Will teaching Advanced Tennis Techniques cause bad habits later?

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AJ

"Ok I like the point behind this Manga comic you posted. But I have to disagree. Teaching some Advanced Techniques may cause bad habits later on in Basics techniques, which will slowdown the learning process. Don't you think?"

Great Question AJ. Teaching advance technique will force players to learn to control it sooner and not later.

Think about it this way too. you go to Med School your whole dam life only to PRACTICE after Graduating.

No.

the reason is like the comic said. Technique/Skill/Ability work in Theory in a class setting.  The don't really work in a Match/fighting/Tournament Setting.  Even Strategy in theory should work but if the other person just has more talent/Skill/Ability/Athletic ability Strategy will not work either, because they will just out hit you. So you must put into practice/Tournaments/Fighting and learn from the mistakes there.

So teaching someone Technique/basics without having them play is truly pointless. Remember when you were beating me up every morning when I was 15YO for my First Couple of years playing? 

                ( cause i was dead poor )            ( out side of hit the ball away from you )

I had no coaching ^ on how to hit better, Strategy ^. I learned it all from books, mimicking other players.

               (crappy pros in the area )

and begging ^ for some tips. Remember how obsess I was about technique? Now I got better within four years of training and playing under Karen, Jose, Mr. Tom Blake, Dante and everybody at Harlem. Thats because there were better players/Equal level Talent - of player for me to practice on and see which one of my skill hurt them.  When I was about 16YO and learned to volley and used the plays/games/points we practice at Harlem blindly without second though of winning.  I won that tournament for the first time. It was because of the Playing/points-games not from the books/instruction and I learned. Because I was able to see/read/know how my skills effected players and using the patterns learned from harlem in a real match was the reason why I won.

Even my volleys I only learned at a tournament match( the first tournament I won at 16 ). AND I really learned to volley in the warm-up. My opponent was taller( like everyone else I played against ) I was really stiff and mostly hit flat. My backhand was working but didnt know how to use it properly. This guy was top spining me to death in the warm up and all the balls were bouncing over my head.

im thinking Shite. This guy is going to come to net and im going to have to dip it at his feet. he is going to pop it up and im going to have to volley or hit a passing shot. let me get some volleys in to practice.

Now I hope you can remember when we were young I had that STAB volley? Well at the warm up I stab at a couple and felt Shitey. Then I said to myself. Let me use the Return Chip technique that I learned from Mr.Tom Blake. to Force serve and volleyers to dig the ball up from their feet.

Then BANG( SUCCESS! ) I volley for the first time in my life (1994/5) in the first round of a tournament in the warm up.

I hit my first Volley. MY whole Game changed at that instant. Because there was a new skill/ability/technique/weapon i can use. then my brain said lets use the plays from Practice.

I beat the guy like 6-3 6-1 and fly through the tournament as Champion. 

In between the tournament Matches I was able to go to Sunday Practice at Harlem after the first match. I talked to Mr.Tom Blake. I asked him...Mr.Blake can I use the Chip Return Technique to volley. he looked at me surprised and said yes. ( like.. william are you really that dum...YES ).

Then i ask him should i just do/use the drills/points/games that we do here. Mr.Tom Blake said yes again (I get another william are you really that dum...YES)

then I said ok and went on to win the tournament that day. the week after mr Tom Blake ask me how the Tournament went I said I won With VOlleys and the PLAYS from here IM Much Better and I Can VOLLEY. he say oh really? Mr.Tom Blake Challenges me to a Volley to Volley match and I almost beat him.

The reason why I lost was the skill levels. Even though I could volley just as good or even better he still had more experience and Athletic ability for volleys. My forearm was burning he didn't feel anything. Mr.blake asked me is my forearm hurting, I said yes, he simple said you need to do it more to get used to it.

1 Year Later when not dante but the other guy took over after karen, That Spring I beat your BUTT at harlem. I know you forget that AJ, BUT I REMEMBER!!!!!!!! revenge for the torment and torture you gave me when i first started. Even though you have the only tournament win over me 2 years later. at a challenger ATP event ( you bastard. )

Point of my long story. Mr.Blake Challenge me to a volley to volley match. Mr.Blake was more experienced and stronger. Mr Blake almost lost. Mr.blake said I need to do this more. Not once after I said I know how to Volley did he give me more technique/info. Because he knew that I would obsess over getting it perfect & I only really needed to be able to put it in more to win.

So when I started teaching full time. with a Talented/athletic beginner I gave them the Advance stuff up front for them to start practicing right away. no fluff. I have 2 players from beginning levels that achieved national rankings within 5 years of playing. My communication skills have greatly improved to explain and give ideas on how to get things done to any level. But only though Practice.