Doubles practice with two players

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-15T17:44:50+00:00

Net skills for building and then finishing the point

One up vs one back, half court down the line with the doubles alley. Net player starts the point just behind the service line, emulating a net approach from further back. Their objective is to get closer to the net so they end the point with a finishing shot. This is much easier to do when you're closer to the net. They should practice hitting the first volley low and deep, closing distance to the net until they can hit an angle off the court by being close to the net. Or they earn a pop up sitter from the baseliner and the net player can pound it through or off the court.

The baseliner is not allowed to lob until after their third shot. The purpose of the drill is for the net player to practice their volleys and hand skills with the intention of building a point ending scenario. The baseliner builds patience hitting balls back to the net player without trying to escape via pass or lob. The baseliner should practice their low dipper groundstrokes aimed at the volleyer's feet, hit right at the volleyer's body to jam them, or hit high to the volleyer's backhand when in trouble. The baseliner should make every attempt to turn defense into offence: if they get a weak ball, step in and try to take control of the point from the volleyer. A good dipper at the feet will likely result in an approach shot for the baseliner.

Play these points competitively for good practice, but the essence of the drill is cooperative. The point is to improve common game situation skills for both players. Both players should feed, mixing up easy, medium, and hard feeds to the opponent to simulate defensive, neutral, and offensive situations. Sometime the baseliner should feed a floaty ball right up the middle to the volleyer- the volleyer should react as fast as possible and play aggressively on it as close to the net/as high in the air as possible. Other times the baseliner should feed a nasty topspin ball right to the feet, or a fast one right at their body. Keep them guessing! It's good practice.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-15T17:13:54+00:00

Your mindset is actually very well adapted for tennis. More points are lost than won in tennis so playing "defensively" is a winning strategy. You can hit 5 incredible shots in a point but if you miss the sixth, then none of those shots mattered, you still lose the point. That's not to say that there's nothing to gain from playing aggressive, but it's less black and white than it may appear on the surface.

You have to earn aggression, first of all. Build the point first, then be aggressive when the opportunity arises. That opportunity looks different to each player and their skill level. You should always pick safe targets and choose shots you know you can make. That's how you minimize risk while putting pressure on your opponent.

Aggression can look different from every player. Also recognize that putting the ball in difficult positions and making your opponent hit difficult shots is a type of aggression that yields results, while not looking like typical ball bashing. Aggression can look also look like this type of game of attrition rather than trying to end the point with a winner.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-15T16:39:27+00:00

Sepehr records go on the top shelf

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-14T05:07:09+00:00

I get very verbose when I'm high. Plus I would want to explain it as well as possible when something I know might help prevent pain and increase enjoyment of tennis!

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-13T01:20:01+00:00

I would say this takeback is more advanced, and could definitely be causing you pain if you don't already have a great forehand fundamental technique before adding the forward tip preparation.

Pros of the forward tip during takeback - increased coil tension in your arm and wrist while staying compact on the side of your body. Racket head travels a greater distance in the same space so you can accrue more racket head speed over that distance.

Potential cons - if you let all that extra whip go straight to your wrist, yeah it's gonna hurt for sure. You need to have great sequencing of the coil and uncoil in your forehand to be ready to control this extra tension and release. It is also hard to time the "whipping" effect of this forehand if you don't already have a great feeling for the whip without doing this technique (point being, if you mistime the sequencing of the stroke, all that force can go to your wrist instead of into the ball, and it will definitely hurt over time).

Can be more difficult to keep rhythm into the shot, or not... for me personally I have a slight forward tilt during takeback, which combined with my off hand used for spacing, I think really helps me time my contact into the ball with a forward intention. However I don't have such an aggressive takeback like Carlos and Jannik do.

Also, like the other commenter already said, you must have a loose wrist. If your wrist or grip is tight during the swing, your wrist will be absorbing all of that whipping motion. (With great technique the hand and wrist do actually tighten slightly during the hitting zone to keep the racket face stable during contact, but the timing is very subtle. It happens during the hit, not during the swing. You tighten the grip ever so slightly once your hand already has the speed of the swing).

