Articles and information are based on our believes and is intended to help anybody who is involved in this great sport.

STRATEGY VS. STROKE MECHANICS

  Many parents…and teaching professionals confuse tennis strategy with turning losses into wins: kids who lose matches must need a different or better strategy in order to win. Strategy however is not the answer; improved stroke mechanics are.  You can’t work on strategy if you can’t keep the ball in play or direct the ball on the court.  What good is it for us to teach a student a crosscourt forehand followed by an inside out forehand crosscourt with a short angled forehand volley crosscourt if he or she can’t direct the ball crosscourt or hit a correct volley?? 

When you get down to it, the person who makes the least mistakes usually wins. In a match, it is the strokes that usually break down, so until the student improves the strokes and can execute them under pressure, “strategy” doesn’t do him or her any good.  Until that point the only strategy should be to keep the ball in play and reduce low percentage shots.  The further along the stroke mechanics are, the more “strategy” or patterns become relevant.  But remember, no matter the level of the student you can’t sacrifice getting the ball in play for “strategy”.