Soft hands equate to more natural speed and a much better pure spin for control.

That said, it’s not that easy to maintain a softer grip when you’re being forced to come up with the good right here, right now.

Brent,

Thanks for the offer of the extra lesson, and congratulations on your daughter’s college graduation.

I’d like the half volleys lesson please.

Your lessons have really helped me improve my game and made tennis more enjoyable for me.

Probably the biggest improvements have come about from following your advice on the importance of a soft grip on my serve and forehand groundstroke.

I still have difficulties maintaining the softer grip when under pressure, then trying to muscle the ball.

Any tip regarding this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

Louis B

Here’s what I wrote to Louis about maintaining a softer grip when playing his forehand when under pressure:

Hi Louis,

Let’s address your forehand when you’re feeling under pressure.

One of the things that’s helped me the most when I’m under pressure is to really exaggerate that sense of not peeking up to see my shot too early.

You know what Federer looks like when he calmly keeps his head and eyes down at the contact point until well after the ball has left his racket. Just act like him.

You’ve got nothing to lose by copying his response to a pressure shot.

Practice that response over and over.

Walk through your house, swing an imaginary racket through a ball, keep your head still and your eyes looking down as you feel you arm finish the swing, and simply visualize a huge point in the match where you want that response.

Do the same rehearsal between points from time to time as a reminder.

Rehearse… The more you do, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be during an actual point.

Brent

And like everything else we do in tennis, you must absolutley practice this response.

This isn’t like a light switch where you understand the concept and then can go out there and make it happen on the court.

It takes practice, even if keeping your eyes down through contact seems so obvious and so easy to do.

Guess what, it’s not.

It’s a trained response.  Work on it on and off the court until it becomes so automatic you just never have to think about it.

Brent

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