A New Year's Serve

[don_budge]

Well Bottle left but it get's an occasional spammer...

An ironic ending to his cherished thread. It's regrettable in the sense that it was all so avoidable. He completely lost it with the TDS. All he had to do is wait out the four years. Then he could have gloated for four years. His was a losing game. I do believe he lost his mind.

[johnyandell]

Well Bottle left but it get's an occasional spammer...

[stroke]

What is happening to this once great thread?

[bottle]

A Last Service Experiment

To meet the exalted expectation of this thread, there must be a 78 per cent chance that this last serve won't work.

A main feature is its arm girdle shifting to the left. This girdle, exactly like one worn by the American matrons of the 1950's whom don_budge would like to restore, will contain a certain degree of elastic flexibility.

Hence the left hand will rise and twist and bend up on ta as ta moves into pre-toss position. Simultaneously, one's ha shall employ 1) linked elbow lift and 2) maintained arm bend and 3) ISR.

Now the bod which coiled a bit to the left shall reverse direction coincident with a short elbow gouge, coil to the right, and longitudinal coil that is integral part of a shot-put toss.

Why employ little Dorothy's rainbow when one can like the itsy-bitsy spider go up a waterspout?

The toss starts from the left. No need for any rainbow to get the ball to the left since it already started from the left.

Thrust from rear foot and torso twist are almost but not quite simultaneous.

The extended ESR enabled by these machinations shall spread itself through circling and lowering and sweeping to the right, and shall be so animated that it has eyes, nose and a mouth which declares, "I am long toss."

John Yandell, I herewith exit the Tennis Player website although I've enjoyed it very much ever since you invited me to participate in this forum near its outset, saying I would have more fun than at TennisOne which was true.

[bottle]

Re "Next Gen Continental Grip"

"Arf arf," says Stroke. Unmentioned is the bad blood between Geoffrey Williams and don_budge. Are we who witnessed it suppose to paper it over now? Why? To keep the peace? What kind of a peace is it when everybody involved must behave like a chihuahua? (Should I apologize for the fang-dripping "viciousness" of that metaphor?) A good thing for don_budge that Geoffrey Williams is not around right now since he would quickly expose the bogus peace.

I who have experienced don_budge's adulation and his bad blood, who have seen both his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, point to don_budge's statement of yesterday that nobody cares about this thread A New Year's Serve. What a lie and if I may say so, all lies are dumb. I will shut down A New Year's Serve (if John Yandell doesn't do it first) when people stop reading it. More people read it all the time, it seems to me, or do the numbers lie like don_budge? If I then were still a subscriber, I would start a new thread called "My Dad" and insist that all subscribers write for it every day or be dropped from the website.

I liked klacr's article on his father very much by the way, just didn't like the comments that followed, believing that each one should have involved a separate negotiation with John Yandell, who at least could have stopped each participant from embarrassing himself.

This is a matter of taste, I suppose. I believe that don_budge has a tin ear when it comes to knowing when anything is enough. (Anything I myself am doing right now is on purpose-- I've got to get my book written somehow.)

Neglected point of interest: Lewit's "one-sided" one hand backhand is steeper and involves earlier arm-straightening than Williams' .

See post number 1785 if you want to know how to conduct a funeral.

Even though I detest the miserable use of the word "class" the way young people who don't know better do now.

It started with Mary Jane's VCR video VIRGINIA WADE'S CLASS.

[bottle]

Small Serve: Develop Proper Spin and then Arm Spring

Spin may be the hard part.

Clever spin may be surprisingly physical.

More arm spring may be surprisingly mental.

I suggest visiting the Long Toss website in baseball-- something I do during spring training every year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w3xwYIx17s).

A live arm full of blood is the goal.

Finally, all distinction between the mental and the physical will melt away.

In my small serve I start with both arms bent in front of me linked through the racket at medium height.

Eschewing downstroke for both ta and ha but embracing up together form may be a good route to go.

One simply commits to circling the arms.

Hence a right-hander can spring his linked arms to the left then spray them on their separate paths.

That leads to a cockeyed brandishment that is not the right angle one would prefer with racket pointed up at TDC of the sky in perfect balance above one's hand.

The tradeoff for early needling though may be good. All one's potential for ESR has at last been preserved.

So what's going to happen next? The arm is going to spring about the bod.

Thinking now of backswing and foreswing together, one can ask, what about the bod rotations? Do they have a new role?

