I love the direction of this channel. It is so much more authentic to breakdown amateur tennis than it is to show us Roger hitting a single handed backhand on the rise from a Rafa forehand. That's just a level of tennis almost no one will ever reach. I know we all want to look like Roger on the court but unfortunately we all can't. These are practical and realistic breakdowns on how to win at a level many more of us can achieve. Thank you for these and please keep doing them!
The worst thing is when you set yourself up all point and then try to hit an impossible shot when you could have been solid and won the point. Love the vids keep it up!
Haha that is my patented phrase. “No one can beat me. I do it myself” 😂 Or another one, to my winning opponent:” you played against me, I played against you and me, myself and I 😂”
Awesome video analysis! You is correct with the court positioning and the need to hit with more safety margin. I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out. A couple steps in the wrong position in the court makes a big difference with winning/losing a point as you showed. There are many points where we did miss wide or into the net going for too much and not enough margin of error. Thanks for pointing it out and using our video as an example to help all of us to improve our tennis game. Feel free to use any of our videos for tennis analysis and a big thank you to the players who are willing to put their tennis game on UA-cam for all to see.
LOVE your attitude, TennisTroll! So proud of you for recording and publishing these matches. It benefits the whole tennis community so much. Keep up the great work!
Shakeem Robinson Thank you. We are thankful to have many tennis players in our area willing to video for UA-cam. This is a good video as I have never been told about court positioning before. It’s eye opening.
Ah, the lure of the great shot. For most of my playing life (45+ years) I was only interested in pulling off those shots, and I have hit some great shots, but my match record--not so hot. Now that I'm an old man and my legs don't want to run forever, I'm finally trying to improve my margins. Making some progress, but oh the lure, the siren song of the winner. Don't end, extend.
Stop Beating yourself + Aim Here for Easy Tennis Wins video + Attack here for easy winners = I turned the tide After watching these videos and applying the info I started to constantly win against my friend, following many months of misery. No improvement to my technique, just these changes in tactics. It seems so easy now. His turn to come with something new :) Thanks Ian!
I my opinion, these videos post-pandemic are better than those pré-pandemic. Before the pandemic, the channel was already very good, but now, as soon as I see the notification, I can't wait to watch the video. This decision of produce content based on what we ask is really working.
It's about the chances you take when going for the winner. If they land 50% of the time, you don't gain anything from the risk. If they land even less of the time, you are truly giving away free points. If you have solid (but less risky) shots that land 75% of the time, thats where you win matches. However, I can think of cases where you want to go for a winner even though you have bad odds: grinding matches where you are getting on the backfoot in rallies, when you want to mentally impress your opponent, when you want to introduce a bit more variety. Great video as always, thanks!
Definately a victim of attempting 'impossible/highlight' shots when i don't need to. The amount of times i'm match point up and get to the net hoping to finish with a tweener 😂 what can i say, it's too tempting.
I think it's ok to go for the big highlight shot in certain moments but there's a balance, if you're too afraid and never pull the trigger on them you can still win a decent amount of points and matches but that may be the difference between winning a tournament and coming in second place. You will go far but there may come a time that you need to pull the trigger and go for a riskier shot. On the other hand being too trigger happy and always going for risky low percentage shots might make you to inconsistent to even get to those key moments in a decent enough position to win. The balance may be 80/20 (or maybe it's 90/10). 80 or 90 percent of the time play high percentage shots and then the other 10 to 20% might be those decisive moments where it may be the time to pull the trigger on a high risk high reward shot.
Thanks to your 3 vidéos (this one, triple wammy, and circle of doom), I was able today to beat a guy who has been beating me all our previous matches. With your videos in mind, I had a lot of benefits : - I paid much more attention to him to move correclty - It led me to pay much less attention to my technique and focus on where and how to play - it kept me knowing why I was losing or winning some points - even though he could hit some winners from nowhere, I was much less frustrated because I know I had played correctly and he couldn't repeat such shots indefinitely - I could keep on cheering myself up to keep the good work instead of being grumpy Thank you !!!
Re 11:00: What about a player inclined to raise their intensity whenever under pressure, e.g. when pulled out of position? Doesn't the increased intensity make otherwise low percentage shots somewhat higher percentage and therefore more sensible?
Could you make a video about buying more time, maybe like the mechanics of the high percentage deep and high ball from a compromised position. Really benefiting from these videos btw
I join that request. Not to become a pusher, but being able to hit a neutralizing shot and wait out for a chance to attack is something that would elevate most player's game a lot
Second that. It's not easy shot and it's a shot recreational players hardly practice. it seems to be even harder at doubles match. Mediocre execution of those kind shot make it easy target.
Good idea. I don't think the safe time-buying shot would only be one particular stroke though. I tend to resort to lobs (of various types) and slices (backhand but also forehand "squash shot" ) and maybe drop shots (if riding my luck) - if I remember to go defensive. Often I forget that these options exist, and go for a mediocre rally ball, as in the example. Adding variety can be fun - you start to enjoy the tactical aspects more , and it breaks the opponent's rhythm.
