A New Year's Serve

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Sorry: It just goes on, but what doesn't?

This backhand discussion is driven by things happening on the court, not by my wish, which is that it be over. I tried swinging down with arm slowly, feeling for the ball. Then I found a video which shows that, I think:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/donbudge/donbudge_sa.html?DBBHSide.mov

Question: Do you swing arm left to right or right to left as total stroke becomes fast with all the body elements chiming in? Most likely answer: Both. Reasoning: Body movement in general is powerful but slow. Arm movement in general is weak but fast, going far. The double movement of the arm dovetails well with a single burst of body energy. And may dovetail better than only one arm direction would.

So, counts 1 and 2, take-back, slightly turning racket tip down to the inside.
Count 3, keep tip turning down. Count 4, racket head comes smoothly around because of A) wrist straightening, B) arm knifing slightly in toward body, C) a personal commitment to swinging the arm around the body (whatever else it does!) from the end of count 3 onward, but easy at first.

One can only swing the arm fast by relaxing the shoulder combined with a dose of will. And strength of will is related to perfect understanding of one's intention-- a succinct hook from slightly before ball and below it to yard-arm plus position out to right, having accelerated that whole way (5).

Tennis pundits occasionally speak of great extension on a one-arm backhand.
Could it come by lifting hand hard toward the opposite left fence post before
winging it right?

In his autobiography Don Budge tells about the time in the early rounds at Wimbledon when his famous backhand started to go sour on him, for the first and only time. He restored it by strolling to an outlying court, where he watched two women playing a veterans' singles match, and began, unconsciously, to focus on one of the player's technique. He says, in his best Cary Grant way, "That old girl moved over and reached out and hit this gorgeous zinging topspin backhand."

As a close reader, I find significance in the phrase "reached out."
It's useful for sure, and I recommend that all patient readers try it.

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Modifications of Previous Post after a New Court Session

1) Old men shouldn't jump up into the air.

2) But one can finish with weight on back foot, which frees front foot to return you toward center.

3) Slow twisting down of racket tip for both of the mentioned backhands makes them identical for three out of five counts.

4) Don Budge doesn't say much about his backhand in his autobiography other than that it is a free swing and natural and a confidence shot.

5) One hesitates to make any departures from such beautiful videos. Adaptation to one's own needs, however, is the name of this story.

6) If you finish on back foot, some of the actions which cause that were already in effect by contact time.

7) The down and up part of the arm swing must not be exaggerated or "too deep." The arm is swinging around at the same time. Without this added element, the arm action is too frail.

8) One can practice the stroke to full extension with both arms out, freeze, and declare that you took five counts to get there. THEN you can add the recovery.

9) I see the fourth and fifth counts as a down and up of the arm (while it goes around as I said). In contact area, however, the gross body elements chime in. In a Federfore there is a big body sweep punctuated by a short stretch of arm acceleration. In the topspin backhand here the big arm sweep is punctuated by a short stretch of body acceleration.

10) I worry about the "application" of my posts when the reader, say, has an entirely different backhand. But Federer's, for instance, is wide like Budge's, and so many modern full-loop one-handers seem about establishing the big separation. In the Budgian version as learned here the elbow starts already out in the slot-- you don't have to work to put it there.

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Two Backhands, One Rhythm, Two Entirely Different Weight Transfers and Recoveries

1) Backhand from TENNIS OUR WAY (old VCR), where Vic Braden demonstrates deceleration-acceleration by abruptly stopping his swinging wide shoulders and letting his arm continue. I have orchestrated this with short beginning but maximum separation like the more famous Don Budge version and continue to maintain that it feels accurate and easy to control and similar to a well-played billiards shot.

2) Budge backhand from Lloyd Budge, TENNIS MADE EASY; Don Budge, A TENNIS MEMOIR; Talbert and Old, THE GAME OF SINGLES IN TENNIS; and the six videos of Don Budge's topspin backhand here in Stroke Archive, TennisPlayer.Net. A description of this student's present Budge-influenced backhand exists at post # 153, "What the Left Hand Shows" and in bits and pieces and false tries earlier in this same string. The rhythm I have in mind for BH 1) and BH 2) is five counts, the first two of which are a slightly twisting take-back same for both shots.

