Help Kindly Requested on Junior Player

[EdWeiss]

I would kindly request the thoughts/suggestions of the wonderful contributors to the Forum (and anyone else) on a student of mine (Don Brosseau has kindly provided some help from afar and when he was in Connecticut as well). Please do not be shy! Below is a link to a few minutes of a practice match he very recently played. He is the right-handed player. Fire away! I would only ask that you watch the full video (just a little over 4 minutes). The video is not an attempt to just show all good points (or bad ones) - it represents the student playing about his B+ game.

He is 16 years old (will be 17 next June), going into 11th grade. He is 5'7" (may eventually get to 5'9" but of course who knows for sure) and 147 pounds. Has been playing since he was a young boy. Has a reasonable New England ranking (but outside the top 30 at this point) but aspires to a much higher level. Recently he has become much more mature about his practice and training. He does a reasonable amount of off-court training and also meditates daily.

For Geoff, he plays with a Wilson Pro Staff 95BLX. Main strings: Tourna Big Hitter Blue Rough at 56 pounds. Crosses: Technefiber Synthetic Gut at 56 pounds. 4 3/8 grip. He strings his racket (he knows how to string). At this point he does not put any lead tape on the racket head.

His favorite pro player is Roger.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/thoughts. Thank you.

Here is the link:

http://youtu.be/fXjPuIW55mI

[hockeyscout]

...

[klacr]

Ed,

Thanks for this opportunity. First and foremost, what a great kid this is. He reminds me of Mikhail Youzhny.

I enjoyed the serve and volley points attempts he made. Not perfect, but you can tell he's not afraid to mix it up.

Because it's a practice match, I wonder what his true intensity level was. For a boy his age and his height, I doubt he'll grow that much more, therefore, I'd love to see him be a little more explosive and quicker on his feet. He is a smooth player but would love to see those feet move a little faster.

What kind of grip does he have on his backhand. With that video angle it's tricky to tell. Looks like a very conservative grip. Nothing wrong with that but he must be aware of his contact point. Seems a bit inconsistent to me as well as the discipline he needs to keep those shoulders turned much longer through contact. I'd love to see him use that slice backhand to great effect as well. He attempted one at the 2:10 mark and although he won the point, there is a lot more potential in that shot. I just know it. Make sure he aims a bit lower over the net. If his aim is too high like that it will have a tendency to sail (We spoke briefly on this when you visited me in Boca).

His forehand has a nice shape to it but lacks serious extension. He really needs to reach out towards his target, add some acceleration and depth to that ball.

Very simple service motion. I think his serve and contact point would benefit if toss got a bit more to the left. Contact inside hitting arm as JY talks about. Hard to tell how far into court he's tossing but would be nice to see in future.

I'd love to know the mentality of this kid. Is he an x's and o's kind of guy? What is his game plan each and every point. Does he think about that or just improvise?

I'd like others to chime in as well. Let's all help this kid and a fellow contributor Ed Weiss as well.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Head Size:
95 sq. in. / 612.9 sq. cm.
Length: 27in / 68.58cm
Strung Weight: 11.5oz / 326.02g
Balance: 7 pts HL
Swingweight: 306
Stiffness: 62
Beam Width: 18mm / 18mm / 18mm /
Composition: Basalt
Power Level: Low
Stroke Style: Full
Swing Speed: Fast
Racquet Colors:
White/Red/Gold/Black
Grip Type: Wilson Pro Hybrid
String Pattern:
16 Mains / 19 Crosses
Mains skip: 7H 9H 7T 9T
One Piece
No Shared Holes
String Tension: 50-60 pounds

