Interactive Forum: December 2008 Dylan Bednarczyk

[tennis_chiro]

Toss and Weight Transfer and Pronation

Julian,
those are great video clips. They demonstrate exactly what I am talking about. Weight goes forward as the ball is tossed. And even Nadal has pronation continuing beyond the contact point. Not as much as Pete, but I expect this year compared with 2 years ago, he is getting more. You can also see how much his body is extended at contact.

Pete's toss is going right up a "tube", but his body is moving it forward. I think if you look at Sampras 1st Serve Ad CourtLevel Rear 1 you'll see the arc of the ball right to left to get tbe ball over his head.

Good clips though.
thanks,
don

[uspta146749877]

Arc

Julian,
those are great video clips. They demonstrate exactly what I am talking about. Weight goes forward as the ball is tossed. And even Nadal has pronation continuing beyond the contact point. Not as much as Pete, but I expect this year compared with 2 years ago, he is getting more. You can also see how much his body is extended at contact.

Pete's toss is going right up a "tube", but his body is moving it forward. I think if you look at Sampras 1st Serve Ad CourtLevel Rear 1 you'll see the arc of the ball right to left to get tbe ball over his head.

Good clips though.
thanks,
don

Don,
BTW:
there is an issue of methodology of videotaping:
videotaping from a front ( 90 degrees angle) allows to see
a left to right arc for lefty.The tape provided by a father of Dylan prevents us
from seeing whether there is any arc of toss.
I went frame by frame attempting to see that.
We do some videotaping of students in Massachusetts
regards,
julian

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

[uspta146749877]

video of Nadal's serve-for Don

http://www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/pdmediabooks/assets/men/Rafael%20Nadal/PerformanceAnalysis.html

[tennis_chiro]

More good video from Julian

Another great clip. I don't much like that backswing,but once Rafa gets to the checkmark, that is a classic serve. If you watch the ball against the background you can see the ball moving forward with the weight transfer even though it looks like the ball is moving vertically from his hand. Right, we need a different perspective to see the ball moving left to right over his head, but judging by the angle of the arm to the racket head, that ball must be over his head, or if not over his head, over where his head was when he started the motion and over his right foot. Notice the leg bend is not that deep and yet he gets well off the ground and that right foot comes down about a foot into the court. (I always thought I was doing well when my right foot came down more than a foot into the court...of course, I'm right-handed and my right foot was coming down in front of my left!)

Also, check the degree to which Rafa pronates past the contact point. Not down like Sampras, but a full pronation nevertheless.

Is this backswing the most recent version of Rafa's serve. I don't remember.

[johnyandell]

Fascinating...now could you gentlemen address how this applies or not in your opinion to the thread, ie, Dylan?

[stroke]

I heard that Bottle is soon starting a new thread called "the mystery of the Rafa toss".

[tennis_chiro]

How we got off the track

This kid looks great for a 10 year old. Hits the ball more like he is 11 or 12. Seems to have very good velocity and ability to accelerate the racquet head through the ball. The things that trouble me are

the degree to which he takes the racket back to the inside on the forehand backswing. I guess that's the linearity referred to above. As a result, when he executes that wiper-action, he doesn't go through the ball nearly as much as he could.

On the backhand, I feel the initial backswing is a little too much to the outside. He manages to get to the inside pretty well, but will that hold up when he gets pressed or he is forced to shorten the backswing for a return of serve or even approach shot. Minor point, but it will make a difference long term.

On the serve, there is an apparent "pro action" with the extreme knee bend and complete motion, but I look for a couple of other fundamentals I want established before I worry about my students trying to get into the leg action so much. I emphasize more of a "bow" of the legs and not so much of a bend of the knees, but that is relatively minor compared to whether he is actually at full extension from right toe up to contact point (which he is not) and whether he is pronating through contact point at the top of the action (which he is not). Granted it is great for a 10 year old. But if this kid is being considered as a prodigy, these little fundamentals are very important.

don brosseau

Sorry, John. We got carried away a little bit. But this did all stem out of my #19 response in this thread and relates to Dylan's serve.

[johnyandell]

True enough...