A New Year's Serve

[bottle]

Mudpies

The grip for this stroke can have the racket hand extremely behind the racket, like a hammer grip, or with thumb slanted across the back bevels of the racket grip (or with the thumb actually in line with the racket throat, at the back of the racket). Or the grip can have the hand extremely in front of the racket (e.g., Francois Durr). Federer, to my eyes, has the grip hand just slightly on the front side of the racket. John McEnroe uses a continental grip, on top of the racket -- hand neither behind nor ahead of the grip. (Most people don't realize the amazing angles that Johnny Mac can pull off with his topspin backhand.)

The grip is one of the major determinants of the swing. All pieces of a good swing must fit together in an efficient motion. If you change one element, one detail of the swing, chances are that you might have to change other elements, so that all the elements fit together smoothly.

The great Don Budge, to my eyes, had his hand slightly on the front side of the grip. (In other words, start with Continental grip, then shade it slightly forward.) Budge had a devastating backhand. He said the backhand was similar to swinging a baseball bat. I see in Budge a somewhat weak backhand grip, with strings a little open to the sky during the backswing. Budge did not compensate much by rolling his wrist or forearm too much. He used a topspin swing similar to players with stronger grips.

The combination of Budge's weak grip with open strings, with the topspin motion, created for Budge a very fast, hard, flat, penetrating backhand that often could just be too much for opponents to return. I do not teach this motion, because for a lot of players, it creates inconsistency & loss of control. But it certainly worked for the great Budge. I have noticed some good local & regional players using the Budge-style motion, also. (I am a big believer, when you are having problems with a stroke, in fiddling around and exploring new things, so don't hesitate in giving this Budge method a try.)

Here is a drill that can give you the feeling of the strength of a catapult on the forward motion of the topspin backhand. Say you want to project mud pies, or vegetable pot pies, at your enemy or opponent. Put the pie on your strings. Hold the tip of the racket at the end of the strings, way high on the racket. Pull the racket with your racket hand on the grip -- pull the butt of the handle towards your opponent. At the very last second, release your free hand from the racket tip, & release the pie with your powerful catapult motion.

That is the same feeling that you should have as you blast your 1-hand topspin backhand. You will notice that the release point (letting go of the tip in order to release the pie) is not far behind the body. It is rather set forward, somewhat. It is a compact motion. For instance, Kuerten used to have a seemingly big motion on his backswing, but his release point was relatively compact. In other words, you should always be ready to lash your racket arm forward quickly to hit the ball, with that backhand punch motion that I talk about, in my post above. You should always have the racket ready to release that catapult quickly. (Yes, i remind you to think of the topspin backhand as a catapult or a backhand punch.)

To learn an efficient topspin backhand motion, hit some tennis balls with a broom!! Don't use a push broom. Use the traditional straw broom. You will have to choke way up on the handle. Hit the ball tossed to you after it bounces 1 time. Hit the ball on the straw part of the broom. You will discover that the broom stick & your forearm should form the letter T. Right angles are important in the 1-hand topspin backhand.

Using a broom to hit balls will teach you to position yourself behind the ball, & to have an impact point that is close to your body but well out in front of your body towards the net (in a line with your target). You will see the strong T form at impact. I even believe that this seemingly crazy broom drill could improve Roger Federer's already relatively good topspin backhand.

I have been pursuing the mudpie (or propelled chicken pot pie) idea elsewhere in the forum. Here is the best explanation of mudpie once again.

[bottle]

Nothing like searching the past looking for the way forwards...eh bottle? Great find...another "Bible".

http://www.si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1133367/index.htm

"When a pile of congratulatory telegrams was shoved at him, he deftly extracted the sentiment from the moment by leafing through them and then announcing firmly, "All sent collect.""

http://www.amazon.com/How-play-tennis-Beasley-instruction/dp/B00086XISC

120 pounds! He definitely had put on some weight by the time I saw him playing with Superior Court Douglass Wright and his brother, who had been doubles champions of Connecticut.

[bottle]

To bottle,

For the avoidance of doubt, this aside is in no way directed at Steve in a negative way, whom I hold in the highest regard imaginabubble. It is directed at him in a positive way:

Whether aware of it or not we are always sharpening our compass. Even the most unwavering person can be made to stop and think sometimes. Some doubtless develop a better compass than others. But at the end of the day each must make his own judgements, often in the heat of a moment.

