Short Angle: A Tennis Book, Simon and Schuster 2016, 504 Pages

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Way Way Out Front

You can do whatever you want so long as you have the talent.-- Jim Kacian, Winchester, Virginia haiku poetry editor and teaching pro

Way out front.-- Sebastien Foka, Detroit pro teaching short angle to Michelle Snyder, who crosses the Canadian border for her continuing lessons with him.

In a sense of course each tennis stroke is a haiku poem, brief and effective.

And Sebastien is far from the first or last teaching pro to tell a tennis student to hit out front.

As Michelle at a garden party was demonstrating just where Sebastien was having her make contact for her short angle, however, I saw that it was WAY WAY WAY OUT FRONT.

So how can I screw up such simple and effective advice? As the host of a dinner party explained to the other guests the night before the other party, "He intellectualizes tennis strokes."

"Yes," I said. "I spoil tennis strokes."

Well, this weekend has been very social, and today at noon another couple is taking us to a Detroit Tigers baseball game to see in action the shortstop Jose Iglesias.

So what about my current technical ideas? Are they to prove counter-effective? Not if I have the talent.

I see a confluence of choice arising from straight arm palm down preparation to the side. After half-mondoeing at forearm (racket tip laying down with wrist remaining straight) I can:

1) brush up from loaded shoulder twist (internal arm rotation)

2) brush up from loaded forearm (pronation) which will create vertical lift that is more unalloyed with change of direction

3) brush up from both for best direction and racket head speed.

I do not want the easy answer.

Also, as the non-host of a popular home improvement show I see the possibility of more snap down here through starting core rotation to hit the shot while straight arm is still gliding out to side.

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Progression

Also, as the non-host of a popular home improvement show I see the possibility of more snap down here through starting core rotation to hit the shot while straight arm is still gliding out to side.

When I got around to actually trying this, I didn't like it. But I want to give one last shake to the concept by holding on to racket with opposite hand, stepping with outside foot toward net rather than splaying as in a standard unit turn, winding shoulders from the gut, lifting elbow and possibly lifting it more after the hands finally separate (with all of this SIM).

I might go two different directions from there since this thread is about exploration: 1) Follow prescription for "The Iglesias" as described in A New Year's Serve, keep elbow bent while sending it down close to body and then crank it the other way through contact after which the whole arm straightens in a non-muscular way from the acceleration in hitting area of the stroke. 2) Reverse shoulders through "squishing a bug" with outside foot as arm straightens rather much forward and sideward in contrast to rear emphasis strokes.

Also, I want to fool with forearm while never killing the IHR (internal humeral rotation) option. The direction all the experiments have led me is to tentatively
brush upward from forearm with wrist very straight. The IHR for spin is just for powerful shots into the court, I have told myself, but the possibility always remains for changing one's mind.

Since I usually write before I give some shot a trial, I haven't yet done either of the numbered items up above. There is a good chance I won't like them and will return to simply laying out the arm sideways/forward with closed racket face before switching any energy in a different direction.

Yesterday, one of the other senior players became intrigued with my short angle and wanted to know how I succeeded in hitting it so sharply as a service return winner from the deuce court. So I told him how I hit it (yesterday). Then he tried my instruction but couldn't remember the preparation. Then I hit three winners with it, all service returns, in a row.

Then he (Bob Wrosch on the opposite side of the net) said, "Okay, so now you have that stroke down. So stop hitting it."

I actually tried some other service returns before attempting another S.A. (I guess my partner was muffing all of his returns or I wouldn't have gotten to experiment so much.) Well, I missed the S.A., and three out of four is not good enough for "The Pro Shot," so it was back to the drawing board followed by a self-feed session late in the afternoon.

