Why Rec Tennis Players Struggle with SLOW BALLS 😩

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In this video, I explain why recreational tennis players struggle with slow balls.
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[@IntuitiveTennis247]

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[@dreamy7335]

Couldn’t agree more!! I find returning slow and short serves very tricky too 😅

[@pakchu2]

The last sentence of the video contains the biggest tip: "Don't be afraid to play these types of guys so you get a lot of practice with these shots"

[@spooky1304]

Having too long to think about it is a massive reason - sometimes you have so long you can't decide between 2 shots and end up doing neither.

[@braimahchristopher5000]

I cant agree more. Sometimes I suprise myself with the amount of pace I can handle. But once the ball is slow and loopy, I lose confidence, I frame some and I miss some in the net.

[@hayesmaker64]

I lost 6-0 6-0 to a pusher, missed tons of slow balls (either hitting out or in the net) this is how i found your video - "How to beat a pusher" and loved your content ever since. Great stuff!

[@tennisteuton]

I was always hitting the balls long against pushers, so I set my machine to give me balls into the serve box from the opposite T-line. That helped me reduce the overhitting, and I had enough time to focus on getting my technique right.

[@hayesmaker64]

@@tennisteuton oh damn, I wish i had a machine lol!

[@tennisteuton]

@@hayesmaker64 You can also self feed at the T-line or even in the serve box and hit it into the opposite field without overhitting. Probably even better than the machine, because with self-feeding, you simulate that those balls have zero pace on them.

[@bsinghgill]

In the same boat. Lost to a pusher 6-0, 6-2 as well. Good idea about getting the ball machine to drop balls into the service box. I think I’ll try that.

[@tennisteuton]

@@bsinghgill Yes, you can get really consistent on this "simple" level, and once you are at 80% consistency, you move a few feet back and do the same. Once you reach 80%, back a few feet and so forth. That way, you'll be 80+% consistent on all shots (if you aren't yet).

[@wongjefx980]

Thank God this is "normal". Slow off pace balls from what I thought were weaker players. I was hitting out. Balls with pace from better players, I was rocketing back to the baseline.

[@Schakal-dt7um]

Hello from Germany, its really weird: When i am playing against strong opponents and they playing long topspin balls, i play very well, because i get a good rythm with this kind of ball. But against worse opponents, with a bad technic and slow balls, i have big problems. I dont get any rythm in my game with this balls.

[@timvansamang]

I'd like to see more drills on this subject. I'm assuming you'll do a part2 on this. Cheers for your great content!

[@cdan3609]

I agree with you to 100%! I've gone through this problems, and even now I have some issues. In the beginning it was the technical difficulties. After that the nonchalance and the difficulty to provide pace. And now, from time to time, poor footwork and sometimes bad preparations. It's quite hard to execute those kind of shots.

[@crsantin]

This is exactly my problem. Give me a ball with some pace and I hit well. Give me a soft one and I spend so much time thinking about it that I usually make an unforced error. I have a decent serve and I usually get a floater coming back to me and I usually blow it. My technique still has a way to go.

[@bartholomewlyons]

Anything changed since ur comment?

[@LLUser3]

This is a short video, but one i am grateful for. I lost three games in a row to opponents who i consider "worse tennis players" than me (considering they won and i lost that is of course a false assumption). What happens during games with those people is that i lose confidence in my ability to play tennis altogether and i destroy myself, forgetting even the simplest techniques. When playing against better opponents i sometimes even win, simply because i do not have anxiety and i do not think in general. This video is a start. I was even considering quitting tennis because i get extremely frustrated, i am thankful i am not the only one.

[@IntuitiveTennis247]

Keep going 💯

[@mericusta1988]

I have one more “reason” why it may be harder to hit slower balls. There is much less of a depth window at your preferred height compared to fast balls that would sweep a longer depth for you to hit. So you have to be at the exact place at the exact time, and generate more than regular power. In that sense slower balls with relatively higher vertical component require better footwork.

[@PrecisionPointTennis]

Excellent

[@tennisteuton]

2:50 I am so incredibly lucky to have a playing partner who gives me high balls with a bit of penetration. I have learnt to enjoy taking them close to the apex at shoulder height, because I can really put a lot of weight into the balls and hit them with some topspin back. It feels extremely satisfying to execute such a large swing. In contrast to slow, low balls, those are very difficult to overhit.

[@mikewhocheeseharry5292]

What helps me is to look at your racket as it makes contact with the ball, which also takes away the intuitiveness. I’ve played with players that love to do slice shots so that the ball goes low and slow, and I would miss these shots or over hit because of the change of pace of the rally.

[@alexnikonov5212]

Having a match with the pusher today, need to keep your advices in mind. Thanks 😂

[@Jerry-ew1bp]

I lost against a pusher with slow ball yesterday evening... he said he doesnt play but unplay...

[@sayginisbay2365]

Can u make video about how much new and old balls change the play? And how to deal when ball gets old in a match, how to adapt game?

[@LukaVukmirovic]

Najbolji teniski kanal, svaka čast care!

[@IntuitiveTennis247]

Puno hvala Luka 🙏

[@spooky1304]

Truth bombs.

[@EvoX__lord78]

Eu jogo apenas 4 meses, e fui jogar contra um player que joga a exatamente 8 anos, eu ganhei de 2 set a 0 2x0, nem ele e nem eu estavamos acreditando no o que ocorreu, ele me deu parabens, e disse que eu era um bom jogador por isso ganhei, ele disse que é bom jogar com gente assim, ele me considerou um jogador dificil de ganhar e que tenho uma boa estrategia

[@brianjensen7985]

Excellent words of wisdom.