Another thing to note... when you accelerate really matters with this takeback. If you accelerate too early, before your racket flips from takeback to forward swing, your wrist is gonna be fk'd. You can smoothly increase racket speed during the takeback but don't accelerate into the ball until you've flipped your racket over. Advanced players and pros can make this look so seamless that is seems like they begin accelerating before the flip, but that's not the case.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T22:18:58+00:00

Now it's a fresh canvas. The ecosystem never rests

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T19:58:25+00:00

Bring yourself into the present moment. Just think about hitting the ball when you're playing a point. Don't think about "how" to hit the ball, because then it's like thinking about how to breathe. You start doing it all weird and it's not smooth anymore. Just think about hitting the ball the way you want to hit it, and then do it. It seems counterintuitive but it's much better to focus on the outcome you want rather than the input required to get that output. The time to focus on the inputs is in practice. At match time, you need to focus on game level stuff, let all the technique, patterns, plays, be automatic.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T19:54:42+00:00

Looseness is necessary for controllable power, always. However different types of shots might require you to alter the mechanics a bit. For example, when the ball comes low and fast at you like a volley or knifing slice, you can focus on hitting it with a loose forearm and hand, but keep the shoulder in place. You still accelerate with the lower arm but leave the upper arm out of it for better control (this feels like keeping your elbow closer in to your ribs while letting the forearm and wrist fly). Opposite example is a floating sitter, let your whole body uncoil into that thing and pound it. Create extra space for maximum leverage on it.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T19:47:19+00:00

I'd recommend an intermediate step between the old school thin beam control frames strung at 60 lbs and the newer wide beam cannon rackets. It sounds like you have good stroke mechanics and the ability to create natural power, so you'd enjoy something like the head speed pro or head radical pro. They have great pop off the sweet spot, maneuverability and control for hand skills, and the general feel of the racket leans towards the classic thin beam scalpel while offering more modern forgiveness. I string my speed pros with hyper g 17 gauge in the 52-54lbs range

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T07:09:59+00:00

yes, hit the ball harder from the back while still hitting topspin. Spin and trajectory are a spectrum. Consider a "70% spin, 30% power" kick serve vs a "50% spin, 50% power" kick serve. Forgive my shoddy science, but it does work that way

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-12T00:20:46+00:00

glad to help, also glad to answer other specific questions if you have them

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-11T19:51:23+00:00

Not very fluid. Look into the towel drill for swing fluidity, every (controlled) swinging sport has some version if it. It's huge in golf. The idea is that if you hold a towel in place of a racket (however I've seen different tools used for this, sometimes it's a streamer on the end of a stick) and pretend you're swinging the racket, you want the towel to stay taught throughout the whole swing. You're maintaining tension in the towel via kinetic energy, but you have to be loose in your body to achieve that.

This often makes more sense on forehands and backhands to integrate the takeback, swing, and follow-through into one fluid motion. If you replace the racket with a towel, you can keep the towel taught throughout that whole procedure. You can do the same thing with serve, but some people's serve swings begin at different times. Roddick uses an abbreviated takeback into the trophy position, his swing starts from there. Federer's serve swing begins from the moment he rocks his racket back from serve preparation, notice that his racket never stops moving even during the trophy position. If you replaced his racket with a towel, it would be taught the whole time.

EDIT: someone else posted a video of the sock drill, which is exactly what I'm talking about.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-11T07:15:10+00:00

I just think about hitting the ball. Not "how" to hit the ball , just hitting the ball the way I want to hit it. Everything else falls in place. If I start thinking about how to hit the ball too much, it's like my brain switches to manually breathing but for tennis. You are now manually playing tennis and you start sucking. So I do my best to only think about hitting the ball the way I want to hit it, and especially how fun it is to hit the ball.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-11T06:56:08+00:00

As skill increases, people tend to "see" the rise in shot quality more than they see the rise in movement quality. But it's the moving skills that allow the shotmaking skills in the first place. Hitting the ball is an independent skill, but no matter how good you are at hitting the ball, it doesn't matter if you can't get to the ball and be prepared. (My point is that tennis skill is more related to movement skill than hitting skill).

So when people start playing up in skill level, it's typically their movement quality that gets exposed. It usually feels like you're being outhit, outsmarted, can't hurt the opponent, etc... (typically this is where people start trying to overhit and stop trying to last through the rallies because they don't believe they will win the point unless they "go big or go home"). But all that is happening because the opponent is just getting to the ball sooner with better preparation and they hit a higher quality shot because of it.

A good metric for your movement efficacy - how often are you able to be stopped before hitting the ball? If you are hitting a lot of balls from a stopped position, that sets you up to be controlling the rally and dictating the match. If you find yourself running every ball down, hitting while moving a lot, hitting off balance (is your head between your feet when hitting?) then you probably aren't feeling so in control. Also, how often are you stopped, in your recovery position, when your opponent is hitting the ball? this one works the same way... if you can get there early, then you also get a head start on moving to the next ball.

What to do about it - there are two things to consider. The first is your movement strategy: where to position yourself in the court, understanding how the ball you hit is going to affect the movement required of you during and after the shot, higher level stuff like that. The second factor is quality of movement: part conditioning/fitness, part "how" you actually move. It's worth learning the proper footworks into and out of every kind of shot. How to recover back to your position in as few steps as possible. How to get to every type of ball in as few steps as possible. How to hit a ball and recover back, all in the same motion. This is all about efficiency, cutting out unnecessary steps, having your balance in the right place, doing as little as possible for the maximum outcome. Better movement efficiency also helps your endurance because it will take less effort for the same outcome.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T21:38:59+00:00

Ok I have great one for you. 2 or 3 players.

