A New Year's Serve

[bottle]

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Not as hot an idea as I thought. I stand with this type of backhand, but on the Ziegenfuss forehand, I did better extending the elbow travel in both directions, causing a longer slow swing toward the ball. Yes, racket head sweeps around to "grab" ball, but all of this is blended with elbow travel.

I was getting too schematic, in other words, was trying for too much strict sequence.

So better to get on with a more general approach to the ball, though still slow until the body takes over.

This at least was one day's court report.

[bottle]

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Shouldn't give up on an idea just because first implementation wasn't feasible.

Working from # 825, I'll now keep racket closer to the head during the takeback, like the beginning of a Federfore.

This means racket tip will get higher. You'll (I'll) get more twist going earlier, backward, which will continue in bent arm going forward.

Come to think of it, this must have been what Valerie Ziegenfuss did in TENNIS FOR WOMEN.

(My ex got my copy in the aftermath of our divorce.)

[bottle]

Stop the Elbow

A personal conclusion that a basic, gravity-driven figure eight design leads to the most consistency in serving doesn't preclude a number of new options as to how one may hit the ball.

The options are new because, if you are a human computer, your figure eight decision dictates its own drop-down screen. One or more of the drop-down items may seem familiar but don't be fooled. Context is different so the drop-down items are different too.

So drop-down to keep up, or more simply, keep the elbow up (and stopped) once you have slung your scapular housing toward the ball.

This view makes conscious two different ways the arm, whether bent or straight, can fly around gross body from one's shoulder joint.

The first is simply the shoulder ball moving in a socket. Since there's no inherent strength in this rather mechanical movement, one does best to delay it until after the ball is gone.

The second way is powerful sling-shot, the result of scapular retraction followed by scapular adduction-- use this one some time before your racket gets to the ball.

Neither of these two basic maneuvers of the upper arm is to be confused with a third, i.e., twist in either direction but hopefully both.

Did I just shatter your innocence, dear reader? Did I tell you something you didn't know? Does your serve work better if you only use the logic of throw? If so, I apologize and sympathize.

[bottle]

Ziegenfuss Further Simplified

Simply devise a loop in which the wrist stays straight. Then when you spring don't swing at the ball, let the wrist push backward.

All the silliness about moving the wrist this way then that then this probably came from too much analysis of Novak Djokovic.

Oh, A NEW YEAR'S SERVE, the book, is for sale in The Kindle Store at Amazon.

[bottle]

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"Devise improved loop for a Ziegenfuss." Ideas please. How about, in a long, low, elliptical loop with sweeping elbow movement in both directions, 1) extend arm internally as wrist lays slowly back. 2) have a small, long-levered drop. 3) compress arm (fold or scissor it to preferred open-the-stuck-cellar-door contact position as wrist slowly straightens and elbow slides forward). 4) have give in wrist as body takes over.

Note: Mondo is gone in this scheme. Good riddance. Just because one mondoes in other forehands doesn't mean one has to in this one.

[bottle]

Rosewall vs. Federer Slice

Here's a great, dispassionate discussion of slice from Sergio Cruz.

http://www.tenniscruz.com/content/view/27/27/

As I said, I think this is a great article. But I disagree if it seems to suggest that Rosewall is rolling his arm at contact. If you, reader, want to disagree with ME about that, allow, please, if you can, that the photos 4 through 5 sequence show that most of the racket closing has occurred right then before contact.

Also, photo sequences other than this one show a missing frame where Rosewall's strings knife downward before they rise up. Of course he doesn't knife downward as much as Federer, but to portray this swing as purely level does a disservice to anyone who has the healthy wish to imitate it.

My contention is that the backward roll of the arm opening the racket face-- a small but significant drop-- explains at least half of the firmness with which the racket tip gets round so well and smoothly and soon same as in the Emira Stafford, Pancho Gonzalez, John McEnroe topspin backhands discussed elsewhere.

[tennis_chiro]

Love this article

Here's a great, dispassionate discussion of slice from Sergio Cruz.

http://www.tenniscruz.com/content/view/27/27/

As I said, I think this is a great article. But I disagree if it seems to suggest that Rosewall is rolling his arm at contact. If you, reader, want to disagree with ME about that, allow, please, if you can, that the photos 4 through 5 sequence show that most of the racket closing has occurred right then before contact.

Also, photo sequences other than this one show a missing frame where Rosewall's strings knife downward before they rise up. Of course he doesn't knife downward as much as Federer, but to portray this swing as purely level does a disservice to anyone who has the healthy wish to imitate it.

My contention is that the backward roll of the arm opening the racket face-- a small but significant drop-- explains at least half of the firmness with which the racket tip gets round so well and smoothly and soon same as in the Emira Stafford, Pancho Gonzalez, John McEnroe topspin backhands discussed elsewhere.

I love this article. I'd seen it before, but I enjoyed going over it again.

