Is the TENNIS WALL making your TECHNIQUE worse?

[@TennisHacker]

What's your favourite thing to work on with the practice wall?

[@mariorengifo4700]

My favorite thing is work in my unit turn and hit the ball with my "legs and my hip" when I practice with the wall. Hit the ball with "my legs and my hip" means that my arm and the racquet come forward as a result of pushing the ground backward and turn my hip 90 degree very quickly (as the boxers do when they thrown a hook). One year ago, I started hitting the ball in this way one time and stop, then I steeped up with two time in row and then three. Now I can hit the ball between 8 and 10 times in a row with all my force. I use an old ball. In this way I has created an conditioned reflex. I try to training with the wall at least two time per week, one hour each time. It is fundamental for me.

[@TennisHacker]

Nice, sounds like you are doing a great job. Often when I teach people how to use the hips I teach them how to punch for that reason.

[@miguelbarahona6636]

I practice at the wall every single shot possible: forehand and backhand drives (topspin, slice), volleys, half volleys, overheads, serves, dropshots, tweeners, lobs.

[@TennisHacker]

I feel like you need to send some videos of the wall tweener practice my way :-)

[@miguelbarahona6636]

@@TennisHacker I´ll post one soon. I have an inverted forehand drill video on my channel already. Please check it.

[@lordbyron3603]

The wall is my favorite practice partner ! I’m there now , practicing at my club’s racquet ball court. I put in 1-2 hours of practice… doing everything- forehands, backhands, serves, volleys, overheads, slice , approach shots , down the line , cross court, inside out , etc.

[@yenkuangting]

My favorite things to work on with the practice wall before I have watched your video were 1 to lose weight 2 to get sweat 3 to release my physical energy 4 to cool down Etc., I have done these for more than a decade. Until recently I stopped “hitting against the wall”, as some pro told me it’s not right way and should stop hitting against By watching your video and learning the correct ways I will start working on with the practice wall , I am sure it will help me to improve The tennis skill as well Thank you

[@dandalee]

You just changed the game for me. I hit against the wall a lot but always feel rushed in the shots.

[@TennisHacker]

Happy to help. Simple but very effective because you can practice so many different shots

[@keanuterrado7295]

I’m about a 4.0-4.5 and and lately the wall is more available than my guys and I started to feel like after coming from the wall my game would decline… this right here… thank you. Couldn’t put my finger on it but the wall was definitely affecting my game in a negative way. Great video thank you

[@arupmullick3474]

Practice the Slice. Hit one Forehand and the Slice the Next. Then again hit a backhand slice again and repeat instead of Stopping the Rally

[@petermolin1294]

The wall is all I have these days, and I'm on it almost every day. It's a great workout, but I noticed some of the same issues and came to some of the same solutions this video discusses. The main thing is the speed of the return from the wall, which led me to hurried and careless and repetitive pounding of the ball in return. I now do a lot of form drills without even hitting the ball, and when I do, I self-serve and practice one, two, or three stroke patterns. Looking forward to seeing what happens when I get back on the court with real partners.

[@TennisHacker]

If the wall is all you have, the you just have to do the best you can with it. Self serve is a great way around the limitations.

[@HelpForYou4131]

Great advice. I have used a tennis wall to practice but the ball comes back too fast. I like the idea of catching the ball and then hitting again to work on specific areas I need to improve.

[@Patt639]

Just let the ball bounce twice, and you'll have time to make a good preparation to hit the ball."

[@dr.e.r.blomgren]

Such a high quality content of a vid. Very, very valuable coaching here!

[@TennisHacker]

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

[@happiness307]

It's been 2 years since I picked up my first tennis racket but still never played against another player. My mum had trouble to understand that I went playing tennis ALONE with a wall. But I'm fine with just living my idea of fun 😆

[@TennisHacker]

If thats what you enjoy, thats great :-)

[@geezusgiifft8270]

I just started playing tennis, and weird enough,I love playing by myself 😬

[@alfonsdepalfons]

I use slower balls on the wall. Works for me.

[@jeffreybartlett4899]

That's the secret!

[@lorenzbrauchli7837]

AGREE, USE ORANGE AND GREEN BALLS ON THE WALL. WORKING MOSTLY ON LOOSE ARM, SWING PATTERN...

