Have a Question for Me?

[johnyandell]

Alex,

Mobile site!

[johnyandell]

Evan,

The 18th and 19th are possible. Why don't you email me at videotennis@metricmail.com and we can discuss.

[ralph]

Connectivity

John,
Every March I take my team to Orlando where my players do a drill session with a pro who runs a few programs. He mentioned to me that one of my players needed more connectivity. It is the first time that I had heard the term. If I understand it correctly, connectivity starts with a unit turn making sure that you keep two hands on the racquet in reference to the forehand. It seems to me that one of the great benefits of the two-handed backhand is that you have to stay connected during the swing and that's why the two hander frequently end ups being a more consistent stroke. Are you familiar with the term and do you have any thoughts about this concept?

Ralph

[johnyandell]

Ralph,

I mean you can describe what happens in a lot of ways. And yes everything is connected! I hadn't heard that specific term before but why not? If it hits a note and the result is visually close to what we have all seen as good technical form, use it.

John

[don_budge]

Connectivity...oh what a feeling! "And yes everything is connected!"- John Yandel

He mentioned to me that one of my players needed more connectivity. It is the first time that I had heard the term. If I understand it correctly, connectivity starts with a unit turn making sure that you keep two hands on the racquet in reference to the forehand. It seems to me that one of the great benefits of the two-handed backhand is that you have to stay connected during the swing and that's why the two hander frequently end ups being a more consistent stroke. Are you familiar with the term and do you have any thoughts about this concept?

Ralph

Excuse me Ralph and John...regarding connectivity. I really like that term. Connectivity gives me the feeling of being engaged from the start to finish. Engaged with the past, present and the future.

Recently the wife and I acquired a used Toyota Land Cruiser. The previous owner drove the car to us from the south of Sweden and we met at a Toyota dealership to make the transaction. I took the car for a test drive of 200 meters and the guy said that it was the shortest test drive he ever saw. The reason...once I started that car and put it in reverse to back up and then proceeded to drive the car...I felt connected from the very beginning and never lost that engaged feeling since I have owned that car. This is going on a couple of weeks now. I have never had this feeling about a car before.

A while back we were sending our champion mare off to the trainer's to have her inseminated and to compete in a couple of shows. At the Swedish Nationals she ran the table...Best in Show, Best Swedish Bred Mare, Highest points in the show, Gold Champion or the Best Mare in the entire show and she was class winner in her mare class. I had to lead her some 400 meters down to the road where the transport was coming to meet her. This horse is something special...when you are leading her you feel a connection between her and yourself. You know and you can feel that on the other end of that leash is something special...so powerful and so full of passionate life yet a degree of control that you can have it and control it in your fingertips. Much like driving that Land Cruiser.

Roger Federer in all of his beautiful and fluid movement around the court exhibits this kind of connectivity. He blends from his start position through his unit turn that effortlessly morphs into the backswing before it seamlessly becomes the forward swing and finish. Nothing forced...just a totally engaged effort from head to toe. No comma's or period's...just the three dots...that represent connectivity! Connectivity...I love that word and concept. "The Man" is connected. Are you? Am I? Is the student?

Then there is love...and supposedly love means nothing to a tennis player. But to know someone that you are connected with means a total engagement of the body, heart and soul. Have you ever known a "soul mate"? Where all of your feelings and emotions are seamlessly connected and engaged. Like a fine tuned motor...like the trees in the forest. Are you connected to your lover?

Much like playing tennis...passionately. Or dancing the Tango. It is a natural function of life...the life within you and the life that surrounds you. Being one with the universe is to be connected. Responses are effortless and thoughtless...they require nothing but an instinct. Like the words rolling off your tongue as a poet lives his life.

[stotty]

Excuse me Ralph and John...regarding connectivity. I really like that term. Connectivity gives me the feeling of being engaged from the start to finish. Engaged with the past and the future.

Recently the wife and I acquired a used Toyota Land Cruiser. The previous owner drove the car to us from the south of Sweden and we met at a Toyota dealership to make the transaction. I took the car for a test drive of 200 meters and the guy said that it was the shortest test drive he ever saw. The reason...once I started that car and put it in reverse to back up and then proceeded to drive the car...I felt connected from the very beginning and never lost that engaged feeling since I have owned that car. This is going on a couple of weeks now. I have never had this feeling about a car before.

A while back we were sending our champion mare off to the trainer's to have her inseminated and to compete in a couple of shows. At the Swedish Nationals she ran the table...Best in Show, Best Swedish Bred Mare, Highest points in the show, Gold Champion or the Best Mare in the entire show and she was class winner in her mare class. I had to lead her some 400 meters down to the road where the transport was coming to meet her. This horse is something special...when you are leading her you feel a connection between her and yourself. You know and you can feel that on the other end of that leash is something special...so powerful and so full of passionate life yet a degree of control that you can have it and control it in your fingertips. Much like driving that Land Cruiser.

Roger Federer in all of his beautiful and fluid movement around the court exhibits this kind of connectivity. He blends from his start position through his unit turn that effortlessly morphs into the backswing before it seamlessly becomes the forward swing and finish. Nothing forced...just a totally engaged effort from head to toe. No comma's or period's...just the three dots...that represent connectivity! Connectivity...I love that word and concept. "The Man" is connected. Are you? Am I? Is the student?

Then there is love...and supposedly love means nothing to a tennis player. But to know someone that you are connected with means a total engagement of the body, heart and soul. Have you ever known a "soul mate"? Where all of your feelings and emotions are seamlessly connected and engaged. Like a fine tuned motor...like the trees in the forest. Are you connected to your lover?

Much like playing tennis...passionately. Or dancing the Tango. It is a natural function of life...the life within you and the life that surrounds you. Being one with the universe is to be connected. Responses are effortless and thoughtless...they require nothing but an instinct. Like the words rolling off your tongue as a poet lives his life.

I just loved that post don_budge.

[johnyandell]

One with the universe?

[jryle1]

John,

Quick idea that may have been mentioned before or you may have considered before.

I know that there's already elements of it on the site in the Your Strokes section but how would you feel about doing a kind of "application of technical ideas/treatment of technical problems" section. My this I mean, there's is a vast array of techniques etc. on the site but apart from Your Strokes, maybe, I'm missing it but there isn't a section devoted on how to actually teach all of these technical ideas, the ones that are applicable or how you might aid pupils in developing them. A section for different progressions in developing the strokes.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. I'm just putting it out there. Maybe it's already there and I'm just missing it. There are elements in the Your Strokes section and "Your forehand and the modern forehand" but just a section on practical teaching methods.

I don't know, lame idea or not? That's for you to decide.

[johnyandell]

I am planning a new series next year that will be more my personal approach to teaching and correcting strokes. It will be aimed at both players and also coaches.

[stotty]

I am planning a new series next year that will be more my personal approach to teaching and correcting strokes. It will be aimed at both players and also coaches.

I will really look forward to that.

[jryle1]

I will really look forward to that.

Ditto on the above. That's great to hear John. I think it would be really popular like everything on here I guess.

[johnyandell]

Thanks gentlemen. Been in the forest looking at every tree for a few years--getting to be time to elevate and see the overview...

[alexandrafranco]

Jeff Greenwald

Great article on Eva's Fh..showing how to get the backswing really helped.
Would you say that Jeff Greenwald's has a type 3 Fh? I really like it, is it a good model for me to learn from?
Thanks,
Alexandra

[johnyandell]

Not sure Jeff is technically a type 3--more like old school Bollettieri. Also not sure there is enough info in these articles to provide a model. But it is a great forehand! I'd be happy with it if it were mine!

[alexandrafranco]

John, Thank you the reply.