If you are trying to change or improve your stroke, sometimes it is difficult when the ball is coming toward you.  Your muscle memory takes over and you easily revert back to how you had been previously stroking the ball.  Also, as you are trying to make contact and must adjust to various placements, speeds, spins, heights, and depths, the strokes often becomes sloppy as you reach/lean for the ball.
 

Shadow Strokes
Article and Video
By Samson Dubina
www.SamsonDubina.com

Your imagination is your most powerful tool.
Are you using it?
Many club level players dream of becoming a world class players with awesome balance, positioning, timing, perfect strokes, ideal placement, and deceptive variations. However, when I ask them to do shadow strokes, they have no idea. I have sad sad news… If you can’t do it without the ball, you most certainly can’t do it with the ball!