As for the roll of Rosewall into his backhand from horizontal racket face to something between 45 and 85 degrees at contact, this is a natural motion of your forearm when reach back. (Albeit the only natural position is to lay down flat!) We use this natural turn of the forearm to slide the palm on top of the grip into an Eastern backhand grip as the opposite hand pulls the racket back and maintains the face in a relatively vertical position so the right hand can easily find the correct bevel of the grip to rest on before it must apply the force to swing foreward. Rosewall used the continental grip for his backhand and so as the palm rotated (pronated forearm), so did the racket face. It similarly wants to retrace that movement as it swings forward and I would argue that it is not that difficult to do what Muscles did coming forward (although none did it as well as he did). When you hit a topspin backhand with an Eastern backhand or stronger grip, your wrist and forearm are in a very different position structurally and also much more in front of the front hip (closer to the net). The one-handed topspin backhand player has to be aware that he can not turn the racket face over that way or he will dump the ball in the net. But the slice/continental grip player merely brings the face back to a comfortable position at the side of his body at impact.

don

[don_budge]

...

hmmm....

[bottle]

~

Fascinating as usual when you two guys get in the act. I want to think about this some more, and Don's direction definitely makes me think that I could be over-emphasizing forward "roll," that it's something that naturally happens if
racket tip has fallen open-- because arm wants to return to its starting position. A congenial idea, coming down to "Do less, Bottle!" I like that point of view very much.

Anyway, I'll simply present what I quickly wrote early this morning before I saw these reactions and before I went off to watch a soccer game. Then I'll think-- whether that's a mistake or not-- and report back. My favorite part of the whole Cruz article is where he describes how he and his buddy were at some courts and followed their ears to the best "clink" they heard, which was provided by Ken Rosewall's contact with a tennis ball. If people just pursued the best clink of which they are capable they might develop well! Let clink determine all, in other words, especially the details. Am just fooling around here, typing as I think. Here's what I wrote:

Scheme for Sunday (After Rain Stops)

Did I say, "Don't roll at contact?" Then do roll at contact of course. But roll backward while you send loose wrist forward (but across the bones, i.e., try ulnar deviation). This feels good and transitions to the sideways follow-through.

(Well, it feels good in pantomime since the rain hasn't stopped yet, and I haven't tried this scheme on an actual tennis court yet-- not once in my whole life. And I can't wait.)

Two of the very interesting things about the Rosewall backhand slice are A) it always looks the same in every photo and fim sequence and B) no two descriptions of it are ever the same.

I see two conniptions in this smoothest of all strokes, the second of which I just described. The first is the working open then closed of the racket face (roll-roll).

In between, the shot is a blocked shot, i.e., both ends of the racket travel together. This provides some nanoseconds in which one can get ready to put the above work on the ball (backward roll of arm combined with ulnar deviation forward).

[bottle]

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Think I got sidetracked by one of Ken Rosewall's variations. For more of this discussion go to the "Thoughts about Tennis Tradition" thread.

[bottle]

Three Books Up

My trilogy, including A NEW YEAR'S SERVE, the book, is now up at Amazon (as of yesterday). Anyone with a Kindle can purchase it or part of it before it goes to paper and becomes more expensive. And if anyone doesn't, it won't go to paper, so will stay cheap and unrecognized, lost in the sea of a million electronic books. This will be okay, too. One advantage of this kind of publication is that one can go back and make a change at any time. All you have to do is give up sales for 48 hours while you make the change. So, for instance, if I want to include don_budge's new insights about Ken Rosewall's slice over in the "traditions" thread today (and I highly recommend them!), I can wait for 48 hours when I don't think there will be any sales and rob don-budge blind! Or he could do the same with me, just start by putting up his own book. I'll help him, tell him what I've learned about format. He certainly writes enough to quickly make a book. And it's not empty stuff either. Everyone I know at this site agrees. Same thing could be said of tennis-chiro. He'd be good for eight books. And not empty stuff either.

Also, while I'm flakking my book, and others, you should know, kind reader, that
you can download the first two chapters or more of any of the million books at Amazon for absolutely no money at all (other than the price of a Kindle or comparable gizmo). I say "or more" since for some reason the people at Amazon decided to preview SIX chapters of my novel THE PURSE MAKER'S CLASP out of the 34 total.

My other name (they're equally real) is John Escher. Thanks.

[don_budge]

Sleeping peacefully...

Sleep bottle...sleeping peacefully I Hope.

I am reading..."A New Year's Serve", on my computer from the copy that you sent me...up here in my little office over looking the Swedish countryside, the deserted farm and barn in the distance. My only neighbors are the ghosts that reside there. Peace and tranquility surround me...like the sheets and blankets that envelope you.