This video pegs my tennis game to the T. But, I kind of have a justification for it. Winning the match, for some strange reason, has never been my highest priority. There is nothing like hitting that occasional winner right on the line that makes you feel, even if for only a second, like a fricken Federer. It feels great. Also, I have tried many times to play conservatively and hit 50% to 80% power shots to make less errors. AND, the results don't change. I seem to make just as many unforced errors, AND/OR, the better players I play with will just put away all those "sitters" I feed them. So, I have convinced myself, if I am going down, I am going down swinging. But, I can see the wisdom in your thinking. I will try it again....to play a tad bit more conservatively and intelligently.
It's a balance. Ideally your 80% percent power shot that is the safer high percentage shot still has enough power to be a neutralizing shot meaning its one with enough power and angle that they can't attack and just hit a neutral rally shot back vs being a sitter. If you are playing someone who outclasses you to the point that hitting 80% power is a sitter for them and you end up getting pretty far behind in the match then although this is counter to the wisdom of this video I am going to say go for broke and start going for those high risk high reward shots. If you are playing a 3 set match and you lost the first set 6-2 and you are also already down a couple breaks in the second set then you are almost at the nothing left to lose point so might as well try to go for big winners since nothing else is working.
Thanks for pointing this out! My brain often sees these low percentage shots and wants to go for it. Some realistic thought programming (for my skill level) to stay with the high percentage shots will be helpful.
My last lesson, my coach made me play my margins within the mini orange court. What a difference it made to my game. Cutting down the risk for error and improving my percentage game. I found I could still hit the ball with power and spin but kept myself in the rally for much longer! Worth thinking about next time you step out on court. 👍🏻
I so love these videos Ian. The discussion about where I place myself is so interesting and has caused me to miss a lot of points. Looking forward to more of these.
Brilliant review and I like your major emphasis regarding what what we do NOT see in highlight videos, namely all the lost points due to poor shot choices..
Some great analysis here and I can relate to this! I used to play like a dork and just try and play aggressive with no margin. But over the years I've learnt that to give your best chance to win, you have to play with margin and the percentages and only attack balls that are attackable. As Novak says, "Play aggressive but play high percentage". Great stuff Ian👍
For the first point, it’s also good to know it’s much easier for the opponent to hit the passing shot cross court because the net is lower and there’s more court diagonally. It would also be going to the right-handed player’s backhand, which has less reach. Hitting a down the line passing shot from that position is a lot harder than going cross court. All the percentages indicate a cross court shot would be more likely in that situation.
Nice, I'm glad you missed my favourite one. I like to hit a "winner", stand up and drop my racquet, maybe even take a nap as I watch my opponent return a shot I thought they had no chance at all of getting . tldr: focus!
Those are great guides and I love and learning from them. It would be great to have a summary list at the end of the video to summaries all the points in one place (you've done it in some of the videos but not all)
Oh here I am! Found myself here.. Doing extremly risky shots to get "wow" point and with that losing the basically already won point , which is very frustrated Very very very good video, I will try listen to your advices and get "colder" head 😁
I think you hit the nail on the head with the part about results vs performance. We tend to focus more on the knowledge of result, even though the knowledge of perfomance is the one where you can improve most of your game. Great video as always!
I hope to one day find a practice partner who will be open to recording and sharing matches publicly. I would even agree to only post those I lose. It’s so helpful to watch, like these videos. I am hitting much more to the backhand after seeing my own point play and these videos and getting better at asking myself after each point why I lost the point (or won).
Essential Tennis - Lessons and Instruction for Passionate Players If video was the only criteria, maybe. But I like my hitting partner for many other reasons. It’s not a must, but would be a big plus to use video.
I totally agree and especially when your goal is to win it's the best thing to play percentage tennis but tbh I prefer playing risky shots in practice and when playing points, idk it's just more fun and I feel like I learn more
At roughly 4:30 (and all throughout that whole poont, really) I would complement by saying he didn't do a split-step! That would've given him a useful boost to reach out for the ball but of course the point you're making is the main one! :)
Wow! That explanation completely changed the way I was thinking about shot-making and strategy. Fantastic video and explanation Ian 👌👍. Great work as always!
I agree that you should avoid big risks but when the levels goes up a bit you need to take them, a shot down the line close to the line is necessary to take an advantage. Yes hitting cross court is safer and usually a good choice but often you need to hit in the very last part of the court to stay in the point. Obviously try to hit a winner on each shot will make you lose the match but a too conservative game put you in a very bad position too. Anyway good job with this analysis videos , keep it up!!!
GREAT point, Orlando. You're exactly right: as level goes up more pressure and challenge is required to beat a good opponent. Something I'll be talking more about soon.
