Short Court Tutorial: Using Mini Tennis Effectively Part 1 of 3
February 22, 2012 by: Ian WestermannWelcome to video 1 of 3 in a series that will focus on how to use “short court” or “mini tennis” as effectively as possible. My goal within these three videos is to either get you started using short court for the first time or, if you’re using it already, help you make the absolute best use of your time.
In this video I’m going to address a very, very common misconception about short court: that it’s just for low level or beginner type players. That is NOT true and I’ll tell you why.
Then I’m going to present a video of a top level professional player using short court to warm up while I talk about the big benefits to actually using short court as part of your routine.
Question: Do you already use short court? Tell me in the comments below!
Hi Ian,
I enjoyed this video as I picked something up I had not considered. I have had my players warm up with Mini tennis but they had to hit every ball with backspin. I did this for a few reasons.1.Too many times they would back up and hit off their back foot..not good 2. They were weak volleyers and I wanted to have them practice volleying more frequently. So, they had to treat mini tennis balls as a volley “off of a bounce”. They used a continental grip and if the ball was too deep they would volley the ball back instead of hitting off of a bounce. The improvement was dramatic. After seeing your video, I plan to also have the kids hit with topspin but primarily so that they can load up and come forward to hit but also so they will have to shorten their backswings when hitting….another one of their problems. Thanks for the video. My best, Jim
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I use short courts (mini-courts) often but I have problem keeping the ball inside the short court. Is it because of less topspin on the ball?
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Ian,
I really enjoyed the short court videos, and I think it will benefit my stroke mechanics the most. I use to hit a very flat shot with pretty good control, but I’ve been trying to develop a good topspin ground stroke more recently. Whenever the pace was good I could really hit a nice penetrating shot. However, when I played people who had no pace on their balls, like a pusher, my topspin ground strokes would completely break down, because I would stop my follow through when I got to the ball. I have more recently started to realize that I need to keep a full follow through going, which makes me realize the how important the point you made in the one video about slowing the overall stroke down, but making sure you keep the WHOLE follow through going. I can see where the short court method would be about the best thing a player can do to develop better stoke mechanics while slowing down your swing for playing the dinkers and dunkers.
Thanks Ian for the great job your doing!
Mike
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Once again thanks for your time to explain the importance of short court warm up and control. It has been of great use and I look forward to watching the next tutorial.
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Short court will be a difference maker for me. It will allow me to concentrate on all the things that I’m overwhelmed by from the baseline….footwork, technique, follow thru…this is going to be great.
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Great video and instruction!
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I do use short court warm up, whenever my practice partner or my opponent agrees to do it with me. My husband, however, doesn’t want to do it. He thinks it is a sissy stuff. He want’s to pound on the ball from the beginning.I think short court is a great way to warm up the smaller (fiine motor) muscle groups. After they are warmed up, we then should warm up the larger muscle groups to gradually increase power. It feels like you can get into your groove faster and more efficiently that way.I seem to be able to apply more topspin on the ball when I warm up with the short court drill.Control before power, always.
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We always use short court for warmup in ladies league play, but it seems to be frowned upon in Mixed. Can’t wait to “educate” my Mixed Partner (my husband)!
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Thanks!
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Hi
Short ct was introduced to me back in 1998 by my coach.
I loved it
I’m old, 55. Sit at a dsk all day like most weekend athletes
Play once a wk…..
just a great warm up. Muscles are tight. Need time to get the blood moving
I work on my spins, Slice. Top off both sides, half volley. I hit from no man’s land a lot
Can’t live without it
Richp
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Where didminitennis originate? I first saw it in a Bolieterri-Agassi video c 1990.
Has anyone seen Roger do minitennis? Rafa?
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I apologize now as I actually have some of that bad mentality of using short court to accommodate some of the weaker players who can’t hit properly. But I’m glad its a way to improve my game as I can’t play full court where I am nowadays. Hope to find out how to maximise the time using this. Thanks!!
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Did I somehow miss the following short court videos? Have only seen Part 1. I am finding that as a high school tennis coach that the hardest part about getting students to move their feet. It helps if I can get them to focus on their split step on every stroke during short court. I also loved seeing Wozniaki using her split step on short court.
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Hi Ian,
I always warm-up playing mini tennis at the very beginning.
The reason was only to take it slow at the beginning, but I’m waiting the next videos about it, so that I have more purpose with it.
