As players, we tend to hear one particular phrase over and over from our coaches and members of our support team. “Get to the net.”

Though it may sound like they’re just trying to make you work harder and drench your body in even more sweat just for the fun of it, they definitely have your best interest at heart, trust me .

In fact, this is a very good philosophy to have. You see, being at the net,  will put you in a much greater position to win a lot of easy points.

You don’t have to take my word for it though. I mean, if you talk to players that have seen a fair amount of success on the court, they’ll tell you the very same thing – that the closer you can get to that black thing that separates you from your opponent, the easier time you’re going to  have ending points quickly.

Why is that?  Well , a lot of times , the quicker you get to the net, the earlier you can begin to cut off the angles and put much needed pressure on your opponent. And when that added pressure is applied, it often times eliminates a number of his options. As a result, your opponent will be forced  into going for lower percentage shots and then will start to pile up in the error department.  Make sense, right? Right!

Now, I know you as well as tons of other smart players already know this. But then, why do so few actually do it? Oh yea, you wouldn’t think that would be the case since this is such a powerful technique.

But, I’m saddened to say that it’s the truth. Even a lot of our fellow camp members are having trouble executing it.  So, why is going out there and just doing what you know to be the right thing so difficult?

It’s from fear! No, it’s not the fear of losing or the fear of not living up to certain expectations or anything like that. It’s much more simplistic.  It’s a the fear of getting hit!

Some might say, “Awww, those guys are wimps or How could you possibly be afraid of something so small?”  Honestly,  this isn’t an issue of bravery or courage. In fact, these players are actually pretty smart, because if they feel this way, it’s probably due to  being hit pretty badly sometime before. And they don’t want it happening again. I mean, who would?

Let me tell you, though that ball may look cute and fuzzy, it can really pack quite a punch if it comes in contact with your body while traveling over 100 mph – a punch that’ll stay fresh in your mind  for a long time after.

Have you ever been struck by a ball flying at that kind of speed? If not, let me be the first to tell you, it can really hurt! And if it’s hit in the right (…or should I say the wrong) place, it can cause severe injury and strongly affect your chances of physically taking the match.

I mean, what good is having a mind that’s solid, but the body you need for execution is damaged? Believe me, that’s the last thing you want to happen to you.

For example, if it hits you in your forearm or wrist (…worse if it’s on your primary hitting side), that”ll leave you critically handicapped. This will mean, every time you get ready to execute a menacing forehand or backhand ground stroke, you’ll feel intense pain which is likely to cause tons of mishit balls and the losing of what could have been, easy points.

Then what happens? As a result, the painful elements of  doubt and anxiety kick into to gear, and then you’re really in trouble.  Now, both your body and mind are compromised – not a good combo by any means.

Then you start talking to yourself.  “Should I rush the net? Well, I did put him on the defense. But what if I get pegged again?” See what I mean. Your mind can and will eventually get scrambled. And as we both know, the mind is your core. So, you want to keep that running as efficiently as possible.

So, to prevent both your mind and body from getting battered and bruised, you definitely need to try this drill that I’ve listed below and make sure that your body parts and a ball coming in at warp speed have a pretty distant relationship lol.

TennisMindCamp Drill #17: Operation Hail Storm

This drill is actually one of my favorites, and it’ll definitely enhance your ability to perform at the net when under fire and the pressure is at it’s greatest. In order to conquer your fear of getting blasted with the ball and getting bruised  like the lovely lady in the picture above, you’re going to have to face the fire head on. It’s the only way.

Trust me, when I was younger, I tried giving my students short-cuts, but it didn’t produce the results needed to really overcome this injury based anxiety once and for all. The trick is quick preparation. The main reason why players get hit while their at the net is because they find themselves late preparing for the next shot.

I mean, you’ve got to be ready for the next one right away. Hit… Prepare… Hit… Prepare. Get where I’m going with this? Good. Follow the steps below to executing the drill of “OPERATION HAIL STORM,” and your fear of being pegged out there will be a thing of the past. I promise!

Steps to Follow:

1. POSITIONING: The player sets up back by the fence. You want to make sure you stand as close to that fence or wall as possible. This way, you make it impossible for you to run or retreat back. You have to stay there and face the music, or the storm I should say. As for the coach, she’s going to be at the service line on the same side of the court with a HUGE basket of ball by his side.

2. PLAYER GOAL: Your job as a player is to get down low, in good shot positioning (GSP), and efficiently return as many balls as possible without getting nailed. Remember, this drill is all about reaction and recovery. So if you don’t remember anything else, you want to make sure your hands and body are in the proper position on each and every shot. If you hit a shot late, it’s because you weren’t ready, and that shot doesn’t count.

3. THE COACH: The coach/instructor will have a HUGE bucket of balls at his (…or her) disposal and is going to bombard you with ball after ball after ball after ball.  No, none of these feeds will be wide or off to the side. They will ALL be launched right into your body. It’s also the coach’s job to make sure  these balls are coming with a heavy dose of hot sauce – I’m talking about some real speed here. So you, as a player, really need to be on your toes and ready to pounce.

WARNING: Avoid putting all your weight on your heals, because you’ll not only be losing much needed control but your balance and power will rapidly decrease as well.

The faster the balls are hit to you, then the stronger your reaction skills will be by the end. By contrast, if the balls are hit to you relatively easily with no pace or difficulty, it would defeat the whole purpose.  And the benefit you could have gained would’ve been lost.

So, don’t ask your coach to slow them down. If anything, you should say speed it up. Challenge yourself and push yourself to new limits. That’s the only way you’re going to see the noticeable results you want and need to succeed.

It’s also good to set small number goals too. You can start off with 10, and then, once you reach that, you can begin to increase it to 12, 14, 16, even 100 … wink wink . Having something to shoot for gives your mind some structure. It’s always rewarding when you can tell that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s also adds some fun to it as well. And that’s the whole reason why you’re out there. Remember that.

It’s to enjoy yourself, and that’s the bottom line.

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Like I talked about in our tip last week. You’re an animal out there, and your senses and the ability to react to a split second change in your environment (…new shots or situations your opponent may put you in) have to be razor sharp. And this drill is perfect for it.

Just make sure you stay low (…even if you don’t feel like it). Keep your hands out in front in the ready position. If you don’t, you’ll finally realize how this drill got it’s name. If you’re lazy, the ball is going to smash into your mid-section (…or worse, your face), and it’s going to hurt like Hail!

All the best,

Brian Hall
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

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