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A New Year's Serve

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    These videos caused me to hold serve:


    https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...TF-8#kpvalbx=1
    And another one featuring the same fellow, Tomaz Mencinger, in which he says, "Edge edge edge edge!" and in showing one how to throw has palm and ball facing right fence and then left fence-- a difference of about 135 degrees since front edge is going to start toward the net post.

    So, I arrived at the courts seemingly overloaded with new serve ideas but with all of them focused on the basic of flow and therefore perhaps graspable at once.

    Also came with two new forehands. One worked immediately, the other proved too fanciful probably ever to work although it led to something else perhaps more interesting.

    The new forehand that works uses a long pencil-thin and rather linear loop that straightens arm and then assumes a double-bend as described in # 4363 .

    The cochleates were already interesting as soft shots and maybe didn't need embellishment. Too fanciful: the notion that arm would bend in tandem with knees that also were bending.

    But tennis ought to be fun, and a really fun shot to try is a Tom Okker imitation forehand with the hugest roundest loop possible behind you, a big mondo (flip) and a sinking of the huge hoop thus created into the ground. Arm stays straight, rolling to scrape the ball. If it's true from golf that overly bent knees catch the inside of an old bourbon cask, then good, the knees stopped all by themselves without further meddling by you and preserved fine balance. A shot to be used sparingly by me although I plan to keep it always in trim.

    As for the cochleates (Nautilus shell spirals), the most interesting though least spectacular is the 243 described earlier-- the version of a Ziegenfuss in which the racket arm straightens and bends right up to the ball at which time one's bod gives it a nifty push.

    To this I have added (and now accepted) a pair of variations. One a 243 in which the loop ends a foot-and-a-half before the ball thus starting weight transfer earlier, the other a 252 in which one gets the racket lower for extra scissoring with the addition of a bit of radial deviation which sounds like sociopathic perversion so must be good.
    Last edited by bottle; 08-09-2018, 01:06 PM.

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    • Mencinger Throwing Exercise

      I opined before that one could alter palm and ball in hand by 135 degrees in a good circular throw.

      If one has taken hand back far enough, however, and mercifully lost the handy reference points of right fence and left fence, the figure can be 180 degrees.

      Then when one replicates with the racket the leading edge can still come at desired angle to the toss lined up with netpost in the background.

      Comment


      • Edge Und Edge Und Edge-Edge

        Although I worked on a German ship once where no one ever gave an order to anyone, I still like German as a language for commands.

        So I prefer "und" to "and" for my discussion here of a basic serve.

        First edge: the racket goes down. First und: the racket goes up and quite far back.

        Second edge: the racket comes from arm bend to top back of head. Second und: the hips whirl as right foot comes up on toes and slightly replaces to right as racket lowers and tocks right from humeral twist and wrist opening up (a small combined movement in relaxed but essential conflict with bod turn).

        Third edge thus pulled by bod springs on an angle toward the ball.

        Twisting humerus takes racket beyond ball and to left of it and natural left side follow through on balance (fourth edge).

        Edge und edge und edge-edge.
        Last edited by bottle; 08-10-2018, 02:32 AM.

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        • Today I get to try something it has taken me four decades to understand.

          My teacher in Virginia, Jim Kacian, had a beautiful serve. In the 70 lessons he gave me, we covered a lot of topics. But beyond his ability as coach Jim was a fine player, and I never could quite understand the smoothness and economy of his follow through. It was a look, a strangeness, a signature just like a great follow through in golf. (And I was a very busy caddy some decades before that in Granville, Ohio when I was 14 . And none of my clients had as good a follow through as that of my father, whose swing I also wished to understand.)

          Well, in tennis I've operated from the misconception that good serves result from racket edge coming straight at the ball and veering off to the right.

          It's just the opposite. The edge comes to the ball on an angle to the right. The other edge then comes off the ball straight toward the net.

          Which leaves the racket with a short smooth path to a balanced finish on one's left side.

          Should we give Tomaz Mencinger the credit for this breakthrough in understanding? Why not!? But can't this just be pertinent-- dare I say this-- to the denseness of myself as a person?

          But if I am the only one who has trouble understanding this point, then why has Tomaz Mencinger lined up a series of balls from his feet to form a line that slants to the right then jogs to the left? With the balls just sitting there through a whole video lesson?
          Last edited by bottle; 08-11-2018, 02:31 AM.

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          • Too Much Enthusiasm

            There are no quick fixes. Everything is evolution. You're either getting slowly better or slowly worse.

            Now it's back to the manufacture of a higher bounce, for which purpose here is some more Brent Abel:

            Comment


            • "Too Much"

              I told before, I think, without going into the detail, of my self-feed adventure where two very good looking women, one Ukrainian and the other American, came over to my court to give me a telephone number.

              The American, in fact, typed all necessary information into my phone. "Tennis/Iryna," the entry reads and it's still there. I called and we did "hits" together three times. Iryna's daughter and grandson attended the second half of the first session. At the next session Iryna was very complimentary of my teaching ability. Okay Iryna whatever and my sincere gratitude. Mostly however we hit. A teaching pro, observing our third and final session, said, "Wow, you guys were out there a long time."

              Who was Iryna? A woman from Kiev and former bouncer in an Irish nightclub. Online, she met a local artisan in Grosse Pointe, Michigan and married him. How many years they have been together I don't know. But Iryna was having trouble. She put on a huge party for the dude and took care of every detail. Her mother back in Kiev meanwhile was very sick. Of what Iryna didn't say. "Radiation exposure" I with my hyperactive ruminations about Chernobyl thought. The daughter was furious with her mom for not playing with the little boy enough. The boy, who had every toy known to mankind and now a baseball I gave him was interested in none of them. What Iryna really wanted was swim and play tennis.