Answer: Yes-- subordinate to the arm but supporting it.

[bottle]

Active vs. Passive Arm Extension

Brian Gordon indicates passive and I believe him.

But I would like to ask some other authorities as well.

Chris Lewit has a public Q & A session on Sunday nights, but I would have to join Facebook, something I refuse to do.

So I will ask Brent Abel. One can ask him anything at any time.

[bottle]

Tract

BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
I will teach you my townspeople

how to perform a funeral —

for you have it over a troop

of artists—

unless one should scour the world —

you have the ground sense necessary.


See! the hearse leads.

I begin with a design for a hearse.

For Christ's sake not black —

nor white either — and not polished!

Let it be weathered — like a farm wagon —

with gilt wheels (this could be

applied fresh at small expense)

or no wheels at all:

a rough dray to drag over the ground.


Knock the glass out!

My God-glass, my townspeople!

For what purpose? Is it for the dead

to look out or for us to see

how well he is housed or to see

the flowers or the lack of them —

or what?

To keep the rain and snow from him?

He will have a heavier rain soon:

pebbles and dirt and what not.

Let there be no glass —

and no upholstery phew!

and no little brass rollers

and small easy wheels on the bottom —

my townspeople what are you thinking of?


A rough plain hearse then

with gilt wheels and no top at all.

On this the coffin lies

by its own weight.


No wreathes please —

especially no hot house flowers.

Some common memento is better,

something he prized and is known by:

his old clothes — a few books perhaps —

God knows what! You realize

how we are about these things

my townspeople —

something will be found — anything

even flowers if he had come to that.

So much for the hearse.


For heaven's sake though see to the driver!

Take off the silk hat! In fact

that's no place at all for him —

up there unceremoniously

dragging our friend out to his own dignity!

Bring him down — bring him down!

Low and inconspicuous! I'd not have him ride

on the wagon at all — damn him —

the undertaker's understrapper!

Let him hold the reins

and walk at the side

and inconspicuously too!


Then briefly as to yourselves:

Walk behind — as they do in France,

seventh class, or if you ride

Hell take curtains! Go with some show

of inconvenience; sit openly —

to the weather as to grief.

Or do you think you can shut grief in?

What — from us? We who have perhaps

nothing to lose? Share with us

share with us — it will be money

in your pockets.

Go now

I think you are ready.

[don_budge]

Readers, what do you think about Chris Lewit's post today on a "new continental." At 79, I have to say I don't envision going with it although I certainly will try it. I love the "old continental" too much-- the grip I feather my best shots with. To be more specific it's Australian "composite" to use the Ellsworth Vines term. It's halfway between continental and eastern forehand, like John McEnroe, a universalist if ever there was one.

But I've been watching the free videos at Chris's "prodigy-maker" site and was already quite taken with the one hand backhand. I just needed to see it being hit a whole lot of times to be sold enough to give it a try. Which I did with a flying grip change to mimic the weird inside look to the beginning of every one of these extremely loopy shots (that is not meant to be a pejorative, one of the spelling words Chris has assigned to his national spelling bee aspiring daughter).

Finally, I'd just like to say in defense of this thread, which has been attacked countless times before, usually by the same little cadre of intolerance: a very good man, Rosheem, suggested I end it at least ten years ago and I thought about that.

The reason I didn't and don't is, that, contrary to what has just been asserted, it is not about myself but about a true search which any of my regular partners could tell you is not only genuine but has, as Phil Picuri surmised, produced considerable improvement.

I feel that a post like Chris's today is very much about "search." And that the Brian Gordon articles and videos are about "search." And that 87 per cent of the posts in this forum are not about "search" but rather are "advertisements for self" and often of celebrity.

Carry on...

[bottle]

Readers, what do you think about Chris Lewit's post today on a "new continental." At 79, I have to say I don't envision going with it although I certainly will try it. I love the "old continental" too much-- the grip I feather my best shots with. To be more specific it's Australian "composite" to use the Ellsworth Vines term. It's halfway between continental and eastern forehand, like John McEnroe, a universalist if ever there was one.

But I've been watching the free videos at Chris's "prodigy-maker" site and was already quite taken with the one hand backhand. I just needed to see it being hit a whole lot of times to be sold enough to give it a try. Which I did with a flying grip change to mimic the weird inside look to the beginning of every one of these extremely loopy shots (that is not meant to be a pejorative, one of the spelling words Chris has assigned to his national spelling bee aspiring daughter).