@@EssentialTennis I definitely do these when I play against strong players better than myself. I feel like I'm going to lose if we just hit neutral high percentage shots at each other due to skill difference so I force something and give them unforced error points that they don't even need to beat me with and take something that might be winnable ~20-30% of the time to completely unwinnable.
The other question to ask is, "What happened in the next point?" I just had to run back and forth across the court several times and I won, or lost. I am tired and winded (hey, I'm old) so did that effect my next point as well? (Less powerful serve because I am tired, tried to finish the point early leading to an error...)
I'd add one more way of beating yourself which those two guys are not guilty of in this video, but I'm sure everybody does it and it's absolutely toxic: being angry about your mistakes. To me there is nothing worse than being up 40-15 and then wasting an easy smash. I'm sure to lose the next 2 points as well, just because I'm thinking about how easily I could have already won that game. I think it's really, really important to not waste your time on points that were already played, it does you no good in that situation, just takes concentration away from the next point. Would love to see a video on the whole mindset-part in depth one day!
Great Video! One thing I'd like to see in a future video would be how to keep a cool head and think clearly during the points. I feel like most of the time I realize my mistake after the point is over and it stays with me during the next points, constantly thinking about what went wrong and what I could have done differently. Just wondering if you have any tips to play smart without overthinking things during the point.
You nailed it! But I didn’t hear the one point that makes Roger at a minimum one of the greatest- he modified his game to address weaknesses. He learned how to deal with the high topspin backhands by taking more of those on the rise. Omg what a thing of beauty to watch those...
I like the breakdown, I think the telling thing about the sequence around the 11:45 mark is the guy in orange pulls someone off the court to the point the guy is just stretching to get a 2HBH back into play and he's sitting 4 feet behind the baseline.. bruh get to the net! never mind high % low percent shot both guys look like they are hitting well, but staying comfy behind the baseline when you hit to outside lines is ridiculous that you're looking to finish from the baseline.. I'm probably waay off.. just mho.
Amazing video clips from both players. They are exceptional. Analysis is very useful too. The concept of the analysis is simple. It’s saying yes, you can do all those fancy return or counter strike. But, playing with higher chance or confident shot to win the point is much important than winning point with very tacky way. Yes, you can beat yourself to win or win the game with more confident shoot every time. 😁
Ian, does the positioning strategy work with new players also? Personally I’m still at a very low level, but I’d like to think I’m fairly decent. Today I watched your video on pushers and how they value keeping the bell in play until they win. And I want to adopt that mindset just with a couple of winners and faster paced shots every now and again. When I play my friend (a pusher) who has way less experience than me, I’m actively thinking about my position; however I feel I’m always in a rush to get to the ball. He’s taking low percentage shots that put me on the run. Your advice?
Thanks Ian. It's way too tempting to try for the "wow" shot. I know I would benefit from being patient and a bit methodical going for the high percentage shot and let my opponent make the error.
I am sooo guilty of trying to play highlight reel shots and gradually imploding in matches. Thanks for this. Do you have a video focused on footwork and timing of the split step? I know it's a weakness of mine, and I'm noticing it is consistently a big difference from 3.0 to 4.0, 4.0 to 5.0, and 5.0 and up players. I'm wondering if some players struggle to move up because bad footwork is getting in their way. Thanks again. Your content has helped me so much.
Great video! My wife and I play mixed with a former WTA player and her 3.0 husband. One of her most frequent comments, “Great shot! But was it the right shot?”
On the first point, I think the player on the near court had an opportunity to attack after a very good inside-out forehand. Maybe if he had positioned himself deeper in the court after the shot he could have done more with the short ball than what he eventually did.
Tiny Margins and Impossible Shots, sadly describe my game completely. Thank you for posting this Ian. I need to learn to play higher percentage tennis.
Jan, not all players are pushers :D. Your point about showing highlights is good, and was nice if you have shown us also some final stats and I'm curious who was the winner.
There should be more content about the mental side of tennis and maybe drills to help relax before point play. Every tennis player knows the feeling of great rallies in free play but tense up when it comes to matches.
Ian, really loving this series of analysis videos! I finally built a better mcgyver-esque tripod to record amateur with. Hope to post something soon. The one benefit you forgot about beating yourself at tennis: you can still go home a winner knowing that even though your opponent beat you 6-0, you still beat someone ^^;
#4. You are mathematically correct. However, tennis is also a game of gambling and a game of sharp edges. Freddie Roach, in boxing, says something like this: Good boxers can do the 9 out 10 moves. Great boxers can do the 1 out of 10 moves.
I always choke on the deciding point of the game. I can be up 40-0,40-15, 40-30, AD and I will for some reason change my game and the way I hit a ball. I tighten up and hit like a baby or I will try a stupid shot. What is a good strategy for get that winning point?.... Also what is a good strategy to stop sucking at tennis?? Please help!
Love your analysis. It would be great to get more material of "normal situations" illustrating the points you like to make. You are forced to show low percentage "glory shots" which almost contradict your message.
