Earlier this week, I decided to inject a little serendipity into my off-season training block by seeking and acting on training suggestions from ChatGPT. Yesterday, I wrote about footwork training, which was the first idea it gave me. The second focus area ChatGPT proposed is consistent service practice. It’s eerily like the non-sentient Artificial Intelligence language model has seen me play.
There are two ways to interpret ChatGPT’s choice of the word “consistent.” The first is to consistently practice the serve, which means to work intentionally on that aspect of the game on a continual and recurring basis. The second meaning is to develop a more consistent serve that usually hits the intended target. As it turns out, both interpretations would go a long way toward improving my competitive performance level with that shot.
In tennis, the concept of holding and breaking serve is fundamental to the rhythm and outcome of a match. Holding serve, or winning the games where you are the server, is essential for high-performance tennis. When the server fails to hold serve and is broken, it can create a pivotal advantage for the opponents. For many matches, one or two key holds or breaks of serve often determine the winner. It is arguably the most important shot in the sport.
ChatGPT specifically challenged me to work on my serve mechanics by practicing 50-100 serves per day while focusing on precision, consistency, and technique. Realistically, I am not going to achieve that within the next month. Because I am pathologically over-optimistic about how much free time the “future me” will enjoy, I harbor the illusion that I will be out meeting that daily target sometime around Thanksgiving. Hope springs eternal.
However, I was lucky because an emphasis on improving my serve was already one goal of my current training block. I’ve recently made a significant mechanical change to my serve, so the additional reps are needed to move the stroke from a conscious effort into rote muscle memory. That requires a focused and dedicated service practice, which I have been doing every week. While achieving ChatGPT’s ambitious target of 50-100 serves each day is out of reach, the weekly sessions are helping.
The objective of investing in improving my service is also an excellent spark for revitalizing my commitment to video review. I always carry a GoPro camera in my bag but haven’t been pulling it out and using it regularly. As I work new service motion mechanics into my game, how that works or breaks down under the pressure of competition is of vital importance. Video review is a great approach for seeing what is happening.
It is also a good time to reiterate my love of the SwingVision app. It is particularly well-suited for focusing on narrow aspects of performance, as it can automagically distill practice sessions and matches to isolate on the serve. That saves a ton of time when reviewing video, particularly throughout a match. Additionally, even when hitting serves from a basket, most of the video is spent walking back and forth to the basket rather than hitting the ball. SwingVision makes each review session more efficient and impactful.
There are slightly over ten weeks until New Year’s Eve, when many people will set resolutions, goals, and intentions for 2025. Why wait? Rather than putting off your goals until January, you could get a head start on your personal development starting now. Consistent service practice is a long-term investment, but there is no better time to start than the present.