[@nicorsar]

just a point for my fellow wall hitters; feel free to use an orange ball. It isnt as hard so it wont come back as fast. And a double bounce is fine because you have to go through the technical steps to keep your strokes clean and efficient. Something for something - these are not perfect solutions but they do address some of the concerns raised in this video as well

[@cjbfire95]

Thank you for this, I plan on having a wall built to practice on and you’ve shown me effective ways to do it, btw you have really nice legs!

[@patthedreamer9791]

That's an awesome way to try coach..was taught the 2 bounce when younger by USTA people

[@johngates2997]

I’ve done nothing but hit against a wall for five years. My plan was to become a tennis ninja that came out of nowhere. Well I video taped myself and I have no split step and unit turn thanks to the speed of the wall. This video is gold! Thank you.

[@ronm7114]

just keep going. In times i played 6 hours a day vs the wall (or with) Follow ur own rhytm and intuition at all times and dont let anyone get in ur way. Gl.

[@southwestcoyoteproductions1479]

​@ronm7114 it's funny how I remember you from precision point tennis haha

[@ronm7114]

yeah? whats funny? @@southwestcoyoteproductions1479

[@ToteNYC]

Excellent video.. I use low compression balls and the ball comes back much slower and I have time to do split step.

[@TennisHacker]

Nice idea. Good way to work on things.

[@michaelkustin7990]

I loved using the wall for practice. Used it to practice hitting both the forehand and backhand as hard as possible. Also, always served and volleyed against the wall to increase my hand quickness at the net. Since I relied on a big serve, 120+, big forehand, and quick feet around the net it worked for me. Was about a 6.0 player back then, early mid 80's

[@Koa-Anatolian]

When I started playing tennis in the 80's lI hit against a wall or back board as we called them as much as I could if I wasn't playing. I loved it back then and still do. It's a very versatile tool and fun.

[@joseclaudiosoares1640]

Muito obrigado meu amigo. Nota 1000. Confesso ser um viciado em paredão da maneira incorreta. mudarei hoje mesmo.

[@nicholasgood470]

Thanks great advice - yes it's great practice but if Ur in a rush is not good

[@pierreschoemaeker3656]

thank you for your propositions ! It confirms what I have experienced 😅

[@teddymikefunk]

I work almost every day on the pratice wall (i don't have the "right" to use the indoor courts - same city than you ) - I work essentially on my pressure grip, in order to get the looser possible, on forehand and double handed backhand as well - for more effortless style, and prevent injuries on my elbow

[@TennisHacker]

Hey Teddy. Indoor courts in Vancouver are hard to get that's for sure. Great to hear you are working hard on the wall and reaping the benefits!. I can normally be found playing in puddles at Stanley park :-)

[@teddymikefunk]

Tennis Hacker that’s sound good let’s keep in touch! Appreciate your work, determination, ideas, and chanel

[@Chubzdoomer]

Like you, I prefer self-feeding and aiming for different parts of the wall. When the ball bounces back, I pick it up and self-feed again. Rinse, repeat. No rush or having to worry about retrieving balls from the other side of the court. The only downside is that it's virtually impossible to know how deep the ball would have gone had the wall not been there. It's still a great way to self-feed 100+ times with minimal time/effort, though. I loathe rallying against the wall because as you demonstrated in the video, the pace makes it virtually impossible to employ proper technique (following all the way through with your shot, then returning to the ready position, then doing a full unit turn, then performing the takeback... etc. there's absolutely NO way to do all of that if you hit the ball even remotely hard, because it will come ricocheting back in such an incredibly short amount of time).

[@poofykins]

I'm going to try that, but first thing I did was go to my stairs and did 100 calf raises per leg

[@TennisHacker]

Hahahaha.

[@brettneuberger6466]

😂😂😂. Seriously!!

[@Coaltal45]

I believe there is fantastic video of Federer practicing against a wall. While there are many valid points here... IMO most of them are solved by letting the ball bounce twice or even three times, especially if your beginning and working on timing and footwork. This gives you time to set up and work on proper technique. Also, using colored tape to mark zones to CONSISTANTLY hit forehands and backhands with correct technique/follow thru and body momentum. The wall is absolutely the best training tool, as it never gets tired or runs out of batteries. And ...The wall doesn't lie!... If your hitting the wall incorrectly, the ball will be all over the place.

[@TennisHacker]

I use the wall regularly myself and it can be a great training tool. But as I explained in this video, it creates certain challenges and isn't optimal in many cases.