Another thing I want to try is pronation (that means from forearm) combined with unified laying back or up of the wrist as in 1960 era beginner's feather in shell-boat racing. I have tried that with other strokes but scooped the ball. In this situation it might work. Only one way to find out. In any case, oarsmen and oarswomen nowadays feather less that way and start out using fingers more because their two hands are far apart. In the 1960 Olympic Trials we rowed with our two hands three fingers apart which created a different angle of feathering arm to the oar.

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Preferences and Intentions Change

Today I'll think about infield throws to first in baseball. The elbow goes up then up a little more but always stays at right angles to the shoulders line.

Bent arm accelerates down as if to scale a rock-- a good time for a mondo (flip) in which the forearm and shoulder wind the racket tip down and the wrist lays back (SIM).

In old men's carousel one serves for a game (1). Then one plays ad court for a game (2). Then one plays opposite deuce court for a game (3). Then one plays opposite ad court for a game (4).

Any forehand I hit in (1), (2) and (4) today will be slingshotted from the shoulder. The elbow will briefly lead the hand. The hand will briefly lead the elbow having accelerated strings through contact. The arm will relax straight after the hit.

And the wrist will have laid back as part of the mondo (the flip).

In (3) however the wrist will stay straight for all parts of the stroke. Added roll will derive from the forearm to produce a SA (short angle).

In (3) if server serves to the forehand he will get a step from the outside foot and a short angle in reply every time.

Note: The right-hander should keep left foot anchored flat and squish a bug with his right forefoot every time.

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Tired of Hitting Ball Too Much into Court?

Go down with racket straightening arm and closing strings to LEFT of your body.

Then roll the racket sideways parallel to the court. This is a belated backswing, I mean sideswing.

Slam upward.

I do ask:

.Was there arm lift to the ball (abduction)?

.Was there forearm roll to add to the abduction?

.Was there roll from the humerus to sharpen the angle before the forearm brush blended in?

In any case there were three beats to the arm work: 1) straighten arm, 2) open racket to the right, 3) administer pure topspin to the ball.

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Five Repetitions: No More

Then roll the racket sideways parallel to the court. This is a belated backswing, I mean sideswing.

Slam upward.

In any case there were three beats to the arm work: 1) straighten arm, 2) open racket to the right, 3) administer pure topspin to the ball.

Why would anybody in his or her right mind roll a racket where she didn't have to? On the foreswing, it seems to me, strings open the farther they get away from the body. Conversely, on the backswing, they close the farther they get away from the body. And the term "backswing" is too important in both golf and tennis to abandon it now that we are fooling around with forward emphasis short angles.

So I'm all for calling a backswing a backswing even when it occurs netside-- got that, reader?

It seems to me that from a high slightly cheated over neutral waiting position one can very naturally drop racket to close to the body through straightening both elbows.

I'm for stepping with outside foot and coiling body at the same time. (Won't be much of a coil but so what.)

And now I'm for drawing a short straight line somewhat into the court. Think of the bottom leg of an isosceles triangle if you must. Actually, a straight line cannot happen off of any pendulous movement from the shoulder. The racket can go around your body or it can go up from your body, a short amount in this case. And when it goes up, it will naturally close, so why close it any other way? (Coincidentally, the racket will be better aimed at the acute short angle target.)

Now racket goes up the long diagonal of an isosceles triangle. That's abduction. Call the police! Take the next hypoteneuse to Betelgoose.

If you want to roll from shoulder a little now, that would be all right, the police wouldn't care, but in many cases you won't need to do that.

Just before you get to the ball roll racket from the forearm.

Five repetitions in self-feed and you are ready to play.

Leave 10,000 reps and hours and miles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYmiffPMUho) to Malcolm Gladwell-- he can have them. He loved the smooth feel of the number 10,000 because of the advertising man in him. And his mom, the novelist Jamaica Kincaid, knew something about advertising-- isn't the first name she invented for herself evidence of that? And his pop, William Shawn, was editor of The New Yorker Magazine, so he knew something about advertising too.

