Sharapova's new serve

[uspta146749877]

Robert Lansdorp about a new serve of Sharapova

Please click

http://www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=182550

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

[uspta990770809]

It's about synchronising toss and weight transfer

It doesn't matter whether you move your weight from front to back to front like Stich or Krajicek or you simply move your weight from back to front like Sampras, there is a rhythm to it and that is "the rock". The rhythm of that rock must be comfortable for the individual. Everyone is a little different. But this "rock" has to synchronise with the toss of the ball. I don't hear any of these comments from these knowledgeable sources that show even an awareness of the theory I am putting forward. And that's all it is. I don't have any "proof". But I am convinced it is an essential element of having a consistent serve.

Roddick has a completely different rhythm from Sampras from Krajicek, etc. And once a player has established that preferred rhythm, God forbid you should try to change it. But if someone could have trained her differently early in her training, perhaps Steffi could have had a lower toss and a few less double faults, but once she had established that rhythm, you couldn't expect her to be able to change it. Not without tens of thousands of reps and also thousands of reps under the stress of competition. So it becomes all the more important that we train kids properly when they are developing. I get very upset when I see some of the serves I see kids hitting at junior tournaments.

But there is not anything fundamentally wrong with Sharapova's serve. But she used to have a more relaxed rhythm with the long hands down and up backswing. She could do the abbreviated backswing and hits many excellent serves with it. But she needs to match up the rhythm of the abbreviated toss with the rhythm of her weight transfer. I thought she was actually doing that better this week than in LA, but she still lost it completely at times. I go nuts watching her play Dementieva. A different set of problems, but also missing the fundamental lynchpin to hold her motion together because she makes the toss so careful and deliberate. All the elements are there but they are held together by left-brained force of will which is not nearly as good as right-brained natural rhythm.

Anyway, to watch these fabulous athletes hit the ball with unbelievable skill and talent and athleticism and then not be able to put a second serve in the court when they have the ball in their hand drives me nuts. Of course, I could be dead wrong, but I think the fundamental lack of respect and understanding for the rhythm of the toss and the lynchpin relationship of the weight-transfer/rock holding it all together is at the root of a lot of these problems. There is so much emphasis on getting a little more knee bend to get power without any regard to how that motion may effect the consistency of the toss. Wouldn't a lot of these players be a lot better off serving 5 to 10 mph slower, but achieving a greater accuracy and getting 65 to 75% 1st serves in instead of being excited when they achieve 60% first serve percentages. The comentators go gaga over a wider serve perfectly placed for an ace even though it was only 105 mph, but they don't have much respect for a 125 mph serve. If you could serve 125 and hit alternate corners at will, you would not need the 140 mph serve. And that's not a theory. Sampras proved it.

I'm getting carried away again. Point is: synchronize the rhythm of the toss and the rock of the weight transfer.

don

[airforce1]

Ok, now I get the focus of your point about rhythm.
I also think it is very interesting and makes sense on
my experience with my version of the KJK serve.

[uspta146749877]

For Don

Hi,
did u read an aricle quoting Robert Lansdorp about a new Sharapova serve?

Please click

http://www.tennis.com/features/gener...aspx?id=182550

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

[uspta146749877]

Location of toss

It doesn't matter whether you move your weight from front to back to front like Stich or Krajicek or you simply move your weight from back to front like Sampras, there is a rhythm to it and that is "the rock". The rhythm of that rock must be comfortable for the individual. Everyone is a little different. But this "rock" has to synchronise with the toss of the ball. I don't hear any of these comments from these knowledgeable sources that show even an awareness of the theory I am putting forward. And that's all it is. I don't have any "proof". But I am convinced it is an essential element of having a consistent serve.

Roddick has a completely different rhythm from Sampras from Krajicek, etc. And once a player has established that preferred rhythm, God forbid you should try to change it. But if someone could have trained her differently early in her training, perhaps Steffi could have had a lower toss and a few less double faults, but once she had established that rhythm, you couldn't expect her to be able to change it. Not without tens of thousands of reps and also thousands of reps under the stress of competition. So it becomes all the more important that we train kids properly when they are developing. I get very upset when I see some of the serves I see kids hitting at junior tournaments.