Great video, but I can't fully agree with the "impossible shots" point. Yes they are difficult, low percentage, etc. But this is why we love tennis, right? Because it's beautiful. We do want to make points like Roger or Rafa from time to time. OK... I know what you are going to say. Players win points not for grace, but only for making one right ball more then the opponent. It's true. Surely, most of us will never become anything close to ATP players, but we have to give us a try. Otherwise, it's not fun)) But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that you MUST go for risky low percentage points from time to time to win a match. There are two reasons for that. First, a little bit of stochastic is a key ingredient for the victory. Tennis is like poker. You have to randomize your play if you want to win. You have to take risks and play out of the box. If you 100% play by mathematics you will be outplayed once you are read by the opponent. And second, like you said in many of your videos, most of the points are won not by winners but by the errors of the opponent. But let's stop for a minute and think why do we make errors (forced as well as unforced ones)... Why? Well obviously, one of the reasons is that we are not very good players)) Our technic is poor, physical condition are far from perfect, etc. But also we make errors because we feel like we have to play harder, as our opponent appears to make impossible shots... That's why going for impossible shots is not a bad idea. You have to risk for the victory. But you must understand why you are doing this and when is the right moment. And of course consistently going for impossible shots is definitely a bad idea.
Ian, I respect you but I think you're wrong at 5:24 I don't think he mistakenly undercovered due to unintentional bad positioning, he lost because he went inside-in not particularly well. That's one of the reasons why I as an amateur with 10 years of experience very rarely play inside-in in a baseline rally. It's a risky shot that when played not well or even placed ok exposes a lot of space on your side of the court. At about four years in I made a conscious choice to really improve my backhand to a level where it is basically on par with my forehand (I didn't have an amazing forehand so it wasn't too difficult to bridge the gap). I'm an alright player but I think it really helps because I find opponents usually have to hit accurately to both sides to beat me (when and if I don't make bad errors).
@@EssentialTennis think I'm right or think I'm wrong? Come on Ian you know we can have a good dialogue about this. I'll probs never get to have one with you irl because I live in the UK.
@@EssentialTennis Sometimes going for low percentage shots is not intentional. I wonder if when he was pulled off court, was he hoping for CC but was late? Hence unintentionally hit DTL.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Loving this. Most of the time we don’t screw things up because of technique, but because of bad shot choices.
Exactly, Andres!
Yeah. And thanks to this video and others, things are gonna change for me!
I love the direction of this channel. It is so much more authentic to breakdown amateur tennis than it is to show us Roger hitting a single handed backhand on the rise from a Rafa forehand. That's just a level of tennis almost no one will ever reach. I know we all want to look like Roger on the court but unfortunately we all can't. These are practical and realistic breakdowns on how to win at a level many more of us can achieve. Thank you for these and please keep doing them!
The worst thing is when you set yourself up all point and then try to hit an impossible shot when you could have been solid and won the point. Love the vids keep it up!
I feel personally attacked. My go-to move is dominating the rally before failing at the critical moment.
I feel you man
Haha that is my patented phrase. “No one can beat me. I do it myself” 😂
Or another one, to my winning opponent:” you played against me, I played against you and me, myself and I 😂”
Awesome video analysis! You is correct with the court positioning and the need to hit with more safety margin. I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out. A couple steps in the wrong position in the court makes a big difference with winning/losing a point as you showed. There are many points where we did miss wide or into the net going for too much and not enough margin of error. Thanks for pointing it out and using our video as an example to help all of us to improve our tennis game. Feel free to use any of our videos for tennis analysis and a big thank you to the players who are willing to put their tennis game on UA-cam for all to see.
LOVE your attitude, TennisTroll! So proud of you for recording and publishing these matches. It benefits the whole tennis community so much. Keep up the great work!
Thank you. I included this video’s link in our pinned comment for orange shirt and blue shirt video. Thanks again : ]
@@TennisTrollChannel Awesome, thanks for sharing! Hope today is your biggest sub day ever :-)
Way to go Tennis Troll! Love watching your matches. You're bold to share. On point analysis Ian.
Shakeem Robinson Thank you. We are thankful to have many tennis players in our area willing to video for UA-cam. This is a good video as I have never been told about court positioning before. It’s eye opening.
Ah, the lure of the great shot. For most of my playing life (45+ years) I was only interested in pulling off those shots, and I have hit some great shots, but my match record--not so hot. Now that I'm an old man and my legs don't want to run forever, I'm finally trying to improve my margins. Making some progress, but oh the lure, the siren song of the winner. Don't end, extend.
Stop Beating yourself + Aim Here for Easy Tennis Wins video + Attack here for easy winners = I turned the tide
After watching these videos and applying the info I started to constantly win against my friend, following many months of misery. No improvement to my technique, just these changes in tactics. It seems so easy now. His turn to come with something new :)
Thanks Ian!
I my opinion, these videos post-pandemic are better than those pré-pandemic. Before the pandemic, the channel was already very good, but now, as soon as I see the notification, I can't wait to watch the video. This decision of produce content based on what we ask is really working.
Appreciate that feedback so much, Tiago. Thank you for your support!
It's about the chances you take when going for the winner. If they land 50% of the time, you don't gain anything from the risk. If they land even less of the time, you are truly giving away free points. If you have solid (but less risky) shots that land 75% of the time, thats where you win matches. However, I can think of cases where you want to go for a winner even though you have bad odds: grinding matches where you are getting on the backfoot in rallies, when you want to mentally impress your opponent, when you want to introduce a bit more variety. Great video as always, thanks!
Definately a victim of attempting 'impossible/highlight' shots when i don't need to. The amount of times i'm match point up and get to the net hoping to finish with a tweener 😂 what can i say, it's too tempting.
It really is tempting! Something we all fall for, no doubt about it.
The Foot Fault Podcast good luck with your channel!
@@TeresasSweets Thank you
I think it's ok to go for the big highlight shot in certain moments but there's a balance, if you're too afraid and never pull the trigger on them you can still win a decent amount of points and matches but that may be the difference between winning a tournament and coming in second place. You will go far but there may come a time that you need to pull the trigger and go for a riskier shot.
On the other hand being too trigger happy and always going for risky low percentage shots might make you to inconsistent to even get to those key moments in a decent enough position to win.
The balance may be 80/20 (or maybe it's 90/10). 80 or 90 percent of the time play high percentage shots and then the other 10 to 20% might be those decisive moments where it may be the time to pull the trigger on a high risk high reward shot.
Thanks to your 3 vidéos (this one, triple wammy, and circle of doom), I was able today to beat a guy who has been beating me all our previous matches.
With your videos in mind, I had a lot of benefits :
- I paid much more attention to him to move correclty
- It led me to pay much less attention to my technique and focus on where and how to play
- it kept me knowing why I was losing or winning some points
- even though he could hit some winners from nowhere, I was much less frustrated because I know I had played correctly and he couldn't repeat such shots indefinitely
- I could keep on cheering myself up to keep the good work instead of being grumpy
Thank you !!!
Re 11:00: What about a player inclined to raise their intensity whenever under pressure, e.g. when pulled out of position? Doesn't the increased intensity make otherwise low percentage shots somewhat higher percentage and therefore more sensible?
Great series of strategy videos. Kudos to you.
Could you make a video about buying more time, maybe like the mechanics of the high percentage deep and high ball from a compromised position. Really benefiting from these videos btw
Awesome idea, Pratyush.
Agree! Hitting deep reset shots is not easy.@@EssentialTennis
I join that request. Not to become a pusher, but being able to hit a neutralizing shot and wait out for a chance to attack is something that would elevate most player's game a lot
Second that. It's not easy shot and it's a shot recreational players hardly practice. it seems to be even harder at doubles match. Mediocre execution of those kind shot make it easy target.
Good idea. I don't think the safe time-buying shot would only be one particular stroke though. I tend to resort to lobs (of various types) and slices (backhand but also forehand "squash shot" ) and maybe drop shots (if riding my luck) - if I remember to go defensive. Often I forget that these options exist, and go for a mediocre rally ball, as in the example. Adding variety can be fun - you start to enjoy the tactical aspects more , and it breaks the opponent's rhythm.
What about the way so many beat themselves by beating up themselves emotionally. Self talk is very important and so is emotional strength.
YES, totally agree, Carolyn.
This video pegs my tennis game to the T. But, I kind of have a justification for it. Winning the match, for some strange reason, has never been my highest priority. There is nothing like hitting that occasional winner right on the line that makes you feel, even if for only a second, like a fricken Federer. It feels great. Also, I have tried many times to play conservatively and hit 50% to 80% power shots to make less errors. AND, the results don't change. I seem to make just as many unforced errors, AND/OR, the better players I play with will just put away all those "sitters" I feed them. So, I have convinced myself, if I am going down, I am going down swinging. But, I can see the wisdom in your thinking. I will try it again....to play a tad bit more conservatively and intelligently.
It's a balance. Ideally your 80% percent power shot that is the safer high percentage shot still has enough power to be a neutralizing shot meaning its one with enough power and angle that they can't attack and just hit a neutral rally shot back vs being a sitter. If you are playing someone who outclasses you to the point that hitting 80% power is a sitter for them and you end up getting pretty far behind in the match then although this is counter to the wisdom of this video I am going to say go for broke and start going for those high risk high reward shots. If you are playing a 3 set match and you lost the first set 6-2 and you are also already down a couple breaks in the second set then you are almost at the nothing left to lose point so might as well try to go for big winners since nothing else is working.
Thanks for pointing this out! My brain often sees these low percentage shots and wants to go for it. Some realistic thought programming (for my skill level) to stay with the high percentage shots will be helpful.
Glad it was helpful! You're so not alone, Patricia. Players of all levels get tempted into trying those low percentage shots.
