Jack Kramer explains various Grips...

[don_budge]

Listen to Jack Kramer give a rather nice explanation on tennis grips. He reminds me a bit of Ben Hogan in his delivery. Jack was strongly revered back some years ago. A very powerful and influential character in the history of tennis. I wonder what he would have thought about the fundamental changes that the game has made since the years of his influence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_6beu6nW0k

[hockeyscout]

Thanks!

[don_budge]

Wolves...

Thanks!

The strength of the wolf is the pack. The strength of the pack is the wolf.

[stotty]

Kramer. The single most important player...in history.

Nice find. And still very relevant after all these years.

When I was doing my detective work during the Bill Tilden thread, I found Jack Kramer to be the single most important player in tennis. His opinions during his tennis days and for some time after carried great weight, and his observations were widely documented. If it were not for Jack Kramer, pre-war players would have long been consigned to the rubbish bin. Kramer is the link to Budge and Tilden, and later on, the link to Gonzales. Vital. Kramer was the only player I could find who provided legitimate comparison between the players in mention, both in on court experience and in written observations. I think his on court experience against the aforementioned is the most critical in the history of tennis. A bold statement I know, but I have good reason to say it.

Pancho Gonzales became the second most important person in tennis because of his on court link to Kramer, and also because of his lengthy career. His victories at Madison Square Garden over Newcombe, Ashe, Rosewall and Laver at he age of 41 were perhaps the greatest testament of his greatness, and it showed how great players like Kramer and Budge must have been to have had jousted so well with Gonzales himself.

Kramer made many observations on the players of his day and of those of later generations. He's a significant figure that cannot be ignored. You can question his judgement as you would anyone else's, but cast away or ignore his observations you cannot. If someone disregards or refuses to consider Kramer, then they cannot hope to engage in a serious debate about the standards of the past with me or any other detective or tennis historian.

From Gonzales onwards, it's much easier to player-hop around and legitimise standards. McEnroe was from the wooden racket era. He made a comeback when passed his best (with a modern racket) and routed Boris Becker in straight sets in the fourth round of the Aussie Open. A telling moment. Everyone thought the game had moved on. It hadn't...the rackets had.

As and when I get time, I'm going to peel back the layers of history and get further and further to the bottom of this beautiful game. It should be an interesting journey...like visiting a land that time forgot.

[gzhpcu]

Stotty,
The past periods of tennis are fascinating for me too. The Budge/Kramer period, the Gonzales/Hoad/Rosewell period, the Laver/Rosewall/Newcombe period, the Stan Smith/Ilie Nastase period, the Connors/McEnroe/Borg/Lendl period, the Becker/Edberg/Noah period, the Sampras/Agassi period, the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic period....

[stotty]

Stotty,
The past periods of tennis are fascinating for me too. The Budge/Kramer period, the Gonzales/Hoad/Rosewell period, the Laver/Rosewall/Newcombe period, the Stan Smith/Ilie Nastase period, the Connors/McEnroe/Borg/Lendl period, the Becker/Edberg/Noah period, the Sampras/Agassi period, the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic period....

Yes, I'm well aware you share the same love of the game; the different eras and fascination for tennis history.

Thanks for posting all those clips since your return. I missed that about you when you were away having your hips done. I remember you found evidence of Borg and Connors playing against Gonzales in some archived newspaper articles on the Internet. I had been for ages searching for evidence that Borg had played Gonzales.

[hockeyscout]

The strength of the wolf is the pack. The strength of the pack is the wolf.

At the end of it he says improvise. Their's a grip for you. So, I agree. For kids, let them play, and see what they sort out. Good advice. Obviously different grips work for different people for a wide variety of reasons, and instructing someone what to use may not be as effective as explaining the grips, and letting them run with the show to find something they can call their own.

[stotty]

Tennis starts at the grip.

At the end of it he says improvise. Their's a grip for you. So, I agree. For kids, let them play, and see what they sort out. Good advice. Obviously different grips work for different people for a wide variety of reasons, and instructing someone what to use may not be as effective as explaining the grips, and letting them run with the show to find something they can call their own.

In tennis, instruction on the grip is important. I encourage kids to start with conservative grips on both forehand and backhand.

On the forehand, over time, their grip will likely move round to a strong eastern or semi western without them realising it. I am happy to let that happen but mindful the hand doesn't slip round any further. I like backhand grips to stay fairly conservative but may adjust a grip slightly depending on game-style and other factors.