Thanks,
Laurentiu
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Hi Ian
I use short tennis as a warm up and also as a game where it’s the first person to 6 points using the whole of the short court. The idea is to use all the possible angles, come to the net and use the short angle volley
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yes I use the short court but some of my peer group won’t do it.
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Hi Ian,
It’s very interesting to hear you’re saying that short court practice isn’t just
for the beginners or low level players. From now on, I’ll practice short court
drills with more enthusiasm before i play matches. Thanks a lot for your
free videos and your time. Have a great day.
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Dear Ian:
My wife and I use short court to warm up. I use it to practice my split step, change in grip, correct backswing in my stroke, practice keeping my head still and eyes on the ball, and follow thru.
We are eagerly looking forward to the next tape. I very muck appreciate these tapes that I think are very goood and should make us better
thanks, jth
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I am a high school coach and after dynamic warm-up, begin every practice with mini-tennis. I believe it to be a good warm-up, it helps players develop control and racket speed. We have two focus points for mini-tennis; players are to work on footwok and movement and are to really focus on tracking the ball and trying to see the ball make contact with the strings. I tell the kids the ball is moving more slowly and it is easier to work on keeping a quiet head a focus on tracking the ball. Lastly one of the goals is to keep the ball in play. A good variation for more skilled players is to play with two balls at once. Thanks
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I have always used short court tennis as a way of warming up. Thanks for pointing out the benefits. Short court tennis is such a natural way to get into rhythm before going to the baseline. Warming up any other way feels unnatural.
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As always, Ian, great instructions and video!! Have always warmed up close to net but now see it would be more beneficial to warm up as you have explained. Will now start to incorporate it into my tennis. Thanks!!
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Ian, first of all, I love your videos, and a big thank you for that, but for the love of god, please stop repeating the same thing over and over again. Out of the 7 minute video, the first 3 minutes are taken up by the introduction, where all you really say is that minicourt game is NOT just for low level or beginner type players over and over and over again.
My constructive criticism would be to stop repeating yourself so much as everything else about your videos is absolutely top notch, but the repeating is getting a bit annoying and I’ve seen it all almost all your videos.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 2:56 PM
Thanks for the feedback. To be honest, as long as the vast majority of my feedback is positive I won’t be making any big changes to my presentation style. I repeat what I feel warrants repeating, simple as that. If those things don’t happen to be what you personally need to have reiterated then I apologize. It’s impossible to create a video that benefits everybody equally and I don’t intend on trying.
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AtaStrumf Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 4:17 PM
Thanks for replying Ian. You can never please everybody, I know that, just thought I’d share my observation with you, as I’m a big fan and while I accept that repeating an important point is necessary, in my opinion perhaps sometimes you might be taking it a wee bit too far, and I think your videos would be even better if they were that little bit more to the point
But anyway, let’s get back on topic. I’ve seen this exact same warm-up myself last year watching Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Roland Garros, but to be honest the shortcourt part of the warmup was very short, just like in your video, only a few strokes then she quickly moved back. That said, I personally spend a lot more time in the short court and actually start with “volleys” first, i.e. no bounce at all and then move back slowly, and I have to say I love warming up nice and easy like that, so I can’t wait to see your next video. Hope it’s not too far away
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What grip is Cariline using? I use a continental. Control has never been an issue with me however creating power is lacking. I question is my problem technique or mindset? I have taken lessons and have some power but placement is more my game. It would be nice to feel confident that I could overpower my opponent at certain times.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 24th, 2012 at 2:58 PM
She’s using her normal forehand and backhand groundstroke grips. It’s OK to start out with continental and shorter technique, but eventually you should be striving for slow, smooth groundstroke swings. I’ll be talking about this in the coming videos!
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We always warm up with short court rallies for our league matches and I use the short court warm up for any practice matches. I use it in different ways such as first letting the ball bounce and then hitting volleys. Usually these warm ups are hit softer and slower. Sometimes the person I am hitting against just hits the ball hard and fast but most times they are more controlled. It will be great to have more specific ways to use the short court. I noticed that Caroline was at the service line and was hitting groundstrokes. We stand much closer to the net and still hit the shots as groundstrokes. That is why I also incorporate the volley. Next time I will also back up and hit longer controlled groundstrokes. Looking forward to the next videos. Thanks for doing this.