              The words "too much" came from Iryna. She flew back to the Ukraine. It seems likely the daughter and grandson were on the same plane. The husband, the artisan, is swamped with work here in Grosse Pointe at least for the summer months. The daughter might help with the care of her grandmom although she, the daughter, lives two hours distance from Kiev out in the Ukraine.

              Well, the words "too much" can apply to YouTube tennis teaching videos also. There are millions of them, right? So many that they can't ALL be bad?

              "Feel Tennis" videos now keep coming up on my screen whether I request them or not. "Too much" Tomaz Mencinger? I don't even know your nationality, Tomaz. Slovenian like Melania? That said, if anyone is interested in a truly great video, find the one where Tomaz wants any tennis student to ask after every stroke whether the racket was a tool or a weight.
              Last edited by bottle; 08-11-2018, 09:59 AM.

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              • Ulnar Deviation Sounds Far Less Perverted than Radial Deviation and Can Help your Topspin Serve

                One of the many YouTube videos on kick serves identifies the author's favorite among the dozen items he has identified.

                I suggest we go with that one and ignore the other eleven.

                The particular measure he has in mind (as his favorite) involves rolling a ball along one's hand with one's strings.

                Not only does the ball roll along one's hand but it rolls down the strings, too.

                When the ball reaches the bottom frame it bumps.

                That is the time for ISR!

                Comment


                • Next President, Headline

                  The President today Abolished all American Professions except for Caregiver and Tennis Teacher.
                  Last edited by bottle; 08-11-2018, 08:48 AM.

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by bottle View Post
                    Too Much Enthusiasm

                    There are no quick fixes. Everything is evolution. You're either getting slowly better or slowly worse.

                    Now it's back to the manufacture of a higher bounce, for which purpose here is some more Brent Abel:
                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA_ZoEBuUyw
                    Strange video this one, for no other reason than there is a microwave in the background of the interviewer. For some reason I found it hard to take things seriously because of that. Nevertheless Abel is correct that Roger and Pete have the best second serves yet both throw the ball more or less directly above their head and not so much to the left.

                    We have a guy at the club, a very good player, who delivers a relatively a slow second serve, with little reverse kick, yet gets it in deep and with a high bounce every time. None of the other good players can truly get hold of it to do anything with other than to play it back in.

                    That was one long discussion they had about the second serve.
                    Stotty

                    Comment


                    • Edge Edge Edge-Edge: A Great Formula

                      When combined with certain knowledge, some of which may be personal, i.e., may only work for you (me).

                      I agree, Stotty, that the Abel interview is long.

                      But I'm not running an essay contest, an interview contest or even an English expression contest.

                      My only goal here is a higher hop on my serve.

                      So I hope to find knowledgeable people in natural discussion that is full enough so that I can find and steal the item I need.

                      Don't even need to be there or be one of the submitters of questions, just have to listen.

                      If you persist in going to the court enough but never serve more than 50 serves per session, as Brent Abel says, you will succeed in developing the higher hop. I have to believe that.

                      While-- without beating up on myself-- remaining relentlessly critical of my own efforts.

                      If the margin between serves that buzz with sidespin and those that have a bit of hot top mixed in is as small as I understand, I'll have to sacrifice "ulnar deviation" and will.

                      And if using Mencinger's "edge edge edge-edge" mantra, must have already mastered the coded items that go along with each of the "edge" commands.

                      And finally must stop using the racket as a careful hand tool developed for precise little acts but rather as a slung weight while even wishing it was heavier.

                      Can someone lend me some lead tape? Don't have any extra right now? Shipping it across the ocean might take too long? Okay, I'll just lighten my grip more this morning.
                      Last edited by bottle; 08-12-2018, 11:34 AM.

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                      • A Conversation for Seniors

                        First senior: I like returning serve.

                        Second senior: Who doesn't?

                        Comment


                        • Should we Care about What Other People Say about our Tennis Strokes?

                          Most of the comments are positive, so yes, we should. Another pair of eyes went to work. We might have learned something.

                          Comment


                          • The Homunculus Hogan may be hit with weak grip (more forward roll of arm before contact) or strong grip (less or no forward roll).

                            WHIHTTY: Warning however; I haven't tried this yet.

                            Last Wednesday, I had three Synvisc One jabs in the side of my knee and am forbidden tennis until next Wednesday.

                            explorequotes

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                            • Welcome back

                              I'm trying to figure out the mindset of the head fish. First he sends out the little 12 lb guy, then he sends the 14 lb. guy. It's looking serious with those black thingies so he jumps a class up to the 18 lb guy. Man, what was he thinking when he finally went all in with the 26 lb head of the household?!

                              Sounds like it was a successful vacation!

                              don explorequotes

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                              • See how the ball is hit way out front. So the strings fly downward only a little to put themselves on the ball. The chop part is in how the strings come off of the ball-- down and sideways and backward! Contact then is at the prow of the shot.

                                Does anything else happen at the prow? Some wrist action perhaps? Backward for absorption? Forward to generate extra spin? Is there a pulled punch effect? Are these questions bad?

                                Only if you believe in the loftiness of Roger's genius over the hard work he put in, work which is available to anyone.

                                explore quotes

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