In tennis, if we let kids find their own forehand grip, things will most likely end up at full-western, which isn't the most desirable grip. It's also excruciatingly painstaking to move an extreme grip back again.

Children (and adults) are unlikely to find their way to a good backhand, serve, or volley grip on their own and most will need help. With children, verbal and even visual explanation gets lost in translation. Pure instruction is often the best way.

I'm not saying your free-style philosophy doesn't have its merits, but coaching is much about providing a short cut so people don't have to find out for themselves what has taken decades for our forefathers to learn. It's just common sense when you think about it.

For coaches, tennis starts at the grip...it's lesson number one.

[hockeyscout]

Not sure that works for me?

In tennis, instruction on the grip is important. I encourage kids to start with conservative grips on both forehand and backhand.

On the forehand, over time, their grip will likely move round to a strong eastern or semi western without them realising it. I am happy to let that happen but mindful the hand doesn't slip round any further. I like backhand grips to stay fairly conservative but may adjust a grip slightly depending on game-style and other factors.

In tennis, if we let kids find their own forehand grip, things will most likely end up at full-western, which isn't the most desirable grip. It's also excruciatingly painstaking to move an extreme grip back again.

Children (and adults) are unlikely to find their way to a good backhand, serve, or volley grip on their own and most will need help. With children, verbal and even visual explanation gets lost in translation. Pure instruction is often the best way.

I'm not saying your free-style philosophy doesn't have its merits, but coaching is much about providing a short cut so people don't have to find out for themselves what has taken decades for our forefathers to learn. It's just common sense when you think about it.

For coaches, tennis starts at the grip...it's lesson number one.

I gotta say, I really disagree here big time. I guess you're doing something revolutionary with your tennis coaching we hockey coaches would never dare even try.

First off: For coaches, tennis starts at the grip...it's lesson number one. Well, for hockey, basketball, soccer, football, hell, any sport it all begins with base athletic fundamental movement. The hands follow the feet. It's scientific. The racket should be the least of your concerns as it's clearly the last thing in the chain. The kinetic chain shouldn't be underestimated. It's unbelievable how much people think the racket is the holy grail. But, I digress!

As for the grips, you're telling me, "I like", "for you", "start with", "if we let", and "isn't the most desirable." I can't say I work that way. I ask players, "what do you like, what feels good to you, what are your starting ideas, I'll let you play with everything and you can tell me what fits for you and tell me what you really desire."

Intellectual Freedom. Athletes love it. They'll respect you. A good coach encourages athletes to think for themselves, innovate and solve it on their own through a creative process. Really this is where you want to be with your players, and it's the ultimate end game.

Of course you'll say "with children, verbal and even visual explanation gets lost in translation". I believe you! From what you've told me in the above post this is 100 percent sure to happen! You've chosen to accelerate and jump start a learning process. And when you do this you create holes in the learning process. Big mistake.

Calm down. Slow down the process. An athletes need to take ownership and be guided through a very specific leaning curve. Sports innovation is athlete driven, and the good coaches respect it. Kids need to try all ways of doing it! Every grip. Good, bad and ugly.

A patient developmental coach opens up lines of lines of respectful dialogue with parents and players and takes their athlete through an educational process of "lets play with everything, figure out why this works, and why this doesn't work" in a peer - mentor setting.

In the end I always trust my athletes to make the right adjustments because I have been extremely consensus about building independent, free thinking and innovative individuals who can succeed without me! I don't want to decide what masterpiece my player sculpts! I just want him to understand he has tools, and get him to learn how to use them through play, trial and error and imaginative fun!

If an athlete doesn't know how or what, in every facet of the game, they will forever be at the mercy of their problem, and always need to come back to the coach looking for answers because they haven't been taught how to think for themselves and be pro's!

I strongly disagree with your assessment of "coaching is much about providing a short cut so people don't have to find out for themselves what has taken decades for our forefathers to learn."

I'm not sure my students will get much better if they believe coach has all the answers. They need to respect themselves, their abilities, instincts and their own ingenuity. I love it when a kid comes to me with a question, and I love popping a question back to them, or putting them in a direction where they can learn something on their own. I love to make the athlete feel like they invented it. Why give them something when they can earn it.

We should all think of older people, our grandparents, our older mentors, they never give us a shortcut, instead they encourage us to open up, speak, share thoughts - experience, and they (the old people) listen, and often ask questions, and when they speak they don't tell us much. Old people know the answers in life will come to you when you are damned ready!

