Analysis of Gonzales Serve

[gzhpcu]

Anything I missed?

[stotty]

Anything I missed?

Nothing I can see....

Phil, it makes you wonder what his serve would have been like had he been allowed to leave the ground. Would it have increased his power or not? Or was it just the perfect motion built for his time?

I wonder if keeping his left foot on the ground led to greater consistency. His career average (those recorded) first serve percentage was reputedly 72%. You have to think exploding upwards and leaving the ground comes with greater risk of making an errors. I think Federer's career average first serve percentage is around 64%.

[tennis_chiro]

Static still images

Phil,
you have to look at the movement in this motion to see Pancho actually rocked his weight from forward to middle to forward for the hit:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/golden_legends/panchogonzales/panchogonzales.html?PGServeFront1.mov

You need to go to the beginning of the clip and go frame by frame to actually see the rock clearly.

This aspect of his serve is a little lost in the still images.

don

[tennis_chiro]

Right leg

Also note that players in the 60's pushed up almost entirely with the left leg and the right leg was just swinging into the court. It wasn't providing the same kind of leg drive players get from a platform stance today. At the completion of the toss, almost all the weight was on the left side.

don

[gzhpcu]

Look at the pronation on this ending, second serve I guess...

[tennis_chiro]

Look at the pronation on this ending, second serve I guess...

What a great picture. Just like the classic Sampras picture showing extreme internal shoulder rotation, just Sampras happened even higher.

don

[gzhpcu]

Here is another cool picture... What great form!



Pancho closes his eyes in the middle of his follow through after serving to Mike Davies of Great Britain at the Milwaukee Arena on June 25, 1964. Gonzales won 14-12 in opening round play in the Milwaukee open professional tennis tournament.

[gzhpcu]

MIT professor Harold Edgerton invented the strobe flash in the 1930s – and his stroboscopic photography captured amazing moments that would otherwise be missed in the blink of an eye.

He caught Pancho's serve in 1949....

[gzhpcu]

and he captured the forehand...

[gzhpcu]

Pancho at 42 beat Laver in 5 sets!

]

[hockeyscout]

and he captured the forehand...

HOLY SHIT!!!! That is COOL.

[hockeyscout]

Anyone out here have an idea on how I could put this all together, software, camera and equipment required. This would be so ideal for us.

[don_budge]

What is the "Point"?

Anything I missed?

Yes…I think that you sort of missed the point.

Gladys Heldman writes a beautiful and thoughtful introduction to Richard Gonzales’ book called “Tennis”. Simple “Tennis”. She starts her introduction with the words...”Pancho Gonzales is the most natural player who ever lived.” No truer words were ever spoken. Apparently he never had a tennis lesson. She goes on to say...”He never had a formal tennis lesson and yet his strokes are classical.”

“The Gonzales service is a natural action that epitomizes grace, power, control and placement. The top players sigh when they see the smooth, easy action. There is no trace of a hitch and no unnecessary movements. I have never seen a serve so beautifully executed. The toss is no higher than it has to be and it is timed so that he is fully stretched when he hits it. The backswing is CONTINUOUS and the motion of the backswing blends into the hit and continues into the follow-through without a pause.

Pancho is not a heavy spin server. His first serve is almosst flat and the second has a modicum of slice or roll. Slice is produced by moving the racket face across the ball from left to right. American twist is given to the ball by moving the racket face from left to right and over the ball with a pronounced wrist snap-the ball is halfway between the slice an dtwist and gives the ball forward spin rather than spin to the left or right. The slice or roll that Gonzales gives to the ball is just enough for the control on second serve. The slice serve gives more forward thrust than the American twist and also makes it possible to serve the ball deeper in the service court.

The strongest part of Gonzales’ serve is his ability to put his first service into play when the chips are down. At 0-40, 15-40 and 30-40 his batting average on first serves must be .950. It is incredible to have so high a percentage while still hitting hard and almost flat. The number of aces served on these important points is also astounding. No other player has been able to perform this feat so regularly.”

[stotty]

The number of aces served on these important points is also astounding. No other player has been able to perform this feat so regularly.”

My good friend who passed away recently said much the same.

I don't think many players these days "think" (not in the same at least) to serve aces on big points like Pancho did...maybe Federer...sometimes. It was part of Pancho's trademark as a player. My friend, who watched many of Pancho's matches, said you just waited for it...15-40...ace...30-40...ace. Pancho just thought like that when his service game was under threat.

[don_budge]

Gonzalesesque…Roger Federer and Pete Sampras

"The strongest part of Gonzales’ serve is his ability to put his first service into play when the chips are down. At 0-40, 15-40 and 30-40 his batting average on first serves must be .950. It is incredible to have so high a percentage while still hitting hard and almost flat. The number of aces served on these important points is also astounding. No other player has been able to perform this feat so regularly.”

My good friend who passed away recently said much the same.

I don't think many players these days "think" (not in the same at least) to serve aces on big points like Pancho did...maybe Federer...sometimes. It was part of Pancho's trademark as a player. My friend, who watched many of Pancho's matches, said you just waited for it...15-40...ace...30-40...ace. Pancho just thought like that when his service game was under threat.

Your friend obviously knew what he was talking about. God Bless him.

One of the hallmarks of a great server is just that. When they get behind in the count they just up the expectations. The only thing that produces that kind of a motion is a frictionless movement from start to finish. Well oiled and naturally lubricated this slick machine just keeps repeating itself even in the most difficult of situations.

That was what I was pointing out in the Gladys Heldman description as opposed to gzhpcu's…it is a description of motion and cannot be summarized in bullet point static positions. It is the flow from one position to the other that is the marvel of the machine. So the question is…how does one develop a frictionless motion and what are the key elements to maintaining it?

For a wonderful example of exquisitely beautiful service motions just go to the 2001 quarterfinal Wimbledon match between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Both players on a number of occasions get behind in the count and then they roll out the bombs…with piercing placement. Both great motions that just get better as the pressure mounts.