Matthew Syed, the former ping-pong champion of Great Britain, attributes his failure to return Michael Stich's serve (with great personal danger to himself) to the 10,000 rule.

Syed was trying out a new ping-pong shot to return Stich's serve.

Failure to have put in 10,000 repetitions is one interpretation of Syed's tennis service return bobbles, but another is that his invention wasn't good enough.

Anyway, I recommend five repetitions and no more, and then procession to a next of 10,000 experiments should that be necessary.

Note: Extending both arms may be useful in finding the most natural fall point, but if one is in the habit of keeping opposite arm high for pointing across on any forehand I see no reason now to change that. However, one will be pointing across at net rather than at a side fence. And just the hitting arm will be the one that straightens from the elbow.

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How The Racket Closes

1) The arm straightens. That naturally closes the racket as the teaching pro and neuroscientist Ray Brown pointed out.

2) The arm rises on a slight angle forward from the body that naturally closes the racket.

I see 1) and 2) as beats. Third beat 3) is lift of the arm and scrape of the ball and whatever the followthrough.

Remember, however, a very unique thing about this stroke-- straightness of the wrist even with a Federer-like forehand grip.

The feel of 3) has to be weird at first. To simulate it make a vertical fist. Now separate the thumb and forefinger. Can you imagine starting your upward swing with the yoke of your hand that way? A bit like ice cream cone toss for a serve with the opposite hand (not the only way to toss for a serve but one of the good ones).

Racket clearly is closed in this scheme but naturally opens a little when you roll from the forearm-- or if you disagree with that at least makes a vertical incision in the air compared to rolling over contact with internal rotation from the humerus.

To get pitch right, you may or may not roll humerus in its socket. If you do that, I submit, you should do so before contact and just use the forearm for contact.

The degree of pure topspin required in this shot is difficult for a recreational player. It comes and goes on different days which is part of the reason that one needs so much persistence.

As Katharine Hepburn used to say, "You can do it!"

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Reality of the New Stroke

Five reps in self-feed then ready to implement. Oh sure. That's bravado, Bottle. But haven't done ANY self-feed yet, not a single try.

Did attempt one of these reverse emphasis shots in the carousel. Failed. Reverted to power returns.

Saying "One-two-three" is certainly no good. But saying "This shot is going to be struck in a two to one ratio" might, will have to see.

Should be honest in saying that these short angles are forehand service returns by a right-handed player in the deuce court. (That should help to define them.)

Another interesting aspect is that through habit we right-handers prepare our forehands around to our right.

I'm preparing a shot that starts to prepare to left as if I'm intending to land my shot on my own side of the net. Why not adjust from that benchmark rather than from way around to my right which means I must then rather improbably unblock the shot.

Two to one ratio then, stepping with right foot, using left arm to turn body against that step, dropping the racket to straighten the arm and then pendulumming it somewhat out from the body.

That is description of down and up pendulum like John McEnroe's forehand backswing only out front this time and with a stronger or more extreme grip despite straight wrist.

If have to close racket more by natural bottom of the arm straightening, use more grip. Move bent thumb over. Pull out all the stops. This shot, when successful almost all the time, will be worth every bit of effort you ever put into refining it.

Motto for short angle: 10,000 different strokes to find the best one.

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Self-Feed

More grip means less pendulum-like motion to front and more abduction (lifting of the arm) before the forearm pronation provides its scrape.

Because of the increased verticality of this lift and scrape, "squishing a bug" becomes more and more important.

Squishing a bug or rotating heel up is essential on all grounded forehands whatever the initial direction of backswing. Front or inside foot in this case remains flat on court thus creating a special breed of balanced and precise hips turn.

Here in this soft and delicate shot the bug squish provides the minimal heft that takes the shot sufficient distance to clear the net then drop thanks to topspin.

Note on writing in first sentence: Possessive its never splits.

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I Pay for These Experiments in Long Range Planning

How? Through reduced performance of course. I have to go out to a court and self-feed all over again just when I was ready to employ the new shot.

