"I'm Getting Worse!" — SS #8

“I’m getting worse!”

Her voice was tinged with frustration.

“I can’t hit it hard anymore!”

I was running a serve clinic and the focus was on ensuring that players use a #2 (continental) grip instead of the #3 (eastern) grip that many use on their serves.

The five other players on my court heard her complaint.

In my younger years of teaching, I would have frozen.

Felt a tightness in my chest.

Perhaps gotten defensive.

Almost like a deer in headlights.

Coaching is funny that way.

Players come to you because you are the supposed expert.

But sometimes players will criticize and question your input.

It is rare, but it does happen.

But all I could think of—and what I ended up saying to her—was:

“Well… what else do you expect? Of course it’s going to get worse….”

I wanted to use this small story as an introduction to the topic of today’s newsletter issue because it’s a common misunderstanding that so many club and recreational players have.

And that misunderstanding goes something like this:

“If I go to a serve clinic, or go see a tennis coach, the inputs that I will receive will almost automatically and immediately transform me into a better player. All that’s missing is the information.”

That is so far from the truth.

It’s almost delusional to think in this way.

And that’s because… say it with me… your strokes are motor programs.

There are no immediate, permanent changes that you can make.

If you’re working on making changes—and changing from a forehand grip to a continental grip is one of the most challenging changes that players can make—then you should absolutely expect the overall quality of the stroke to suffer.

You should expect for your serve to be weaker for a few weeks or months, depending on how much time you have to make the change and how much time you can dedicate to it.

Conversely, this is why most club and recreational players stay stuck at the perpetual 3.0 NTRP to 2 to 4 UTR level.

It’s because they’re scared to make the change and don’t want to accept that they’ll get worse.

Back to the player at the start of this issue: she almost seemed taken aback by my response.

“Unfortunately,” I explained to her, “That’s just how the human brain works.”

You can’t update it in an instant the way you can update the software on a computer.

With every hit and stroke, you program yourself. Changing from a forehand grip to a continental grip is going to take weeks and months of consistent practice.

The process is a little more complicated when it comes to groundstrokes and open play because now we have the variation of the ball and your opponent’s strikes, and we also have to factor in your perception of the incoming ball and the action your brain will generate in response to it… but there’s still a component of your brain having to retrieve certain programs to handle the incoming task. But that’s a topic for a longer conversation!

What the Research Suggests

Studies in motor learning indicate that developing new motor skills—or significantly modifying existing ones—requires consistent and deliberate practice over time.

For example, research suggests that it can take anywhere from several hundred to several thousand repetitions for a motor action to become automatic.

For us tennis players, this means that transitioning from a forehand grip to a continental grip isn’t just about understanding the grip change; it’s about embedding this new motor pattern through persistent and consistent practice.

By the way, the time it takes can vary widely depending on the complexity of the skill, the consistency of practice, and individual differences in learning speed.

This explains why changes in your game, like changing your serve grip, can initially lead to a decrease in performance.

Your brain and body have to have sufficient time to adapt to the new mechanics.

That’s why it’s absurd for you to think that changing from a forehand grip to a continental grip will mean that you’re serving better in just 10 minutes.

My Suggestion to You

Patience is key in tennis, as it is in learning any new skill. Accept that there will be a period where your performance might dip before it gets better.

Embrace the process and understand that these changes are investments in your long-term improvement. Remember: most club & rec players reach a certain level and then plateau because they are unwilling to be uncomfortable.

So, the next time you feel frustrated when you’re making a change, remember that your brain and body are adapting, and with persistent effort, you’ll see the benefits.

Keep pushing through the discomfort and trust the process. Improvement takes time, and every player who has made a substantial change in their game has gone through these same growing pains.

If you found this advice helpful and want more personalized guidance, consider reaching out for a coaching session. I’d love to work together to improve your tennis!

Thanks for being here—and don’t forget that you get discount codes and other perks by sharing my newsletter with your tennis friends.

My best,
Malhar