On count 3, the racket tip turns slowly down for the flatter shot. The shoulders begin a slow swing (4). The arm, slightly accelerating, continues (5) to a balanced finish. I then recover toward center on step-out footwork only in reverse-- backward and then to side.

On the more heavily top-spun shot the racket tip can turn quickly down on count 3. Quickly? Why? Because the forward swing, about to happen and from the shoulder joint this time contains a slight downward component before it rises up to contact. So why not combine the two "downs" so that counts 3 and 4 are a simple ski jump down and up to yard-arm position only higher? I've done it but the further complication is a huge amount of body force exerting itself in the contact area, i.e., the legs (primarily the front one) and shoulderblades clenching together along with body straightening
sideways and backward, i.e., on a rearward diagonal to increase topspin. Count 5, as I envision it, then is a gathering of the body back into itself (for more detail see post #153 again) combined with a gravity turn toward center of court.

Maybe it's all too hurried. I didn't do well with it in a first match other than one spectacular set point. But I want to stay with it until I reach an informed decision-- mainly because of the advantages I foresee. If I have to back off, however, I'll keep the racket tip lowering during count three separate and slow.

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Invent your own Private/Public Language for all Discussions of Tennis

Question: Isn't a language public or private but not both? Answer: Wrong. Find the cusp between them.

Question: What's wrong with the present tennis language we all use? Answer: It's impoverished and doesn't provide enough names for things.

Example: We need reference points besides net-strap and net-post. So, if we imagine a single court centered symmetrically within a neat chain-link fence on a mountaintop somewhere out in the woods (but not in West Virginia-- too much removal there) we can conjure it up each time we say something like "Point the racket at the opposite right fence post." This imagery doesn't work if the teaching pro and his student can only envision multiple courts surrounded by a single fence.

Question: What if the student or reader doesn't recognize your terminology?

Answer: You must anticipate this likelihood by defining your terms (but not too often, or even your best friends will find themselves becoming bored).

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What the Left Hand Shows

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/donbudge/donbudge_sa.html?DBBHRear.mov

Observe the video once again, concentrating this time on the left hand. It goes out quite a bit. Then falls down close to Don Budge's body. That can only mean one thing. That he ripped with his shoulder blades, which also kept the upper body edge on a little earlier than in some modern backhands. Ingredients for this stroke: Free-wheeling, easy, slow, mono-speed swing slightly down and up from the shoulder joint abetted by leg extension and clenching together of shoulderblades, but proceeding past all that to a high, full-blooded, dramatic and straight-armed finish. With comfort device at the end consisting of three simultaneous elements: 1) pivot from the hips, 2) arm bend plus return of wrist to concave, 3) left hand, which had thrust out toward rear fence, sliding naturally (and no doubt unconsciously) down by the side.

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A Still Different Read of one of the six Budgian Backhands

I've embedded this video in a post before, but bear with me (patient reader).

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/donbudge/donbudge_sa.html?DBBHRear.mov

The first difference from what I'm trying to do occurs with racket behind the body. I'm remembering from Talbert and Old, THE GAME OF SINGLES IN TENNIS that Don Budge supposedly changed grip behind him, that his backhand take-back therefore was with his forehand grip.

That's for him, not for me, and must have involved some clever shifting back and forth of right and left hand function.

I'm not below a little of that myself but in a different way. Recently I took a few days off from tennis for a lot of theater. When I returned to my game, my backhands were lousy. I wasn't getting my arm straight on time. Not only
did I hate this but I hated that it could happen! So I took corrective measures (see post # 149, "Budgian Backhand Back-swing for the Overly Schematic").

The next thing I want to examine is the natural racket and body sequence in this video. First the racket swings around in a slow, wide circle. The body opens a little (naturally) but the bigger happening is extension of front knee up into contact.

From contact immediately onward (always the most important part of any ground stroke) the arm keeps going, extending out to yardarm position only higher. Legs have been extending the whole time and feet have left the ground.

Before they come back down the biggest body turn in the stroke occurs, entirely from the hips, during which the arm bends and wrist becomes concave again (the "comfort" position).

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Adding Finesse to the Federfore

No one is ever going to tell you just where in the big circle of life to bowl from one intersection to the next.

That is supposed to be empowering, to tell you to try different short tracts of
independent arm acceleration at end of which the hand actually slows down or stops (which allows hand to be pushed by body only once again).

