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Written by John Debnam
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Monday, 18 December 2006 11:25 |
Don’t neglect the basics
During an interview last year, 1977 Wimbledon champ Virginia Wade told me how her approach to practice had changed over the years. She said in the early stages of her career she disliked reigning her game in and working on consistency. Not only did she consider it boring, she felt that her success was built around going for her shots and that if she temporized—“cut down on the fantastic”—she would stifle her game and be more likely to lose. As a result, she was a hot-and-cold player: one day she would play out of her mind, the next she could be beaten by a player of lesser skills.
As she matured as a professional, however, Wade discovered that by practicing and honing basic skills, and by continually grooving even the simplest mechanics of her strokes, her overall standard of play improved. “What I found is that I lost none of the fantastic; it simply came out at a higher level,” said Wade.
This is a great lesson for everyone. Often, we become so focused on improving by expanding our skill set that we neglect the basics and begin to lose the foundation that our game is built upon. In other words, we try to build our game from the top down instead of from the bottom up.
One thing Wade recommends to prevent this is to begin each practice session by hitting with control at about half your usual pace. (You can do this in the forecourt if you like.) Concentrate on good preparation, solid contact and consistency—the basics, in other words. Then gradually increase the pace over about 10 minutes until you’re at your normal level.
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