We can bitch, scream, talk, write and do whatever, however, youth will learn when youth is ready to learn, and that's it. Some get it, and some don't. That's just the way it works.

I really try to be a 90 year old grandpa when dealing with an athlete. It's tough, however, its the way to go, and their are no shortcuts in life if the person isn't ready, knowledgeable, intelligent, instinctual or really badly wanting to use the information you are about to give them.

I wouldn't call this "Free Style", I'd call this BASIC COACHING. After all, who wants a confused athlete coming back to you over and over again for lessons?

Also, thanks to Don Budge for the link. My little eager beaver looked at the link, processed it, and will play, play and play with it. It's nice when you have athletes eat this stuff up, yet, play with it, mull it over, work on it, play and figure it out, and how it'll suit them, and then ask you "watch this, do you like, how does it look etc."

Now I will say it might be tough for licensedcoach to get this point across to parents who've never played or coached professional sports. Everyone is looking for a miracle these days, and wants to be told the answers to life's problems, and have everyone do it for them.

In hockey you can do what I am doing rather easy because players have mama's, papa's, grandma's and uncles who've played, coaches and been involved in the game. Hockey players are willing to practice and play on their own (in the backyard, street, open rink) etc when your lesson is done.

A lot of kids go to the pro lesson in tennis, and then don't play on their own. BIG MISTAKE. A lot of kids go to a pro lesson, and don't get sent home with home work on their own. BIG MISTAKE. A lot of kids don't invite the pro over to their homes to do 2-3 hours of work watching a match, instructional videos and research. BIG MISTAKE. As I am working on this post, I'm thinking of buying some candy bars, chips, pop and all the rest, as my daughters beloved old mentor Eugene is coming by at 12-3 to watch tennis videos with her and have a "Kvitova PARTY." They'll have fun, laugh and watch a lot of tennis, where old man Eugene will say nothing, and pop in a link here and there, and fill in some holes and gaps in knowledge we need to fill in. Then at 3:00 to 5:30 the local pro tennis player picks my kid up and they go and play lazer tag, hang out at the kids park, have dinner, and she assault him with tennis question after tennis question and drives the dude nuts. Of course I tell her before she goes, "Please baby beaver, please, don't tire these guys out with question after question, after question." And, these dudes always say, "Hey, lets not talk tennis today, I want a day off tennis. I am tired of tennis. Tennis, tennis and tennis." She just laughs and says no, and it's off to the races for her! And then at 5:30 papa takes her to the court to do a walk-through, play and fart around till she wants to go home, or until mama calls angry wondering why we are out so late! The funny thing with this all is the less interested we act, the more she wants to do, and it's likely because she likes it, and feels it's her's, and has taken wonderful ownership of it which is really what is beautiful about being a coach.

I am sure in his own way Don Budge managed to do this with Aaron Krickstein. I talked to him a few times about this player, and I'm sure Don Budge passed along a love for the game to the kid, which by the way must have continued to this day because the kids out on the court teaching a new generation, and from the looks of it putting in rather hard hours.

In my opinion, that's teaching. That's coaching. It's the way we do it. It's the way I think every top players has EVER done it. It's nothing new. Guys like Don Budge has done it. Even when they were young, and lacked the talent - experience they have now, the results still happened.

And as I write this my little one has just lost her second tooth, and is wondering when the tennis tooth fairy will be coming!

[don_budge]

Tennis Grips 101...The True Student of the Game

I gotta say, I really disagree here big time......

You lost me. This is not the point. To agree or disagree. Obviously you have your own ideas about tennis...the million dollar question is "Where did they come from?". But it is only a rhetorical question because as don_budge...I don't care. I am a student of the game and I share my thoughts for free. It doesn't matter to me if you disagree or agree but if you can shed some light on any given subject...have at it. Fire away. Slap shot!

The grip is the conduit to the racquet. All of the biomechanical steam that has been worked up from the sum total of the parts of the body are transferred into this implement that two contestants use to fight for control over the tennis ball. This is one of the basic principles of the sport.

Every shot must have a conscious attempt behind it intellectually in order to implement tactics via control of the tennis ball. The process of implementing tactics is done with a combination of spin, speed and placement to the tennis ball. All of these characteristics will be strongly influenced by the way that the hand holds the racquet.