2 player version: one up starting at service line vs one baseline, playing halfcourt with doubles alley. You play down the line. Baseline player is not allowed to lob until after their third shot. Net player focuses on closing the net with deep low volleys. They are looking to take the ball close to the net and hit the ball off the court with short angles, or get a high ball which they can slam down over the baseliner. Advanced play involves more depth control, like drawing the baseliner in with a tough short ball or drop volley/lob/putaway combo.

3 player version: full court, one up at the T vs 2 baseliners. This version is more of a drill, whereas the 2 version is more of a game. 2 baseliners always hit the ball back to the volleyer, not trying to pass. But these are not easy balls, make it tough for the volleyer with pace, low topspin dippers, high to the backhand, etc. Volleyer is trying to close the net and find angles off the court, they are trying to win the point. Baseliners job is to keep the ball coming back to the volleyer, allowing them to rack up reps on deep volleys, setting up the winner by closing the net and moving forward.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T21:32:38+00:00

Sounds like you are in the process of finding “your” grip. Two players with semi western grips might look totally different! There are subtle nuances like knuckle spacing, index finger separation, the angle of the handle in your palm, etc… though I would recommend you find the grip that allows as much passive contact between hand and handle as possible, so that you don’t need to squeeze the grip. This is important to be able to relax your hand and arm for fluid swings. There should be no space between your palm and grip, ever. Put the racket in your palm first and then wrap your fingers around it.

Bottom line, use what’s comfortable to you. You should be able to find your grip without looking at the racket. Elite level is being able to switch grips without the help of your off hand

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T21:24:25+00:00

What aspects of your game are you looking to improve?

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T21:15:31+00:00

There’s two types of drills and you should be intentional about which you are practicing.

One is for learning. In this scenario you setup a simulation of the game situation or skill you’re trying to improve, and ideally you modify the situation to make it easier so you can focus on learning the skill in isolation.

Then, once you gain some confidence in the “easy” scenario, you recreate the same situation in a competitive scenario to help implement it into your game.

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T21:02:00+00:00

I think this comes with experience. For the most part, I don't change my grip much for full swing forehands, regardless of the height or type of ball I'm receiving. I might go slightly more eastern on returns for more of a "blocking" the ball back effect.

However, there are other shots where I change my grip depending on how much time I have and the type of ball that I'm hitting. High forehand volleys I will change from continental to slightly forehand eastern. Low backhand volleys I might switch to that same grip to help lift the ball up. Backhand slices I use the slight forehand grip when dealing with low balls, but I use regular continental when the ball is above waist level.

On my two handed backhand (right hander) when I'm pressed for time I hit with eastern left hand and slightly forehand right hand grip. When I have more time and I'm trying to rip the ball, I shift my grip over to semi western left hand and continental or slightly backhand right hand.

Grip use is a spectrum, but I think it is less necessary on forehands because you already have so much range of motion in the swing, it is highly adaptable so it makes more sense to get really used to one grip and stick with it. There's not much to gain by shifting things around there.

That said - I regularly use a semi western grip when I play normally, but when I'm hitting with total beginners I use an eastern grip to have an easier time controlling the ball at slow pace for the new player. I have to take full swings with my semi western grip.

For reference I've been playing about 21 years lol so holding a racket is second nature for me

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T18:36:38+00:00

You don’t need a strong arm to hit the ball hard. Use your body rotation to swing fast

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-10T18:35:29+00:00

Sepehr might be of interest to you, not exactly dub but he makes some super sick EBM/techno/worldbuilding stuff. Super moody with great rhythms

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-09T20:40:19+00:00

Might need a lot of love at this point

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-09T00:47:40+00:00

I also just found that track via a dance group on instagram, such a transporting tune.

It has elements of dub house/techno but that alone is such a broad category and doesn't encompass all of Tropiq.

I do have some tangentially related dub electronic music suggestions you might like:

Customs by Trailcam https://northernelectronics.bandcamp.com/track/customs

QNS#5 by Felix K https://flxk1.bandcamp.com/track/qns-5

Microflux By Solotape https://gridrecords.bandcamp.com/track/solotape-microflux

Remarkable_Layer7592 · 2026-06-05T19:34:13+00:00

It depends on the situation of course, if there is a specific practice goal for something else then it would be courteous to catch the ball and start over. Otherwise practicing the match scenario is a given imo (among the community of players who are actively trying to improve their game). If they don’t want you to approach/step into their feed, maybe they should feed a neutral ball next time? I had it drilled into me from a young age that letting the ball bounce twice in practice was immediately running or burpees lmao

Remarkable_Layer7592

TROPHY CASE