Tennis in Two Hours

Tennis in Two Hours

by John Carpenter
(Encino, CA)

Hi Tomas,

I am a student of tennis for over 30 years. I have read countless tennis theories and my progress as student hit a ceiling with little breakthroughs here and there while I was a tennis coach certified in the USA.

In my experience, two books out of the over 200 I have studied had a universal application to all tennis players: Gallwey's 1974 "Inner Game of Tennis" and Oscar Wegner's 1989 "Tennis in 2 Hours" (later republished in 1992 as "You can Play Tennis in 2 Hours.")

Gallwey figured out tennis was played by something other than the conscious mind, but he only got it partially right; in Spain in 1973, the year before Gallwey's book came out, the new modern tennis system implemented by junior Davis Cup captain Oscar Wegner would soon shock the tennis world.

Wegner defined not only how a tennis player best played by feel and instinct rather than the concious mind, Oscar also built a close to perfect (as has ever been developed) teaching technique that simplified the tennis strokes to their bare essential mechanics, allowing each person to then find their own level of athleticism.

At the age of 44 having played tennis for thirty plus years, I was at best a 4.0 player or 4.5 on my best days. At the age of 48 I can hit with the best in the world (as long as I can get to the ball, lol).

I play with 6.5 players who enjoy my consistency and ability to spin the ball effectively. The difference was Oscar Wegner's Modern Tennis Methodology and his simplified techniques that bring out a person's natural athleticism.

I subscribe to and read your newsletter and recommend it to my students as a good source because you teach "modern" tennis pretty well.

I don't know if you are familiar with Oscar Wegner. I've coached tennis for 24 years and felt like I wasted the first twenty years teaching the old methods. Now I get results that very few coaches, many of them famous, can ever achieve with the general public, not just with good athletes.

Anyone can teach a good athlete, but I now have average athletes with no footspeed beat much better athletes because Oscar's MTM teaches them to develop their own instincts and their own swings (think of Monica Seles, who had no notable foot speed ever despite all efforts to improve it and any normal tennis coach would not have allowed her to hit with both hands off both sides with that horrible foot speed).

Those types of stories are repeated by learning tennis through Oscar Wegner's techniques, which I then add teaching from coaches like you and Ron Waithe of Turbo Tennis (who learned much from Oscar personally like I did). I know Russian coaches admit to me they use Oscar's system as I do as the core of what they teach.

Revolutionaries will never get credit while they are alive, I'm afraid, although tennisone.com did a nice tribute to Oscar last year noting "History proved him right."

So if you want to play your best tennis fast, just go back to the basics and do a tuneup by checking your strokes against Oscar Wegner's theories and ensure you have no "myths" that are keeping your game back.

Tennis is filled with far too many myths, far too many conflicting theories, and far too many teachers who are reaching for a technical expertise that is not applicable to the majority of tennis players who must take their own realities and play tennis naturally.

I watch players take lessons for years and be stuck at a 3.0 or 3.5 or 4.0. A dentist recently went from 4.0 to 5.0 in less than six months by applying Modern Tennis Methodology.

I know this won't likely be published, Tomas, given it's an endorsement of another coach, but you asked and I wanted to give your students the best knowledge out there.

You are a good teacher yourself from what I see, and I admire your efforts to help others get better. However, the mark of a good teaching method is that it's reproducible by others.

I get great results just as Oscar claims when I teach MTM and allow the person to find their own swing. There is no better way to simplify and check your strokes than by looking at your game in terms of Oscar's three simple fundamentals: FIND the ball, FEEL it on your strings, and FINISH the stroke.

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Tennis in Two Hours

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Dec 21, 2007
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TENNIS IN 2 HOURS ?
by: Anonymous

I bought Oscar's book quite a while ago and tried his method. But it did not work out for me. I think you have to have a strong arm to hit the ball like he say. If your opponent hit a soft ball with no pace to you, you may have a little problem. AS a matter of fact, I almost always see player with wind shield wiper kind of swing shape have a little problem dealing with a low pace and low bounced ball. Maybe I do not understand what Oscar say in his book. Maybe some one can tell me where on the internet I can see how he hits the ball or somebody or a pro who play like him. I am a skinny guy with not much muscles and I have found a loop swing is the best way for me to hit a ball with pace and control. And I know a loop swing is not the easiest swing to learn for many people. But I found it rhythmic and efficient. By the same token, I am sure some people have find Oscar's method is the best for them.

Jan 08, 2008
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Magic Bullet?
by: Dick in Mpls

Using google, I got to a page that led me to http://www.tennisteacher.com/MITstudy.htm
This is a video that is fun to watch - and free!
More video's can be seen for free at www.tennisteacher.com

There is information at a number of sites from people who are convinced that that OW's teaches in a way that quickly helps people get much better.

Tomaz has published John's article. I thank him for that and would be interested in his ideas about this teaching method.