Your choice of grips is going to be a overwhelming factor in determining the sum total of your strengths and weaknesses that is the chain of an individuals tennis game. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link as my dear old coach, teacher and mentor Sherman Collins used to say. Any worthy tennis player that is a true student of the game learns how to exploit his opponents game base on their knowledge of grips and tendencies to hit any given ball at any given point in a tennis match. This knowledge is not to be underestimated nor is it readily available any longer. The game today is being played in a vacuum of one dimensional players playing on a generic tennis surface that has encouraged a sameness in play from one and all.

...for hockey, basketball, soccer, football, hell, any sport it all begins with base athletic fundamental movement.

I am sure in his own way Don Budge managed to do this with Aaron Krickstein. I talked to him a few times about this player, and I'm sure Don Budge passed along a love for the game to the kid...

You see...hockeyscout tennis is different from all of these other sports that you listed here...all fine endeavors by the way. But the thing...tennis is not only a physical proposition but an intellectual one as well. You are matching wits with one other opponent. It is only one on one. Like some sort of chess and martial arts contest wrapped up in one. Somebody had to show the "Karate Kid" how to "wax on and wax off".

The training to hit all of the various shots takes long enough to do it without trying to figure it out on your own...especially when you have other things to learn like tying your shoes...and the rest of it. The grips of the tennis racquet is such an interesting study...you would just love to have a tennis equivalent of Merlin in your corner advising you along the way. Instructing you. Should you be lucky enough to find such a wizard. Hitting partners are one thing...a true expert or true student of the game is quite another.

The grip of the tennis racquet is a science. A bit of a weird science at that. As Jack Kramer suggests...in the end it will be up to the player to decide. But how on earth is a child or anyone else going to figure out this vast metaphysical challenge without studying it. Well ok...enough said.

I admire your independent spirit. Obviously it took a lot of courage and moxy to put yourself in the position that you are in now. But tennis is so unique...as is golf...that in all my years of sports play have only made me realize how unique and special it really is.

If I had a child...and I don't...I would probably like to pattern myself after Dr. Herbert Krickstein. Besides being one of the leading pathologists in his field his knack for producing world class athletes is remarkable. Each of his children were very accomplished in at least one sport. He also had a big hand in the development of Morgan Pressel who like Aaron, was a prodigy in her sport of golf. I gave Herb a copy of Bill Tilden's "How to Play Better Tennis...a fundamental guide to tennis technique and tactics" back in 1981 or thereabouts. Right before Aaron shipped off and was handed to Nick Bolletierri in Florida who admittedly knows little about tennis grips.

I believe that the one thing that I may have had an influence with young Aaron was in his development for his passion for the game...but he probably already had that as well. I remember going to see the "Raging Bull" starring Robert DeNiro with Herb and Aaron. Aaron and I had this running gag where I was Jake Lamotta and he was Joey...the younger brother played by Joe Pesci. He used to punch me in the arm then back up and laugh saying...you can't hurt steel. I was a tough guy...at least on the outside. I didn't back down. I never showed the pain...the kid could hit hard. The stinker. This was at a time when I had gone to bat for the sport of tennis...a one man don_quixote waving his sword at the windmill machine of the ITF and the rest of the civilized world. I hated Prince racquets with a passion. I let it be known in no uncertain terms. I still do.

Looking back sometimes I think it was rather ironic that the Krickstein's didn't go with someone a bit more politically correct to hang and look after their million dollar boy. To most...I probably appeared to be somewhat "edgey" and from the wrong side of the tracks. I admit...I was running in the outside lane. The Krickstein's made me a member of their family...I will never forget them. All of 'em. But perhaps there was some method in the madness...Aaron was always a tremendously gutsy and great competitor. Just tough as nails in five setters against the toughest players on the planet. This was in the day when there were slews of real tennis players in every draw. Real tough hombres that all knew how to play real tennis. All sorts of styles, grips and personalities.

An interesting side note is that Aaron's forehand grip at 10 years old was so radical for the time...but nobody encouraged him to change it. It was his strength. But at the same time his serve was never what it needed to be. He had a wonderful career...but I have a question. If he had learned a proper service motion might he not have been even better? I think you know what my answer is. My answer is...a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Or I would pattern myself after my own father...whom I actually do willingly or not. The only problem with my father...was the son.

[10splayer]

I gotta say, I really disagree here big time. I guess you're doing something revolutionary with your tennis coaching we hockey coaches would never dare even try.

First off: For coaches, tennis starts at the grip...it's lesson number one. Well, for hockey, basketball, soccer, football, hell, any sport it all begins with base athletic fundamental movement. The hands follow the feet. It's scientific. The racket should be the least of your concerns as it's clearly the last thing in the chain. The kinetic chain shouldn't be underestimated. It's unbelievable how much people think the racket is the holy grail. But, I digress!