But there is not anything fundamentally wrong with Sharapova's serve. But she used to have a more relaxed rhythm with the long hands down and up backswing. She could do the abbreviated backswing and hits many excellent serves with it. But she needs to match up the rhythm of the abbreviated toss with the rhythm of her weight transfer. I thought she was actually doing that better this week than in LA, but she still lost it completely at times. I go nuts watching her play Dementieva. A different set of problems, but also missing the fundamental lynchpin to hold her motion together because she makes the toss so careful and deliberate. All the elements are there but they are held together by left-brained force of will which is not nearly as good as right-brained natural rhythm.

Anyway, to watch these fabulous athletes hit the ball with unbelievable skill and talent and athleticism and then not be able to put a second serve in the court when they have the ball in their hand drives me nuts. Of course, I could be dead wrong, but I think the fundamental lack of respect and understanding for the rhythm of the toss and the lynchpin relationship of the weight-transfer/rock holding it all together is at the root of a lot of these problems. There is so much emphasis on getting a little more knee bend to get power without any regard to how that motion may effect the consistency of the toss. Wouldn't a lot of these players be a lot better off serving 5 to 10 mph slower, but achieving a greater accuracy and getting 65 to 75% 1st serves in instead of being excited when they achieve 60% first serve percentages. The comentators go gaga over a wider serve perfectly placed for an ace even though it was only 105 mph, but they don't have much respect for a 125 mph serve. If you could serve 125 and hit alternate corners at will, you would not need the 140 mph serve. And that's not a theory. Sampras proved it.

I'm getting carried away again. Point is: synchronize the rhythm of the toss and the rock of the weight transfer.

don

Some tosses are too much forward.noted by Pam Shriver

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

[uspta146749877]

Another good video of Sharapova

Another good video to watch is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl-vneOkeLQ

I agree that a left shoulder is dropped too early.

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

[uspta990770809]

For Julian

Hi,
did u read an aricle quoting Robert Lansdorp about a new Sharapova serve?

Please click

http://www.tennis.com/features/gener...aspx?id=182550

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

Julian,
I did see most of the clips and I also saw the Penneta match in LA in real time on ESPN2. I also read the article with Lansdorp's comments. I grant she hits a lot of bad serves, but the basic mechanics are good enough to enable her to hit first serves in the mid-teens. The primary problem is automatic consistency that doesn't take her concentration away from playing the point. That all comes from better rhythm, specifically as it links the "rock" and the toss and gets the motion started. Without that, she will continue to struggle even if the motion looked perfect with respect to the points Lansdorp is raising.

don

[uspta146749877]

Toss

Julian,
I did see most of the clips and I also saw the Penneta match in LA in real time on ESPN2. I also read the article with Lansdorp's comments. I grant she hits a lot of bad serves, but the basic mechanics are good enough to enable her to hit first serves in the mid-teens. The primary problem is automatic consistency that doesn't take her concentration away from playing the point. That all comes from better rhythm, specifically as it links the "rock" and the toss and gets the motion started. Without that, she will continue to struggle even if the motion looked perfect with respect to the points Lansdorp is raising.

don

It works as follows:
a left hand had a time scale T1,a right hand has a time scale T2.
With a high OLD toss T1 was close to T2.
With a NEW serve a toss is still high but T2 got much smaller.
T1 stays almost unchanged.
The good way to analyze is to see both serves on the same screen.
I will expand my toss-I have to go to run my tennis lessons.Very sorry

[uspta990770809]

TRight vs TLeft vs TRock

It works as follows:
a left hand had a time scale T1,a right hand has a time scale T2.
With a high OLD toss T1 was close to T2.
With a NEW serve a toss is still high but T2 got much smaller.
T1 stays almost unchanged.
The good way to analyze is to see both serves on the same screen.
I will expand my toss-I have to go to run my tennis lessons.Very sorry

That's a way to quantify the difference. Almost what I am saying. But what I am saying is that there is a separate TR for the tempo and timing and rhythm of the weight-transfer/rock. When you start to separate the tempo of the right and left hand, you are meking the motion more complicated; one of the problems created by a high toss. But as you say, she was close before. But she also had the tempo and rhythm of the rock synchronixed with the tempo of her hands.