[@GigiLonelyPlanet]

great video and thinking ! Thanks ill apply this in my practice

[@TennisHacker]

Happy to help 😀

[@rajaeelastname4878]

Unfortuantely am unable to find anyone to practice with. Every single player I played with wants to start a set after hitting a few balls. About the wall yes I admit my shots end up not having a proper follow through. Also when you hit a shot you cannot know if that shot is out or in, or long or short. But postivie things about the wall is that my feet move much quicker and I sweat. But will try your tips.

[@pk_lab]

Politely ask the wall to slow down

[@jz77096]

I learned, and unlearned tennis from the wall lol. It got me consistent enough to play with others... then redo my FH... except the 1hbh and slices. I have an eastern grip, so the wall is easy to hit flat.

[@TennisHacker]

It definitely has it's benefits and draw backs.

[@ryambot3840]

very good content and precise

[@TennisHacker]

Thank you. Happy to help.

[@Jazzerooney]

Such good content Richard ❤️

[@jmv2848]

Great video, great advice, thanks a lot!

[@TennisHacker]

You are welcome. Appreciate your comment.

[@JasonNique]

I had a feeling the wall was rushing my shots. Hitting against the wall boosts my confidence but when playing against a human I tend to play much worse and I lose all that confidence. - Now I know why.

[@tsomofc4795]

Great video 🎉

[@NealDurando]

Two bounces corrects a lot of these problems.

[@TennisHacker]

I personally don't think it does. It enables you to work on certain things, but it negatively affects one of the most important parts of the stroke which is timing thew flight of the ball.

[@albertcamus5970]

They make these foam balls - they weigh the same as a tennis ball. They bounce the same. But they travel much slower through the air. If you use these on the wall you will have time to set up. Now I dunno about split stepping because on the wall you know where it is going to go - so split steps don't make 100% sense. You could try to force it I guess.

[@TennisHacker]

The ball travelling slowly changes tje timing so it still holds true

[@honkeyness9427]

Makes me think a rebounder is a better option. Thoughts?

[@wannnnn758]

so we should pause ，then go on practicing?is that too frequency？

[@TennisHacker]

The wall can be great for certain things and problematic for others. So it all depends on what you are working on.

[@wannnnn758]

Yup,thank you!@@TennisHacker

[@brenhugh]

I use a dead ball to give me more time. Great vid. Thanks

[@Murder_Drones-x42]

So do I

[@user-ig1ew2kb8t]

Hidden gem this video 💎

[@jacekchmielewski5677]

If you use the wall in the wrong way you will get a bad result. 1. Don't take the ball on the rise. Let the ball come down to your strike zone. 2. Use shufflesteps to get the right position. Remember that tennis is getting faster and faster. The wall in tennis is like the boxing bag for boxers. Gives strenght to your shots and stamina.

[@dewfend]

Really really helpful

[@alexandern48]

very good content, thanks

[@TennisHacker]

Welcome. Glad you found it useful

[@karadale5219]

Great video!

[@TennisHacker]

Thank you, glad you found it useful :-)

[@babakzolghadr3370]

Fully agree!

[@TennisHacker]

I see it so often with players.

[@technomama1]

super, thank you!

[@gianclaudiosantoni97]

And for volleys?

[@TennisHacker]

Same thing applies, there are some aspects of the volley that the wall is good for. Other things not so much.

[@gianclaudiosantoni97]

@@TennisHacker you should make a video about that too :)

[@htainlindwa80]

Yeah, that’s what I did

[@TennisHacker]

It can happen. Whats the main thing that happened to your strokes?

[@עומרישילהמורג]

Therefore you got the 50/75% balls

[@timvansamang]

Smart!

[@TennisHacker]

👍

[@richardrhee]

That was very helpful! I was practicing against the wall all summer but, I think I ended up reinforcing bad habits…

[@TennisHacker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nacinf227]

Dude you look like Garand Thumb

[@TennisHacker]

???

[@ProfessorBoooty]

double bounce give u more time

[@htainlindwa80]

Soooo true

[@TennisHacker]

👊

[@Superman-rv2tc]

If u can't beat the wall how are you gonna beat other players?

[@patthedreamer9791]

Awesome

[@lordbyron3603]

Absolutely not ! The wall is my favorite practice partner . I spend 10 hours a week in it !

[@johnlvs2run]

Way too negative, by constantly showing the wrong way to practice.

[@tsisko777]

😀

[@Superman-rv2tc]

No such thing as a bad wall. Only a bad player.