Alright, so today was all about trying that ‘Navarro’ tennis thing I’ve been thinking about. Got to the courts around midday, sun was already pretty strong. Spent a good ten minutes just warming up, getting the legs moving. Didn’t want to pull anything, especially not when trying something new.
My main goal was to really work on staying aggressive from the baseline. You know, hit deeper, push the opponent back, try to control the point from back there. Less rushing the net like I usually do when things get tight. So, I started simple.
Getting Started
First up, just hitting crosscourt forehands. But the focus was depth. Really trying to get the ball landing near the baseline consistently. My partner was feeding me balls, and man, it’s harder than it looks to keep that depth up without hitting long all the time. Felt like half my shots were either too short or flying out.
Then we moved onto backhands, same idea. Crosscourt, deep. My two-hander felt okay, but I was really concentrating on getting my weight through the shot. That’s the key, I think, for power and depth without just swinging wildly.
The Drill Down
After getting a bit of rhythm, we started some specific drills:
- Baseline Crosscourt Rally (Depth Focus): Just trying to keep the ball deep crosscourt for as many shots as possible. Forehand side first, then backhand. Lost count of how many times I messed up.
- Side-to-Side Groundstrokes: My partner moved me left and right along the baseline. The goal here was hitting deep even on the run. This was tough. My footwork felt clumsy, and hitting deep while scrambling is a whole different ball game. Lots of framed shots, haha.
- Aggressive Angle Play: Trying to hit sharper angles from the baseline to open up the court, then go for the deep winner down the line. This felt a bit more fun, but consistency was still a major issue.
There was this moment, maybe an hour in, where I felt completely gassed. The sun was beating down, and constantly trying to hit heavy, deep balls takes it out of you more than just rallying normally. Had to take a breather, drink like half my water bottle.
I kept thinking about why I wanted to try this ‘Navarro’ approach. My usual game feels a bit… predictable? Charge the net, volley, done. Or get stuck in a rally I can’t finish. This felt like trying to build points more, be more solid from the back. But building is hard work.
Wrapping Up
We finished with some points, trying to implement the strategy. Had some success! Managed to dictate a few points by pinning my partner deep and then finding an angle. But also got passed easily when my approach wasn’t deep enough or wide enough. Definitely mixed results.
Packed up my gear feeling pretty tired but okay about the session. It wasn’t a magic fix, obviously. My baseline game didn’t suddenly become amazing. But I put the work in, tried the things I wanted to try. It’s a start. Going to need a lot more practice just getting the consistency on those deep shots. Maybe next time I’ll focus purely on the forehand side for depth. Yeah, probably that.
