Four days with Juan Cabrera

I spent four days this week training with Juan Cabrera, and it was one of those blocks where a lot of small things finally clicked. Four mornings of focused work, plus an afternoon, mostly cross-court drills since I was sharing the court with another player heading to the same FIP weekend. Here is what stuck.

Volleys: I do more than I thought

On day one we went through ground strokes first, and Juan was happy with the forehand. He also spotted a habit I did not know I had: I tend to turn my back to the wall to set up a forehand and quietly avoid the backhand. The funny part is that when I actually hit the backhand, he liked it. The lesson there is more about confidence than technique.

Then volleys. He talked about there being several different types, and his point was that I already play most of them, I just do not always know which one I am hitting or when. The cues that helped:

• Racket face up and in front in the ready position.
• On a fast ball, block it. No backswing. Stop trying to generate so much.
• On the backhand volley, use the off hand to resist first, then push forward.
• On balls below the net, open the face, bend the knees, and just send it back.

Defence: step in and trust the backhand

Days two and three leaned into defence from the back. We split the back of the court into zones and worked through different incoming balls: stepping in to take a low ball early before the glass, planting the foot before a block volley so I can actually control it, and reading the double-glass ball that comes off the back wall and then the side. Keep the feet moving so I can adjust at the last moment, and get into the corner with the right foot closer when I can.

The recurring note was to be more confident, maybe even more aggressive, with the backhand, especially the block volley. If I step in and follow through rather than just surviving the shot, I can use it to gain the net instead of staying pinned at the back.

The bandeja, the vibora and matching power to balance

My bandeja is honestly more of a vibora, and the big fix was the back foot. Set the back foot before hitting and the control comes with it. Contacting the ball earlier and more in front lets me change direction, and the usual contact point sits around eye level.

The idea that stuck with me most: match the shot to your balance. If I am off balance, say a three out of ten, I should hit a three out of ten back and keep it simple. If I am set and in control, an eight out of ten, that is when I can attack the ball and add power. Trying to attack from a bad position is just gifting the point away.

We also drilled the two-stage volley pattern: the first volley placed deep to the opponent's feet around the line, the second one stepping in and punching through it as a finisher.

Play with margin

A theme across the whole block, and one I want to hold onto: aim with margin. About a metre inside the fence rather than threading it down the wall, and about a metre off the back glass rather than always going for the deepest possible ball. Tighter targets feel impressive but they do not go in often enough, and a ball hit with margin is often harder to retrieve anyway because it does not sit up off the glass.

On the last day we kept it lighter, recapped the volleys and viboras, added a small tweak in the basket work (let the forehand come off the glass first and then lob, for more control), and finished with serve-and-net points.

Thank you, Juan

Four days, a lot of detail, and a clear list of things to keep working on. Huge thanks to Juan Cabrera for the week, we were really happy with it. You can follow him here: Juan Cabrera (@juancabreragomez16).

Now to put it to use this weekend.