A New Year's Serve

[bottle]

So What Mistakes Have I Been Making Recently?

Craig B. Mello, Nobel Laureate in Medicine: "You're either wrong or you're partially right."

Partially right has been the idea that the racket backswings slightly down and up in a John McEnroe patterned forehand.

Wrong is the notion that this backswing is severely to the inside.

Saturnalian ring theory, creeping over from backhand, says to use backswing to create the separation you want.

Then, with arm pretty straight (but not completely) and wrist straight too but relaxed, not locked, you can cue the ball anywhere you want.

How? Through the application of Dry Bones Theory (kinetic chain)? If you insist. But how's this for interesting sequence: Shoulders, spiraling up hips beneath swinging shoulders, more shoulders?

Very different, that, from a forehand in which the shoulders are supposed to stop so that the arm will take off.

The arm does take off sometimes but then there are the lead elbow shots.

Perhaps we don't hear the expression "lead elbow" often enough. Or "arm taking a solo." Or "non-transfer of energy as you start the stroke with your arm all over again."

Think of making contact precisely when both shoulders and rising hips are in full crank.

But one can get bored with anything, especially if one is a dull person. Time then to stay down and Hoganize the swing.

Putting slight play in the arm and wrist equals three pinches of allspice. Think of identical backswing and foreswing. What would one get? Weak slice from golf.

Keep knees comfortably bent and send out twirling hips like Ben Hogan to modify the foregoing into an inside out swing.

[bottle]

McEnroe Forehand: A Clean Sweep

A slight drop of straight arm and racket

Shoulders

Shoulders and hips and legs

Shoulders

Arm completes stroke as an afterthought.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/modern_legends/johnmcenroe/mac_forehand/mac_forehand.html?MacFHCenterSide1.mov

[bottle]

A Shocking Revelation

But when I finally played, after my two-month doctor-prescribed lay-off, it was the invented shot based on a good golf swing that worked better.

Not that this is good scientific observation since the shot that worked was the one I grooved somewhat in two backboard sessions.

In any case, this shot also is hit off of a McEnforian underhanded backswing.

[bottle]

See "My Thoughts on the McEnroe Backhand"

I'm going right now where there's the most conversation.

[bottle]

ESPN Magazine Article on Overhauls in Sport

This long article specifically examines the three overhauls Tiger Woods has made of his golf swing, two of them when he was the top ranked golfer in the world.

The author-- and this is his right-- is stronger in presenting counterpoint than in developing the philosophy that has led Tiger to make his changes, although analysis of these changes provides the article's nub.

Statistics show, the article asserts, that when a top athlete makes major changes to his game, he soon fades from public sight.

Someone is quoted as saying, "Your God-given stroke is the best one you have."

So there is great advantage to not being a top athlete. But if, for instance, a person in later life is able to master McEnroe-like continental drive on the backhand side, but he still maintains communication with his first forehand-- the eastern gripped one he had as a teenager before he added an overhand loop-- he might revert to it as useful combination.

Changing from continental grip to eastern as one goes into one's forehand is small potatoes.

I plan however to develop continental forehands as well.

One might term this whole process "connecting the dots within a self-referential system."

[bottle]

De-Bunking Unit Turn

Let's time-travel through the decades. When do these guys start turning their shoulders, hips and foot?

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/modern_legends/johnmcenroe/mac_backhand/mac_backhand.html?MacBHShortCourtLevelRear.mov

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

I'm not saying there aren't times to turn right away.

Do it every time though? I know we Americans except for some of us love our drones (82 per cent approval rating right now), but when we apply dumbbombs to our tennis we move beyond self-annihilation.

Bad enough to have bad ideas leading to one's own destruction, but to destroy one's speed to a tennis ball?

That's really bad.

[10splayer]

Let's time-travel through the decades. When do these guys start turning their shoulders, hips and foot?

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/modern_legends/johnmcenroe/mac_backhand/mac_backhand.html?MacBHShortCourtLevelRear.mov

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

I'm not saying there aren't times to turn right away.

Do it every time though? I know we Americans except for some of us love our drones (82 per cent approval rating right now), but when we apply dumbbombs to our tennis we move beyond self-annihilation.

Bad enough to have bad ideas leading to one's own destruction, but to destroy one's speed to a tennis ball?

That's really bad.

