Here's a phrase you've almost certainly heard on a tennis court, and one we never use: "hit it softly."

It sounds harmless. It's actually a contradiction - and understanding why reveals one of the most powerful tools in learning tennis. We call it coaching through sensations, and it's a fundamentally better way to develop shots than the technical instruction most players are used to.

This article explains why "hit softly" is an oxymoron, what we do instead, and how learning to feel your shots - rather than think your way through them - transforms how quickly and how well you improve.

Quick Summary

You can't "hit" something softly - if the contact is soft, it wasn't a hit. Every shot in tennis has a different sensation at contact: a hit, a push, a tap, a cushion, a chop, a smash. Teaching shots through these sensations - the *feel* of the contact - is far more effective than technical instruction, especially for children, because it engages the part of the brain that actually controls movement. Learn the sensation, and the technique follows naturally.

Why "Hit Softly" Makes No Sense

Start with the language, because it matters more than people think.

It is impossible to "hit" something softly. If you contact a ball softly, it wasn't a hit - it was a touch, a stroke, or a push. When a player strikes a first serve, nobody describes it as "a really fast touch." When a golfer rolls in a delicate two-foot putt, it isn't "a gentle hit" - it's a nudge, or a push.

This seems pedantic. It isn't. These subtleties of language get lost in the action of playing, the stress of competition, or the narrow focus of a lesson - and that's exactly when they matter most.

The word "hit" is the biggest culprit in tennis. It gets used as the catch-all verb for striking the ball, regardless of what's actually intended:

•        "Hit the ball to each other"

•        "You hit that one too hard"

•        "It would've been better if you hit a drop shot there"

But you don't hit every shot. Far from it. A drop shot isn't hit. A delicate volley isn't hit. A defensive slice isn't hit. When you tell a player - especially a child - to "hit" every ball, you're almost guaranteeing confusion, because "hit" implies fast, firm contact, and most shots aren't that.

If you want a fast contact, you hit the ball. If you want a slow contact, you cushion it. Somewhere in the middle is a push or a stroke. "Hit" isn't the universal verb people treat it as.

The Alternative - Sensations

Instead of drowning players in technical instruction, we teach shots through their sensations - the distinct feel of the contact.

Every shot has its own sensation, and each one carries its own speed and feel:

•        Hit - fast, firm

•        Push - controlled, medium

•        Tap - light, short

•        Block - firm but still

•        Touch - delicate

•        Cushion - absorbing pace

•        Smash - explosive

•        Chop - downward, cutting

•        Deflect - redirecting

When a player learns the *sensation*, the technique organises itself around it. Ask a player to "brush" the ball and they discover topspin through feel. Ask them to "cushion" it and they find the touch for a drop shot. The body works out the footwork, the racket path and the timing far more naturally than it ever would from a list of technical checkpoints.

Why Sensations Work Better Than Technique

This isn't just a nice idea - there's a real reason it works, and it's about how the brain learns movement.

Technical instruction speaks to the conscious, thinking part of the brain. But that's not the part that actually controls a fluid, fast, athletic movement. Skilled movement is governed by the subconscious - the part that lets you catch a ball without calculating its trajectory, or ride a bike without thinking about balance.

Sensations speak directly to that system. When you link the *feel* of a contact to a shot, you engage the part of the brain that genuinely controls movement, rather than clogging up the conscious mind with instructions it can't apply in real time anyway.

The practical result is enormous. A player thinking about six technical checkpoints mid-rally is slow, stiff and overwhelmed. A player who knows the *feel* they're going for is fluid, fast and natural. This is why, when we teach a new shot, we start with a sensation - and it's why our players develop shots that hold up under pressure rather than falling apart the moment they stop thinking about the technique.

Clarity and Consistency - The Same as Counting

The power of sensations depends on using the language clearly and consistently, exactly the way we're precise with everything else in our coaching.

Just as "zero, one, two, three" means something specific and unchanging when we talk about the stages of a movement, "tap," "push" and "cushion" have to mean the same thing every time. When the language is clear and consistent, a player builds a genuine vocabulary of feel - a set of distinct sensations they can call on and choose between deliberately.

That clarity is what turns a vague "just hit it" into a precise, repeatable, chooseable skill. And it's a big part of why our players develop a genuine range of shots rather than one blurred, all-purpose swing.

What This Means for You or Your Child

If you're learning with us, or your child is, this is why our coaching sounds different:

•        We won't tell you to "hit" every ball - we'll help you feel the specific sensation each shot needs

•        We teach through feel rather than a checklist of technical positions, so shots develop naturally

•        We're deliberate and consistent with our language, because clear words create clear skills

•        The result is shots you can actually produce under pressure, because they're built on feel rather than conscious thought

It's a simple shift with a profound effect. Once you stop trying to "hit" everything and start feeling what each shot actually needs, tennis gets easier, more natural, and a lot more fun.

See It in Practice

Coaching through sensations runs through every session we deliver, for juniors and adults alike, and connects closely to how we teach shot-making and decision-making. Our programme pages explain what each stage looks like on court, and you're always welcome to come and experience it for yourself.