All these videos are lovely, they basically summarize Brad Gilbert's "Winnig Ugly", a changer in my play and a must read book for every player
My last lesson, my coach made me play my margins within the mini orange court. What a difference it made to my game. Cutting down the risk for error and improving my percentage game. I found I could still hit the ball with power and spin but kept myself in the rally for much longer! Worth thinking about next time you step out on court. 👍🏻
I so love these videos Ian. The discussion about where I place myself is so interesting and has caused me to miss a lot of points. Looking forward to more of these.
Glad you're enjoying them, Mark!
Brilliant review and I like your major emphasis regarding what what we do NOT see in highlight videos, namely all the lost points due to poor shot choices..
Some great analysis here and I can relate to this! I used to play like a dork and just try and play aggressive with no margin.
But over the years I've learnt that to give your best chance to win, you have to play with margin and the percentages and only attack balls that are attackable.
As Novak says, "Play aggressive but play high percentage".
Great stuff Ian👍
For the first point, it’s also good to know it’s much easier for the opponent to hit the passing shot cross court because the net is lower and there’s more court diagonally. It would also be going to the right-handed player’s backhand, which has less reach. Hitting a down the line passing shot from that position is a lot harder than going cross court. All the percentages indicate a cross court shot would be more likely in that situation.
Hi 👋🏼 Mark, you’re such a good narrator and teacher, so fresh and clear. Love watching these awesome useful tennis 🎾 tips! Keep up the good work! 👍🏼
BRILLIANT video Kevin. Didn't realise what little I know of positioning. 👍
Nice, I'm glad you missed my favourite one.
I like to hit a "winner", stand up and drop my racquet, maybe even take a nap as I watch my opponent return a shot I thought they had no chance at all of getting .
tldr: focus!
This is a great video impacted by the fact that you repeat things a million times.
Those are great guides and I love and learning from them. It would be great to have a summary list at the end of the video to summaries all the points in one place (you've done it in some of the videos but not all)
Great!! Pls more Videos like this🥰
And could you do a Video where you explain when to go to the net?
You bet, more on the way!
I leveled up after standing on the right side of the court while in play
Thank you!!
Very nice! thank you! I learned alot
Very good I hope you show the same type of analysis for doubles. Thanks
Here's one for you, Ray! ua-cam.com/video/vynRX88y8gI/v-deo.html
Oh here I am!
Found myself here..
Doing extremly risky shots to get "wow" point and with that losing the basically already won point , which is very frustrated
Very very very good video, I will try listen to your advices and get "colder" head 😁
Glad you enjoyed it, Adam!
Really good video. Important points for us rec players.
Glad you enjoyed
Love this content! I've learned so much watching this, thank you!!
Ok, these videos are awesome! Such good insight, really illustrates the game behind the game!!
Glad you like them!
These videos are invaluable!! well done guys!
I think you hit the nail on the head with the part about results vs performance. We tend to focus more on the knowledge of result, even though the knowledge of perfomance is the one where you can improve most of your game.
Great video as always!
Well said!
Exactly what I needed! Thanks a lot!
Glad it helped!
Yeah, I make all of those mistakes plus a lot more. Thanks for the analysis, Ian!
adore this kinda content keep it up we are all wiz U
Loved it Ian. Want u to cover ways to handle floating passing shorts at the net
I hope to one day find a practice partner who will be open to recording and sharing matches publicly. I would even agree to only post those I lose. It’s so helpful to watch, like these videos. I am hitting much more to the backhand after seeing my own point play and these videos and getting better at asking myself after each point why I lost the point (or won).
There's SO many players in your area, Sabina....there's gotta be somebody!
Essential Tennis - Lessons and Instruction for Passionate Players If video was the only criteria, maybe. But I like my hitting partner for many other reasons. It’s not a must, but would be a big plus to use video.
Ian great video! Please provide an example of being aggressive/consistent without pushing the ball
You got it, Neil!
Yes I’d like to see that too!!
I totally agree and especially when your goal is to win it's the best thing to play percentage tennis but tbh I prefer playing risky shots in practice and when playing points, idk it's just more fun and I feel like I learn more
At roughly 4:30 (and all throughout that whole poont, really) I would complement by saying he didn't do a split-step! That would've given him a useful boost to reach out for the ball but of course the point you're making is the main one! :)
Wow! That explanation completely changed the way I was thinking about shot-making and strategy. Fantastic video and explanation Ian 👌👍. Great work as always!
Glad it was helpful!
Great Video! Thank you! I would like to see how to choose good shots
Love this
Big kudos for this!
This was very helpful, somehow a video helped me so much in tennis 🎾
Thanks a lot!
To me this analysis is one of the best and helpful video to get a clue to understand the court!
Really a very good job Ian!👌🙏🏽
Great video and instruction, cant wait to implement these ideas later this week, Thanks!
