Intermediate feeling like not improving despite weekly games and class

You’re probably trying to force winners, while people with no technique just keep scraping balls. Just try to keep the rallies 1 ball longer, play smarter balls. Don’t go for hard difficult balls to the fence from the back, but play chiquitas and lobs on easier balls, work your way to the net and play the point from there. You win points by staying at net and just pressuring without taking massive risks. Watching professional games helps too, look at the margin they take on their overheads from the back etc. Hope this helps! :)

Ok so of the top of my head (and take this lightly bc I’m by no means a pro) : - Why are you doing unforced errors? This would be my first question. Is it because you’re going for winners only? Is it because you are not slowing the pace of play? Why? - intermediate players to me face more issues by slowing down games and trying to explore other avenues. Example: do you explore the space in front of your opponent or are they just stuck in the middle/back of the court bc you only do lobs? - In the same way how are you structuring your point? Are you just going with what comes to your mind or do you try to structure your point by consistently trying to get a certain play in? - lastly, when I go to tournaments the first thing that I try is to only be consistent in the first 4 games. Just trying to keep the ball in to figure out my opponent. If my opponent does a lot of the unforced errors then I don’t even need to gameplan I just need to keep the ball in . These are just some things to consider

In the same boat! Hope someone has a good advice

Film yourself- It realistically is down to: - Bad technique - Wrong shot decisions - Bad positioning - Not having your racket up - Not being in a sporting position on your toes and knees bent to receive/retrieve the ball or play your shot Think about all of these things now about your game and mindset during a match and report back. Then you know which to work on. This is your next step to improving.

Consider the following * do you recognize your opponents shots and patterns and adapt accordingly? * Do you recognize where you were standing that opens an exposed spot for your opponent to put the ball away at? * Do you perform worse when playing outdoors in crazy heat? * Do you bring electrolyte drinks and snacks to refuel as you go? * Don't be afraid to take a week or 2 off to rest

Are you training tho? As in, trying to volley using the right technique a hundred times in 1 session. 

Maybe you focused on technique too much? At one point, it will be hard to improve fast on technique. To reach advanced level, you need to start to look into strategies such as how to build up your point, or how to exploit opponent weakness, or off the ball movement etc. Maybe start there and see if you can see marked improvement.

What are you using to analyse your game after filming? I’m trying to build up the “courage” to film my games

There’s a couple of things that make your game more conservative and boring but more consistent and I had to implement them for a while to improve. One is moving my net position back by like 1 metre and only closing in on perfect opportunities. The other is a big thick grip. Both of these kind of take away your most aggressive shots but give you more consistency and control and it’s a way to build and then reintroduce your smashes and stuff as you get more used to boring play first

Be patient, my overheads took a lot more than 8 month to evolve. Yes, there are faster learners and there are slow responders. Its a process with ups and downs. Trainer balls are a nice foundation, but in games you get anti trainer balls which are hard to play or mishit balls which are not clean, too. Have some fun with your personal process even if it is slow. Sometimes a racket with better controll and less oomph and less trampoline helps a little.

Play an entire session and don’t hit a single winner. Don’t hit a vibora or smash. Focus on placing the ball. Without seeing your footage it’s hard to tell

First of all, don't be too hard on yourself. The plateau is part of the game. Here are 3 things that helped me break through: 1.Analyze your mistakes: Don’t just get frustrated, identify why you lost the point. For a while, I realized I was losing most points because of poor positioning. I was stuck in the 'No Man’s Land' way too often. Once I fixed my positioning, my game changed 2.Hard balls easy, easy balls hard: This is a golden rule. * If you get a difficult, fast ball while defending, play it simple and flat. Don't try a lob because it requires perfect technique under pressure, or you’ll just give them an easy smash. * If you get an easy, slow ball, that’s your chance to be creative with a lob or a chiquita. 3.Stop trying to end the point too fast: This is the most common mistake in intermediate levels (I still struggle with this sometimes!). Instead of playing a simple shot to the middle or open space to build the point, we try to hit a 'smart' winner into a tight corner or the side fence. Most of the time, it hits the fence or the glass. The problem isn't your skill.. it's your decision-making. Try to play simpler, build the point patiently, and let the opponent make the mistake.

Just keep preserving- it will come