At one end of this continuum is the ditherer; at the other...Ghandi. But you can only be a Gandhi if you are absolutely certain...crystal...unwavering. Few coaches are knowledgeable enough to be crystal about their trade, and of those perhaps only a handful turn out to be right. At least this is my experience.

My compass is reasonable but not infallible. I sometimes waver. I simply have to be honest with myself even if I get hurt. I tap my compass now and then to ensure it is still true. I compare it to a handful of other compasses on Tennisplayer known to be excellent, and of course there is the compass if Tennisplayer itself. These sources have become my benchmark, and, in a way, my dearest friends. For this I am truly grateful.

Nice. And I like the word "imaginabubble," a place where I often dwell-- you could ask my partner Hope or almost anyone.

[stotty]

My compass

To bottle,

For the avoidance of doubt, this aside is in no way directed at Steve in a negative way, whom I hold in the highest regard imaginabubble. It is directed at him in a positive way:

Whether aware of it or not we are always sharpening our compass. Even the most unwavering person can be made to stop and think sometimes. Some doubtless develop a better compass than others. But at the end of the day each must make his own judgements, often in the heat of a moment.

At one end of this continuum is the ditherer; at the other...Ghandi. But you can only be a Gandhi if you are absolutely certain...crystal...unwavering. Few coaches are knowledgeable enough to be crystal about their trade, and of those perhaps only a handful turn out to be right. At least this is my experience.

My compass is reasonable but not infallible. I sometimes waver. I simply have to be honest with myself even if I get hurt. I tap my compass now and then to ensure it is still true. I compare it to a handful of other compasses on Tennisplayer known to be excellent, and of course there is the compass if Tennisplayer itself. These sources have become my benchmark, and, in a way, my dearest friends. For this I am truly grateful.

[don_budge]

Mercer Beasely...

Nothing like searching the past looking for the way forwards...eh bottle? Great find...another "Bible".

http://www.si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1133367/index.htm

"When a pile of congratulatory telegrams was shoved at him, he deftly extracted the sentiment from the moment by leafing through them and then announcing firmly, "All sent collect.""

http://www.amazon.com/How-play-tennis-Beasley-instruction/dp/B00086XISC

[bottle]

Great note. As you well know my coaching paradigm is "The book is Bill Tilden. The model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The coach is Harry Hopman and Roger Federer is living proof". This is where it pays to be a true student of the game. These little "nuggets" are worthy to ponder.

That little note accounts for my inclusion of the Don Budge backhand into my paradigm. Gonzalez is the model for a plethora of reasons but your note is the sole reason that his backhand may not have been the total package. No one is perfect and that was the Achilles Heel of Gonzalez. The rest of his package managed to all but cover up this one flaw and because the rest of the package was so complete it was more or less impossible to exploit this flaw. Like the flaws of the great ones...they more or less turn a flaw into a lesser strength.

I'm appreciating Ellsworth Vines and his book TENNIS: MYTH AND METHOD more and more as a source of inside information on the game's really important stuff. He's not the most colorful writer I've ever read, but he combines technique from more than one sport-- obviously-- and he was right there competing with the ten best players he identified from his day (and beat them more often than not?). As you would expect from a golfer like him, there's more on grip and on other players' grips than in most tennis books. I just think that we're overly dependent on journalists and sports writers (and "announcers" now) for our knowledge of intricacy in the game and lots of times these people really don't know much about tennis, only know what their own game was, only really know television. It's unusual that a player as great as Ellsworth Vines has a corresponding ability to express himself. Most fun though was getting to watch Vines' coach Mercer Beasley play doubles once with Judge Wright and his brother and somebody else in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. A big old jovial guy with grace out of all proportion to his advanced age. And he WAS a colorful writer (and solid too!). His own book is one of my proudest possessions. It's around here somewhere. If I could find it right now I'd give its correct title but Mercer Beasley-- I recommend him.

[bottle]

To Stotty:

The key lies in your phrase "to set their own compass better." That suggests people willing to take responsibility for their own fate rather than give all the credit or blame to somebody else. I'm arguing for listening and even robbing other people's brains but never completely deferring to the other the way people do who somehow got short shrift in the personal compass department, e.g., Ryan Harrison or Sam Querrey despite their physical gifts. Oh well, to generalize is easy, to form a complete philosophy of tennis or of anything else pretty hard. It's all about being one's own woman, I mean man. Prize of the day goes to Alex Dolgopolov. If he never wins another match, he has persevered. And the twin stories of his reconciliation with his father-coach and his identification with the Ukraine are nothing but heartwarming and admirable. Beating Nadal isn't too bad either.