I agree that you should avoid big risks but when the levels goes up a bit you need to take them, a shot down the line close to the line is necessary to take an advantage. Yes hitting cross court is safer and usually a good choice but often you need to hit in the very last part of the court to stay in the point. Obviously try to hit a winner on each shot will make you lose the match but a too conservative game put you in a very bad position too. Anyway good job with this analysis videos , keep it up!!!
GREAT point, Orlando. You're exactly right: as level goes up more pressure and challenge is required to beat a good opponent. Something I'll be talking more about soon.
@@EssentialTennis I definitely do these when I play against strong players better than myself. I feel like I'm going to lose if we just hit neutral high percentage shots at each other due to skill difference so I force something and give them unforced error points that they don't even need to beat me with and take something that might be winnable ~20-30% of the time to completely unwinnable.
Such a good point! I’m trying to level up from 3.0 to 3.5 right now and feeling the pressure to balance consistency with boldness
The other question to ask is, "What happened in the next point?" I just had to run back and forth across the court several times and I won, or lost. I am tired and winded (hey, I'm old) so did that effect my next point as well? (Less powerful serve because I am tired, tried to finish the point early leading to an error...)
Great question to ask, Greg!
Yes, this would be a great topic for Ian!
I'd add one more way of beating yourself which those two guys are not guilty of in this video, but I'm sure everybody does it and it's absolutely toxic: being angry about your mistakes. To me there is nothing worse than being up 40-15 and then wasting an easy smash. I'm sure to lose the next 2 points as well, just because I'm thinking about how easily I could have already won that game. I think it's really, really important to not waste your time on points that were already played, it does you no good in that situation, just takes concentration away from the next point. Would love to see a video on the whole mindset-part in depth one day!
Great Video! One thing I'd like to see in a future video would be how to keep a cool head and think clearly during the points. I feel like most of the time I realize my mistake after the point is over and it stays with me during the next points, constantly thinking about what went wrong and what I could have done differently. Just wondering if you have any tips to play smart without overthinking things during the point.
Awesome content!
Appreciate it!
You nailed it! But I didn’t hear the one point that makes Roger at a minimum one of the greatest- he modified his game to address weaknesses. He learned how to deal with the high topspin backhands by taking more of those on the rise. Omg what a thing of beauty to watch those...
Great video Ian!
Glad you enjoyed it, Iam! Thanks for watching.
Great for singles, what about doubles strategy for positioning
I like the breakdown, I think the telling thing about the sequence around the 11:45 mark is the guy in orange pulls someone off the court to the point the guy is just stretching to get a 2HBH back into play and he's sitting 4 feet behind the baseline.. bruh get to the net! never mind high % low percent shot both guys look like they are hitting well, but staying comfy behind the baseline when you hit to outside lines is ridiculous that you're looking to finish from the baseline.. I'm probably waay off.. just mho.
This was cool covering other tennis you tubers!!!
Amazing video clips from both players. They are exceptional. Analysis is very useful too. The concept of the analysis is simple. It’s saying yes, you can do all those fancy return or counter strike. But, playing with higher chance or confident shot to win the point is much important than winning point with very tacky way. Yes, you can beat yourself to win or win the game with more confident shoot every time. 😁
Well said, Charlie!
Ian, does the positioning strategy work with new players also? Personally I’m still at a very low level, but I’d like to think I’m fairly decent. Today I watched your video on pushers and how they value keeping the bell in play until they win. And I want to adopt that mindset just with a couple of winners and faster paced shots every now and again. When I play my friend (a pusher) who has way less experience than me, I’m actively thinking about my position; however I feel I’m always in a rush to get to the ball. He’s taking low percentage shots that put me on the run. Your advice?
Do these same principles apply to doubles?
Hi Ian. I was wondering if you could make a video on resistance exercises that we can do to be a stronger tennis player. 😃
I binge-watched like 15 of your videos in a few hours
Great analysis! Exactly, the strategy I need to learn.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Ian. It's way too tempting to try for the "wow" shot. I know I would benefit from being patient and a bit methodical going for the high percentage shot and let my opponent make the error.
Glad it was helpful for you, Iorin!
Smart advices. Beating ourselves leads generally to a big frustration.
I am sooo guilty of trying to play highlight reel shots and gradually imploding in matches. Thanks for this.
Do you have a video focused on footwork and timing of the split step? I know it's a weakness of mine, and I'm noticing it is consistently a big difference from 3.0 to 4.0, 4.0 to 5.0, and 5.0 and up players. I'm wondering if some players struggle to move up because bad footwork is getting in their way. Thanks again. Your content has helped me so much.
Here's a split step lesson for you, Timothy! ua-cam.com/video/j-KJ9JYzEcg/v-deo.html
Great analysis!
Can you post video like this for double players?
Great video! My wife and I play mixed with a former WTA player and her 3.0 husband. One of her most frequent comments, “Great shot! But was it the right shot?”
Love it!
Great video, really like the gameplay analysis videos! Keep up the good work. ;)
Thanks a ton!