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Looking forward to the next two videos! Our coach in college, Hans Olsen, took the warm-up one step further and told us to also do 5 minutes of rallying halfway between the service line and the base line. I found it being very useful to learn to control the depth of your shot as well as the power. We did a lot of exercises hitting the ball at 50%, 75% and 90% (100% blasting the ball isn’t really recommended, at least in my opinion.)
Your blog is very useful to me. Keep up the good work! (any word from Jeremy in Bucharest? I think he’s still coaching and going strong)
Cheers!
Cat in Malta!
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Hi Ian,
Only found out about this concept of short court practice drills, 1 month ago.
Have been using it in all warm ups since – have noticed a huge improvement in my half volleys and general footwork, i use the service line as a base and move in and out as required.
I have found you can have a solid workout within the boundaries of short court.
We use stanndard balls is this the right thing to do !!!!
Looking forward to more info on the subect.
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Yep, our club coach advocates short tennis initially. However, no Man wants to do this!!!! They believe this a “girlie” or “kids” thing. All the ladies do, including team players. I’m looking forward to having some useful tips to excerise during the short tennis warm up!
Thanks. Your coaching videos have really helped me. I played with the team players today in one of their pratise matches and held my own! Lots of thanks. I was confident, calm and not nervous!!!
Brilliant stuff – just what I’ve dreamt of – calming those nerves. Yippee!!
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Hi Ian
We use a bit of short tennis for warm ups – mainly volleying though. The video clip looks like a great way to practice all the strokes. Reading through some of the comments below – particular those noting difficulty in doing a full stroke action and hitting the ball slowly, do you specifically recommend a slow paced ball or not?
Alison
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 3:35 PM
Yes, your goal should be a slow, smooth, relaxed pace back and forth with your partner. I’ll be talking a lot more about that in video 2 and 3!
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alison Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 5:24 PM
sorry Ian – just responded in the wrong place! My question was unclear and related to the physical tennis balls being used – normal or low pressure – as opposed to the type of shot.
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Always a great fan of short court warm-up.It really gets your hand eye coordination going,and
your feet moving.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:42 PM
I totally agree, Zona. Keep it up!
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We use the short court with our varsity & JV (high school) teams. The skill level has a lot to do with the consistency of the players even in the short court so we may use low compression balls to slow things down even more to produce extended exchanges.
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I find that using only one service box helps warming up my control during short court rally. I start out rallying from deuce court to ad court, then deuce court to deuce court and finish up with ad court to ad court. This way I get to warm up all my ground strokes down-the-line, cross-court and including inside-out and outside-in. Also I don’t allow volleying so that my footwork gets a warm up as well.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Excellent idea to restrict yourself even more by using only one service box, Dan. I’ll be talking more about that in Video 3 of this series. Keep up the good work!
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I use a spongy ball to play short court for all warm ups before hitting a tennis ball at all. The lighter, slower ball forces good footwork and a full swing which warms up everything. I love how you can really work on follow through and spin while still maintaining a long rally just in the warm up. Often with a tennis ball, hitting like this would mean spending more time fetching balls and lots of miss hits early in the warm up.
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Not only do I use it for warm ups (and it’s possible to play any shot that you would from the baseline) BUT I also use it for 10 point tiebreaks. You serve underarm and cannot go for a winner on the serve or second shot. It improves your understanding of spin, court geometry and patience in a rally. Try it folks
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Hi Ian,
agree with all the arguments you make and would like to add another … after warmup there is actually also a fun/athletic component to short court which is purposely trying to outdo your opponent on angles … as you say definitely not just for beginners but actually quite tolling on your stamina and a good way to practice control on angles. I find when moving back I have much better control on wider angles. I realise in a game situation this is a risky shot but I still sometimes go for it just for the fun of it.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 PM
That’s an excellent progression, Lars. Something that I’ve used in lessons and group clinics many, many times. Keep up the good work!
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Hi,I couldn’t agree with you more abourt the reasons for doing the short court. I hear the samething. I also point out how you can work on controlling and seeing spins. These are the balls you get from players who hit short and weak.
I even start with QuickStart balls.
Can’t wait for the next.
Thanks
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Great video. I use short court to warm up, but like the idea of gradually backing up to the baseline. Looking forward to drills for short court!
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I use the short court to warmup all the time. I start at the service line and hit under spin or flat shots, and move up a little to hit volleys and half-volleys. Then move back behind the service line to hit controlled top spin forehands. It is a great way to warmup and develop a rhythm, as you mentioned.
