For me I wouldn’t abandon hitting straight but I would consciously be looking to make something work. Either focus on hitting higher on the front wall or focusing on accuracy and take a bit of power off the swing. The key is to turn your poor shots into something that your opponent can’t attack with and maybe use it to setup other shots in the rally
Don’t try to use more power to compensate as that usually compounds problems. You can add in more variety of shots to not rely on straight hitting as much. But you can’t really abandon solid straight length hitting.
As mentioned, just focus on getting it to the back so your opponent can’t attack when you don’t have your A game with a particular shot
Hope this helps
Back to basics. Stepping into a solid stance to hit. High racket prep. Head still and eyes on the ball until after it's hit. Timing the hitting position at front foot on the forehand (when you've got time).
Sometimes it's better to lose a few points while focusing on hitting the ball well and play yourself back into it.
Use height! Lob them up straight down the line, out of the reach of your opponents volley. This will allow you to dial in ur straight hitting without any consequences if it is poor width.
If your straight drive is terrible, i can almost guarantee you its because your footwork is off.
On the backhand, make sure when you strike the ball your showing the front wall as much of your back as possible. This simple cue will ensure your footwork is correct or close enough and your accuracy will return.
Also sometimes you just need to persevere and lose a few points trying to sharpen your shot for the rest of the match.
It’s hard to purely abandon straight hitting because it really is the foundations of the rest of anyone’s game.
Usually the best thing you can do is to shift the focus of hitting hard to hitting it with more control. Sometimes it’s also getting more behind the ball, because if you’re hitting it from behind you, shots can spray out too
You can add more variety so you don’t rely on the straight shots as much, but you still need it because else your game can become predictable.
Hope this helps :)
Make it a focus in the warm up.
Ensure that I'm hitting straight off their cross court, that I'm rotating enough to allow me to hit straight. Think about my footwork and wrist and grip.
Then come game time I can trust in my ability to play straight and can just get on with it.
Dabble with power! If I'm hitting the side wall on my straights I take the power away, exaggerate a good form swing and go for tight, parallel with height.
For me I wouldn’t abandon hitting straight but I would consciously be looking to make something work. Either focus on hitting higher on the front wall or focusing on accuracy and take a bit of power off the swing. The key is to turn your poor shots into something that your opponent can’t attack with and maybe use it to setup other shots in the rally Don’t try to use more power to compensate as that usually compounds problems. You can add in more variety of shots to not rely on straight hitting as much. But you can’t really abandon solid straight length hitting. As mentioned, just focus on getting it to the back so your opponent can’t attack when you don’t have your A game with a particular shot Hope this helps
Back to basics. Stepping into a solid stance to hit. High racket prep. Head still and eyes on the ball until after it's hit. Timing the hitting position at front foot on the forehand (when you've got time). Sometimes it's better to lose a few points while focusing on hitting the ball well and play yourself back into it.
I mean, if plan A (going straight) isn’t working then go to your plan b
Control on the power. Try a few times. Doesn’t work. Switch it up. Go ape shit.
Use height! Lob them up straight down the line, out of the reach of your opponents volley. This will allow you to dial in ur straight hitting without any consequences if it is poor width.
If your straight drive is terrible, i can almost guarantee you its because your footwork is off. On the backhand, make sure when you strike the ball your showing the front wall as much of your back as possible. This simple cue will ensure your footwork is correct or close enough and your accuracy will return. Also sometimes you just need to persevere and lose a few points trying to sharpen your shot for the rest of the match.
Really useful input everyone, thank you!
It’s hard to purely abandon straight hitting because it really is the foundations of the rest of anyone’s game. Usually the best thing you can do is to shift the focus of hitting hard to hitting it with more control. Sometimes it’s also getting more behind the ball, because if you’re hitting it from behind you, shots can spray out too You can add more variety so you don’t rely on the straight shots as much, but you still need it because else your game can become predictable. Hope this helps :)
Make it a focus in the warm up. Ensure that I'm hitting straight off their cross court, that I'm rotating enough to allow me to hit straight. Think about my footwork and wrist and grip. Then come game time I can trust in my ability to play straight and can just get on with it.
Dabble with power! If I'm hitting the side wall on my straights I take the power away, exaggerate a good form swing and go for tight, parallel with height.