Today I dragged myself back to the public tennis courts feeling kinda defeated. Been losing every single match lately, honestly questioning why I bother.
Finding This “Candiotto” Thing
While scrolling through tennis stuff online feeling sorry for myself last night, I stumbled upon talk about “Candiotto Tennis”. No clue what it was. Sounded fancy, maybe Italian? Description claimed it made learning easier and strokes more powerful. Seemed like exactly what my terrible game needed. Thought, “What the heck, nothing else is working,” and decided to dig into it.
Giving The Core Ideas a Try
First thing this morning, I grabbed my racket and some old balls. Focused on the basic ideas Candiotto talks about:
- Focusing on Balance First: Instead of just lunging wildly for the ball, I paid attention to my feet. Planted them wider than usual, tried to stay centered over them, especially when hitting. Wobbly feet = terrible shot, always.
- Rotating My Whole Body: This felt kinda awkward at first. Instead of just swinging my arm, I focused on turning my shoulders and hips toward the net before hitting. Like winding up a little spring.
- Letting The Swing Flow: This was the weirdest part. Stopping that habit of just whacking at the ball with a stiff arm. Tried to make the swing smoother, starting lower, brushing up more. Less of a punch, more of a sweep. Took conscious effort, dammit.
- Relaxing the Grip: My knuckles were practically white before. Eased up a ton, pretended I was holding a baby bird instead of trying to crush a can. Big difference in how the racket felt moving through the air.
The Core Ideas Clicked
Okay, so after messing around for an hour focusing purely on this stuff:
- It’s Built on Simple Stuff: Seriously, it’s not magic spells. It breaks down hitting the ball into simpler pieces anyone can grasp: get balanced, turn your body, swing smooth, don’t strangle the racket.
- Helps Control the Chaos: My shots usually go everywhere but where I aim. Today, focusing hard on balance and that body turn? Way more balls landed inside the stupid lines. Still missed plenty, but less wildly.
- Power Without Muscling It: Here’s the surprise. I wasn’t swinging harder, just focusing on the turn and letting the racket flow. Few of those hits actually had some nice pop on them! Less effort, more result. Who knew?
- Way Less Exhausting: Since I wasn’t fighting myself with a death grip and tense arms, my arm wasn’t screaming after 30 minutes. Huge win.
- Just Feels Better: Honestly? When I managed to do it right – balanced, smooth turn, relaxed swing – connecting with the ball felt cleaner, almost effortless. Not every time, but those few good hits… nice.
The Takeaway From My Morning
Candiotto Tennis isn’t some secret club or expensive gear scheme. It’s really about paying attention to basic movements most folks overlook. Focusing on balance and using your whole body, not just the arm. Still a long way to go before I challenge anyone decent, but I finally feel like I might not suck quite as much as before. For a guy who almost rage-quit yesterday, that’s a pretty big deal. Definitely sticking with trying these ideas out.
