Insufficient consistency in training drills

Arjan van Luttikhuizen Asked 8 years ago

Hi Alois and Jeff,

Recently me and my training partner have started the 52 week training plan. We both have a couple years of club level experience but somehow we still struggle with the consistency of our basic strokes. It really shows in the footwork drills where we aren't really getting to do much footwork at all! It was already fairly noticeable on week 5 but the three-ball drills in week six were barely useful to us!

For me personally I feel like my forehand drive is a little stiff and I have trouble placing it right, backhand is all-right but far from perfect. I think greatly varying depth is my biggest problem. My partner has it the other way round, he's a Chinese-penhold player that does not use the classic backhand block/drive at all. The only way he can play the ball from his backhand side is by pushing or with a reverse backhand stroke - the latter leaves a lot to be desired.

Our pace, placement and height all vary too much during these drills, and finger hits/edge hits are way too common. When one ball comes at an awkward angle, pace or height then the consistency of the next ball suffers greatly as well. This usually causes a chain reaction forcing us to stop the rally or just fail trying to fix it. About 70-80% of our footwork drill rallies are cut off early.

How should we continue our training?

Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago

Hi Arjan,

It sounds like it would be better for you to spend a few weeks focusing on consistency with strokes only.  Spend time aiming for consistency of the stroke by seeing how many balls you can get in a row without a mistake.

It is important to get the basics right first so that you are able to keep the ball in play a little longer to make the drills more effective.

Even, when you start back with the Training plan, only use the weeks as guide.  It is OK to spend a few weeks with each session to make sure you are feeling comfortable with the drills you are doing.