Lew Hoad backhand...

[gzhpcu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6dg52_jZ8

Love Hoad and Rosewall....

and here an old video in Spain on his serve...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tyROIbU4us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuVV2SO1F40

[stotty]

Spectacular finds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au6dg52_jZ8

Love Hoad and Rosewall....

and here an old video in Spain on his serve...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tyROIbU4us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuVV2SO1F40

Spectacular finds. I have never come across these before. I'll be studying them and contributing a few posts about these wonderful clips.

[stotty]

Lew Hoad

We learn about Lew Hoad from these short clips. It's hard to be sure where his grips sits on the backhand but it looks more continental than eastern, judging by the way the racket face lays open during the backswing.

What we do see is a dead simple stroke. I mean really simple. Why is it all the best strokes are always simple, and why is it simplicity is so hard to achieve? It looks like he hits dead flat?

You can see the foundation of Hoad's backhand developing at the age of ten here on Tennisplayer.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/champions/Ed_Atkinson/ed_atkinson_lew_hoad/ed_atkinson_lew_hoad.html

I imagine Hoad was a very strong man. There is something about him and his strokes that oozes strength, easy strength.

I think Hoad carried himself better on a tennis court than any other player who ever played the game. He's upright, shoulders back, head held high, assured and confident. Becker almost had the same were it not for his arrogance, which ruined him...made him at times unlikeable.

"There's no such thing as too much confidence, just complacency." I cannot remember who's quote that is but it's very true." Just thought I'd throw it in.

Hoad looks like a man's man, doesn't he?

His serve is lovely too. Designed to take him forwards and to the net. Since players couldn't drive up and leave the ground in Hoad's day, forward momentum must have been really important. I would love don_budge's thoughts on Lew's serve...about the weight transfer and all that forward momentum.

[tennis_chiro]

...

His serve is lovely too. Designed to take him forwards and to the net. Since players couldn't drive up and leave the ground in Hoad's day, forward momentum must have been really important. I would love don_budge's thoughts on Lew's serve...about the weight transfer and all that forward momentum.

Take a good look at his forward movement in the Davis Cup video from the early 50's vs his teaching clip in the 70's. I don't think he thrust himself forward as much as he thought he did when he was trying to teach it. The early footage shows him going up and out and somewhat forward. The teaching clip shows him trying to almost run forward. I think that was a mistake.

don

[stotty]

Forward momentum

Take a good look at his forward movement in the Davis Cup video from the early 50's vs his teaching clip in the 70's. I don't think he thrust himself forward as much as he thought he did when he was trying to teach it. The early footage shows him going up and out and somewhat forward. The teaching clip shows him trying to almost run forward. I think that was a mistake.

don

The third of Phil's clips is the one I was referring to. I see what you mean but I still don't think the drive up is anything like it is with today's players for obvious reasons. Having to keep the front foot on the ground must come at the cost of upward thrust. Forward momentum must have been what is was all about. Maybe that''s what Lew was trying to teach his student. Serves back then seemed mostly geared towards one thing only: getting to the net. I like the forward momentum of Lew's serve.

Today's servers drive upwards phenomenally and seem geared towards staying back. Players brake immediately after serving to be able to quickly retreat back behind the baseline. Look at Dolgopolov for the extreme version...leaps up what seems to be 4 feet in the air!

I am interested to know what don_budge's (and yours too...10splayer...anyone with knowledge) thoughts are on the forward momentum of Lew's served compared servers today. Lew had a very fluid motion. I often wonder what the first serve percentages were amongst top players in the 50's and 60's, and whether keeping one foot on the ground drove percentages up by comparison to today.

I think back then there seemed to be more focus on fluidity whereas these days it seems to be more about making positions.

[gzhpcu]

Stotty, did you notice that in the third clip that he is foot-faulting?

[stotty]

Stotty, did you notice that in the third clip that he is foot-faulting?

Thought I'd looked at everything but must have missed that...typical...the brain sometimes looks only where it wants to.

Well spotted...just off to look at the Kramer clip