The short answer is right away in the case of McEnroe. The unit turn actually starts with a pivot move (usually about 45 degrees or so) which in turn allows the torso to start rotating..He does this immediately...he then works into a full coil.

As to your other point, (if i understand you correctly) you are implying that "turning" inhibits running, or getting to the ball sooner, than i would disagree..When moving laterally, turning=running...Vertical movement (forward/backward) is a bit different. In this case turning=sidestepping which is slower.

[bottle]

The trouble with your reply is that you didn't specifically refer to the two videos I posted, one of John McEnroe and the other of J. Donald Budge, nor to Jeff Salzenstein's recent instructional video all of which provide instances of not doing what you advise.

I might go with you on the going forward idea since the video posted over and over again of McEnroe does have him going forward.

But the Budge? Sorry. Are you saying he's slow to the ball? I don't think so.
And he's moving laterally. Here it is again.

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

It's great to live by ready-made ideas. Saves all kinds of self-incrimination.
In my case, for instance, I was happy as a pig in a poke to think that every ground stroke should start with a unit turn that includes a flaring out of the foot. How did I know that? Well, the NTA told me so, and they certified me for teaching tennis, so I wouldn't want to go against them. Now I'm contemptuous of myself for having been naive for so long.

The big technical difference, in my view, is that the inside leg extends as the outside foot moves. It might move partway toward the other, as in the McEnroe video, or could cross way over along the baseline as in the Budge video. Has Budge slowed himself down by doing this? I don't think so. It seems to me that in three steps he's crowding the sideline, and in the fourth "step" he hits the ball, which does take him to the sideline.

In either case, McEnroe or Budge in these two videos, the foot splays or starts to splay in the second step.

I may have adopted "unit turn in every case" as a catechism, but always have been suspicious ever since I saw filmed sequences of Stan Smith's forehand in the old TENNIS OUR WAY vcr made by him with Vic Braden and Arthur Ashe.

He was hitting these great, solid, improbably relaxed forehands, and was starting by moving the trailing foot right away to set up an inchworm rhythm that is especially effective with neutral forehands. Then he hit some open ones and did start with the immediate splay if I remember correctly.

I guess the only way to settle this dispute is with a stopwatch. I want to hold it though since I don't trust anyone else.

There's a neat video in the backhand section of McEnroe handing a close ball.
He immediately splays inside foot as he puts weight on outside foot. Then he re-adjusts outside foot (which means his weight has to be on inside foot). Followed by a conventionally closed or rather neutral hitting step.

This is the kind of versatility I'd like to learn (if I can). Because I'm convinced that a person is faster if he avoids one size fits all. And I need extra speed since I'm slowing down in other ways.

[10splayer]

The trouble with your reply is that you didn't specifically refer to the two videos I posted, one of John McEnroe and the other of J. Donald Budge, nor to Jeff Salzenstein's recent instructional video all of which provide instances of not doing what you advise.

I might go with you on the going forward idea since the video posted over and over again of McEnroe does have him going forward.

But the Budge? Sorry. Are you saying he's slow to the ball? I don't think so.
And he's moving laterally. Here it is again.

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

It's great to live by ready-made ideas. Saves all kinds of self-incrimination.
In my case, for instance, I was happy as a pig in a poke to think that every ground stroke should start with a unit turn that includes a flaring out of the foot. How did I know that? Well, the NTA told me so, and they certified me for teaching tennis, so I wouldn't want to go against them. Now I'm contemptuous of myself for having been naive for so long.

The big technical difference, in my view, is that the inside leg extends as the outside foot moves. It might move partway toward the other, as in the McEnroe video, or could cross way over along the baseline as in the Budge video. Has Budge slowed himself down by doing this? I don't think so. It seems to me that in three steps he's crowding the sideline, and in the fourth "step" he hits the ball, which does take him to the sideline.

In either case, McEnroe or Budge in these two videos, the foot splays or starts to splay in the second step.

I may have adopted "unit turn in every case" as a catechism, but always have been suspicious ever since I saw filmed sequences of Stan Smith's forehand in the old TENNIS OUR WAY vcr made by him with Vic Braden and Arthur Ashe.

He was hitting these great, solid, improbably relaxed forehands, and was starting by moving the trailing foot right away to set up an inchworm rhythm that is especially effective with neutral forehands. Then he hit some open ones and did start with the immediate splay if I remember correctly.

