Tennis Technology and Training Tuesday
There is an odd psychology in hitting the overhead. The majority of recreational players seem to regard what should be an easy “put away” with a mixture of apprehension and fear. The simple fact of the matter is that it is embarrassing to miss an overhead. For the same reason, some players are reluctant to practice the shot.
One of my favorite ways to practice the overhead is against a backboard. Mastering the technique requires some “out of the box” mental adjustment. The target for the shot is a bounce point that is just in front of the board. Conceptually, for the purpose of this drill, the imaginary net is several feet in front of the board.
The Fiend at Court Spousal Unit shot a short video of me practicing this technique a couple of months ago.
In this particular session, I was working with a very limited amount of dry court space. As a consequence, the shots that are demonstrated are short “sitter” overheads played very close to the net. The same technique works for harder and deeper overheads as well. I just didn’t have enough real estate for that when this clip was taken.
It was interesting and instructive for me to review the video from a critical perspective. My footwork was quite muted. I will give myself a partial pass for that because the court was still a little slick. Additionally, I wasn’t particularly happy with my stance when striking the ball. Ideally, I would prefer for my shoulders to be turned more perpendicular to the net.
In reviewing the clip, I had the revelation that I drop my shoulder on the overhead the exact same way that has plagued my serve for years. The next time I practice my overheads, I will make a conscious effort to correct that. That was an unexpected discovery from taking that video.
All that illustrates two things. First, hitting overheads against a backboard is a terrific way to practice the overhead. Second, reviewing short video clips of drills can be very illuminating.
