Okay, so I caught some of that Rublev match the other day. Man, the guy just hammers the ball, right? Especially that forehand. Just boom, boom, boom.
I was feeling kinda lazy, honestly. Sitting on the couch, thinking maybe I’d skip hitting today. But watching him kinda got me fired up. Specifically, there was this one rally where he just unloaded on a forehand down the line. Pure power.
So, I dragged myself out to the court. Thought I’d try and get some of that pace myself. Just focus on the forehand for a bit.
Warming Up and First Tries
Started easy, just getting the arm loose. Then I tried to really go after it, like Rublev. You know, really swing hard.
And guess what? It was mostly crap.
- Balls flying long.
- Balls hitting the net.
- My arm starting to feel it a bit, not in a good way.
It’s funny, you watch them on TV and it looks so smooth, so effortless sometimes. But trying to actually do it? Whole different story. It’s not just about swinging harder, is it? That much became obvious pretty quick.
Trying to Adjust
I realized I was just muscling the ball. All arm, no legs, no timing. Rublev, even when he’s crushing it, he’s got his feet set, he’s using his whole body. At least, that’s what it looks like.
So, I took a step back. Focused more on:
- Getting my feet in position earlier.
- Trying to rotate my body more.
- Meeting the ball out in front.
Didn’t suddenly turn into Rublev, obviously. That wasn’t gonna happen. But the ball started going in more. The feeling was a bit better. Less like I was fighting the ball and more like I was hitting through it.
End Result?
Still not hitting laser beams like Andrey, not even close. My forehand is still my forehand. But the session wasn’t a total waste. Got myself off the couch, which was win number one. And spending that time just focusing on one thing, trying to copy a little piece of what those top guys do, it kinda helped.
It reminded me that power isn’t just about brute strength. There’s technique, timing, footwork… all that stuff you forget when you’re just watching them blast winners on TV. So yeah, ended up being a decent practice. Glad I didn’t skip it.