I guess the only way to settle this dispute is with a stopwatch. I want to hold it though since I don't trust anyone else.

There's a neat video in the backhand section of McEnroe handing a close ball.
He immediately splays inside foot as he puts weight on outside foot. Then he re-adjusts outside foot (which means his weight has to be on inside foot). Followed by a conventionally closed or rather neutral hitting step.

This is the kind of versatility I'd like to learn (if I can). Because I'm convinced that a person is faster if he avoids one size fits all. And I need extra speed since I'm slowing down in other ways.

Budge is using a "gravity step", which is the fastest way to move. It certainly falls under the category of turning first.

Bottle, we all have our own terminology, but In mine there are two broad variations of movement.....Turning the hips first, or playing with the feet apart (shuffle stepping) of the two, the former is a much faster way to get from point A to B, and the latter better for close proximity, as it is easier to redirect momentum and recover.

[10splayer]

Btw, Could you reference Jeff S's video, so I could take a look at it?

[bottle]

No, a hippy turn is part of a proper gravity step, and that immediately turns the foot. The thing about the two videos I posted is that the foot doesn't start to turn until the second step. I'm not making this up!

But I'll go with semantic misunderstandings, which too often occur in tennis discussion, mainly because of the impoverishment of language at least in tennis English, I don't know why.

Hey, gravity steps are fast! I know that. But you might want a certain foot coming forward at a certain time, also, and that might dictate something else.

Also, gravity step and unit turn where the foot does immediately splay are closely related to each other. We might be looking at the same thing, basically, but the foot might not slide back toward the core if the original split step put the two feet close together.

Split step, split stop, shuffle, sidestep, prying of inside leg in a gravity turn-- all of this stuff may have commonalities and even me, the word guy supposedly, is getting bored with the discussion right now.

The thing is to be fast. And to know the possible variations that could improve your game. Here's the Jeff video that started me off talking about him. It's well worth some patience in watching it, e.g., the footwork part won't start right away.

In one of my posts in another thread I think I made a distinction between what I was talking about-- speed to the ball without immediately moving inside leg other than to extend it-- and Jeff's demonstrations here.

Didn't see it today, but on another day watching the same video I did see Jeff's inside foot get off of the court and move rather than stay in one spot the way I'm talking about.

So the subject is indeed complex. Would what Don Budge or John McEnroe did (in those specific videos!) lead to something even quicker than what Jeff was doing-- in some specific case? An inquiring mind should take nothing for granted.

But I understand you think Donald Budge is in the middle of a gravity step because of the way his body pries up and over his inside foot. I don't think so in view of the fact that both of his feet point toward the net until the step after this prying across.

Maybe all of it should be expressed on the court and not in words and possibly in film, as here in Jeff's video. If I had any reservations about Jeff, he won me over, once and for all, I would think, in this video so wonderfully filled out.

http://www.jeffsalzensteintennis.com/TBS-2Hand/secret-shuffle-move/

Maybe one has to click on "footwork tricks." That's what I did.

[10splayer]

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Budge is employing one of the fastest ways of movement. Nothing new here. He is simply sliding the foot underneath (a bit) so the center of gravity falls outside the base of support.

What Jeff, (and i think you) are suggesting is the opposite. That the center of gravity always stays within the base of support ....Shuffle steps being the most obvious example of this.

And while I agree that a player is better served using shuffle steps when possible, (not necessarily for the reasons Jeff suggested) and increasing the range by which they can utilize this form of movement...I'll never agree that shuffle steps are faster....

[stotty]

Movement

I really don't believe there is a definitive way to move in tennis. Whether you shuffle along the baseline like Borg did (crab-like, sideways...then with short sprinting strides when running forwards for Mac's drop shots)...or float effortlessly along like Federer or Nastase, both methods are valid....though I fancy Borg was quicker than the other two.

I have never really studied movement in great detail...but I think I'm about to get the bug.

[tennis_chiro]

Gravity step/drop step means you got caught "flat-footed"

Sorry, guys. I refuse to open the interminable emails from Salzenstein. They get stuck in my spam filter along with the emails form Fuzzy Yellow Balls and Oscar Wegner and all the other spammers selling something on the web. I am fed up with pitches that spend two minutes telling me how great their product is going to be if I just go to their link or give them my email, ect. It just seems like another infomercial. I've seen some good things from Jeff (and also from FYB and Oscar), but I hate the "sell". It's one reason I spend a lot of time on this site.