As for the grips, you're telling me, "I like", "for you", "start with", "if we let", and "isn't the most desirable." I can't say I work that way. I ask players, "what do you like, what feels good to you, what are your starting ideas, I'll let you play with everything and you can tell me what fits for you and tell me what you really desire."

Intellectual Freedom. Athletes love it. They'll respect you. A good coach encourages athletes to think for themselves, innovate and solve it on their own through a creative process. Really this is where you want to be with your players, and it's the ultimate end game.

Of course you'll say "with children, verbal and even visual explanation gets lost in translation". I believe you! From what you've told me in the above post this is 100 percent sure to happen! You've chosen to accelerate and jump start a learning process. And when you do this you create holes in the learning process. Big mistake.

Calm down. Slow down the process. An athletes need to take ownership and be guided through a very specific leaning curve. Sports innovation is athlete driven, and the good coaches respect it. Kids need to try all ways of doing it! Every grip. Good, bad and ugly.

A patient developmental coach opens up lines of lines of respectful dialogue with parents and players and takes their athlete through an educational process of "lets play with everything, figure out why this works, and why this doesn't work" in a peer - mentor setting.

In the end I always trust my athletes to make the right adjustments because I have been extremely consensus about building independent, free thinking and innovative individuals who can succeed without me! I don't want to decide what masterpiece my player sculpts! I just want him to understand he has tools, and get him to learn how to use them through play, trial and error and imaginative fun!

If an athlete doesn't know how or what, in every facet of the game, they will forever be at the mercy of their problem, and always need to come back to the coach looking for answers because they haven't been taught how to think for themselves and be pro's!

I strongly disagree with your assessment of "coaching is much about providing a short cut so people don't have to find out for themselves what has taken decades for our forefathers to learn."

I'm not sure my students will get much better if they believe coach has all the answers. They need to respect themselves, their abilities, instincts and their own ingenuity. I love it when a kid comes to me with a question, and I love popping a question back to them, or putting them in a direction where they can learn something on their own. I love to make the athlete feel like they invented it. Why give them something when they can earn it.

We should all think of older people, our grandparents, our older mentors, they never give us a shortcut, instead they encourage us to open up, speak, share thoughts - experience, and they (the old people) listen, and often ask questions, and when they speak they don't tell us much. Old people know the answers in life will come to you when you are damned ready!

We can bitch, scream, talk, write and do whatever, however, youth will learn when youth is ready to learn, and that's it. Some get it, and some don't. That's just the way it works.

I really try to be a 90 year old grandpa when dealing with an athlete. It's tough, however, its the way to go, and their are no shortcuts in life if the person isn't ready, knowledgeable, intelligent, instinctual or really badly wanting to use the information you are about to give them.

I wouldn't call this "Free Style", I'd call this BASIC COACHING. After all, who wants a confused athlete coming back to you over and over again for lessons?

Also, thanks to Don Budge for the link. My little eager beaver looked at the link, processed it, and will play, play and play with it. It's nice when you have athletes eat this stuff up, yet, play with it, mull it over, work on it, play and figure it out, and how it'll suit them, and then ask you "watch this, do you like, how does it look etc."

Now I will say it might be tough for licensedcoach to get this point across to parents who've never played or coached professional sports. Everyone is looking for a miracle these days, and wants to be told the answers to life's problems, and have everyone do it for them.

In hockey you can do what I am doing rather easy because players have mama's, papa's, grandma's and uncles who've played, coaches and been involved in the game. Hockey players are willing to practice and play on their own (in the backyard, street, open rink) etc when your lesson is done.