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Ian,
As always, your amazing videos are valuable learning tools for all level players. You couldn’t have chosen a more perfect example of short-court practice than Caroline. It was poetry in motion.I’m a believer and will continue requiring my opponents to cooperate with my request to warm up short.
DeWitt
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Glad you enjoyed it, DeWitt. I totally agree: Caroline was an awesome example!
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I use this method but only stay up front for a little while. I like the idear of fading back and comming back up to the line. Thanks , I am going to give it a shot.
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Ian:
Excellent Topic.
I am a level 5.0 Player with over 20 years teaching experience. I begin all my practices and hitting sessions with short court. The benefits are infinite for developing “soft hands” and teach players to control the ball instead of having the ball control them.
I learned short court as a beginning player watching a video featuring Stan Smith talking about correct techniques for beginning practice sessions. His recomendation was short court. And from that day forward, I always begin with short court.
Looking forward to the next two videos.
Chris
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Thanks for watching, Chris. I appreciate your feedback very much.
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very good very useful ialways use it. hh
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Thanks for the vid! My coach is a big advocate of mini tennis warm up and so am I. It is a great way to develop feel as it was very difficult at first to maintain the same motion I would have at the baseline while hitting a softer shot. I believe this is especially important for people with 1 handed backhands as that shot in particular required a lot of time to master in mini tennis. I’m also a big advocate of warming up serves at three quarter court and also using it as a great way to practice returns with a partner. Thanks again for the course looking forward to the next vids
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Well, guess I’m about the only one here that’s not a big fan of mini-tennis as a warm-up. I always start with slow controlled strokes, but from the baseline, gradualy amping up the pace and hitting lower over the net as my opponent and I get into the groove.
But – I’ll consider what you’re saying. I’m an openminded kind of guy.
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Hi, yes we have used this for about 2 years, our pro won’t let us start till we do 5 minutes or so short court. It really gets one prepared
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You are right that short court is a great way to warm up before playing. It seems like many of us use it. but I am looking forward to your 2nd and 3rd videos because I don’t think I use the short court as effectively as I should.
I think that the way you go through our lessons step by step is excellent. You never assume knowledge and that is the sign of a good instructor… if we know it already, it’s review. If we don’t know it, or it’s presented in a slightly different way, then Yay! maybe we’ve learned something new!
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I like the manner in which you communicate through a series of videos. The one thing that I picked up on the Caroline W. warm ujp with her footwork/split step from the get go.
If you are going to be at the Indian Wells tournment, you should let your fans know.
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Agree with Claude.
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Yes, I have used this method to warm up for some time and agree with you completely!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:02 PM
Excellent, keep up the good work, Peter!
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Ian: Thanks for video 1 on short court. We use it every day, and would recommend it for fun, if nothing else. At our ages (76 and 68) there are some days when long shots are just not working , but if we have had fun with the short stuff (we count strokes and celebrate long rallies) the day doesn’t seem wasted. Incidently, I was surprised to see that Caroline hit most every shot with a closed or semi-ckised stabce, Looking forward to the tips in 2 and 3.
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As in all videos, your introduction is too long. Fro example in the 6 min.52 sec “mini tennis” video the actual information, what we need to know, took about 45 seconds.
But the info provided in the “45 seconds” is great and very useful.
Best Regards
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:01 PM
“What we need to know”. You’re assuming that everybody of the thousands watching needs to know exactly the same information that you need to know? For some the intro where I talk about mini tennis not just being for beginners will literally be the most important concept out of all three videos. I try my best to make my videos as beneficial as possible for the widest range of tennis players out there. If that means some info is review for more advanced players then my apologies. All I ask is that you keep them in mind
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I believe that mini tennis or the use of a smaller tennis court to help simplify the game is a very powerful tool. It makes things easier and the learning the process quicker.
I like where you are going with this.
Peace,
Evalds
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Yes this 3/4 court is what I use to warm up as well, I can take slow smooth full swings with little pace for warmup. Thanks !!!!
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Great stuff, Ian, congratulations….!! I really enjoyed this first video and hardly can’t wait for the second and the third ones…. I’m very please to see that you accept Short Court as an useful technique since I’ve been using it since my very beginning as a tennis player, and it means a lot, lot time ago…!! I use Short Court not only for warming-up, but also for cooling down, and as a recreational activity that allows me to be much more precise in aiming the ball. It also allows me to make ground strokes in a very soft and complete motion, which is great for improving technique and pace… Thank you for your advice… Keep going!!!