Finally, I'd just like to say in defense of this thread, which has been attacked countless times before, usually by the same little cadre of intolerance: a very good man, Rosheem, suggested I end it at least ten years ago and I thought about that.

The reason I didn't and don't is, that, contrary to what has just been asserted, it is not about myself but about a true search which any of my regular partners could tell you is not only genuine but has, as Phil Picuri surmised, produced considerable improvement.

I feel that a post like Chris's today is very much about "search." And that the Brian Gordon articles and videos are about "search." And that 87 per cent of the posts in this forum are not about "search" but rather are "advertisements for self" and often of celebrity.

[don_budge]

Yeah...I have to say that I happen to believe that Kyle's thread has been very uplifting for me personally and I cannot understand why you would object so viciously. Of course there are many things I don't understand about you and your ideas. But you sure take the liberty of expressing them.

It has been easy to ignore you...up to a point. This is the point. These nice fellows expressing their love and respect for their fathers is an honour to read about. But now I really must push back. Just a bit though. I really have no interest in arguing or engaging with you. Have just a little respect though. Just keep your mouth shut if you cannot say something decent about the decent efforts of other men.

[don_budge]

Yeah...that's really rich bottle. Speak of cutting things off...what about this thread? Obviously it has outlived its usefulness by years. Droning on and on about yourself. No...it is a nice thing to pay a tribute to our fathers. Nobody cares for sure about this thread though. Except you. Self indulgence on an epic level. It's almost like watching a car accident. A very bad car accident.

But carry on...and on...and on.

Yeah...I have to say that I happen to believe that Kyle's thread has been very uplifting for me personally and I cannot understand why you would object so viciously. Of course there are many things I don't understand about you and your ideas. But you sure take the liberty of expressing them.

[don_budge]

Oh please. It's getting to be too much. Could we please now cut it off?

Yeah...that's really rich bottle. Speak of cutting things off...what about this thread? Obviously it has outlived its usefulness by years. Droning on and on about yourself. No...it is a nice thing to pay a tribute to our fathers. Nobody cares for sure about this thread though. Except you. Self indulgence on an epic level. It's almost like watching a car accident. A very bad car accident.

But carry on...and on...and on.

[bottle]

Reduce torso twist. Toss while gliding forward. Retain but subdue rock system. Lift bent elbow once on fifty-five degree angle. Get weight on rear foot.

I'm for supplanting ta's traditional downstroke with the rhythm of a glide forward. Glide and arms up then becomes reasonable sequence.

Accelerate ha. Have fun. These are little but well-placed serves. Work on best ratio between two speeds-- that of arm and that of torso twist.

In ad court, occasionally try down center to see if can run ball away from opponent. First choice however: two kinds of wide kick: 1) from triceptic extension, 2) from passive extension.

This planning is for the indoor tennis social tonight (doubles). Get the big hitters to misshit.

Note: Nobody does what they think as Stotty has been kind enough to point out. So fool around with the rocking and weight transfers to get something that feels reasonably right.

Play to win and don't film oneself for a while-- not unless one wants to become depressed.

Second Note: Brian Gordon teaches serves in which the arm extension is passive. Chris Lewit teaches topspin serves in which the triceps muscle is active. Is this just the crazy nature of reality?

[bottle]

Probation Serves

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...ice_serve.html

What does it mean to whip the arm around the bod as Tilden among others advised? People who think too much in compartments may tend to look too much for some kind of sequence-- bod before arm, arm before bod, leg before knees and hips, etc. with kinetic chain as usual the big villain. Not that kinetic chain isn't a wondrous formula. It just happens to screw up anybody who falls into the trap of thinking consciously about it.

How about keeping arm whip and torso twist simultaneous as Dennis did in these great videos, with whatever thought we dare apply kept on the "cue level." Discovering best ratio of one speed to the other then becomes the challenge, especially if you were listening when Dennis told you that everybody opens their shoulders too soon.

Also notice that the more the arm rather than the bod brings the racket around the more it stays on edge even during the ISR essential to the form. While doing this I hit the first deuce court slice clean ace in a couple years. It must have landed halfway down the service line.

Next of course one must learn to do that all the time.

Note: Study the videos again to try to see arm predominance beginning even in backswing or in the case of the probations some throw like backward arm action happening just before the forward racket travel.