[@K4R3N]

Genius

[@K4R3N]

Also people want to crush slow balls, but they do it wildly

[@valdencorr2861]

up to 1:30 is spot on THE best explanation for these phenomenon. I would love to take classes with this coach.

[@WaltKurtz68]

Can you give me your string advice for the Pure Drive Plus 2018 please? I love the racquet with Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable but I would love to hear from you as well. I am a 6'4" 264 lbs 50+ y.o. recreational player, so my speediest days are in my past. I keep my Pure Drive Plus in my bag for when I need some free power or when facing hard hitting opponents. Should I go for a max power string setup or for max control? I'd love to hear your opinion!

[@aryusure1943]

All true but I would summarize the situation with the word "rushing". When I have to deal with a slow ball I precipitate my shot because I want to finish the point. It's particularly challenging when I play a "pusher" because I don't want to miss the first opportunity I get in the rally. So the best way to deal with those slow balls is to take the extra time we have and not doing too much. Easier said than done. Easy volleys or easy overheads are an illusion if we don't take the time to execute properly. I always say that slow balls, particularly the short ones are the toughest.

[@davidphelan5607]

high ball height is more demanding than fast ball speed. Indoor carpet's bounce seems too low to me. Did you see last month's Laver Cup? Everything was around their shins

[@ared18t]

Can I have a link to that ball hopper Please LOL

[@PaulWolfe1]

Yes, that is me too

[@RobBlanzy]

The slow ball reveals all.

[@666kingdrummer]

Even the pros get messed up by this, how else would you explain the underhand serve become a recent phenomena?

[@muchacho87]

i hate it to generate topspin with power when i get a alow ball. i definitifly have less control in length

[@Esprits4s]

Thanks for this video. Did you change strings? That doesn't look like Kirschbaum Super Smash.

[@aaronjfd6819]

Yeah, let us know what happened?

[@leonardo8461]

Easy tip: rush towards the short and slow balls, if you get there faster they will be easier to hit. Full commitment

[@jerome_morrow]

Even an ATG like Lendl wasn’t able to just blow past moonballs! (qv Chang vs Lendl RG 1989 4R).

[@landonh3535]

Damn these looks like the courts I used to play on in Miami - Morningside park.

[@larryloveday2845]

Look more to me to be Bemus Point, NY courts.

[@farriskhan2352]

Once in a while, does it make sense to slow it down, and give the opponent an "offspeed pitch"?

[@IntuitiveTennis247]

For sure 💯

[@Shaunsweeney-Kubach71]

Well I hurt my knee from playing on these hard courts, and since then I have been practicing with beginner tennis players and working on hitting the slow ball. It’s so frustrating that my knee is hurt and literally can’t run for anything, as you know Nick I have been training hard to compete in a tournament this December, and I have been using your videos to train. I have lost 20 pounds and I have been working hard with crappie equipment and I am literally playing with Wilson Profile 95s with 30 year old tennis string. I was playing really well and I been practicing with my buddy from Egypt and he is a 5.0 player and his serve is ridiculously good, and he is solid from both sides, he likes playing against me because my ground strokes are so flat that he said he can barely see the ball clear the net, and with these stiff racquets I was teeing off on his second serve. We played a pro set and I haven’t played a set of singles in 25 years and he beat me 8 to 4 I lost my serve once, but as the match went along I couldn’t run any more and get balls, and my good friend dropped shotted me so many times, he broke a world record on the most drop shots in one set. All I could do is just stand there and watch the ball drop over the net. I quit playing tennis back in the 90s because of hip replacement and I couldn’t run for the ball, and I don’t want to quit again because I can’t run. So I was thinking of training my legs on the cardio machine at the gym and see if I can build my legs and knees back up, but right now I am depressed because I have been working so hard and now another injury. What do you think I should do about my situation? I am a very competitive person and I love playing tennis against anyone at any level, I just love being out on the courts. Great job on the video my friend.

[@IntuitiveTennis247]

Injuries are tough, you gotta listen to your body and be patient trusting that body will heal.

[@Shaunsweeney-Kubach71]

@@IntuitiveTennis247 I am feeling better today, I am going to take your advice and let my body heal. Thank you Nick for your good advice my friend.

[@sportguy-live26]

Use more spin against slow shots..

[@transamination]

I find slow balls OK if I'm playing somebody good enough for me to try to kill it. If I'm playing a weaker player who needs a slow ball back off their slow ball so that the rally keeps going, then that can be hard to do.

[@cornettoway5089]

I teach my players to hit top spin on slow shots and it works well..

[@edleung4046]

A recreation player often either lose concentration, or try too much with a slow ball, and ends up losing the point.

[@Iblis00]

So basically the solution is to get good, got it.

[@bashar178]

I hate slow balls

[@dinamo8741]

u krivu si nije spora lopta vec mrtva lopta ako ti netko opali slajs s back spinom te lopte su teske za zabit protivniku, spore lopte su lagane za zabit jer imaju neki spin, sry krivi naziv videa

[@to174jay9]

its somewhat annoying when pushers/slow hitters know exactly what the are and use that as a way to win against better players. i would love to see a pro just punish this type of player.

[@mowghlee]

Excellent

[@IntuitiveTennis247]

Thank you! Cheers!