You know what you’re supposed to do. Hit harder. Add more topspin. Split step before every shot. You KNOW all of it. And yet… you just don’t do it.
Sound familiar?
You’ve taken lessons. You’ve watched videos. You’ve drilled and practiced over and over again. And somehow your game just stays right where it is. No real progress. No real change. Just the same old results year after year.
So why does that happen? And more importantly, how do we actually break free of it?
In my last article I introduced you to the Improvement Circle and how we move from gathering information all the way to being able to do something subconsciously without even thinking about it. Most players get stuck somewhere in that cycle. They can do the new thing… but only when they’re really concentrating on it. And they never make that final jump to where it just happens automatically.
Here’s why.
The ball is the culprit.
I know that sounds crazy. But hear me out. It’s one thing to practice a new forehand with a shadow swing and nail it every single time. Players do that and they think “Okay great, I’ve got it. Let’s go.” But the SECOND a ball gets introduced, something happens beneath the surface. Your brain starts optimizing for the result. You want to hit it over the net. You want it to land in the court. And without even realizing it, your brain reaches back and grabs the old habit because that’s the swing it KNOWS will get the ball where it needs to go. Even if that swing is technically terrible.
That’s the trap. And it’s the reason most players just keep spinning their wheels.
So how do we get out of it?
I recently worked with a student on her forehand and she had this exact problem. Her old habit was swinging with just her arm and keeping her body completely stiff and sideways. We both knew what needed to change. Her body needed to lead the swing, not her arm.
Instead of just throwing balls at her and telling her to fix it over and over like most people would, we took a completely different approach. We broke it down into very small, very deliberate stepping stones.
First, no ball at all. I had her just practice the setup and feel what it was like to start the movement with her hips and shoulders. That’s it. One piece. Just getting used to the feeling of doing it the right way.
Then we added more of the swing, but in segments. She would pause at different points along the way, check in with her body, and make sure everything was clicking before moving on. Still no ball.
After that we put the full swing together in one smooth motion. Again, no ball. We just wanted to make sure she could do it correctly and confidently before we even thought about adding one.
And here’s where it gets really interesting. When I finally tossed her a ball to hit, she went RIGHT back to her old habit. Just like that. The ball pulled her right back to square one.
So instead of getting frustrated and just throwing more balls at her, I started tossing balls off to the side. Not for her to hit. Just for her to TIME her new swing around. The ball was in the picture but she had zero pressure to hit it or make it go anywhere. And even then… even knowing she didn’t have to hit it… it still tried to pull her back into that old swing.
So we stayed patient. Shadow swings into fake tosses. Back and forth. Over and over. Until she could do it correctly with the ball in the room.
And then, when the time was right, we brought in real hits. And that’s when she hit the best forehand of her entire life.
Now I know what you might be thinking. That sounds like a lot of work. And you’re right. It IS more work than what most players and most coaches bother to do. But if you actually want to change an old habit and level up your game for real, this is what’s necessary.
Here’s what I want you to take away from this. Stop chasing results during your practice. The moment you start worrying about whether the ball goes over the net or lands in the court, your brain is going to drag you right back to your old way of doing things. Trust the process. Break it down into small steps. Give yourself permission to do it without the ball first. Earn the ball back through progressions. That’s how real change happens.
It’s not flashy. It’s not fast. But it works.
Keep grinding. You’re closer than you think.
Your Coach,
Ian