Have him try out T1 firewire 17g 1.25mm/poly star energy 1.25mm cross. T1 fw also comes in 1.20mm (more spin less durability) and 1.30mm (more durabilitiy less spin) http://www.tieronesports-usa.com/ten...wire-sets.html Basalt is a low powered material, even at an RA of 62. (RA means racquet analysis, just a stiffness rating.) 7pts hl, means: the mid point of the frame: 13.5": balance point is towards the handle (Hl) by 7/8" at 12.65" up from the handle, is neutral balance. Try tightening the first top three crosses a little more and also loosening them a little more with two different string jobs, with the same hbyrid. Needs to switch to a 98 or 100 sq. in frame, to a more powerful frame, with silicone in handle, and lead on hoop for more plow through. He's not dynamic enough. NO body fly shots into the ball, and lazy feet. Serve: no jump, no drive into the ground, no chest roll/coil. Back hand: his semi eastern old school grip will hold him back, as his will make too many ues when he goes to blast it. Does not fully extend on bh slices, so they lay up too much. No volley discipline. Does not get sideways fast enough. Does not use his non dom. arm on his fh to load up. HIs head moves too much during his shot contacts. HIs hitting foot (back heel) on his bh raises up too early. Does not use the ground on his shots, to load up, and deliver deadly energy into his shot. Lackadaisical attitude with some moping on ues. Will never rise higher until he increases his aggression index: see previous post I made on that. He also ran around his fh on a return to hit a bh. Returns are not aggressive, nor are his groundstrokes. Even with all its bad points, his serve is his biggest weapon. Not pronating, lagging racquet drop on leg drive, not getting under his elbow, elbow too low, no hand speed on serve. His overall problem: dynamic coil/ aggression index/body fly lack.

If he insists on sticking with bhbr, have him use nrg2 as a cross for it, and then see how his volley improves. T1 fw is much better at tension loss and pocketing and is equal in spin production, better at slice than any string but bhb7.

If he stays with his set up, he will always be under powered, a junior push type.. Does he want to be just a grinder who can't hit heavy balls?

No ankle braces, which will help at cutting faster, prevent roll overs, and increase foot speed. Split step is too low and non relevant.

I'd like to see the frame makers create a composite, part ceramic, part basalt, part graphite, part aluminum, that has a "clink" feel, like a high pitched, high controlled feel, part ceramic/aluminum etc. and the string makers to match: a copoly mixed with metal fibers to create a high pitched clink. Like the feel or sound of a metal ball bouncing on concrete, but softer, yet still high pitched.

[EdWeiss]

Thanks

Thanks so very much hockeyscout, Kyle and Geoff. Tomorrow I will respond in detail to your questions as well as my questions (and a few thoughts) on your points. But I did want to cover two items in this post. First, I greatly appreciate your input as does the student (he is a bright cerebral kid). I am a volunteer coach (my full time job is a lawyer) and appreciate all the help I can get. I know in my business (law firm), the product is always better when you get other people's input. Of course, it is up to the coach to distill that input into things the student can work on/use, but it is so valuable to get the input of folks with different expertise. You can not be a silo. This student wants to to do better (and I think has the feel for the ball and athletic skills to do better) and I am trying to do what I can to help and certainly realize I do not have all the answers. Second, as to hockeyscout's point that this may the first example of a junior trying to use the knowledge base of the forum, perhaps some coaches or players are hesitant to put the student on public view as the student's blemishes are out there for everyone to see. But I can say it is kind of liberating once you take the step and I encourage others to do it as well.

As I said, I will be back tomorrow with answers to your questions and may own questions and thoughts on your points. THANKS AGAIN!

[stotty]

Ed

Thanks for posting your student. I've done the same in the past and found it most helpful. Sometimes others see things you don't, sometimes you just get confirmed what you knew already. Either way it can be an education.

I wonder if you have a slow motion view of his serve? The serve worries me. He has minimal kickback at times. The elbow looks a little low and there is something going on near to the contact point that doesn't look right. From the angle the clip is shot from it's hard to fathom where the problem lies. A side view would be nice to see as well as one directly behind him.

He seems happy to stroke serves in and see what happens...lets the game come to him. He doesn't seem to want to make things happen or be assertive. Andy Murray was the same as a junior. I do like his feel and ball control which leads me to think he will get better with your good guidance.

I don't think he works quite hard enough in rallies. His footwork and recovery could be busier. I detect a hint of laziness here and there at times? He needs to assert himself more that's for sure. Like Becker or Hoad...he needs to go out like he owns the court.

I like the way he stands up to the higher backhands...nice. There seems little between his forehand and backhand from the clip, and he seems happy to take the ball on either wing. On at least one occasion he opted for a backhand off a ball coming in centrally. Which does he regard as his stronger or more secure wing?

Overall I am impressed. It would be great to know more about him and see his serve from a better angle.

[hockeyscout]

...

[hockeyscout]

...

[GeoffWilliams]

The T1 firewire/poly star energy hybrid pockets like no other. The bhbr/nrg2 hybrid is very good for volley feel and touch. Wow. That's some post by Hock. Hockey was my best sport, above tennis. Deadly checking. Interesting that Klacr and I are such violent types!