On the first point, I think the player on the near court had an opportunity to attack after a very good inside-out forehand. Maybe if he had positioned himself deeper in the court after the shot he could have done more with the short ball than what he eventually did.
Tiny Margins and Impossible Shots, sadly describe my game completely. Thank you for posting this Ian. I need to learn to play higher percentage tennis.
Glad you enjoyed it
Jan, not all players are pushers :D. Your point about showing highlights is good, and was nice if you have shown us also some final stats and I'm curious who was the winner.
Unfortunately I don't have those numbers! Would be really interesting.
Absolutely fantastic lesson. It's like you made this vid custom for me lol but it appears I am in good company haha.
There should be more content about the mental side of tennis and maybe drills to help relax before point play. Every tennis player knows the feeling of great rallies in free play but tense up when it comes to matches.
Ooooo niceeeee
You are 80% Richard and 20% Jared from Silicon Valley LOL
All love though! Great content!
Great video
Ian op. More match play from you in the future perhaps?
Yes! Making plans for that now...
Love it
Thank you 🙂
Ian, really loving this series of analysis videos! I finally built a better mcgyver-esque tripod to record amateur with. Hope to post something soon.
The one benefit you forgot about beating yourself at tennis: you can still go home a winner knowing that even though your opponent beat you 6-0, you still beat someone ^^;
LOVE that attitude, Strayfire!
#4. You are mathematically correct.
However, tennis is also a game of gambling and a game of sharp edges.
Freddie Roach, in boxing, says something like this: Good boxers can do the 9 out 10 moves. Great boxers can do the 1 out of 10 moves.
I always choke on the deciding point of the game. I can be up 40-0,40-15, 40-30, AD and I will for some reason change my game and the way I hit a ball. I tighten up and hit like a baby or I will try a stupid shot. What is a good strategy for get that winning point?.... Also what is a good strategy to stop sucking at tennis?? Please help!
Love your analysis. It would be great to get more material of "normal situations" illustrating the points you like to make. You are forced to show low percentage "glory shots" which almost contradict your message.
Great video, but I can't fully agree with the "impossible shots" point. Yes they are difficult, low percentage, etc. But this is why we love tennis, right? Because it's beautiful. We do want to make points like Roger or Rafa from time to time. OK... I know what you are going to say. Players win points not for grace, but only for making one right ball more then the opponent. It's true. Surely, most of us will never become anything close to ATP players, but we have to give us a try. Otherwise, it's not fun))
But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that you MUST go for risky low percentage points from time to time to win a match. There are two reasons for that. First, a little bit of stochastic is a key ingredient for the victory. Tennis is like poker. You have to randomize your play if you want to win. You have to take risks and play out of the box. If you 100% play by mathematics you will be outplayed once you are read by the opponent. And second, like you said in many of your videos, most of the points are won not by winners but by the errors of the opponent. But let's stop for a minute and think why do we make errors (forced as well as unforced ones)... Why? Well obviously, one of the reasons is that we are not very good players)) Our technic is poor, physical condition are far from perfect, etc. But also we make errors because we feel like we have to play harder, as our opponent appears to make impossible shots...
That's why going for impossible shots is not a bad idea. You have to risk for the victory. But you must understand why you are doing this and when is the right moment. And of course consistently going for impossible shots is definitely a bad idea.
Learn the art of defence!
Ian, I respect you but I think you're wrong at 5:24 I don't think he mistakenly undercovered due to unintentional bad positioning, he lost because he went inside-in not particularly well. That's one of the reasons why I as an amateur with 10 years of experience very rarely play inside-in in a baseline rally. It's a risky shot that when played not well or even placed ok exposes a lot of space on your side of the court. At about four years in I made a conscious choice to really improve my backhand to a level where it is basically on par with my forehand (I didn't have an amazing forehand so it wasn't too difficult to bridge the gap). I'm an alright player but I think it really helps because I find opponents usually have to hit accurately to both sides to beat me (when and if I don't make bad errors).
Appreciate your thoughts, Ben!
@@EssentialTennis think I'm right or think I'm wrong? Come on Ian you know we can have a good dialogue about this. I'll probs never get to have one with you irl because I live in the UK.
While I'm here, great video keep up the great work
Some nice shots from guy in blue but he would be destroyed by stronger player due to poor positioning. Also could he keep making them?? Great videos
But for that down the line back hand risky shot, he was too strached out to hit a nice cross court shot. What better shot could he hit?
High to the middle would have been really, really smart!
@@EssentialTennis Sometimes going for low percentage shots is not intentional. I wonder if when he was pulled off court, was he hoping for CC but was late? Hence unintentionally hit DTL.
How to stop beating yourself?
Answer: Play high percentage tennis most of the time
Hi, Great video,
It is clear that the orange guy protect his backhand and therefore is positioning himself to much on the left.
Its very possible that's true!
Perfect, you just demonstrated my technique of how to lose. Very good.
Beating yourself and blowing it. Great work 😂
Glad you enjoyed it, Rami!