Alright, so today I decided to hit the courts again. Been a little while, things get busy, you know how it is. But I wanted to work on something specific today. I saw this clip, or maybe it was an article, talking about consistency, and Melissa Johnson’s name popped up. Not like a pro pro, maybe a coach or someone who just really gets the basics right. Anyway, it got me thinking about my own game.
Getting Started
So, I got my gear together, grabbed my racket, couple cans of balls, and headed out. Court was free, thankfully. Sun was out but not too crazy hot yet. Perfect. Started off just loosening up. Did some stretches, nothing too serious, just getting the arms and legs moving. Then just started tapping the ball against the wall for a bit. Helps me find the center of the strings, you know? Just easy hits, forehand, backhand, nice and slow.
Focusing on the Forehand – The Melissa Johnson Thing
The main thing I wanted to try, based on that Melissa Johnson mention, was keeping my forehand really smooth and consistent. Less about power, more about just getting it over the net, deep, and in the same spot over and over. Sounds simple, right? Man, it wasn’t.
I set up a target, just an empty ball can, near the baseline on the other side. My goal was just to hit ten forehands in a row that landed reasonably close to it.
Here’s what I did:
- Tossed the ball myself, trying to get a consistent feed.
- Really focused on watching the ball hit the strings. Like, really watched it.
- Tried to keep my swing path simple. Not too much fancy stuff. Just low to high.
- Follow through was key. Had to make sure I finished the swing, pointing towards where I wanted the ball to go.
First few attempts? All over the place. Some went long, some hit the net. Classic. I felt myself trying to muscle it when I got frustrated. Had to consciously tell myself, ‘Easy does it. Smooth.’ Like that Melissa Johnson idea was about rhythm, not brute force. Took a breather, drank some water.
Then I started again. Slower. Focused only on the swing path and the follow-through. Toss, watch, swing, follow through. Repeat. Toss, watch, swing, follow through. It started to click a little better. Got maybe four or five in a row near the target. Then shanked one. Okay, start again. It was a grind, honestly. But the feeling when I hit it right, smooth and clean, that felt good. That felt like progress.
Other Bits and Wrapping Up
After spending a good chunk of time on that forehand drill, probably like 45 minutes, I decided to hit some serves. Didn’t have a specific plan here, just wanted to get the motion going. Worked on getting a decent percentage in, mixing up placement a little. Nothing too intense. Then hit a few backhands just to keep things balanced. My backhand always needs work, but today wasn’t its day.
Finally, did a quick cool down. Walked a lap around the court, did a few more light stretches. Packed up my stuff. Felt pretty good. Tired, but good tired. That forehand thing, trying to channel that smooth consistency I read about, it was tough but worth focusing on. I didn’t suddenly become amazing, but I felt like I understood the idea better by actually doing it. Need to keep working on that feeling. Maybe next time I’ll try it with hitting against a wall or get a friend out. Yeah, definitely something to build on.
