Can you solve this riddle?

[stotty]

Go 40 seconds into this clip and watch this girl (Julia Goerges) serve for non-stop for about a minute or so. Now tell me if she is changing her grip around the trophy position OR twisting her wrist? I can't work out quite what's going on...can any of you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A82aBbkyfGI&feature=related

Funny how she bends her wrist as she commences the serve. Loads of girls do this. Isn't it better if the wrist is loose and passive at this point...or indeed all the way thru the serve? I coach a handful of girls who twist and coil the wrist like this, either at the start of the serve or all the way thru the serve. I am trying to eradicate it by encouraging them to have a passive wrist at the start.

It's fairly rife on the women's tour...so are my concerns unfounded...or would these women serve better with a more passive and relaxed wrist as they commence their serve?

[vrc10s]

Sure looks like a grip change to me.

I also like the passive wrist for serves,

Mark

[DougEng]

Go 40 seconds into this clip and watch this girl (Julia Goerges) serve for non-stop for about a minute or so. Now tell me if she is changing her grip around the trophy position OR twisting her wrist? I can't work out quite what's going on...can any of you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A82aBbkyfGI&feature=related

Funny how she bends her wrist as she commences the serve. Loads of girls do this. Isn't it better if the wrist is loose and passive at this point...or indeed all the way thru the serve? I coach a handful of girls who twist and coil the wrist like this, either at the start of the serve or all the way thru the serve. I am trying to eradicate it by encouraging them to have a passive wrist at the start.

It's fairly rife on the women's tour...so are my concerns unfounded...or would these women serve better with a more passive and relaxed wrist as they commence their serve?

Hi Stotty,

Actually I find lots of male players also break the wrist at the start. It's more a reminder to keep the arm loose. Also helps keep the palm down. I downloaded it and played back in slow motion (you can't do that from youtube). There's no grip change and only a slight wrist break (flexion/deviation). She is a bit unusual in keeping her palm not just a bit down but away from the net which turns the racquet (hitting side) away from the net. She is doing what an American baseball pitcher does in "cocking" the wrist (away from the ball trajectory direction). If I have time, I'll post a slo-mo video.

Best,
Doug

[stotty]

Hi Stotty,

Actually I find lots of male players also break the wrist at the start. It's more a reminder to keep the arm loose. Also helps keep the palm down. I downloaded it and played back in slow motion (you can't do that from youtube). There's no grip change and only a slight wrist break (flexion/deviation). She is a bit unusual in keeping her palm not just a bit down but away from the net which turns the racquet (hitting side) away from the net. She is doing what an American baseball pitcher does in "cocking" the wrist (away from the ball trajectory direction). If I have time, I'll post a slo-mo video.

Best,
Doug

Thanks for that input, Doug. It's handy if you extract the clip and watch it in slow motion. Looking at the clip in normal speed both Vrc10s and me thought it looked like a grip-change around the trophy position. It's like John is always saying...sometimes you NEED slow motion to be able to really see what's going on.

Interesting what you say about the palm...I'd missed that.

Are you sure flexion in the wrist at the start of the serve is a good thing? Isn't the wrist relaxed/looser if it is not flexed in both the preparation stage and the initial take-off of the arms?

[DougEng]

Thanks for that input, Doug. It's handy if you extract the clip and watch it in slow motion. Looking at the clip in normal speed both Vrc10s and me thought it looked like a grip-change around the trophy position. It's like John is always saying...sometimes you NEED slow motion to be able to really see what's going on.

Interesting what you say about the palm...I'd missed that.

Are you sure flexion in the wrist at the start of the serve is a good thing? Isn't the wrist relaxed/looser if it is not flexed in both the preparation stage and the initial take-off of the arms?

Hi Stotty,

Here's a slowed-down video of Julia. Not the best view but you can see her knuckles facing us. Her palm and racquet face rotate away from the net in the backswing. Hope this sheds light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaPJVkCAF9o&feature=channel_video_title

Best,
Doug