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Cut Taylor a little slack
First of all, I don't know if you guys realize this, but Taylor retired from competitive tennis a few years back because he had to have major back surgery. After that, he would have been fortunate to play just recreational tennis. When he was immobilized recovering from that surgery for a number of months, he put on a massive amount of weight, over 50 lbs. When he first came on the tour as a teenager he was the picture of fitness, but the word was that he really didn't like the serious training he had been put through since pre-teen years. He didn't want to do the necessary work to develop the defensive skills to go with his terrific offensive game. He just didn't want to run around on the baseline. I think that kept him from achieving the kind of success he was capable of when he was younger and healthier.
He decided to try to mount a comeback which included losing a lot of weight and getting fit and then fighting his way back through qualifyings to get into the top echelon of the game again. While he didn't make it all the way back to where he was before he had to have the back surgery, he did become a factor and a legitimate threat to almost anyone on a hard or grass court. That picture of his gut sticking out, hair flying, etc is not very flattering and a little unfair in light of what he accomplished. I, for one, enjoyed watching him play and show that it was possible to be successful serving and volleying or chipping and charging. Just think if the right athlete tried to add those skills to a fully developed game, where he didn't have to rely on that strategy every point, but simply used it as part of an overall game plan, maybe 30% or 40% of the time. But it would have to be someone who trained those skills along with the rest of the game for his entire career all the way through juniors. Tough.
As for the serve,
1. balance is dynamic. He is exquisitely balanced. Watch a few of the clips on his serve, particularly from the rear, and watch where his feet land. Notice the consistency, not to mention the progress into the court with just 2 steps. I used to practice my serve a lot when I was a kid. But those first 2 steps and split were part of the practice (once I learned the basic motion). It wasn't just hitting the serve, it was also how far I could go in those 2 steps...
2. that's why you don't see the kick back with the right leg. As d_b said, Taylor is worried about going forward. And btw, Phil, look at Gonzales' serve. You won't see any kickback there either. He's going to the net too! As for entering with the left foot, he does have the modern move with his left foot as he lifts off and the left foot lands a good foot into the court after impact.
3. who told you the elbow had to be high on take back. Go 6 or 7 clicks back from impact in the clip of Taylor at the start of this thread and you will see a perfect trophy position with his elbow right in line with the line of his shoulders. And in fact, your elbow really shouldn't go any higher than that before you swing up to the ball
4. lift off. He definitely has lift off, but at 200 lbs plus, he is not going to go very far off the ground. But he is definitely exploding up into the ball.
Also, I have a specific question on this point. If all that energy is going into lifting the players' body off the ground, that energy can't be transferred to the ball; it's already used up. Maybe that's one reason Vic is so adamant about staying on the ground.
Taylor's serve is definitely a violent motion, but don't discount the raw beauty of it because of a little flab leaking out over his shorts. Put some better music to his serve and slow it down a little bit and I bet it will look downright artistic. No way he generates that 148 without an essentially efficient and therefore ultimately beautiful motion. No, he doesn't float like a Nastase or even a Rafter, not even like a Smith, but I wonder if he doesn't get forward almost as quick as Stan and maybe even quicker.
don
Originally posted by gzhpcu
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I am not saying he is doing anything wrong...
The tennis community is, they say.....
- keep balanced - he isn't
- enter with left foot and kick back with the right foot - he isn't
- high elbow on the take back - doesn't look like it to me
- lift off at impact - he is grounded
etc
The tennis community is, they say.....
- keep balanced - he isn't
- enter with left foot and kick back with the right foot - he isn't
- high elbow on the take back - doesn't look like it to me
- lift off at impact - he is grounded
etc
He decided to try to mount a comeback which included losing a lot of weight and getting fit and then fighting his way back through qualifyings to get into the top echelon of the game again. While he didn't make it all the way back to where he was before he had to have the back surgery, he did become a factor and a legitimate threat to almost anyone on a hard or grass court. That picture of his gut sticking out, hair flying, etc is not very flattering and a little unfair in light of what he accomplished. I, for one, enjoyed watching him play and show that it was possible to be successful serving and volleying or chipping and charging. Just think if the right athlete tried to add those skills to a fully developed game, where he didn't have to rely on that strategy every point, but simply used it as part of an overall game plan, maybe 30% or 40% of the time. But it would have to be someone who trained those skills along with the rest of the game for his entire career all the way through juniors. Tough.
As for the serve,
1. balance is dynamic. He is exquisitely balanced. Watch a few of the clips on his serve, particularly from the rear, and watch where his feet land. Notice the consistency, not to mention the progress into the court with just 2 steps. I used to practice my serve a lot when I was a kid. But those first 2 steps and split were part of the practice (once I learned the basic motion). It wasn't just hitting the serve, it was also how far I could go in those 2 steps...
2. that's why you don't see the kick back with the right leg. As d_b said, Taylor is worried about going forward. And btw, Phil, look at Gonzales' serve. You won't see any kickback there either. He's going to the net too! As for entering with the left foot, he does have the modern move with his left foot as he lifts off and the left foot lands a good foot into the court after impact.
3. who told you the elbow had to be high on take back. Go 6 or 7 clicks back from impact in the clip of Taylor at the start of this thread and you will see a perfect trophy position with his elbow right in line with the line of his shoulders. And in fact, your elbow really shouldn't go any higher than that before you swing up to the ball
4. lift off. He definitely has lift off, but at 200 lbs plus, he is not going to go very far off the ground. But he is definitely exploding up into the ball.
Also, I have a specific question on this point. If all that energy is going into lifting the players' body off the ground, that energy can't be transferred to the ball; it's already used up. Maybe that's one reason Vic is so adamant about staying on the ground.
Taylor's serve is definitely a violent motion, but don't discount the raw beauty of it because of a little flab leaking out over his shorts. Put some better music to his serve and slow it down a little bit and I bet it will look downright artistic. No way he generates that 148 without an essentially efficient and therefore ultimately beautiful motion. No, he doesn't float like a Nastase or even a Rafter, not even like a Smith, but I wonder if he doesn't get forward almost as quick as Stan and maybe even quicker.
don
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