So yesterday I saw this phrase “en shuo liang tennis” popping up everywhere in my tennis groups and forums. Honestly? Had zero clue what it meant. Sounded like some fancy new technique or maybe some pro player’s name. Curiosity got the better of me – figured why not dive in and actually try to figure it out firsthand? Grabbed my racket, some old balls, and headed to my local courts with my buddy Mike, ready for a deep dive.
The “What the Heck Is This?” Phase
Started off like any other hit. Just warming up, baseline rallies, trying to loosen up the old shoulders. Casually asked Mike if he’d heard the term. He laughed, said he thought it was just gibberish slang people threw around online. We kept playing, but the term stuck in my head. Between points, I started paying more attention to how I was hitting the ball, where my feet were, what my racket face was doing. Felt clumsy at first, overthinking everything.
The Lightbulb Moment (More Like a Flicker)
After maybe 20 minutes of just bashing balls, it kinda hit me. We were focusing too much on smacking winners, trying to look cool. “En shuo liang tennis” – maybe it wasn’t about complicated stuff at all? Maybe it was the opposite? Decided to shift gears completely. Told Mike, “Screw power, let’s just see how many balls we can actually keep in play, super slow and soft.” Slowed everything waaaay down. Like, ridiculously slow.
- Fact #1: It’s NOT About Power. Seriously, hitting hard felt actively wrong for this experiment. It was all about just meeting the ball, guiding it back. Felt totally different.
- Fact #2: Watch That Racket Face! Started obsessing over keeping the racket face super stable and slightly open when the ball made contact. No fancy flicks, just a solid little block. Made a HUGE difference keeping the ball predictable.
- Fact #3: Bend Your Knees! (No, More Than That!) Realized I was still kinda standing tall. Made a conscious effort to get way lower. Felt goofy, looked like a flamingo maybe, but suddenly reaching those low balls felt easier. Stability shot way up.
The “Keep It Going” Challenge
This is where it got interesting (and frustrating!). Mike and I set a goal: get 10 gentle shots each over the net consecutively. Sounds easy? It wasn’t! At first, we barely hit 3 before someone flubbed it.
- Fact #4: Focus is EVERYTHING. Could NOT let my mind wander. Had to watch the ball like a hawk onto the strings. Looking away even for a split second? Ball into the net or flying long. Zero room for daydreaming.
- Fact #5: Footwork is Tiny & Constant. Forget giant leaps. It was all about constant, tiny little shuffle steps, readjusting position almost constantly. Just small steps left, right, forward, back to get lined up perfectly behind the ball. Calves were burning!
Took us ages. Seriously. Probably 20 tries? Lots of groans, laughs, and muttered curses. But finally, FINALLY, we nailed it. Ten soft, floaty shots each, just dinking them back and forth over the net. Felt like we’d won Wimbledon! The satisfaction was unreal.
What Actually Clicked
Walking off the court, sweat pouring but grinning like idiots, it finally clicked. That term “en shuo liang tennis”? Yeah, maybe it’s not some grand theory. From actually doing it, struggling through it, I realized it boils down to something super simple: it’s embracing the control, the touch, the consistency. It’s stripping tennis back to its absolute basics – watch the ball, meet it cleanly, stay balanced, and keep it in play. That’s the core. Forget the jargon; my arms were noodle-arms by the end from keeping things so soft, and my brain was fried from focusing so hard. But man, I learned way more in that hour of just trying to gently keep the ball alive than in weeks of trying to blast winners. Total eye-opener. Anyone can try this – seriously, grab a buddy, slow waaay down, and see what you discover.