Timing of the acutely crosscourt short angle now seems paramount.

Three time units for me-- that is the exigency I have reached.

I'll play today (unless it rains), might not be able to hit a single one of these forehand service returns from the deuce court, will have to do well in other ways if do well I do.

Macht nichts. Here is the deal. First unit: arm straightens down from the elbow coincident with step of outside foot. Second unit: arm continues down from the shoulder. Third unit: Lift and brush and follow through.

Carefully aimed and stark and different, no?

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Short or Long Arm?

I tried long arm with regard to my FHSR short angles for a while and now wish to go with a bent arm construction that reminds me of choking up on the bat for extra control in baseball.

My commitment to experiment however does not preclude certain commonalities that have developed for all of these SA's: 1) straight wrist, 2) early step with outside foot, 3) freedom to use any grip at all.

In production, I am roughly two self-feed sessions away from successful service returns in top level doubles.

While top level doubles for you, reader, may occur at a higher or lower level than for me, that is a subject I hardly have time to fuss about.

To hit the new shot I shall keep left hand on the racket throat for longer than I have been doing. Early step with right foot however abbreviates forehand pivot. Sobeit. Abbreviation is desirable here.

To make the self-feed work after demolishing of a shed last night, I needed to lead the body turn with elbow, closing the racket head thus temporizing it-- otherwise I hit the ball too high.

Ridiculous. To follow the Stan Smith dictum to play with the shot one practiced, any "pro shot" SA I attempt in carousel today I may or may not temporize that way.

Did I hold my serve? Did I then help my new partner hold his? If so in both cases my ego can afford loss of the next game. I won't lead with elbow then but will do something I haven't tried in self-feed yet, viz., turn the hitting hand over the handle to the right while holding racket steady with left hand and do this preferably even before the early step.

How far will I turn the hand over? Far enough to control the shot. If I failed to hit a clear winner or forcing shot or hit the ball out of bounds or into the net, I'll need a different grip next time.

A rather likely problem is too much body stiffness from all the abbreviation. To counter that I insist on raising left heel as I step out. This is why I am going to think of this shot as a "reverse forehand" even though others have found different meaning for that expression. Weight gets on front foot. Then it shifts to rear foot. The rear heel goes up while the front heel is flat against the court. The two heels then reverse as in a J. Donald Budge serve. Energy must burble up in a forehand. Success starts in the feet.

The shift of weight from right to left foot however shall have a specific function-- to activate mondo.

The wrist shall not lay back but the forearm shall wind down.

Hopefully the winding forearm will load the shoulder. The shoulder should then rotate the strings up.

Since I consider this acute shot something in pocket billards more than in normal tennis, I'll use Mosconi-Hoppe aim tricks on the cue-ball-- a point one cue tip's width to left of center (and upward) for backswing, a point one cue tip's width to right of center (and downward) for actual contact. Hand can be level with or even higher than the ball but one can still use John M. Barnaby's urging of a young kid to "hit the ball right in the seat of the pants." Specifically here in right seat of the pants.

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Big Revision

At the risk of getting ahead of myself, I assert that some of my ideas on short angle are about to change thanks to my adoption of a backdoor way of achieving the seminal position in the Gordon-Yandell-Macci ATP3 forehand.

That position, I argue, does not look like the end of a halfback's sideways straight-arm in American football but rather like horizontal strings with racket tip pointed toward the net.

A big constant in my game (as in anyone's game) is my waiting postion in between strokes. Mine is slightly cheated and elevated to left thus setting up all backhand slices and drives.

Racket is not parallel to court but rather is on a slant.

From there, to hit a basic forehand, I shall key the racket down to level but keep going to meld that gravitational force into straightening of the arm.

There may or may not be pulling around of the whole arm at the same time.

There definitely is full if measured (i.e., smooth) turning around of the body at the same time.

