Have a Question for Me?

[klacr]

First time I've seen this described in detail. Surprised USPTA would publish it as they usually try to stay neutral and vague when it comes to promoting a specific technical style.

John, Your thoughts on this serving style?

http://www.addvantageuspta.com/default.aspx/act/newsletter.aspx/category/ADDvantage/menuitemid/502/MenuGroup/Ads/NewsLetterID/1698.htm

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

Stotty my advice is have him hit left handed forehands. Se if he can't learn to shape the swing.

[stotty]

Gotta agree. Stotty, he seems a bit too open.

Great article in the your strokes section on this issu that may help. It features everyone's favorite Swiss/Italian. Check it out.http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...h_3_01_06.html

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Great find Klacr. I will read with interest.

Stotty,
He might be a natural one hander---at the very least he needs to hit left handed forehands to feel the hand and racket path with the back arm--looks like it's sliding right into his body rather than coming out and around.

Yes, the one-hander, definitely something I will investigate.

My conundrum at the moment is:

1. why can he not lower the racket head in the forward swing? Is his extreme closed racket face inhibiting his arm and hand rotation at the end of the backswing?

2 . why, on EVERY backhand, does he finish completely open? Is his contact point too far in front (looks it)? Does his extreme bent/bent configuration contribute to this? Does his strong semi-western with his left hand contribute?

These are the questions I am trying to fathom before wading in:

Analyzr Image Export.jpg.pdf

https://vimeo.com/191610687

https://vimeo.com/191610554

Stotty

[johnyandell]

Opps that's me, a guest at my own site....

Stotty,
He might be a natural one hander---at the very least he needs to hit left handed forehands to feel the hand and racket path with the back arm--looks like it's sliding right into his body rather than coming out and around.

[klacr]

Thanks John. I gave the kid his first lesson yesterday. He's a phenomenal athlete but his backhand needs work. As you can see his contact point is way out in front. Both arms are extremely bent and close to the body. It's amazing to work with a youngster this athletic, though.

Is it his closed racket face that is preventing his hand and arm rotation, which in turn limits his ability to lower the racket head?

Stotty

Gotta agree. Stotty, he seems a bit too open.

Great article in the your strokes section on this issue that may help. It features everyone's favorite Swiss/Italian. Check it out.http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...h_3_01_06.html

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

I think he is too open!

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members...t%20240fps.mp4

Thanks John. I gave the kid his first lesson yesterday. He's a phenomenal athlete but his backhand needs work. As you can see his contact point is way out in front. Both arms are extremely bent and close to the body. It's amazing to work with a youngster this athletic, though.

Is it his closed racket face that is preventing his hand and arm rotation, which in turn limits his ability to lower the racket head?

Stotty

[johnyandell]

I think he is too open!

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Serena_Williams_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Backhand/SW_BH_Center&stroke=BH%20Center%20NeutralStance%20Front%20240fps.mp4

[stotty]

John,

I am coaching a kid with a two-hander. His elbows are bent-bent. Does this characteristically make the shoulders line up parallel with the baseline on contact with the ball (click example link below)? I notice Serena seems to be. Djokovic's shoulders are still a little turned on contact. Is this a configuration thing?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x51u9nf

Stotty

[johnyandell]

JS,
Fab! Look at some of the Fed serves from rear view in the high speed archives as well.

[jschaff]

Yes that's too far! Go look at the Sampras serves in the regular archives. That is the human limit--and I think you are beyond it...Then for a more reasonable position, look for Fed in the high speed archives. At your age I think that could be really hard on your shoulder--or anyone's at any age. It's kinda amazing you can even do it.
But you need to take the spin you can get with a reasonable ball position.

Anyone else want to chime in on this??

I am 62 and played 5.0 in my 20's. Not now. But watching and reading the Sampras serve articles and videos has radically changed and improved my serve. Just moving the toss to the left a little keeps my racket on the ball more solidly as it makes my body rotate thru the ball. I'm not having to control the racket with my arm and shoulder.

[johnyandell]

I agree with everything in this post!

[stotty]

Thanks Klacr and John.

I think we can all coach this one way or another. The bigger problem is cementing it. It's all too easy for kids to regress back outside of lessons.

Interesting how the better boys often seem to get there on their own. Some coaches don't coach the ATP 3...some don't even know it exists. Yet their better boys somehow self-learn it. One assumes they do this by imitating great players and intuition. I remember reading that Pancho Gonzales learned his strokes mostly from watching others. If you're a talented kid and a visual learner, it's a valid and terrific way to learn, isn't it?

I imitated Nastase when I was a kid. Did I get even close? Hey, we both land on the wrong foot!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4joc07_stotty_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4wr4q2

Stotty

[klacr]

Stotty,

I start off with hand feeding them balls and put my teaching basket behind them to prevent the racquet from going back. Once they get the idea, I then progress to feeding the balls from across the net and give them a visual cue of their racquet tip being a paint brush and they have a blank canvas next to them, I tell them not to let the tip of the paint brush off the canvas. Many students seem to capture that visual and then achieve success.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

I like to stand behind them with a tennistube or a racket that they bang into if they go too far back. But I will say this as much as I believe in this aspect of the stroke. I will give away a little extra backswing in exchange for a great turn and great extension. 99.9% of all players couldn'tr exchange forehands with Maria Sharapova.