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Great stuff, Ian! I recently started utilizing short court for every practice session and I have seen immediate benefits to my consistency. Also, my technique feels more solid and effortless at full court. BTW, you are getting pretty good at “teasing” your next videos! Can’t wait for more… you crafty devil.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:03 PM
Haha…..
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always use short court before playing hard………,thanks for the video
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I’m always a fan of short court warm up to build a bit of rhythm before hitting balls full court. Only problem is a lot of people I play seem to regard it as a waste of time which I disagree completely. I always seem to hit better and move more efficient on the court too when warming up with short court hit.
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Thanks Ian. This is great! I do use the short court for warm up but not correctly. I have only concentrated on getting my hand-eye corrdination down and not at all on strokes. I tend to “bump” the forehands (just can’t get my topspin forehand right when I’m in so close) and I do a slice backhand with a nice swing that I can’t seem to replicate in the backcourt (where I use a two handed flat or topspin backhand).
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:08 PM
Make sure to check out videos 2 and 3 then, I’ll be talking about technique!
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I think mini tennis is fantastic! It’s great for all levels of play I believe. If you can make space on a short court then it will be so much easier to make space on a regular size court. Mini tennis also helps make your strokes compact.
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like the vid of Wozniaki – always been a supporter of short court warm up.
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I’m the world’s biggest fan of shourt court tennis. It not only helps to teach patterns of play under easier circumstances, it also helps developing proper techniques and variability.
A couple of years ago, when I still used to play tournaments myself, I practised exclusively on the short court with a very good junior player who later made it to US college tennis. These three games are my all-time favorites:
1. “Golden hand”: You are only allowed to hit soft strokes, including volleys and smashes. This is the best game to develop touch. It is played only on one half of the short court, either cross-court or down the line.
2. “Spaniard”: You are allowed to hit as hard as you can, but no volleys and smashes, so the ball has to bounce. It is played on one half of the short court only, either cross-court or down the line.. This is the best game for developing good topspin and backspin strokes.
3. “Full court spaniard”: This is one of the best conditioning games ever. It is played in the full short court. You start with an underhand serve cross-court and are allowed to hit as hard as you can. It keeps the rallies extremely intensive and also develops very good returning skills.
I’m looking forward to see the next videos.
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Ian,
I do use short courts, especially during the warmer, dry months, when playing outdoors, and court time isn’t such as issue. What we typically do during the winter (Oregon wet), we’ll rush through our warm up, volleys, groundies, more volleys, overheads and serves, in order to get to the competition. Maybe 10-15 minutes for everything. Far from ideal, I know, but realistic sometimes, given a 2 hour indoor court time. Everyone loves the competition more than practice, what did Allen Iverson say? Practice? Of course, look where he is today……Love the courses and advice!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:09 PM
Haha…..”Practice?? We talk’n ’bout practice!?”
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Short court is great if done correctly. I have found that many players even advanced players stand in 1 place and use continental grips to just tap the ball back and forth. I have found that using a foam ball gives more time thus allowing people to move their feet and get in proper position. Also due to the slow pace of the foam ball players are able to use the proper grip to practice their stroke correctly.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:09 PM
I completely agree, Dan. I’ll be talking all about footwork and technique in videos 2 and 3!
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Dear Ian, I have always warmed up short for matches. Over the the last year I have been certfied with PTR as a jr developement coach. so I obviously buy into the 10 and under philsiphyUSTA is is promoting .Shorter courts and low compression and spungy balls are the way to go.(210% lock stock and barrel). Now not only do I use the shoter and llow compression balls for training and warming up all ages and levevals if players. I also use them in my own training as well. It has helped with footwork, stroke production,control,spin,
angles……I like to get out a folding gymnastics/tumbling mat and lay it against the net. ( fyi you can not see your partner) we focus on split step, turn (weather open or closed stance), racket preperation brushing up and follow through. Looking to
get a consistant rainbiw arch with spin. It doest take long
before intermenate and advanced plyers to have ralley of 50 to 100 shots without missing. I will iften the first time use soungy balls and later practices use orange balls. I love warming up with the ornge balls short court myself.
I like to pull out a folding gymnastics mat and lean it up against the net.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:11 PM
Thanks for watching, Patty!
