So I saw Ugo Blanchet playing at Roland Garros last month and thought, damn, that dude’s backhand is smooth. Wanted some of that magic for my own game. Tried copying his swings during weekend matches – total disaster. Shanked every other ball into the next court.
My Initial Dumb Approach
Figured I’d just brute-force it. Grabbed a bucket of balls Monday after work, went to the local courts alone. Sprinted around like a headless chicken trying to imitate his footwork. Wound up tripping over my own feet, skinned both knees on the asphalt. Realized I needed actual structure.
The Three Drills That Actually Worked
Next morning, I cleared my garage setup. Taped a giant X on the wall for targets. Started simple:
- Wall Whack Drill: Stood 5 feet from the wall, using ONLY wrist snap for low forehands. Hit 50 balls focusing only on keeping elbow glued to my ribs like Blanchet does. First 20 felt awkward as hell, like chopping wood with a feather.
- Shadow Swinging: Did slow-motion backhands holding two rackets. Teetered sideways like a drunk flamingo at first. Filmed myself – realized my hips were lazy. Spent 20 minutes just shifting weight from right foot to left foot before even swinging.
- Ball Machine Hell: Set our club’s ancient machine to shoot crosscourt junk balls. Ran diagonal sprints between shots. Aim: touch the net post after each return. Collapsed after 15 minutes. Key thing: Only counted shots landing deep in the service box – no hero winners.
When Things Started Clicking
Day 4 was breakthrough time. While microwaving leftovers, caught myself unconsciously doing the weight-shift thing near the fridge. Played a quick set that evening:
- Actually felt stable hitting running backhands
- Stopped over-swinging like a maniac on approach shots
- Opponent yelled “Since when do you slice like that?” after a low skidder
Still messed up when tired – footwork dissolved into stomping.
Current Status
Been doing 10 minutes of wall drills every morning before coffee. That consistency’s the real game-changer. Can now hit 8/10 target balls while half-asleep. Played doubles yesterday – moved better, wasted less energy. Still no Blanchet, but at least I’m not embarrassing myself anymore.
Biggest lesson? Forget fancy techniques first. Just master the damn footwork. Feels boring as watching paint dry, but holy hell does it work.