Murray, Djokovic, wawrinka, isner, many other top players, etc., all use ankle braces, for a damn good reason. No matter how strong your ankles are, they still need protection playing tennis, esp. on clay. They don't hurt, they help.

[klacr]

The T1 firewire/poly star energy hybrid pockets like no other. The bhbr/nrg2 hybrid is very good for volley feel and touch. Wow. That's some post by Hock. Hockey was my best sport, above tennis. Deadly checking. Interesting that Klacr and I are such violent types!

Murray, Djokovic, wawrinka, isner, many other top players, etc., all use ankle braces, for a damn good reason. No matter how strong your ankles are, they still need protection playing tennis, esp. on clay. They don't hurt, they help.

I wouldn't say I'm a violent type. Anyone who has met me would probably say I don't seem violent. Intimidating? Yes. Crazy? A little bit. But not violent. It's the pain threshold and tolerance I enjoy. The suffering. The one on one aspect.

Back to Ed Weiss' young student.

Hockeyscout has a lot of info. All fair and relevant.

I think all coaches and teachers on here are salivating at the prospect of seeing a new gem. A different face. A break the redundancy of our own students we see every day. Never a bad thing but it is always a treat.

If you have any more video from any different angles please share. Would love to see more of that serve. Something is a bit off. When I give lessons on serve in person, I always walk around student and see it from every angle before I think about making any adjustments.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[GeoffWilliams]

Anybody ever go into an mma ring and not think it's violent? Or a hockey game?

[EdWeiss]

Great Posts

To Kyle, Geoff, Stotty, and hockeyscout, your feedback is just great. Hockeyscout, that was a wonderful summary and thanks for having your wife give her input as well. We took more films this evening. Should be available tomorrow. We filmed:
1) forehand - working on extension and using more of his body. Interestingly, he was not comfortable with it and said he had trouble controlling it. Whether that was due to trying something different or some of the issues hockeyscout, I am not sure.
2) slice backhand using Geoff's idea of extension and Kyle's idea of aiming lower over the net. The slices definitively had more "legs" on them.
3) some volleying to show more on his volley technique.
4) Student performing the hockeyscout drill of getting himself into position not using a racket and taking a swing with his hand as the ball passes by him.
5) Serves - both first and second from the side and back angle. The student worked on trying to push off the ground and be more dynamic and also use the kickback. There will slow motion footage.

On Kyle's question as to how much he plans out his points, here is his response:

"When serving I think about where I want to place it and sometimes I think about where I will place the second shot but do not plan out the point beyond that. On return all I think about is to keep the return deep. Otherwise I improvise."

The student is a perfectionist and has had trouble dealing with the frustrations of tennis particularly his unforced errors. Can get pretty down when he loses matches; but that is usually when he thinks he played poorly. If he plays well but loses he deals with it okay. As you can see, he can get negative when he makes unforced errors. He is a very private person (so I think it was great he was willing to have the video posted). Very bright, good student at a hard school. Loves the NBA. He is good at imitating strokes of the pro players.


His Mom skied for a Italy internationally and his Mom's sister skied for Italy in the Olympics. So some athletic genes in the family!


Geoff, I am having the student look at your suggestions and will get back to you with any questions. Thanks for taking the time to give your valuable insights.

Hockeyscout - we will look into finding coaches from those different disciplines. Not sure how we will know who the good ones are but we will try.

Hockeyscout - could you provide more detail on what you believe is the correct foot positioning and use of the body when setting up to hit the shot and when recovering? Any particular footage you can provide?

Thanks again and I will hopefully be able to send the video by tomorrow.

Best, Ed Weiss

[GeoffWilliams]

When you tell him that when he shows negative emotions, it only helps his opponent, he will stop. Slice cannot lay up, unless you want to give a big hitter too much time, all others will then put you on the defense. The old timers were big on bh volleys, because they extended all the way out, like chopping wood backhanded. I've served with my back hand in matches, just to shock the opponent. (Hit an ace once.)

If he wants to be a good student, he has to schedule time: 3-5, 7-9 to study every night, and the same goes with tennis. Write in the 1" margins, questions he thinks will be asked, underline important things in the books with a yellow high lighter, feel out what the teacher thinks is important and treat them with respect. Thank them for helping him, just as he would thank a practice partner, even when the partner is not as good as he is! It's called gratitude and class. Not brown nosing, as so many will tell him.

[klacr]

Anybody ever go into an mma ring and not think it's violent? Or a hockey game?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[hockeyscout]

...