A lot of kids go to the pro lesson in tennis, and then don't play on their own. BIG MISTAKE. A lot of kids go to a pro lesson, and don't get sent home with home work on their own. BIG MISTAKE. A lot of kids don't invite the pro over to their homes to do 2-3 hours of work watching a match, instructional videos and research. BIG MISTAKE. As I am working on this post, I'm thinking of buying some candy bars, chips, pop and all the rest, as my daughters beloved old mentor Eugene is coming by at 12-3 to watch tennis videos with her and have a "Kvitova PARTY." They'll have fun, laugh and watch a lot of tennis, where old man Eugene will say nothing, and pop in a link here and there, and fill in some holes and gaps in knowledge we need to fill in. Then at 3:00 to 5:30 the local pro tennis player picks my kid up and they go and play lazer tag, hang out at the kids park, have dinner, and she assault him with tennis question after tennis question and drives the dude nuts. Of course I tell her before she goes, "Please baby beaver, please, don't tire these guys out with question after question, after question." And, these dudes always say, "Hey, lets not talk tennis today, I want a day off tennis. I am tired of tennis. Tennis, tennis and tennis." She just laughs and says no, and it's off to the races for her! And then at 5:30 papa takes her to the court to do a walk-through, play and fart around till she wants to go home, or until mama calls angry wondering why we are out so late! The funny thing with this all is the less interested we act, the more she wants to do, and it's likely because she likes it, and feels it's her's, and has taken wonderful ownership of it which is really what is beautiful about being a coach.

I am sure in his own way Don Budge managed to do this with Aaron Krickstein. I talked to him a few times about this player, and I'm sure Don Budge passed along a love for the game to the kid, which by the way must have continued to this day because the kids out on the court teaching a new generation, and from the looks of it putting in rather hard hours.

In my opinion, that's teaching. That's coaching. It's the way we do it. It's the way I think every top players has EVER done it. It's nothing new. Guys like Don Budge has done it. Even when they were young, and lacked the talent - experience they have now, the results still happened.

And as I write this my little one has just lost her second tooth, and is wondering when the tennis tooth fairy will be coming!

You want your kid to ever be able to serve? Or volley properly? Teach her grips. You want her to develope an all court game? See how that works out if she "chooses" a full western grip. No , grips are a fundamental. Do her a favor, and get her into acceptable ones.

[hockeyscout]

The grip is the conduit to the racket. All of the bio-mechanical steam that has been worked up from the sum total of the parts of the body are transferred into this implement that two contestants use to fight for control over the tennis ball. This is one of the basic principles of the sport.

I get it. However, can you explain to me why Rafa's coach, Uncle Toni could not explain the grips to Pam Shriver in an interview. Perhaps he figured out on his own what would work?

Every shot must have a conscious attempt behind it intellectually in order to implement tactics via control of the tennis ball. The process of implementing tactics is done with a combination of spin, speed and placement to the tennis ball. All of these characteristics will be strongly influenced by the way that the hand holds the racquet.

True. However, the kinetic chain (athletic base) gets you to position to implement whatever you want to do. Tennis is all about getting to the ball under control. Once that is done, then EVERYTHING will fall into place. Running and movement is a science. It's the first.

Your choice of grips is going to be a overwhelming factor in determining the sum total of your strengths and weaknesses that is the chain of an individuals tennis game. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link as my dear old coach, teacher and mentor Sherman Collins used to say. Any worthy tennis player that is a true student of the game learns how to exploit his opponents game base on their knowledge of grips and tendencies to hit any given ball at any given point in a tennis match. This knowledge is not to be underestimated nor is it readily available any longer. The game today is being played in a vacuum of one dimensional players playing on a generic tennis surface that has encouraged a sameness in play from one and all.

Exactly. Grips are one of many things you need. This is why it is important for players to be self educated, and spend a lot of time playing with every grip possible. I could not agree with you more. And, the last thing a tennis player needs though is a coach forcing them into something when they need to play, play, invent and test.

You see...hockeyscout tennis is different from all of these other sports that you listed here...all fine endeavors by the way. But the thing...tennis is not only a physical proposition but an intellectual one as well. You are matching wits with one other opponent. It is only one on one. Like some sort of chess and martial arts contest wrapped up in one. Somebody had to show the "Karate Kid" how to "wax on and wax off".

Sport is sport. Basketball is one versus five, one versus four, one versus three, one versus two, and one versus one, and it goes in the other direction as well. So is hockey. At the end of the day you do need to answer to one person, you. And sport is one on one, in any sport you always have one last opponent to beat. My observation is this, tennis people always think their sport is so unique, and my lord, it LIMITS THEM in such a big way. When hockey coaches came to the realization we weren't special or unique, the sport took off in a big way and you can thank the all-around Russian sportsmen of the 1970's for this in a big way. It amazes me tennis coaches aren't present at running, baseball, golf, basketball and hockey conferences. I had a tennis coach tell my wife, "tennis running is very unique." Christ, she's a world class running - movement coach, and he's telling her tennis running is unique? Really? I kind of had to laugh. I never fully grasped how much better you can make the hands work, by understanding the science of movement. I understood it, but, wow, were Olympic running principals ever scientific. It's almost like tennis is in their own little world, and fine, however, I'm not sure that's the best way to truly develop an all-around game.