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I always start with the mini tennis with my partner. It has been extremely useful because it is a great warm-up and it has helped me control the tennis ball and its direction, how smoothly I have to hit it or how hard. Looking forward to the next videos
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I’m so glad to see that you are emphasizing the short court warmup. In my group, like you mentioned, most guys think that it is not worth their time, so they begin to bang the ball. This
results in many shots going out or into the net, requiring stopping to pick up balls and shortening
the warmup process. This is especially harmful when you have a limited warmup time and are not
getting the number and quality of shots that you need for good rythm and control.
How can you change this mindset ?
Thanks
Ted
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:11 PM
It’s really tough, Ted. I know this from experience working with rec players 40-50 hours a week for many years. Honestly, some people will never come around to accepting how helpful it can be, even if you give them every reason in the book. Others will respond well if you gently give it as a suggestion and say how much it has helped your own game, etc.
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Always use short court. I’m a club and league player at the 3.5-4.0 level in the Sacramento area. I’m anxious and curious about what you have to say to make that time more effective.
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Ian, I absolutely agree with warming up with short court tennis. The problem is usually the opponent doesn’t have the feel or strokes to get into shot court tennis and they usually end up doing a volley drill. It’s like pulling teeth to get some players to warm up with short court tennis. I had a ski instructor tell me if you can ski slow then you can ski fast. I think the same principal applies to tennis: if your technique is good then you will have no problem with short court tennis.
Steve 4.0 level
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:35 PM
Great comments, Steve. You’re right, it’s not necessarily an easy thing to find a partner with the patience to give this a try. In my experience a LOT of rec tennis players won’t even try it, or if they do they give up after 2 minutes because it’s too frustrating for them. Good practice partners are worth their weight in gold!
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beth14 Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:39 AM
I am going to put my comment here with Big Steve — because I kind of am that guy. I actually like the drill, but really suck at it. It is not a smooth, controlled relaxed drill for me. It is short and choppy and very very tense. Death grip on the racket tense. I really liked how loose Caroline’s wrist was. I do find if I start on the baseline and hit out for like 5 minutes then move forward for this drill I am much better at it.
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very helpful – look forward to the next two
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Glad you enjoyed it!
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Hi Ian,
Thanks for bringing this up to our tennis players’ attentions. For years I have taken it for granted until lately I learn a totally different way to hit in the short court thanks to one of my practice partner (Thank you very much Joe !!!). I always use the Continental grip when I played in the short course but when I practice with Joe I realize I can use my regular grip (semi-western grip by the way) here as I use at the baseline. Since then my topspin is improving tremendously due to the net is higher. I am looking forward to see some tips from your next videos. Thanks.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Joe was absolutely correct! I’ll be talking about what techniques to use in detail in videos 2 and 3. Thanks for watching!
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I have a hitting partner who does not want to hit short court for some reason, I will be at the service line and he will hit one shot close to the service line and then immediately move to the baseline, last time we played he was complaining about a wrist problem. How do you get someone to his more short court tennis?
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:38 PM
Show him this video
Ultimately you can’t force anybody to do anything, tennis players or otherwise. If he just isn’t interested in it then you might be out of luck with him unfortunately.
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Already using this to warm up. I have been using the full, relaxed swing as seen here and it really helps in establishing rhythm and relaxation for me. I see many players, when in a short court warmup, just “bump” the ball across the net. This comes over as a tense, jerky movement. No they are not practicing volleys at this point. Look forward to the second video. Thanks.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:39 PM
The “bump” method is OK to start but a full groundie technique should be your ultimate goal. Great job using that already!
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good info will use with my team, I have not used it enough but will in the future Thanks
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:39 PM
You bet! Make sure to see video 2 and 3 so that you know exactly what techniques are best, etc.
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Hi Ian,
Looks like another great little series. Will it include a “short court” hitting wall drill if you don’t have a partner to warm up with? Like I’m sure you’ve seen, most club players show up at the designated playing time, hit back and forth for a few minutes and then start the match. I don’t personally know too many that want to invest time into practicing.
Thanks!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:40 PM
I won’t be demonstrating against a wall specifically but you’ll be able to take all of my suggestions in video 2 and 3 and apply them to the wall. I know what you mean when it comes to finding the right type of people to practice with. Not always easy!