I think from LA to Toronto, she got more synchronised on your t1 and t2, but still hasn't hooked it up to TR. To me, that is necessary to hold the motion together.

But I like the idea of trying to analyze T1 and T2 for right and left hand, although it is a little complicated for the student. hands down together up together is a lot simpler. In the abbreviated motion, they just don't go down as far, or at least, the racket hand doesn't go down as far; but they can still be synchronixed and then linked up to the rock. you don't want to "catapult" the toss.

don

[uspta146749877]

Sharapova yesterday

To summarize in one sentence:
falling into her old habitts

[uspta990770809]

Good stats

To summarize in one sentence:
falling into her old habitts

I wanted to see it, but I missed it. Stats say only 4 doubles in 25 2nd serves and she won 16 out of the other 21 points while keeping average 2nd serve mph at 90. Only 52% 1st serves and one ace is not that great. What did you see?

don

[uspta146749877]

Sharapova

I wanted to see it, but I missed it. Stats say only 4 doubles in 25 2nd serves and she won 16 out of the other 21 points while keeping average 2nd serve mph at 90. Only 52% 1st serves and one ace is not that great. What did you see?

don

She started with a lower toss but it got higher.
Her serve looked ugly-I think it will get me banned.
I do NOT understand a reason for excessive knee bent.
julian mielniczuk

[uspta990770809]

Excessive knee bend

She started with a lower toss but it got higher.
Her serve looked ugly-I think it will get me banned.
I do NOT understand a reason for excessive knee bent.
julian mielniczuk

Let's see what is it good for?

It doesn't add any speed to the serve from increased initial velocity of the body because if you look carefully at server's heads, you will find that their heads have all stopped moving upwards before the arm starts it's upward move to the ball.

Propelling yourself into the air could give you better clearance over the net, as long as it doesn't compromise the rest of the motion.

It also could help in further loading the shoulder muscles and giving you a little more snap. Roddick benefits from this loading mechanism, but his head has stopped moving up by the time he swings up. If it really helped, I think we'd see a lot more jump passers in the NFL, or at least in college football. Most people find they can generate more force when they are attached to the earth. I didn't pull this out of a biomechanics book; it's just a feeling I have.

And when these players who have mastered the leg bend do bend the knees, they usually do it after the ball has left their hands. I'm not convinced a minor bowing of the body (not extreme arching) can't effect a quicker upward move which would therefore create better loading of those shoulder muscles. I think you can explode up faster from a "bow" then you can from a bending of the knees. Certainly, you get higher from the full motion of the knee bend.

But the biggest problem in all this bending stuff is, kids that haven't mastered the basic move up to the ball at full extension with good rhythm are trying a very complicated motion. I guess the attitude is that they have to start to do it early to master it. My feeling is that they need to master the basic rhythm of a good toss and a great snap up to full extension before they start jumping. If you can serve well standing still, then it is not that big a deal to start moving the toss up and forward a little bit. But if you never got control of the basic serve in the first place (no foot movement or maybe one step into the court), you end up with what we have in the game today, especially in the women's game: a lot of people who can hit the ball hard, but can't even get a 95 mph serve into the box when they need to (make that 85 for the women).

I'll have to try to tape tomorrow's match and see how that serve looks. Have to teach at that time.

don

[airforce1]

IMO the leg bend is about the vector of attacking the ball. Without the knee bend, the stroke gets more horizontal, but with leg lift it can be more vertical.

[oliensis]

I recommend that anyone w/ questions about knee bend and the serve ought to read Brian Gordon's excellent series on the serve:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/biomechanics/scienceofbio.html

In essence, according to Mr. Gordon, leg drive is significantly responsible for initiating the series of actions that result in racquet-head acceleration via what he calls" motion-dependent" effects.

BTW, if you watch Doc Gooden pitch in old videos, you can see that from certain angles he actually "jumps." I.e., his left foot doesn't land until his right foot actually is OFF the pitching rubber.

Moreover, I don't think that servers w/ strong leg action are actually jumping. They are driving up into the ball and the RESULT of the leg drive, because it is vertical, is that they end up off the ground. Different than a "jump" per se.

Here's what a jump serve looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vEBX9Tw9PY