[hockeyscout]

The training to hit all of the various shots takes long enough to do it without trying to figure it out on your own...especially when you have other things to learn like tying your shoes...and the rest of it.

Check out my latest post, I've kind of developed a grid, checklist to make sure their's some order to practice. NFL receivers and chess people use such a grid, and religiously practice routes. As well martial arts people use the grid and triangle, so that can be incorporated into tennis. I haven't seen it in tennis just yet, although I probably just haven't seen the right coach in action in Canada, Russia, Crimea or the Ukraine.

The grips of the tennis racket is such an interesting study...you would just love to have a tennis equivalent of Merlin in your corner advising you along the way. Instructing you. Should you be lucky enough to find such a wizard. Hitting partners are one thing...a true expert or true student of the game is quite another.

Wow, Merlin. Cool. Are you discussing the typical description of this character when he appeared initially in Geoffrey of Monmouth's? But, again, the athlete needs to be self developed into the true master. Think about it, Ali and Borg invented new things. No coach taught it to them? Everyone hated Borg's grips, and he said the hell with you all, let the so called teachers learn from me. I imagine Ali and Borg thought differently. They could extrapolate. They could run with any idea, good or bad, and make it great.

The grip of the tennis racquet is a science. A bit of a weird science at that. As Jack Kramer suggests...in the end it will be up to the player to decide. But how on earth is a child or anyone else going to figure out this vast metaphysical challenge without studying it. Well ok...enough said.

Yes, it is a science. And the athlete will figure it out. All the great ones have. Back in the day Bill Tilden figured it all out. If he can do, so can the next generation. I never underestimate the ability of a young mind to see things we don't see. Study it, yes, fine, however, it's important to reinvent it and make it your own.

I admire your independent spirit. Obviously it took a lot of courage and moxy to put yourself in the position that you are in now. But tennis is so unique...as is golf...that in all my years of sports play have only made me realize how unique and special it really is.

Independent spirit? Courage. Moxy. Come on, this is how it is done. It's important sometimes to man up, be your own person, and people don't like it, well that's their perogitive right? It's the way they want to live and see the world. But, I got to say nothing drives me more nuts than someone saying tennis is unique. It just isn't the truth. Nothing is! So many elements of the game can be improved if you'd rid yourself of limiting beliefs. Anyways, its great in a way I guess, I am stupid about tennis, and I have no such obstacles in my path I can't really see my ignorance being much of a liability long term as I always have nice people pointing out to me how stupid I am which is great! Gets dialogue started, and learn you how passionate people really are about their beliefs, and how engaged they are about the game. It's interesting, you know reactions, and it is interesting to see how well people can back up what they claim to know. This is how you get better. Seperate the wheat from the chaff

If I had a child...and I don't...I would probably like to pattern myself after Dr. Herbert Krickstein. Besides being one of the leading pathologists in his field his knack for producing world class athletes is remarkable. Each of his children were very accomplished in at least one sport. He also had a big hand in the development of Morgan Pressel who like Aaron, was a prodigy in her sport of golf. I gave Herb a copy of Bill Tilden's "How to Play Better Tennis...a fundamental guide to tennis technique and tactics" back in 1981 or thereabouts. Right before Aaron shipped off and was handed to Nick Bolletierri in Florida who admittedly knows little about tennis grips.

I disagree, I think Nick Bolletierri knows a hell of a lot right now about grips. Right now. He's maybe to smart for his own good, and not using his great instincts like he once did! He's created a hell of a world class training environment. However, he may have been a better coach in 1981 to 1987 because he was naive, and let players be players. Tommy Haas lived at his house, today that kind of interaction would never happen. It was mom and papa. Today, that isn't the case. One mustn't forget their roots, and what made them successful in the first place. As coaches we sometimes focus to much on the technical, and forget the person, and getting to know them as individuals, and understanding them on a human friendship level, and of course the results are not as positive!

Looking back sometimes I think it was rather ironic that the Krickstein's didn't go with someone a bit more politically correct to hang and look after their million dollar boy. To most...I probably appeared to be somewhat "edgey" and from the wrong side of the tracks. I admit...I was running in the outside lane.

This is what I am telling you right. Krickstein by the way made a good choice - he found a guy who loved the game. You showed passion for it. The rest didn't matter to much did it? You know what, 30 years later you are still at it, going to seminars, posting here at all hours of the night and the rest of the your fellow coaches aren't even in the game anymore. Isn't it obvious to you why he picked you? Great players didn't fall off the back of a turnip truck my friend! So, Don Budge, you did great, you had the love of the sport, and your talents were recognized by an industry leader which isn't something that happens to just anyone.

The Krickstein's made me a member of their family...I will never forget them. All of 'em.

Interesting. That's smart development. I sense they got a lot of mileage out of you, learned a lot and motivated you to be an even better coach. I'd bet you performed at a higher as a coach because they took an interest in you, your life, your passions, hobby's and spent time getting to know you away from the court. And you did the same with them, and it was a perfect storm.

But perhaps there was some method in the madness

What madness? The people who were mad were the people who were not doing what Mister Krickstein did. He must have thought their beliefs were right out of left field. And guess what, he was right.

An interesting side note is that Aaron's forehand grip at 10 years old was so radical for the time...but nobody encouraged him to change it. It was his strength.

This is what I am saying. He was his own man, and he came up with something radical.

But at the same time his serve was never what it needed to be. He had a wonderful career...but I have a question. If he had learned a proper service motion might he not have been even better? I think you know what my answer is. My answer is...a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Maybe that was the best service motion god ever gave him? Maybe he was a great 99 percenter, but lacked that extra one percent needed to get over the top, and identify what needed to be done. Anyways, top 10 in any sport is pretty unbelievable. You will never hear someone critique the # 10 hockey player in the world, like you will the # 10 tennis player. It sure is tough to get to that level, and the kid did wonderfully getting to where he got. Their is no way he is beating Sampras who god gifted with a perfect genetic arm (double joints and a magic NFL QB rotator cuff. God works in funny ways with athletes, he gifts them with strengths, and puts in a major black hole weakness just to have some fun I think, and the athlete has to adapt by maybe, developing a forehand that is ten years ahead of his time, or tremendous stopping and starting like Agassi to make up for his lack of size and stride range. It all evens out, and the best athletes have great instincts. Even when it comes to picking the right mentor, and a certain point in their pathway to the big-leagues.

Anyhow, great post. I am not quite sure what we are arguing about, cause in a round-about way you kind of said the same things I said?

[hockeyscout]

You want your kid to ever be able to serve? Or volley properly? Teach her grips. You want her to develop an all court game? See how that works out if she "chooses" a full western grip. No, grips are a fundamental. Do her a favor, and get her into acceptable ones.

I think people are missing my point. Yes, grips are important. However, it's the kids grip, not the coaches who should be deciding grips. Again, it's all experimentation. Try everything. Learn through trial and error what feels right. Who knows what will work, and what won't?

Why is their such a need to control an athlete instead of letting them sort it out for themselves?

Borg's technique was radical for his time. He like so many others did what he did, and bucked the conventional system. Instructors hated it. Commentators were snide in their remarks about his grips. Inside out forehands, hitting the ball on the rise, topspin forehand and everything else in the game were athlete driven, and new.

Somewhere out their someone will come up with something new that everyone hates, and when they win it will suddenly become the next.

Robert Lansdorf's article on Sampras developing a reverse was an eye opener, a tennis coach saw an anomaly, listened to his student and creatively developed a shot that took his player a long way.

A lot of coaches would not "have gone with the flow" in that instance, and the player would not have developed into one of the greats without that skill-set shot in the bag.

I don't know about the rest of you, but god, I don't think a lot of kids are really having fun at the tennis courts they should because the coaches now are so darned smart, overly technical and insanely over-trained.

USA Tennis had it's heyday in years when their wasn't so much education, and more experimentation. Now we're in a race to impress everyone with our fancy jargon and new age methodology, and we've completely killed innovation and creativeness which are the hall marks of the old generation like Tilden, Sampras, Pancho and others.

[10splayer]

Well you definately have Lansdorp wrong. He's probably, in the technical and fundamentals sense, the most demanding coach that ever walked the earth.

He'll have kids hitting the same shots for hrs, until perfection, and has always been an advocate for good grips.....

He would be the last person, to subscribe to the notion "let kids hit however they want". In fact, it would be funny to hear his response to this notion.

As far as the Sampras example is concerned, yeah, like any good coach, they are inclined to allow variations as they see fit, after sound fundamentals are established.

You want your daughter to develope an all court game, and have some future autonomy in style, good grips are the foundation for making that possible. Poor grips lead to severe limitations.