To transform this basic shot into the sharply angled topspin put-a-way I want I change the grip slightly to the right of Federer and step with right foot and keep wrist straight.

Note: Federian grip combined with setting of elbow as function of the "keying down" means that arm extension in normal cases takes racket head back level and far enough.

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Hips Impel the Intricate Arm Work in This Shot

Twist arm counterclockwise as it straightens at its original high level simultaneous with body turn and step of outside foot.

Reverse hips directly from wind-up of hips.

This is two, not the usual three beats.

Prolong therefore beat one and beat two, i.e., take it easy so as not to be ahead or behind the ball. I'm thinking that step out should be from one flat foot to the other with the one that most recently moved then spiraling up on its toes to drive the shot.

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A Forehand Short Angle Service Return when Ball Comes Right to You in your Wheelhouse

This does not usually happen. Maybe you somehow intimidated your doubles opponent with your backhand.

klacr opined early in this thread that one should hit any such crosscourt short angle with one's normal stroke, not with a new, invented one.

I appear to be a special case however in that my normal stroke is always changing (see "A Tale of Two Sides of the Atlantic" under A New Year's Serve).

Having hit such a put-a-way in geezer tennis yesterday, I'd like to do the same thing again and again. The ball came right to me. Instead of moving my feet as if the ball were far away or had jammed me-- inappropriate behavior!-- I kept my feet perfectly still for once. I must have been asleep at the switch, then saw this work to my advantage. I just left the feet exactly where they were.

Additionally, I keyed and frisbeed my racket exactly as in my normal forehand-- my new normal forehand-- but shortened the shallow backswing frisbee action so that, at the end of it, racket tip, instead of pointing on a perpendicular at the net was still somewhat parallel to the net as body turn reversed to activate Luke Digweed's three checkpoints for forehand role (roll).

I know I tried to edit these checkpoints in A New Year's Serve, tried to reduce them from three to two but think here it's best to observe all three, at least while viewing and reviewing and learning before you ACT.

The term "windshield wiper" unfortunately can mean too many different things to different people. One needs a cockeyed windshield too-- maybe from car turning to left-- to structure the roll just right.

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Keystone Mode with Flat-Footed Double Hippie Turn

I'd go another step by saying, "Don't take any other step." Just stand there like a magic mushroom. Wait for the ball to come right to you, situated perfectly out a bit in your forehand hitting slot.

I dream, you say? Yes I do, but Stotty's account of Doris Lloyd's use of the short angled ball in doubles is even more instructive than it purports to be (#2662, A New Year's Serve).

"Out of the blue she would throw in a short, angled ball into the tramline, catching her opponents napping and taking them out of their rhythm."

This shot hit "out of the blue" signifies rare alternation with deep returns. One waits for the right moment. And why should that moment not be a weak serve right in one's forehand wheelhouse?

We want more deviousness than this however both in our tennis and our lives, which requires as next step self-education of the same shot for after one is forced to move one's feet.

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Key, Shoulders, Shoulders

Others may never come here. Let them stay away if that's what they want.

On the full version, The Keystone Pipeline, key-shoulders-hips is the practical formula that enables one to hit a powerful shot landing deep. More technically (so beware of getting yourself overly intricated), hips turn twice, first with feet flat second with rear foot squishing a bug.

Would you use such a full shot for your short angle? Would you use your break shot mechanics in a game of eightball to cut the 6-ball into a side pocket?

Not if you had any sense.

So it's key, shoulders, shoulders, which means that after you key the racket tip down, the shoulders are prime mover to wind your hips and knees backward, and shoulders are again the prime mover to wind your hips and knees forward.

I recommend that these measures be accomplished with weight on the balls of feet kept flexible but essentially fixed and flat.

We jump around in tennis, we bounce a lot.

Refrain from doing that whenever you can in hitting this particular shot.

Shuffle from foot to foot to get ready while waiting for ball to come to you.