[don_budge]

The Flaw...the model in the model which is Richard Gonzalez

Note: The little backhand proposed here seems to deny the intelligence coming to us through Ellsworth Vines that Pancho Gonzalez used the Australian grip on all of his backhands, then kept it for his service returns but strengthened it (adjusted hand backward on handle more) for ground play in order to do better against Jack Kramer on their tour together.

Just because Pancho Gonzalez may have decided after too big a dinner that he was pushing his backhand, however, does not mean that you, reader, need to do the same thing. Could mean that though. I'd go with trials.

Great note. As you well know my coaching paradigm is "The book is Bill Tilden. The model is Richard Gonzalez with the Don Budge backhand. The coach is Harry Hopman and Roger Federer is living proof". This is where it pays to be a true student of the game. These little "nuggets" are worthy to ponder.

That little note accounts for my inclusion of the Don Budge backhand into my paradigm. Gonzalez is the model for a plethora of reasons but your note is the sole reason that his backhand may not have been the total package. No one is perfect and that was the Achilles Heel of Gonzalez. The rest of his package managed to all but cover up this one flaw and because the rest of the package was so complete it was more or less impossible to exploit this flaw. Like the flaws of the great ones...they more or less turn a flaw into a lesser strength.

[stotty]

An obvious but valid-- I suspect-- response. People do not trust their own experience enough. They would rather go with what somebody else has to say.

Or maybe they just want a second opinion, or a third, or a fourth...to set their own compass better. Developing a trusty compass is a valuable thing...

[bottle]

Re Steve's Thoughts on Experts

An obvious but valid-- I suspect-- response. People do not trust their own experience enough. They would rather go with what somebody else has to say.

[bottle]

Some Stupid Little Thing That Could Make A Big Difference

Starting from the peculiar backhand slice of # 2021, keep the exact same relaxed grip but only wag the racket tip 45 degrees off of vertical.

That wag-- which is easy motion-- is similar to the finesse at the top of a good golf swing.

To hit the slice, you next wag 45 degrees more-- which is vigorous motion. This is the last instant but extreme opening of the strings that forms so much body in the racket work of Ken Rosewall behind his body or back.

I just used the word "body" in two separate ways, 1) to refer to the human body and 2) to refer to the backward belly of a swing.

To hit drive and not slice now, I choose to eliminate backward belly from the shape, spearing forward instead to form a tension-filled 90 degrees between racket and arm, a cocking or late loading of a slingshot if you will.

Then comes release and followthrough. One could do this part of the stroke by holding tip back with opposite hand but holding back at the racket throat is more convenient.

Was embarrassment from this shot possible? Not if one was operating in safe mode. No trip to a tennis court on doctor's orders today, thus this is a shot in design phase, good, bad, about to change, not about to change.

Note: The little backhand proposed here seems to deny the intelligence coming to us through Ellsworth Vines that Pancho Gonzalez used the Australian grip on all of his backhands, then kept it for his service returns but strengthened it (adjusted hand backward on handle more) for ground play in order to do better against Jack Kramer on their tour together.

Just because Pancho Gonzalez may have decided after too big a dinner that he was pushing his backhand, however, does not mean that you, reader, need to do the same thing. Could mean that though. I'd go with trials.

[bottle]

A Different Slice, by John Escher

First rule of free-lancing: Place same article in different publications.

Everyone at Eastside asks how I hit my backhand slice. With an easy double roll starting from skunk tail or scary cobra or upright racket.

The model is in a 3-minute YouTube video called “Davis Cup 1954.” Just put those words in a search engine. The four slice backhands shown in its third minute are the best footage ever made of Ken Rosewall hitting his famous slice.

He was 19. I am 74 and only learned my version when I was 73 . Should have believed anyone a lot sooner who said that “Rosewallian slice” means pay attention.

In the basic shot, one’s strings come level to the ball despite the double roll. Australian grip between continental and eastern forehand is essential. That creates organic feel by placing big knuckle on second pointy ridge. The right-hander slowly rolls racket open, then opens it more quickly then reverses roll and adds a bit of downward sting from the pointy ridge for an easy followthrough down to right and up and out.

Is there spearing with racket butt between the two rolls? Sometimes.

[bottle]

Who Are You? Written by a Book Reviewer

You are not a book reviewer. You are not a film reviewer. You are not a reviewer of the political scene. You are a tennis player.

