Okay folks, so earlier this week I got absolutely wrecked playing tennis with my buddy Mike. Like, completely annihilated. My serves were landing in the next county, and my returns? Forget about it. Felt like a total beginner again. After sulking for a bit, I remembered this Japanese player, K Saitoh? Heard some buzz online about his game being super solid, especially for club players. Thought, “Screw it, maybe trying out some of his go-to moves could fix my disaster zone.” Grabbed my racket and headed back to the local courts this afternoon.
The Starting Mess
Right off the bat, I knew my biggest headache was my forehand. Kept slapping the ball with zero control – either it flew way long or just died in the net. Not pretty. Focused first on what I’d heard about Saitoh’s forehand prep. He keeps it compact, yeah? So I tried that.
- Locked the wrist: Seriously concentrated on keeping my wrist super firm throughout the swing.
- Short backswing: Made a conscious effort to pull the racket back way less than my usual giant windmill motion.
- Hit through the ball: Really tried to feel that contact point out in front and push the racket forward towards the target, not just swatting up.
At first? It felt totally weird. Like using a completely different arm. The ball kept hitting the tape or flying. Took maybe 20 minutes of spraying balls everywhere before it slowly started clicking. Fewer wild shots, more landing inside the lines. Progress! Still needs work, but way less embarrassing now.
The Backhand Battle
My backhand’s usually kinda sad. Tried that one-handed slice Saitoh supposedly uses well for defense. Simple goal: get low and chop under the ball for a low skidding shot.
Got down low… swung low to high… ping! Skyball. Over and over. Frustrating! Watched a clip on my phone again. Oh. Needed to hit through the ball more, less pure undercut. Focused hard on driving the racket forward while skimming low under it. The moment I stopped scooping like ice cream and started chopping like wood? Boom. The ball finally hugged the court. Not exactly magical, but I scrambled to reach Mike’s shot and actually sent back a decent low reply. Felt like a tiny victory.
The Serve Saga (Part Failed Experiment)
Feeling cocky after the groundstrokes started behaving, I thought, “Let’s try that kick serve thing people associate with Saitoh.” Yeah… ambition got the better of me.
- Tossing behind my head: Felt unnatural. Toss went everywhere – left, right, occasionally behind me.
- Brushing up the back: Tried whipping the racket edge up. Mostly got awkward thuds or wild sprays. No useful kick. Zero.
- Occasional miracle: Like, one out of ten? Maybe brushed it right and saw a hint of awkward sideways bounce. But it took so much effort just to get it in, let alone place it.
Gave up after 10-15 tries. Wrist started whining anyway. Learned that mess needs a dedicated session (maybe next week) with much slower balls. Overreached big time here. Sticking to my flat serves for now. Maybe tackle this beast later.
So, The Wrap Up?
Took me a solid two hours out there, mostly feeding balls to the back fence before things got slightly respectable. Forehand is feeling way more reliable now. Backhand slice became a tool I actually have now instead of just hoping. Serve dreams? Crushed for now. But the groundstrokes? Worth the sweat.
If you’re stuck like I was, forcing yourself to shorten the swing and lock the wrist on the forehand is a game-changer. That slice backhand defense move? Super useful when you get it low. The fancy kickserve? Requires way more practice than I have today. Overall? Focused practice beats aimless hitting every time. My wrist’s sore, but my pride feels a bit better. Gonna keep grinding those compact strokes.
