I'd like to see an article on body fly shots.

[GeoffWilliams]

The next time you see a pro match, watch how many great shots they hit while stationary, that is, not flying into the shot with their whole body, as so many guys do now. Not many. Almost all of them have perfected the body fly shot. More mass moving forwards into the shot equals more pace, more everything, but a comparative filmed study would prove it at slo mo. Us old timers were taught to hit from a steady stationary position. Body fly shots were frowned upon.

[don_budge]

Simply put...

The next time you see a pro match, watch how many great shots they hit while stationary, that is, not flying into the shot with their whole body, as so many guys do now. Not many. Almost all of them have perfected the body fly shot. More mass moving forwards into the shot equals more pace, more everything, but a comparative filmed study would prove it at slo mo. Us old timers were taught to hit from a steady stationary position. Body fly shots were frowned upon.

Bigger racquets encourage wilder motions with more margin for error because of more area to miss or hit with. Put a Dunlop Maxply Fort in any of their hands and we'll just see how many "body fly shots" in conjunction with their "ATP flipping forehands" they pull off compared to stratospheric misses rocketing off into parts unknown.

I would like to see that same article use the same players hitting "body fly shots" use an old Dunlop Maxply Fort racquet strung with your basic VS gut also...just to compare the results. You know...just for the bloody fun of it.

[stotty]

The wooden question

Bigger racquets encourage wilder motions with more margin for error because of more area to miss or hit with. Put a Dunlop Maxply Fort in any of their hands and we'll just see how many "body fly shots" in conjunction with their "ATP flipping forehands" they pull off compared to stratospheric misses rocketing off into parts unknown.

I would like to see that same article use the same players hitting "body fly shots" use an old Dunlop Maxply Fort racquet strung with your basic VS gut also...just to compare the results. You know...just for the bloody fun of it.

Now this is the really fun question for me: What would the 2014 Wimdledon Championships look like if all the entrants were made to use a wooden racket. Who would win? Would Djokovic and Nadal be able to hit their forehands with wood? Would Federer be able to do his "violent flip" with wood? Would any of the players be able to hit a volley at all with wood? Where would wood leave players like Berdych and Robo Cop...or the Jolly Green Giant?

I think this is a seriously fun question to ask. Who wins Wimbledon with wood?

[GeoffWilliams]

Marc Phillopousis was radared with his own frame and a wooden one. The wood frame got a 124mph serve. His own: 127,mph. They would not change their technique to suit the small heads and lively gut.

[stotty]

Marc Phillopousis was radared with his own frame and a wooden one. The wood frame got a 124mph serve. His own: 127,mph. They would not change their technique to suit the small heads and lively gut.

Yes, I heard about Phillopousis serving with a wooden racket. But could he do that over five sets?

Gonzales served at that speed too, keeping his feet on the ground.

But with serves we get a standing start. Like golf.

It's on the groundies and volleys where modern strokes might really get exposed. It would be interesting to see.

[gzhpcu]

Body shots? Old stuff:



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[stroke]

Marc Phillopousis was radared with his own frame and a wooden one. The wood frame got a 124mph serve. His own: 127,mph. They would not change their technique to suit the small heads and lively gut.

I remember a similar article in Tennis Magazine where they had Phillopousis serve with his own racquet vs a light "game improvement" racquet. I do not remember the exact miles per hour number with the light game improvement(sub 10 oz) racquet but it was dramatic. He could not even break 100 miles an hour with it.

[stroke]

Yes, I heard about Phillopousis serving with a wooden racket. But could he do that over five sets?

Gonzales served at that speed too, keeping his feet on the ground.

But with serves we get a standing start. Like golf.

It's on the groundies and volleys where modern strokes might really get exposed. It would be interesting to see.

Geoff would be the go to guy on this, but I believe Phillopousis played with a nearly 14 oz, nearly 400 swing weight racquet. The weight of a wood racquet was pretty much what he played with.

[klacr]

Geoff would be the go to guy on this, but I believe Phillopousis played with a nearly 14 oz, nearly 400 swing weight racquet. The weight of a wood racquet was pretty much what he played with.

Stroke,

I happen to have a bit of inside info on the weight of Mark Philippoussis racquets...since I have the same rqacquets made for me by the same racquet tech that did Mark's at Bosworth and then independently. The racquet tech (Curt Stefan) lives in Delray Beach and did an awesome job with mine. Exact specs with a Head prestige Frame. The actual weight is 380 grams with string and grip. Not 400 like is often reported. It may feel like 400 but I can tell you God's honest Truth, straight from racquet tech's mouth and my scale it's 380. It's a solid frame and I'm very happy with them but it is considerably lighter than another frame I have...a piece of memorabilia displayed proudly in my home, an old Ivan Lendl Adidas GTX-pro frame. That is a legit 16 ounces with a pigskin suede grip. I'm strong enough to maneuver it but this frame is not for the weak.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[worldsbesttenniscoach]

I am still not sure what a "body fly" shot is, as opposed to a "non-body fly shot." But I notice that pro players we see on TV today are not very good at handling wide balls that come to them.

[stroke]

Stroke,

I happen to have a bit of inside info on the weight of Mark Philippoussis racquets...since I have the same rqacquets made for me by the same racquet tech that did Mark's at Bosworth and then independently. The racquet tech (Curt Stefan) lives in Delray Beach and did an awesome job with mine. Exact specs with a Head prestige Frame. The actual weight is 380 grams with string and grip. Not 400 like is often reported. It may feel like 400 but I can tell you God's honest Truth, straight from racquet tech's mouth and my scale it's 380. It's a solid frame and I'm very happy with them but it is considerably lighter than another frame I have...a piece of memorabilia displayed proudly in my home, an old Ivan Lendl Adidas GTX-pro frame. That is a legit 16 ounces with a pigskin suede grip. I'm strong enough to maneuver it but this frame is not for the weak.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

That's good info. Tennis Warehouse has some Head Prestige racquets for sale that were speced for Phillipousssis. They are, per TW, 13.2 oz, 373 gram swingweight, unstrung. That would be in line with what you said. Those racquets strung would of course have even a higher swingweight, very heavy to swing.

[klacr]

Yes Stroke, It's a very solid stick. I have 4 of them and a few more waiting to be customized with the same. It may seem heavy at first, and maybe it is, but I use it and can swing it freely with no problem or fatigue. Then again, Being my size has its advantages.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stroke]

Yes Stroke, It's a very solid stick. I have 4 of them and a few more waiting to be customized with the same. It may seem heavy at first, and maybe it is, but I use it and can swing it freely with no problem or fatigue. Then again, Being my size has its advantages.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I use a very heavy racquet also, they just play much better to me with way less work, letting the racquet do the work. It is not so much the weight of Phillipoussis racquet I found heavy, it was that very high swing weight, which would make it feel a lot heavier.

[GeoffWilliams]

Becker played at 395g or so. Edberg at 405 or so. Sampras at 389g. Mac was up there. Tough to hit a heavy serve with a light frame. Ask Nadal about that! He's at 341g or so. Interesting that the best serve volleyers in the world were all at what would be now considered suicidal weights. Borg was at 410g. And he came in a lot at Wimbledon. I will bet that Kyle has a heavy serve!

[GeoffWilliams]

I am still not sure what a "body fly" shot is, as opposed to a "non-body fly shot." But I notice that pro players we see on TV today are not very good at handling wide balls that come to them.

Flying into the shot off the ground forward, with your weight in the air towards the shot. Dolgo does it with his two hander. All the top pros do it on their fh.