If you are serious about the game, you crawl up through the woods on your belly to overhear a tennis lesson. If you read a 300-page tennis book, you look for the item on page 186 that will speak to you.

If you are listening to Rick Macci hold a huge and diverse crowd, you may wait for a single comment, which might be "Get your house in order."

[bottle]

Closed to Square, Open to Square, Square to Square?

Because of the slow and delicate tooth implant process, I can't go cross-country skiing (best of the whole winter when there was none, not one good day last year) and can't resolve my tennis issues.

Am wondering how much Chris Lewit's favoring of a ten-degree roll before 1htsbh contact relates to him also favoring a slant rather than hammer grip.

When I get the chance I'll be exploring these options and more.

Grip change to early skunk-tailed full hammer meanwhile is evolving to the simple forward feather used by a sweep oarsman, i.e., a subtle combination of wrist straightening and fingers twiddle of the hitting hand.

Guide hand becomes a passive flat platform to support this action before taking over to start a full loop.

The twin bread of the palm sandwich is vertical before it is horizontal or even slanted down a little.

Rosewallian slice with knuckle on 2.5 (Australian grip) and air behind the handle evolved through initially left brain and overly conscious dividing of upper register loop into passive and active components-- now I try not to think about it.

The slightly larger loop of 1htsbh may include a longer section of free drop.

Because of the 90-degree hammer head, the hand can relax around the front of the stomach while the racket head moves outward for inside out concision with the ball.

Stealing from the baseball coach Lau Jr., the front arm extension, regardless of release of guide hand or not, should complete the earlier begun rotation of the hips.

For the first time in many decades I will be trying two-handed swings just to see how this might work.

One thing I know for sure. If I ever again hit a two-hander in a match it will be of the variety where lead hand pulls the whole way and guide hand only guides, never pushes.

Two-handers that are left-handed forehands in disguise are not in the works for me.

[bottle]

If You Can't Play While You're Thinking, Then You Can't Think While You're Playing

The forum letters lately have been very clever and I can tell that klacr is going with annual serve and volley to my forehand in The Tournament of Prominent TennisPlayer Posters, after which, with newfound cyclical confidence, he will become a middle age Isner-Raonic-Anderson-Karlovic only with better service returns, and no one will care if he has lost one half-step since young age tennis along with young age sex will have bored themselves into the obscurity of death.

This scenario, already started with the success of the Ploughshares Tour, will continue to unfurl thanks to our overwhelming arguments against American celebrity, along with a worldwide revaluation of American society, and finally our luring away of BNP Paribas sponsorship from the majors, Indian Wells, Davis Cup Winston-Salem and all the others.

I, meanwhile, cannot play tennis for a matter of weeks because of the slow healing implant process that my number seven tooth gap requires-- all energy as my new friend in Mexico asserts must go to the heal. This development is even worse than taking an oar like Ulysses to the Libyan desert where no has ever seen an oar before, or going to Mexico without a racket in hope of returning to the U.S. with THE PERFECT BACKHAND.

That backhand still isn't perfect, still is abstract as it was in Mexico but with a new grip change that I'm dying to try out.

A palm sandwich is at the core of my brother-in-law's home run swing. And during Mark Orr's time in this house last night, I lured him into miming his own home run swing. Mark, not my brother-in-law Allie Malavase, played Mickey Stanley in a prominent baseball film. Mark is the youngest player ever to hit a home run in Tiger Stadium, and his record is secure since Tiger Stadium is gone. Mark coaches North High School and was instrumental in the Grosse Pointe Little League march to the World Series tourney last summer in Williamsport.

Mark goes more with Ted Williams than Charley Lau father and son, but I'm telling you, the four swings are more same than not.

So, in the new tennis grip change to prepare for this uni-swing combined with the skunk tail structure of Stan Wawrinka, the two palms get parallel early just as the skunk tail goes up-- no, today let's call it a cobra rising in East Africa from tall grass.

Guide wrist depresses as hitting wrist does the opposite (straightens). Guide fingers roll the handle into hitting hand web to form a 90-degree hammer. All of this can happen at once and must.

Note: The cobra image comes from an anecdote told to me at an annual woodchoppers' convention in Front Royal, Virginia. One half of a Peace Corps couple, the woman, told how they were hiking in long grass in East Africa when a King Cobra raised its head. Book says don't move, but the man (I won't call him her husband), ran. The cobra had mercy and lowered its head, but the love between these two persons was never the same.