Also, remember that mondo occurs right in the middle of the bowl, and that mondo is so complicated an action that most human beings can't even contemplate it much less describe or do it.

Many teaching pros (most?) shy away from this tour word, "mondo," associating it in their mind with anthrax.

Teaching pros would prefer for the sake of comfort (their own), that each student wear a plaster cast on his right arm with wrist molded underneath to the desired degrees of lay-back.

(Please note I didn't say that for lefties you would put the cast on the left arm.)

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Tremendously Important Chance for More Topspin on all Rotorded Serves

Using cobra wrist preparation, open it only to a point where ulnar bump still protrudes.

Furthermore, put all muscular arm efforts into four simultaneous and specific actions for a high-five: 1) hand slightly twisting open, 2) forearm twisting outward (pronation), 3) upper arm twisting outward ("ELLIOTT," named after sports scientist Bruce Elliott for declaring its importance), 4) shoulder and upper arm throwing elbow at ball and inward toward body median ("GORDON," named after sports scientist Brian Gordon for declaring its importance).

Some (Groppel) might argue that these four actions are perfectly in tandem with a fifth, arm extension, with a subgroup of tennis thinkers then arguing that the extension is propelled by the triceps muscle.

Not me. I argue that I have a safe serve with body centrifugating arm open to a right angle after which it simultaneously 1) fires triceps, 2) closes wrist (traditional), 3) pronates, 4) Elliotts, 5) Gordons, i.e., five roughly simultaneous actions to the relaxed high-five at contact; but, that all my fast serves centrifugate the arm straight in the most passive and noodle-like way possible during which the first four muscular actions outlined in paragraph two do occur, but occur only with hand above the head.

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Budgian Backhand Back-swing for the Overly Schematic

A person who plots too much (most tennis players-- not just me), can, instead of fighting naturalness all the time, incorporate new knowledge from neuroscience in his next scheme.

So, instead of first taking the elbow back and then straightening it, I can do it all at once and let the right arm dominate, the left hand just ride along for some right brain guidance, and add a little inward turn of the arm in what's beginning to feel like something unified from boxing: This modified slow punch back-swing will hook the racket tip down a small bit to the inside.

And hooking the racket tip down to the inside remains an important timing device in all of these backhands, so I wouldn't want to do it too much just then, need to save some for the next step, i.e., count three, the timing DROP.

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Waterfall Sucked down too much Time

But such inside to out arm structure remained useful, I thought, and throwback to the medieval sword-and-scabbard of traditional tennis instruction. I tried it out at waist level and it worked, just not as well as the circular and wide (though short at the beginning) arm swing of Donald Budge seeming abruptly to change hand direction from body core.

"Seems" may be the word. In the Budge backhands the arm in front seems
briefly to cut across, and is just not as high at that point as it could be. This is visual imagery, something right brain and impressionistic to which one might not want to apply too much logic, or in this case too much sideways arm swing to the right.

But you (I) might not want to apply too little either. Taking the widely separated arm around for a free, late ride on the shoulders seems less desirable than two days ago. Arm may free-wheel somewhat throughout the whole stroke.

Best shot, best spin is the goal. Another is best recovery. One challenge is immediately to start running, even when feet don't lift off and pivot in mid-air.

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Waterfall Backhand

Once you've taught yourself to have ideas, they don't just stop one day when you say, "Okay, thanks, I've got what I want."

On all of these backhands the grip change carries the hand out left on bent arm on a line with the front of your body. Probably, you're running. You're glad your hand hasn't gone back yet. You keep it up front to help find the ball. The waterfall stroke starts at bounce.

1) Lift hand close to left ear.

2) Cock forearm to take racket tip slightly down to the inside. This shall be the entire loop for the waterfall shot.

3),4) Drop elbow down and lift it up in a side-ward direction toward one of the contact points you've discovered from the short, wide backhands. This two-count action shall be extremely relaxed. I've always thought of a coin on edge when considering video of Tony Roche's backhand (MASTER TENNIS, VHS 1). You're feeling for the ball; variable arm lengths are permitted. But the final lift corresponds to upper arm extension in other backhands on the followthrough. It's just happening in a different, earlier place.

5) Crank shoulders into shot activating passive roll of racket up the outside of ball while pinching it. Or, if there has been extensive leg drive already to take you into the air, crank with your hips instead.

