Roger Federer in Slow Motion...

[don_budge]

Some very nice slow motion perspectives on the groundstrokes of Roger Federer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsHLxNBaakU

[don_budge]

Fingertips controlling the throat...

A fine example of the fingertips delicately controlling the throat of the racquet. When you control the throat you control the head which enables you to set the racquet to go back into the same relative position every time. A key point in teaching beginners and coaching intermediates.

[klacr]

Great find don_budge.

The guy that shot this has a tennis instructional site. I also went to college with him and we graduated from the same program at the same time. Small world. He has lots of great videos of other layers as well. And yes, the Berdych footage he filmed that is on youtube was simply to appease me and silence my incessant requests.

The fingertips on the throat of the racquet is a major teaching point. So few beginners and intermediates understand this concept. They wildly swing their racquets around, never truly feeling the racquet head, its position or ever tracking the ball. Having this continuity in the swing is a major breakthrough for a lower level player as now you can build around the consistent preparation. Tough to make progress on a students swing when racquet is so inconsistently positioned.

Another thing you notice on the video is the relaxed demeanor in Federer's face. Eyes are not bulging out, face is not stretched, mouth is not wide open, jaw is relaxed. Just smooth, relaxed and confident.

His head and eyes track the ball perfectly. His head moves backwards into his contact point, eyes on the ball, just as his racquet head moves forward. Head and eyes stay locked on that contact point throughout forward swing. Beautiful to watch. This is how a tennis ball was meant to be hit.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Great find don_budge.

His head and eyes track the ball perfectly. His head moves backwards into his contact point, eyes on the ball, just as his racquet head moves forward. Head and eyes stay locked on that contact point throughout forward swing. Beautiful to watch. This is how a tennis ball was meant to be hit.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Ever seen a slow motion video of a cheetah running at full pelt chasing its prey? Its head locked still, eyes bolted unswervingly on to the target...running at 70 mph. That's one of the most spectacular sights in nature. Federer is the closet thing we have to a cheetah...great to watch...so graceful.

[klacr]

Ever seen a slow motion video of a cheetah running at full pelt chasing its prey? Its head locked still, eyes bolted unswervingly on to the target...running at 70 mph. That's one of the most spectacular sights in nature. Federer is the closet thing we have to a cheetah...great to watch...so graceful.

Slow motion Video of a cheetah? Yeah, I've seen nature documentary clips.

But an even better experience is when I went to Africa on Safari 5 years ago. I saw it up close and personal. A female cheetah jumped on the hood of our jeep. I was scared as hell simply for the fact that I never even saw it approach us in the first place. It could have had me right then and there and I never would have known what hit me. It stood on the hood of the jeep, gazed around at the plains, then back at me. Then back at the plains, then back at me. Then it's eyes got locked on something in the distance. In a flash, and I do mean flash, it took off and seemed to go from 0 to 70 faster than any sports car a engineer could ever dream of. I've never seen something so stunningly graceful, powerful and vicious at the same time. It got it's prey as we drove past several minutes later. Usually I'd take it personally if I was passed up by such a gorgeous female, but in this case, I'm glad she chose the antelope over me. Having eaten antelope before, I can tell you she had a great breakfast.

Oddly enough, I still think about that cheetah often. Although the cruelty of nature makes the chances of her still alive bleak and my thoughts of merely a posthumous nature. It was an incredible experience nontheless and one that I will never forget. I'm thankful that antelope was there to get her attention off of me and my jugular. My size and MMA training would have been no match for Acinonyx jubatus.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Roger Federer...and primal movement.

Slow motion Video of a cheetah? Yeah, I've seen nature documentary clips.

Oddly enough, I still think about that cheetah often.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Something a little primal about the experience...eh klacr? Odd...that we think of this as a once in a lifetime experience. Humans used to be connected to nature. That is...until he got too smart and lifted himself out of the jungle...and into the city. Bit the apple and turned his back on God...never looking back. Beautiful vision man...hang onto it. Forever...

Usually in my first lesson with a student when I am trying to get them to understand what a good ready position resembles...I say to them, "You are a cat. You are a big mean cat. And this is the mouse." (Holding up the little yellow ball).

I really like your safari story as a tennis analogy. Perhaps you can draw on that in your tennis teaching. Perhaps you already have. The Stanislavski Method.

[klacr]

I really like your safari story as a tennis analogy. Perhaps you can draw on that in your tennis teaching. Perhaps you already have. The Stanislavski Method.

I already have used it in my tennis teaching. Like I said, I think about the cheetah often. Not just in terms of nature but also in terms of tennis, the movement, the tracking, the alertness and the all out desire to chase down the prey. If you can chase down an antelope, you can chase down any tennis ball.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton