My Crazy Attempt to Copy Kobayashi’s Tennis Magic
So today I decided, screw it, I’m gonna try hitting those insane shots like H. Kobayashi in that “Top 10 Amazing Shots” video. You know the one. Dude moves like a ninja. Grabbed my racket, a bucket of old balls, and hit the empty court near my place.
First thing I did? Watched that clip on my phone like ten times straight. Seriously. Every angle. That crazy backhand slice dipping right at the net? The running forehand that curves like a banana? Wanted it all. Stood there shadow swinging like an idiot near the fence.
Tried mimicking Shot #7 first – that low skidder. Planted my feet, got real low, like almost sitting, and chopped down hard on the ball thinking it’d hug the ground. Guess what happened? Ball flew straight up! Nearly hit a pigeon. Did it five more times. All garbage. Wasn’t low enough. Knees yelled at me.
Next up? That wild jumping backhand from way out wide. Kobayashi floats up, smashes it down. Looked easy. Ran wide to the fence corner, jumped like a madman mid-sprint, swung the racket blind… and totally whiffed. Air shot. Didn’t even tickle the strings. Landed awkward as hell. Almost kissed the concrete. Felt like a fool. Tried again. Ball zoomed into the next town. Forgotten.
Started sweating buckets now. Got stubborn. Okay, forget the jumps and slides. Focused on the spinny one – Shot #3. That super topspin lob clearing the guy by miles then dropping dead. Gripped the racket til my knuckles whitened. Really whipped the racket head up fast, brushed the ball’s top. This time? Finally! Ball looped up high… really high… kept going… disappeared over the tall fence behind the court. Need to find that later. Lost another ball. Great.
Took a water break, totally gassed. Leaned on the net post, staring at racket strings. That’s when it clicked. Saw my shadow stretching long. Kobayashi doesn’t muscle it. He’s all flick and timing. Relaxed my stupid white-knuckle grip. Held the racket light, like it’s made of feathers.
Last shot attempt: the big banana curve (Shot #1). Just chucked a ball high in front. Didn’t think, didn’t tense up. Stepped in smooth, racket head loose, let it whip across the side of the ball like flicking water off my hand. Ate some dust while swinging. Ball took off way wide… then suddenly curled back inside the line! Not as much bend as Kobayashi, hell no. But for me? Huge! Did that weird victory dance shuffle right there on the baseline. Almost lost my shoe.
Whole bucket was empty or gone after maybe an hour. Got maybe one or two shots out of ten even close. Knees hurt, lost balls everywhere. But? Figured out the spin trick! My takeaway after wiping sweat off my face?
- Stop trying to smash everything into powder. Be feather-light.
- That wrist snap? Magic sauce. Kobayashi’s got spring-loaded wrists.
- Timing beats muscle every damn time. Muscle just makes your arm fall off.
Worth it? Yeah. Felt like unlocking one tiny secret in Kobayashi’s vault. Mostly just proved his stuff is rocket science level hard for mortals. But hey, chasing impossible shots? Makes hitting the couch later taste sweeter. Maybe tomorrow I find those lost balls…
