A New Year's Serve

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Two Next Questions on One-Hander

What is the aeronautical banking in Petr Korda's backhand? Answer: From raised rear shoulder down to level.

Does Petr get his arm barred early like most tour players with one-handers (but not Federer)? Answer: Both methods are good but, like Federer or Doug King, Korda straightens from elbow a little at a time up to just before contact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqpARpkF8WA

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In a Power Pocket Forehand

The elbow can fly sideways toward right fence while at the same time it gets pushed by the power pocket very fast toward the net.

The sensation may be-- at first-- that arm work and body work go in the same direction (toward right fence) but the power cord is revolving as well as snapping taut.

Editing Off Any Backward Up and Down Loop
I remain committed to level backward turn of racket about the somewhat bent elbow as something embraced by overall backward body turn at the same time.

What's nice from a design standpoint is that the independent arm motion now gets to continue as elbow itself changes locus to tuck into one's canting side.

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About the Previous Confession

I was straightening and rolling to the outside. Which creates far less racket head speed.

Fortunately, however, this thread has never been about maintaining an image. It is about hitting a tennis ball well.

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Application

I now see that Petr brings strings down from his shoulder to his pocket similar to what Doug King is talking about. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqpARpkF8WA)

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Related Ideas and a Bunch of Others Beautifully Expressed by the Great Polymath

http://www.tennisone.com/ Then click on "Keys to Contact"-- One-Handed Topspin Backhand

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Building

No, just take down racket closer to body for more inside out. With more vertical conflict between bod and tail (waggle).

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From Swim to Rip in One-Handed Topspin Backhand

Petr Korda's timing is so good that he can hit the ball seemingly from straightening of his body alone.

I've described the final arm action in this shot as a slow swim, with the idea that arm provides adjustment but not power.

Vic Braden once aspired to a similar backhand in which arm didn't figure at all. Remember when he was in Argentina and had a holster made for working the racket from his hip?

Maybe one isn't as good as that or just wants more topspin.

"Waggle" is where my mind goes within the one-hander ideas of Doug King (https://tennisone.tennisplayer.net/m...mpart.spin.php). He describes waggle elsewhere (body and racket moving in opposite directions but body always doing the main work to send the golf club or dog's tail the opposite way). Forehands, backhands, volleys and serves are all seen to benefit from pronounced waggle.

I can't really believe I am saying this, and probably will cut such a foolish notion out of my backhand later; nevertheless, after smooth straightening and rolling of arm I plan to try extra lowering of elbow as the string up and down front side of body snaps taut.

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Forward Emphasis Continued

Maybe all tennis instruction should come in the form of patter, with timing of the patter often more important than the patter itself. Two elements taking the racket back. Two elements taking the racket forward. Then and only then the wipe from right to left fence even though the forwardness of the two elements (independent arm and shoulders) and the subsequent wipe and followthrough are all one count-- count 2 in 1-2 rhythm.

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How Important is the Pause between the Opposite Body Rotations in a Modern Forehand?

The tour forehands seem to have this pause. Is it an aiming mechanism? A relaxing mechanism? A make-certain-one-takes-sufficient-time-in-getting-off-the-shot-mechanism?

From a design standpoint, I can't see the need for more than one pause or slow-down of the shoulders in a given stroke.

I'm for putting the slow-down out front rather than at rear end of the shot at least for now. At end of backward point (count 1 in 1-2 rhythm) I want a pauseless change of direction if that is possible. With this subtle change of direction the mechanism that causes wrist snap-down.

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Palm Down Serves

Easy to barely miss head like Donald Budge but if you are Donald Trump you should hit it (https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...B1stSFront.mov). Easy to gain time by squeezing the two halves of the arm together as racket forms a natural loop. This buys time for full 180 degrees of ISR.

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What is the Forehand Garbage or Wonderful Forehand Idea Content in One Individual's Mind?

Straight vs. bent arm. Place then carry (feel for the ball). Kinetic chain. Delay body heft so that followthrough has some place to go. Hit straight arm forehand way out front as if you are a football halfback straight-arming the safety on the opposite team. Are these ideas compatible with one another? Probably not.

To try today: A straight arm forehand off of early kinetic chain. Backswing to be with palm pointed down. Loop and mondo to be one and the same. Hips turn to be against fixed front foot as in classical Van Horn model. Hips then to rise non-twisting in tandem with delayed windshield wipe.

Will feet leave court? I hope not since old men shouldn't leap up in the air. But a blend of fanning racket work and linear body weight coming through seems attractive with body resuming a slower turn afterward.

The design idea for this shot comes from PetraKordian one hand backhand with pogo stick hop built in.

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What Would Happen if a Person had both a Straight Arm and a Bent Arm Forehand?

He would lose of course. But win sometimes too. Wonder if it would be 50-50 . I don't want to try it if I'm going to lose more than 50 per cent of the matches.

From other thread: "Tour technician Ben Ford told me that the muscle on the outside of the arm under the shoulder ball is key, compared to a double-bend forehand, where deltoid muscle gets the work."

Ben was giving me a tip about hitting a straight arm forehand. I was grateful then and I am grateful now.

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A Tiny Truth

The above advisements, despite their correctness, led to a lousy day at the court. High winds didn't help.

We come now to a huge truth: The forearm muscles cannot roll forward while they are rolling backward. So if you want them to roll forward just when you want you may have to have already rolled them backward.

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Possibilities

To build on recent Katoui forehand iterations, we should note that rolling racket from the forearm puts it in a different place than rolling it from the shoulder socket.

We therefore should experiment incessantly in rolling racket tip (tip being the point on the rim that will travel the farthest) trying from lower arm, from upper arm, from a combination of both.

Briefly try rolling from the forearm for a DTL, from the upper arm for a CC just to see if this would be a good combo.

These rolls are part of "place," not "carry." There might be more roll during "carry" or not. And mondo in different places adds to the variation.

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Ono, not the Pogo Stick

If the best strokes evolve rather than are conceived all at once, the human mind ought to develop a bit of humility for itself.

I don't plan to ever hit a PetraKordian with a McEnrovian pogo stick built in but that still might happen on a certain shot some day.

In fact, if I tell my mind "no pogo stick," a pogo stick is sure to happen.

Why wouldn't it when the arm work that actually hits the ball is nothing more or less than a short swim of the racket toward the net.

The hand could be said to provide adjustment or insurance tract to prevent error.

The hand, a holder for the rest of the stroke, is no longer permitted to apply power on its own.

From end of a succinct backswing, the hips straighten the arm which also rolls into place. "Place then carry" is one mantra.

The hips at the same time having rotated rise slightly upward (without further rotation, I would submit).

Well, if the front leg brings the hips up it can propel energy toward the net at the same time thus creating the hop of a pogo stick.