Note: Continental on panel one is the preferred grip for all of these shots. It gets strings just as square as eastern backhand, which is more lifeless, stiff and mechanical.

For down the line topspin you can naturally straighten the wrist during the waterfall.

For cross-court topspin you can add a hand wag from radius to ulna, again during the gravity drop or waterfall, thus causing a 45-degree change in direction.

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Re/sume/, Backhands

1) Shoulders roundhouse pendulum and long arm
2) Shoulders roundhouse pendulum and short arm
3) Long arm roundhouse pendulum and hips
4) Short arm roundhouse pendulum and hips
5) Slice, short arm to long (A. Mush, active arm; B. Viciously side-spun, passive arm).

RECOVERY, grounded strokes: Along same footwork as step-out only in reverse.

RECOVERY, strokes that take body into air: Running or running with gravity step depending on width of feet. This recovery is preferred to Donald Budge's initial sidestep, fast as it is.

OPINION for longer wind-up, if one believes with Eliot Teltscher that big loop is essential for topspin backhand. I would work on "bowl" or double COD (two Changes of Direction same as in a Federfore). Why employ long backhands, however, when short ones work just as well?

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Disentangling the Braden from the Budge

The pendulum backhand I'm so proud of, to which I always return when other strokes go wrong, was suggested by Vic Braden in the old video TENNIS OUR WAY, not by Don Budge, unless he had such a fluid stroke in mind when he told the general readership of his autobiography not to worry about sequence of elements in the easy swing he was advocating for them.

What can we infer from this about Braden and Budge? That people who think they have Braden pegged are always wrong, e.g., the backhand he teaches in TENNIS OUR WAY is different from that in TENNIS FOR THE FUTURE, where the emphasis is much more on vertical movement. That Donald Budge, whose backhand is a perfect amalgam of horizontal and vertical factors was, like any awe-inspiring jock, unwilling to probe the details which he left to his older brother Lloyd, a teaching and playing pro, his coach Tom Stow, and the tennis writers Talbert and Old.

What if he was correct, however, that sequence-- while essential to all tennis strokes-- is more interchangeable than most people suspect?

In all cases we want the most result from the least effort; so, if roundhouse pendulum is the persisting idea, it can come from the extended arm as well as from shoulders, hips, or hips-and-shoulders, with these latter categories saved to complete the whirling (twisting) arm acceleration.

A second big difference between Donald Budge's and Vic Braden's backhand (though he modeled it on Budge) is grip (eastern BH for Braden, continental for Budge), and also opening out of the racket during the preparation rather than closing it.

Nearly all modern one-hand backhand top-spinners go the early racket-closing route. I've heard the arguments for this but remember Ivan Lendl's respect for Gene Mayer's open preparation, which he expressed in the book he co-wrote with Gene Scott, IVAN LENDL'S POWER TENNIS, in which Lendl views the contrasting approaches as equal possibility.

In either case, not having to turn your entire body into an Austrian pretzel each time you want to hit your favored backhand is a distinct advantage.

As racket twists down on arm the knees can bend an extra amount. And front knee can slowly extend in tandem with the roundhouse pendulum of
wide arm swinging easily around as you straighten your wrist.

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Or Maybe

he doesn't have to bring arm in close to body at all, just swings from the shoulder as seen here (in last post's video). Two different arm looks are apparent: arm first then arm-and-body. The last idea worked well at court, but maybe this new one will be even better.

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Swingeing from the Hips

I was close to a way of activating passive roll in the arm with yesterday's design, but a further improvement occurred during the night. I refer to post # 142, option three. And I've returned to the six videos of Donald Budge's backhand. I've said before, I think, that he does something different with his hips when he leaves the ground, but maybe I wasn't on top of that observation until right now. If you adopt full accordion-like extension while swinging or "bowling" arm to the outside, it's easy to leave the ground same as on a modern serve with similarly front airborne foot pivot coming next which is direct result of a heartily airborne hips pivot. When you add to that Donald Budge's observable tendency to pull back his shoulders and head (I call it "rowing") any time he's gotten himself too close to the ball, you can begin to see how he makes such a perfect two-point landing back toward the center of the court, "sticking it" every time and adding immediate, scampering side-steps. (Or one can simply run in the direction body has just turned.)

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/donbudge/donbudge_sa.html?DBBHRear.mov