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Thanks for the short introduction to short court drill. I am finding it more and more useful to practice controled short court, particularly my opponents give me a short ball. In the past, I often erred from over or under hitting, particularly when running from the baseline to hit the shot. How do I correct the problem. Proper foot work, more compact stroke etc. Appreciate more information and instructions on that. Thank you.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:41 PM
I actually do NOT recommend a compact stroke, Jeff. You’ll be hearing all about that (and footwork) in videos 2 and 3!
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I ‘m looking forward to watching these videos on how to use the short court.
Our club Pro encourges warming up on the short court
I have found hitting cross court shots to be very helpful
My weekness is standing flat footed so I’m working hard to improve my footwork
when I don’t have a practice pardner I play short court using a racquet ball court
and have developed several drills after watching some of your traing videos
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Be sure to catch the next video then, I’ll be showing you how to move your feet!
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Ian, the Short Court is indeed an excellent practice drill and I’ll relgiously follow it. Thank you.
By the way my email address of “johnliuhomes@yahoo.com” has been changed to “jmwliu4homes@yahoo.com”
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:44 PM
You’re welcome. I have your new address in my system
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Excellent!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:44 PM
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Ian
How can you swing in the short court? You just swing slow?
When I hit with advanced players (5.0ish), their motion is different
than mine. Their swing is fluent and ball speed is slow, but controlled.
I wish I could hit like them!
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Kinslow Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:25 PM
To me it looks like Caro is swinging slow but more importantly she is swinging very vertically at contact. I am sure Ian will get to this in the next video.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:45 PM
I’ll be covering technique in great detail in video 3! You’re absolutely right, high level players have the ability to use a long swing, but slowly and smoothly so that they can control what the ball does.
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Aimee Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:12 AM
I can not wait to watch your video 3! Thank you.
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I do use short court for warmup. I try to get my footwork and racquet control going. I do believe it is helpful. I look forward to the other videos in the series. Thank You!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:46 PM
You’re welcome!
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I coach a girls high school team. I run a no-cut program and I always have a lot of girls come out who have never played tennis before. I use the short court, with a foam ball to start them off hitting controlled shots over the net, back and forth. My advanced players use the short court as the first step in their warm-up sequence. It is an excellent “drill” to work on placement of shots and to get the “juices” flowing before working their way back to the baseline and hitting full court shots.
I am enjoying your material and am learning new things. Thanks, Ian
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:47 PM
Awesome work, Skip. Your players are very lucky to have you!
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I have no idea how to even hit a full stroke in short court. I really gave up trying because there was no tutorials that could help me.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:47 PM
Well, you’re in luck, John
Make sure to catch video 2 and 3.
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Peter Burwash introduced me to short court warm-ups about 40 years ago. His mantra was much like yours, the major emphasis was to get your foot work and hand-eye coordination warmed up before moving to the baseline, with the ultimate objective to have more control when you moved to the baseline for a more efficient practice session. or warm up before a match.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:48 PM
Definitely spot on! It’s such a shame that so few rec players use short court even though the concept has been around for such a long time….
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Ian
I always start short to warm up. What the clip of Caroline showed me that rather rather than punching back a volly I should be hitting a full but soft and controlled complete stroke. This is good to know.
Thank you
Jim Fournell
PS: When will the next section of doubles domination be available?
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Yup, good eye on the technique, Jim. I’ll be talking a lot about that in the 3rd video of this series. Module 2 will be out on March 5th. I have several things lined up for you guys before then!
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My friends and I do warm up on a short court but without the objective you described — getting an easy, balanced stroke both forehand and backhand. Thanks.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 PM
You’re welcome, Jim!
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Hi Ian, I really like the content of your videos. One bit of friendly advice, and this is just my opinion, but I think there is too much “talk” in the studio at the start of your videos. For example, in this video, it is almost 3 minutes before we even see a tennis court. In some of the other videos, it is much longer. I think people want to see more action right away. If I was doing what you do, I would start the video by showing the “action” on the court that exemplifies what you are about to talk about. Then, maybe cut away to the studio, or even better, just voice over and forget the studio until maybe the end of the video. Maybe you disagree and again this is my own opinion, but in today’s fast moving internet world, I think people want to get to the action right away.
Peace!
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Gene Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:30 PM
Strongly agree!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 PM
Thanks for the feedback.
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Chris Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:58 PM
I totally agree with Omar too!