It's deep bottle...very deep. By the way...is it half full or half empty? I got you the first time I read you. I understand you, bottle. The Artist within. I thank you. For knowing you. For the lessons that you have taught me in so many words. You taught without teaching...the mark of a great teacher! Thank you for the book...for both books for that matter! What a gift to receive...another man's thoughts. You trust me...you know you can. At least as far as you could throw me...into Lake Michigan after eating several psilocybin mushrooms and screaming Merlin!, Merlin!, Merlin!...three times at the top of your lungs. Cast me into the lake as if I were Excalibur...your only hope. Like a "New Year's Serve"!

I am reading you...as you sleep. Here in Sweden...a million miles away. In another universe...A Separate Reality! I thank you for your book, your trip, with all of my heart!

[bottle]

Thank You Very Much

Yes, I slept peacefully with Hope although she was up for half the night reading some book on organizational technology she downloaded on our new Kindle-- and says it wasn't boring, either.

To be aware of the ghosts that reside in every square foot of farmland or for that matter of land encased in concrete is high and admirable consciousness.

Now, your question about my tennis book-- half full or half empty? Half full! I say that simply because I'm engaged in a rich problem this day as hopefully every day. Problem, challenge-- let's choose "challenge," the better word. And here it is:

http://www.tenniscruz.com/content/view/27/27/

In the Sergio Cruz article, note how the still photos are made directly from the repeating film. Note how photo number four keeps its canapes level on their tray but in number three they would be falling into the back of Ken Rosewall's upper arm and smearing it with lingonberry jam.

To go backward further, tennis_chiro said that one can use normal change to a more eastern grip to simply turn the racket open a bit. Right hand does what it normally does, in other words, just starts clinging to the racket handle a bit sooner. I take tennis_chiro up on this as I sooner or later do all of his suggestions.

So consider the whole pattern. Grip change to continental opens racket head a little. Dropping/cocking the racket head in close to the upper arm-- only an inch away-- opens it a bit more. And rolling the arm backward still more achieves a level racket head directly behind the hand with a straight line through both projecting toward the target.

We move ahead in thought. To quote Cruz: "While the action of the racquet "rolling" to contact can increase the speed of the racquet (and subsequent pace of the shot), this action must be timed perfectly to create a repetitive and consistent contact point. While Rosewall mastered this timing, few top players today (if any!) utilize such technique in their backhand slice."

What a challenge!

Of course nobody is going to turn into a Rosewall, but was that the goal? No, the goal is a better slice backhand than one currently has. I would lean toward getting the arm straight early like Rosewall or Budge rather than a-little-at-a-time straightening like Trey Waltke simply because I'll then have one less variable to worry about. And I would be willing to bet that most people trying to imitate this shot (thousands or millions at different points in their lives) start rolling forward from photo 3 rather than photo 4. Don't do it. Roll backward to photo 4 instead.

I also have new ideas about body rotation immediately after photo 4 and stopping it then for a blocked contact (typically) and resuming body rotation to take racket up to the right. See, too, if hand swinging downward during the roll doesn't get it (the hand) out of the way for a pure, clean hit.

Most important, it seems to me, is keeping elbow in so racket head goes faster and more powerfully than the moving but subdued hand. Then hand and racket can go out together.

But this description will differ from tomorrow's as we have agreed: Ken Rosewall's backhand, with all of its possible variations, is a tremendous constant, and no two descriptions of it will ever be the same.

[bottle]

Ono. Not Scapular Retraction!

Okay, here's a new idea to de-chunk me and reduce me to a complete beginner just before I go out to hit with my generation younger quasi-son-in-law.

Since recent efforts to sharpen my serve have involved development of a cleaner range of scapular retraction and scapular adduction-- through fuller understanding of these previously opaque terms-- why not use some scapular retraction in one's Rosewellian slice?

That would mean using scapular adduction in the wind-up-- what good one-handers already do without having read or heard such a dreadful term.

Faust doesn't care. He wants to know everything for which he even-- no, he really will-- go to hell.

Why doesn't Muscles thrust his left arm way out into an extended second wing?

Because he's swinging differently from the rest.

Squeezing the shoulder-blades together, which is double scapular retraction, is what makes the others look like birds.

Rosewall, he uses single scapular retraction if he's using scapular retraction at all. Perhaps he doesn't need it. Perhaps he never uses it! I don't know. But I'll try some single scapular retraction right on the ball today to see if I'm going to pay for it.

[bottle]

~

http://www.tenniscruz.com/content/view/27/27/

Relating film, with its stops, to the still photographs under it, Photo 5 seems crucial. Forward roll about which you shouldn't overthink has already happened, but from our vantage point the racket tip is still even with the trailing edge of Muscle's body, farther back probably than u-i thought. That leaves a big sweep to the ball. So maybe the experts who have always called this a "blocked" shot are wrong. And maybe both ends of the racket never do travel at the same speed. And maybe the racket tip is still coming around albeit in a wider arc.