Smiles and a healthy and happy spring to all.

Jan 09, 2008
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It Needs A Clear Message
by: Tomaz

Hi John,

I am not that familiar with the negative opinions of Oscar Wegner.

But as did the theories of Gallwey in time become more accepted, so will probably Oscar's in the future.

What may be controversial about Oscar is the claim "tennis in 2 hours" and how one interprets it.

Teaching basic tennis technique to a normally talented person with some coordination skills takes very little time.

I've taught a complete serve in 10 minutes to a 14 year old boy who had some previous experience with rackets and balls. The technique was there, except he wasn't consistent.

When it comes to groundstrokes, most normally talented people can learn the swing in 5 minutes. You just show them. ;)

BUT when it comes to moving, judging the ball, getting the right feel for the racquet head face angle and so on - this cannot be taught in 2 hours and this ALSO cannot be taught directly.

These skills develop naturally in time. With some people it takes months especially if they haven't had prior experience with ball judgment.

Even the kids on the videos that I observed can actually swing at the ball but they are far from a controlled play. Except Jan who is a phenomenon.

So, yes, you can teach the PEOPLE to swing correctly (more or less) in 2 hours, but you cannot develop their ball judgment skills, balance, hand-eye coordination, timing, orientantion, feel and hundreds of other skills in 2 hours.

That's why perhaps Oscar's message maybe needs to be more clear about what can be done in 2 hours. I actually believe that he knows all this (and you too) what I wrote, but the message is too general and is misunderstood.

As you know, everyone wants to be right (ego) so everyone LOOKS for "wrongs" in other people's theories. It's easy to find one here. ;)

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Jan 09, 2008
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Submitted by: Tomaz

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Hi John, I am not that familiar with the negative opinions of Oscar Wegner. But as did the theories of Gallwey in time become more accepted, so will probably Oscar's in the future. What may be controversial about Oscar is the claim "tennis in 2 hours" and how one interprets it. Teaching basic tennis technique to a normally talented person with some coordination skills takes very little time. I've taught a complete serve in 10 minutes to a 14 year old boy who had some previous experience with rackets and balls. The technique was there, except he wasn't consistent. When it comes to groundstrokes, most normally talented people can learn the swing in 5 minutes. You just show them. ;) BUT when it comes to moving, judging the ball, getting the right feel for the racquet head face angle and so on - this cannot be taught in 2 hours and this ALSO cannot be taught directly. These skills develop naturally in time. With some people it takes months especially if they haven't had prior experience with ball judgment. Even the kids on the videos that I observed can actually swing at the ball but they are far from a controlled play. Except Jan who is a phenomenon. So, yes, you can teach the PEOPLE to swing correctly (more or less) in 2 hours, but you cannot develop their ball judgment skills, balance, hand-eye coordination, timing, orientantion, feel and hundreds of other skills in 2 hours. That's why perhaps Oscar's message maybe needs to be more clear about what can be done in 2 hours. I actually believe that he knows all this (and you too) what I wrote, but the message is too general and is misunderstood. As you know, everyone wants to be right (ego) so everyone LOOKS for "wrongs" in other people's theories. It's easy to find one here. ;)

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Jan 24, 2008
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Tennis in two hours
by: Jose

John's assessment of Oscar Wegner's method is just great and I agree completely with him, although I am just a club player and don't have his knowledge and experience on tennis.

Jan 24, 2008
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One form for everybody ?
by: Anonymous

Thank you Tomas for your input and the article regarding Bruce Lee's insight. Like what Bruce Lee has said, one should not teach every person the same way ( except the very basic techniques ), because every indiviual is so different. Just look at Federer and James Blake, their forms are quite different, yet they both can hit the ball so well even though one is a little better than the other ( there can only be one number 1 in the world ). ;-)

To find the best form or techniques that is suitable for us individually, we really have to know ourselves. And to do that, it takes time. There is no quick fix. Simplicity and freedom come after true insight is obtained and all the superfluous is discarded, as Bruce Lee pointed out.

Thanks,

Anonymous.

Mar 24, 2008
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Tennis in 2 hours
by: Walter from As,Belgium

Thank you John for sharing your knowlegde and insights about Oscar and his method. I am familiar with his teaching to some degree and I use his 'directionals' because they are appropiate to learn tennis in a gamebased way (tactics first).
You put a beginner youngster (8years) on a small court, low net, with a softball and a small racket and in 2 hours he/she can rally with proper technique and pretty consistent (rally of 10) with a forehand and backhand. From there you can develop all the basic techniques accordingly the game situation you put the youngster in.
The power of his method is using the natural abilities of the athlete and starting from the contactpoint (find, feel and finish). With little explaining, more showing and let the student feel the strokes! This method is surely very friendly for us 'normal mortals'!
I have to mention that I only know about his teaching on techniques, not on tactics,mental,emotional,spiritual or conditioning!

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