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Right on, Ian. Your attitude and your explanation of the attitude of others is spot on. We start even closer for some volleys and half volleys and then move back to the service line and flow it back and forth..and then add volleys from that “depth” as well…
Of course when you try to warm up this way before a league match…then you see the “I don’t do this” attitude come out because the guys want to get to it right away…
But I’ve learned to say…ten minutes at least cause that’s the only way i warm up…and they don’t like it…but they do it.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:51 PM
Awesome, great work, Martin!
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Hi Ian,
Yes, I use short court warm-up, but I’m looking foreward to your videos on how me and my compatriots can use it even better. Thanks for the great info.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:52 PM
You’re very welcome, Maury.
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Thank you so much for your videos. They help me a lot !!!!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:52 PM
Good to hear!
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I have used short-court tennis for many years (over 40).
Thanks!
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 12:14 PM
That’s awesome, Russ! Hopefully video 2 and 3 will give you a few new things to try/think about.
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Hey Ian, this is great! Looking forward to seeing the next two. Many thanks for creating this series.
(This is only tangentially related, but since you mention how professional athletes warm up, one year, at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, I watched Sharapova and her coach tossing a football back and forth, standing about twenty or thirty feet apart.)
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 12:12 PM
You’re welcome, Bob. Glad you’re enjoying it already. A football used to be part of my regular gear in my tennis bag in college! During our “box run” warm up we would toss it back and forth among ourselves. I took it with us on trips as well, excellent want to get the shoulder warm since it copies a good service motion so closely
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Love the short court drill for warm up and also for working on developing the feel for drop shots.
Great for footwork, and really great for getting the proper spacing away from the ball at contact.
AND, this can be a tremendous fitness building exercise.
Still think Caroline should play a few slices from that short court position (continental grip).
Thanks for this Ian …
Brent
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Thank you so much for jumping in, Brent. I appreciate your thoughts! I completely agree, I’ll be talking a bunch about footwork and spacing in the coming two videos. Fitness is an interesting angle as well, something I didn’t think about adding but definitely another good benefit.
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Kinslow Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:41 PM
When I took regular clinics and lessons in the early 90s we did a ton of mini tennis to begin our sessions. Fitness and foot work were the primary objective. We played a competitive version usually to 7 or 21. The rules being you had to let the ball bounce and you had to slice, on occasion as an additional rule the pro would also dock a point for failing to split step.
I can remember the effort to win these drills left me breathing and sweating hard! I have to get my current league mates to start this up again!
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I actually do this every time I start on the court except for tournament warmup.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 12:00 PM
Awesome! Yes, a tournament match can definitely be different. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking your opponent if they mind hitting a bit of short court, but if they decline then that’s obviously the end of it. Also, consider asking a friend or practice partner to come to the tournament with you so that you can do a “pre-warmup warmup” with them. That’s what the pros do
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Micah Touchet Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 4:37 PM
I’ve played one tournament (so far) and my friend and I did short court for 40 minutes about half hour before my match. Incidentally, I won my first tournament match 6-0, 6-3.
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Good video and good advice. I accidently warmed up similar to this before and noticed it help my tempo for the games ahead
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Great accident, Dennis! haha
Make sure to catch video 2 and 3, I’ll be getting much more specific about how to do this correctly.
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Thanks for addressing this subject area. I am a big proponent of short court. I start my pupils with about 15 minutes of short court every day. In particular, I feel that it really improves one’s ability to hit the short angles effectively.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Absolutely, I completely agree, Greg. When I was teaching on court full time I always, always started out with this as well.
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The short court drill is very helpful in not only warming up and getting into a rhythm, but also, is extremely helpful in forcing you to focus on ball all the way to the racquet and developing quicker footwork in getting into position to hit the ball from either side. I know it helps me strike ball cleaner when I work my way back to the baseline.
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Yup, you’re absolutely right, George! Glad it’s been helpful to you already.
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I like making students hit 5 consecutive forehands followed by 5 backhands during the mini tennis warm up. Then have them alternate between forehand and backhand shots. Any tips?
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Ian Westermann Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:57 AM
I think that’s awesome, Mike. In video 3 I’ll be discussing specific patterns that I like to use but you’re already on the right track. I typically don’t make my students have to hit a certain pattern or use a certain side a certain number of times unless they really need some specific focus in those areas. If you’re working with a lower level/beginner who has a big weakness in their forehand or backhand then isolating that and making them find rhythm and control can be a huge help while hitting slow and relaxed.
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