12-18-06 Two Ways to Learn

By Carl Danner

I find there are two good ways to learn a new stroke. First, and usually best, is to start slow and consistent, focusing on form and footwork while hitting softly enough to make virtually every ball. In this approach you pick up the power and pace only gradually, while never sacrificing consistency. Second, and sometimes best for trying something difficult, is to attempt the shot repeatedly until some version of it works. Here, you experiment to determine the best technique, and then refine the stroke to make it consistent once you understand the required elements.

Unfortunately, some players seem to try a third approach -- they swing hard and miss often, without refining their efforts. This leads to ongoing inconsistency, or sometimes abandoning the problematic shot altogether.

Whether you start slowly or experiment at full speed, your goal for any new stroke has to be absolute consistency. If it's been a few months -- or longer -- and your new shot is still unreliable, chances are your form is deficient. Going back to the drawing board (ideally with some coaching) is probably your best bet.

兩種學習的方法

我認為可以通過兩種方法學習一種新的擊球。第一個，通常情況下也是最好的一個方法，是從慢速連貫的擊球開始，球速一定要慢，慢到基本上每個球都可以打好，重點是于動作和步法。用這種方法時，逐漸增加力量和速度，但千萬別以犧牲連貫性為代價。第二種方法通常在聯(lián)系難度較大的動作時最有效，那就是不斷地擊球直到一個動作奏效。你以此為實驗找到最佳擊球技術(shù)，當你一旦理解這種技術(shù)所要求的因素后，再逐步完善這種擊球。

不幸的是，一些球手看起來是采用了第三種方法――他們大力揮拍，但通常打不到球，也不完善自己的動作。這就造成了持續(xù)的不連貫性，或者有時候干脆將有問題的擊球一并全都放棄了。

不管你是從慢速開始練習還是從全速開始練習任何新的擊球動作，你的目標必須是絕對的連貫性。如果你已經(jīng)練了幾個月或更長時間但你的新的擊球動作仍不可靠，那就有可能你的動作不充分。回去重新規(guī)范你的動作（最好有教練陪同）可能是你最好的選擇。