Coaching tip of the week: Whenever You Miss, Shadow Stroke

(By Larry Hodges)

This is a bafflingly simple and short tip. I’m always amazed that when a player misses a shot, he expects it to fix itself. Instead, whenever you miss a shot, make a habit of shadow-practicing the shot as you should have done it. For example, if you loop off the end, shadow-practice how you should have looped it against that incoming ball. Over the decades I’ve played and coached, I’ve seen the obvious correlation between developing players who do this, and players who improve the fastest. Guess what? If you do this regularly, then like magic, you’ll start doing it right, and you’ll improve. It’s either magic or the habit of shadow-practicing. Which is it?