As you probably know by now, we’re always looking to optimise in every area of our lives.
My latest obsession in this regard is with my tennis, as discussed in Tennis Mindset. I’ve decided to push myself to develop to the next level. I really want to compete with players who currently thrash me! I’m determined to be the best I can be.
“Make the most of yourself….for that is all there is of you.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In order to make such a large improvement, my game needs some fairly fundamental changes. This won’t simply happen by playing more regularly – I need to go back to basics and change my technique.
Most people I’ve chatted to about this are worried about the damage I could do to my game by teaching myself bad habits! They’re insistent that I should have coaching.
Being of the frugal persuasion, this set alarm bells ringing in my mind. As we set out in Frugal Fitness, we try to keep our fitness related costs to an absolute minimum.
A whole winter of regular lessons would put a huge dent in our spending. Especially as we’re trying to save money after our African Extravagance!! Private lessons are expensive and it can be a downward spiral – there’s always something more to learn! I didn’t want to turn my favourite hobby into something I loathe due to costs.
My immediate reaction was to find some FREE tennis coaching on YouTube. There are so many lessons available that I didn’t even know where to start! I quickly focused on a few of the highest quality channels such as Top Tennis Training and Essential Tennis and really devoured their content.
This has been a great journey so far. I’ve picked out some immediate tips which I could apply to my game. However, there’s a huge difference between learning what you SHOULD be doing, and ACTUALLY doing it.
That’s where the ace up my sleeve comes into play. Video analysis!
It might sound odd at first, and you’re guaranteed some funny looks on court! But video analysis is the only way to truly understand the flaws in your own game. This allows you to negate the obvious advantage a private lesson has over online tutorials – they can actually see what you’re doing!! Being able to analyse your shots in slow motion and compare them to those of the professionals is a real game-changer (literally!).
I first came across this realisation when seeing some pictures of me playing. I pointed out a flaw in my technique and Miss Way immediately said “I assumed you knew you do that!” It’s amazing how different your shots can look compared to how they feel!
By combining the approach of meticulous online learning with video analysis, I am determined to approach the ‘winter of improvement’ with the least coaching possible. This will not only keep the cost to a minimum, but will also be much more rewarding when I see the eventual improvements. Hopefully I’ll be able to say “I did that myself”!
This is not to say I won’t have any private lessons. I may well decide to take the odd one as and when I hit a sticking point. Or maybe when I simply need a change. But at least with this approach I’ll be able to pick and choose when this happens myself.
With a bit of thinking outside of the box, I’ve probably managed to save myself ~£500. I can’t quite measure the success of this approach yet, but will let you know how it goes!
Have there been any areas of your life where you took a different path in order to save money? Was it a success?! This particular example is very specific to tennis but the same methodology can be applied to so many aspects of life.
At this stage you can probably do fairly well with a weekly class. Especially if you can find a place to train extra and work on your technique. The issue with learning improper technique is true, I had this problem, when I trained in Karate, years ago, as I’d develop 1-2 wrong positions and it was harder to retrain the proper ones instead of just learning it properly from the first time.
Daughter trains in tennis since 4 and a half and after few classes we started playing with her as well, to speed up her training. He trainer told us to stop, as she developed bad habits and it was actually damaging their work together (which cost us a pretty penny).
So we stopped for a while and did only the exercises he recommended and, after a year or so, resumed playing with her, as the technique got more solid.
Now we have her train once a week (it costs $45 per class) and we tried to play with her at least 5-6 more times every week to improve even further.
So, I’d say that, for starters, I’d actually pay for some classes as well, to get the proper technique from someone who can teach and correct you. Videos are OK, but, for personal experience (again my Karate training), it’s incredibly easy to learn the bad moves, as you cannot see yourself from the outside and judge your positions and hits.
Anyway .. enjoy your tennis and keep us posted on the progress 😉
Hi Ramona
Thanks for sharing your experiences, it’s really good to hear other people’s thoughts on this. It sounds like you have a very thorough approach too!
I guess I’ll see how it goes. So far I’ve made good progress and several knowledgeable people have commented on how well it’s going. The good thing is, my technique before was so unorthodox that I can’t make it much worse!! It may be time for a lesson or two soon, to give me confidence that my approach is working. As you say, building in bad habits would be a huge setback.
It sounds like your daughter is getting a lot of practice – she must really love the sport! It must be great for you to see her develop. I’m sure the cost of the lessons will be worthwhile in the long run!
Thanks again,
Mr Way
I found I improved the most when I played competitively in tournaments and league play versus recreational play with friends. It is fairly inexpensive and playing a variety of people and having the pressure of not letting your team down both improved my performance. Of course you might be trying to reach a truly elite level and that’s hard without coaching, although Bjorn Borg managed it.
Hi Steveark
Yeah I very much enjoy playing competitively. I usually play at least 1, often 2 competitive matches per week. I’ve found that I can’t really work on fundamental technique during matches though – especially the serve. I’m having to work on this in my own time and gradually introduce aspects into my match play as it gains consistency. Otherwise, I would face some very embarrassing results!!
I’m certainly a long way off elite level! I’m fairly happy with the progress so far so we’ll see what the coming months bring. My main target is the men’s summer league which starts in April – plenty of time to go.
Cheers,
Mr Way