Good shots win points.

Good shots win points. Great shots win matches. Learn the difference.

The idea

That crosscourt nick that everybody loves wins the point in a very dramatic way. Players remember it, especially if they hit it. The tight, deep straight drives that cause players to mishit the ball or tin it completely are forgotten or judged to be lucky. Flashy nicks seem like match winners, but in reality it's the deep drives or simple drops that win matches.

What to do on court

Try to look past the illusion of nicks winning matches and focus on the tightness of your straight drives, the width of your crosscourts and the second bounce of your drops and boasts. Use physical targets on the floor (rackets or t-shirts) and the side walls (paper stuck on with masking tape) to focus on quality depth and length. Play length-only condition games to develop good habits.