As for the gravity step/drop step, I assume you are referring to the little step to the right Budge makes with his left foot to move his center of gravity outside his base falling towards the target as 10splayer says. Indeed, this is the fastest way to get moving, if you have gotten caught with both feet on the ground(flat-footed, even if you are on your toes). But you are already behind the player who did it right: that is, unweighted with a split-step, recognized which way to go as he began his descent but before he put a foot down, and put the foot on the opposite side of the direction of movement (right foot to move to the left) down while simultaneously reaching to the ball side with the ball side foot (left for movement to the left) as the other foot and leg are driving the initial move and forcing the center of gravity outside of the initial base even as the extension of the ball side foot is increasing that base. Done correctly, you also benefit from the ssc (stretch-shortening-cycle) adding additional driving power to the foot that hits the ground first; in this way, the player actually gets a spring towards the ball coming out of the split-step. If both feet hit the ground before the player can make that move, then he is forced to do the next best thing, which is a gravity/drop step.

Even for you, Bottle, this is the fastest way for you to move to the ball. And, unless the ball is really close to you, the second step is going to be a cross-over step, or should be (right foot crossing over moving towards the left). It makes no sense to stay facing the net as you make this move any more than it makes any sense to turn first before you begin to move to the side. The first move to the left (after the right foot has hit the ground and begun to drive to the left for which purpose it is best to keep that right foot perpendicular to the direction in which you must move, i.e. pointed at the net) made with the left foot would naturally include turning that foot at least somewhat in that direction. (I kind of hate the word "naturally" because the only natural position on the tennis court is flat out on your back supine; everything else is learned one way or another.)

Now it's important to remember that this is not a foot race. You do not win the prize by breaking the finish line first with some part of your body crossing some boundary; the race is to a position of preparedness. So not only do you have to get to the ball as quickly as possible, you have to get there in position to execute your stroke. This is where it would seem easier to always keep your center of gravity (cg) somewhere within your base with shuffling side steps; this is probably the best course of action for most beginner and intermediate players. But when you have to really move quickly, you have to learn to transition from that balanced, upright position to the faster leaning posture and back to the upright balanced position for the actual execution of the stroke. Focus on getting a good start to get you moving and take the racket head to the ball; then be sure to get a good "plant" step behind the ball with your outside foot that can stop your lateral momentum and enable you to generate something towards the target. We are used to seeing this on wide forehands and somewhat less frequently on wide two-handed backhands in the form of the open stanced shot. When players run through that shot they are usually trying to "steal the point back" with a winner and they are not that concerned with recovery. For one handed backhand players, that open stanced shot is not a frequent option; and for those players it is even more important how they place that posterior plant foot and catch their momentum before executing their stroke.

The best work I've seen done on this part of movement comes from Vic Borgogno, but his site has also gotten to be like an infomercial as he tries to sell the electronic devices he's developed to help train improved "split-step" reaction. Search his name and split-step and you'll find plenty of clips on youtube.(http://www.youtube.com/user/BikerVic1)

Obviously, a player can't always achieve that perfect timing and they get stuck with both feet on the ground; then they need that gravity/drop step. Also, recognize that sometimes it appears that both feet are on the ground, but if the ball-side foot is still unweighted, it is still possible to drive with the opposite foot and slide that ball side foot slightly toward the ball rather than using the gravity step.

don

[bottle]

On Tennis Language: Conclusion

I feel like Alexandra eliciting from John Yandell how he personally starts his forehand.

What a great discussion. I must thank 10splayer, licensedcoach and tennis_chiro for their participation. The language is full and clear in all three cases, so one can just take the italicized one-sentence essay about to follow as simple-minded joke, except that there may be serious reason for wondering if some other language is better than English for teaching tennis.

tennis_chiro must know that I sometimes get over-enthusiastic about some new idea or previously non-apprehended information. And so I need to say I agree with all of his subjective judgments in his post here. And as far as the objective parts, I think this is the clearest description of desired tennis movement I've ever read-- at least it didn't leave me with unanswered questions as usually happens.

If English is best for recollections of Tintern Abbey, but Spanish and Russian are better for swearing, and THE JOY OF SEX is much better translated into Magyarul, then somebody who wants to play better tennis should teach himself Serbian or Serbo-Croatian, I'm not sure which.