for doubles) are considered out, meaning the entire point must be played with shots landing passed the service line. Approaching and hitting volleys are allowed, and play ends when someone has reached 11.
Spin
I’ll admit it; I would be nothing without my lefty spin. Mastering spin is perhaps the most important part of improving the consistency of your tennis game. Once it is understood, it really improves the depth of your shots as well as helps you prepare to ht shots with unlimited amounts of power. That’s right, with enough control from spin, you can swing as hard as you possibly can and still get shots in.
Singles and Doubles Drill: Short Court
All players start on the service line. For singles use one service box, for doubles use both. Starting with a drop feed, players play out a point in just the service boxes. The two altered rules are that all shots must be either topspin or slice and that no volleys are allowed. During this exercise, really focus on hitting full strokes if you want to get as much out of it as possible. Play to 11 points. *Note* This drill really brings in all three of the previous factors. Use direction, depth, and spin to hit full shots inside the service line and understand how they all come together.
Power
It saddens me to see how many players rely on this and just this to win points, especially at the club and junior level. I was in a club tournament recently where an opponent who has a very fast serve was my opponent. During the entire match, he hit one first serve in on the ad side, one! Sure, all of his faults were fast and I had trouble returning the one first serve that got in, but the second serve was a puffball and my returns gave him trouble. If you rely solely on power against a smart opponent, you will lose. If however, you compliment your power with the other three factors, then you are in business.
Singles and Doubles Drill: 10 to 100
All players start at the baseline. Starting with a drop feed, players start a rally at what they perceive to be 10% of their maximum power, barely getting the ball over the net. After a minute, increase to 20%, then 30%, 40%, and so on. At some point, you will reach your current threshold, where your current mastery of direction, depth, and spin will not allow you to be consistent at that power. Play at or slightly above that level of power, focusing on getting every single shot in. If you are still in accurate, then this power level is not where you can comfortably rally at, and go down in power.
So there it is, the 4 factors of consistency. Keep at these and you will be able to improve your game at a constant rate for a long time. As always, please comment with anything you have to say, I would love to hear it!
Bonus: Here is another video I found that really shows all of the factors really well:
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Excellent post.