Technique vs Individuality

Justin Heslinga Asked 12 years ago

Jeff and Alois,

I have a pretty effective forehand loop, and I win a lot of points that way.  However, I don't have the best technique on that shot: I tend to extend my arm a bit too much and hit the ball out away from my body, which can put me off balance if the shot is returned.

For the past few weeks, I've been trying to work on sticking to fundamentals of that stroke, keeping it controlled, elbow bent at 90 degrees, etc.  Although certain aspects of my game have probably become more controlled and consistent, I feel like I have lost a lot of the spark in my forehand, and my game has become more predictable. I believe that's caused me to lose several matches to opponents I normally beat.

My question is this:  How do top players balance the basic fundamentals of good technique with their own individuality, creativity, and style of play, which may be necessary to beat opponents who have similar levels of technical skill?

Jeff Plumb Answered 12 years ago

Hi Justin,

Great question. If you watch all of the top players, you will see some similarities in all of their strokes. Some of the things that are usually similar are the start and finish positions. You'll also notice that they are incredibly consistent. In fact it looks like it is very hard for them to miss.

I make this point, because that is the real key. I've seen a lot of players who try to get their bat moving really fast using a whippy action and when the ball goes on it is fantastic but their problem is that their stroke is too inconsistent. I guess this is the real key in determining if it is OK to leave your stroke. If you can play it very consistently then the basic technique is probably sound and you can progress. However if the stroke is very hit and miss you are much better off learning the correct technique.

I always think it's better to teach people to play the strokes the way most of the top players do. The odds are more in your favour. Although you sometimes seem some players with strange technique they are very rare. The reason most of the top players have similar strokes is that it the best way to play them.

The other thing to consider is that once you have developed your strokes to be technically correct, you also develop more feel for the strokes you can and can't play. Hence I think it's better to add some creativity and individuality after learning the proper strokes rather than the other way around.

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this question.