Interactive Forum July 2015: Jo Willie Forehand Error

[stroke]

So, before I post let me summarize what tennis coaches and fans of the game believe.

gzhpcu 
No extension
Slapping the ball

klacr 
He does a lot of things right
No extension
No pro turn
Elbow positioning problems
Doesn't get into position

bottle 
Elbow is bent after contact

don_budge 
Tennis is a game of energy and balance
Compares tennis to golf
Jo-Wilfried violates principles
Big racket saves him
Wants to see what John Yandell has to say

licensedcoach 
Microsteps are poor
Set up to early
Watch another player who hit a magic ball

Geoff Williams
Three coiling issues

tennis_chiro 
Untapped potentials
Lots of injuries
Poor stroke mechanics

And Don_Budge again:

Wrong paradym
Bad grips
No one handed backhand
He'd be a better player under don_budge's manifesto

I will explain in the next post how I'd actually fix it. Everyone understands the bad outcome (although I see the outcome much differently than all of you), however, what do we do to get to cause so it can be patched up properly.

This kind of ties into John's piece on Justine's remake of her forehand. A "patch up properly" or a remake of a pro stroke such as the forehand is so very rare. Of course, John has just done his great article on Justine. I thought of Adrian Mannarino on the men's side. And as Kyle said, we are talking about a guy who has been number 5 in the world.

[hockeyscout]

Fix cause, so the effect is better. I will post my thoughts soon. I am just moving out of our village now, and preparing to go to the city on the 8th of the month so I will get to it in the next week I hope.

[gzhpcu]

Let's give him so slack guys, he is only number 12 in the ATP ranking...

[johnyandell]

Yes he is.

[don_budge]

Interesting shot…Jo-Wilfried one-handed backhand

Love this one:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Jo-Wilfried_Tsonga_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Backhand/JT_BH_Wide&stroke=BH%20Wide%20One-Handed%20OpenStance%20Rear%20240fps.mp4

The same question about the one-hander could be asked about DelPoltro, another guy who just doesn't look that natural with 2.

Cool shot…a little out of the ordinary for the stroke archive. Which makes it even cooler.

I think it is a good question regards Del Potro too. On the ATP website there was an article about Juan Martin coming back some months ago and I wrote a comment that it is too bad that he didn't use the time off from the surgery on his left wrist to reinvent himself as a one-handed backhand player. It is so doable for such a talented player. Maybe it's too much of a stretch these days.

What do you think John…would it be doable for Del Potro at this point in his career. You could offer to man the camera for him and coach him into something like Wawrinka…or Gasquet. What the hell…sell him a subscription to tennisplayer.net!

What were your thoughts on this particular forehand shot of Tsonga's? What I refer to as a "reverse cross-court" and you call "inside out"…I am really curious for your analysis on this type of ball.

[johnyandell]

No I don't think anyone at that level is going to make that kind of radical change from two to one.

As for the forehand. the inside forehand is one of the basic shots at higher levels and should be used much more at the club level. Hit your forehand to the other guys backhand in a geometrically advantageous pattern. An inside in forehand is also a lot easier and safer to finish than a down the line backhand.

As for Jo Willie the relative lack of extension is a technical limitation and probably had something to do with this error.

[arturohernandez]

Agree with Don Budge

I wrote John a while back on the board and suggested that Tsonga is probably a natural one-hander that should have been allowed to develop this stroke. He is a big guy playing like a little guy. His game should have been built to attack more. The one hander would have allowed him to do this much more easily. It is ironic that great athletes get away with little technical mistakes. But eventually these little decisions hurt them. Similar problems arise for Murray. The real difference was the willingness of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic to make clear changes in their games either technically or with equipment. Tsonga should have been a player who would attack the net much more and hit a one-hander. Imagine if he played like Dustin Brown. With this level of ability he would have been unstoppable...

[johnyandell]

AH,

Can't really argue your points. Not sure about complete Dustin Brown but something more toward that, yes.

[don_budge]

The Sad Case of Juan Martin Del Potro...

I wrote John a while back on the board and suggested that Tsonga is probably a natural one-hander that should have been allowed to develop this stroke. He is a big guy playing like a little guy. His game should have been built to attack more. The one hander would have allowed him to do this much more easily. It is ironic that great athletes get away with little technical mistakes. But eventually these little decisions hurt them. Similar problems arise for Murray. The real difference was the willingness of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic to make clear changes in their games either technically or with equipment. Tsonga should have been a player who would attack the net much more and hit a one-hander. Imagine if he played like Dustin Brown. With this level of ability he would have been unstoppable...

Yep…this is what I have been saying ad infinitum.

arturohernandez…how about Juan Del Potro? Here's a guy who was as high as #4 in the rankings and has a U. S. Open title under his belt. He injured his left wrist (he plays right-handed) and he has undergone numerous operations. Well…at least two.

My question is this…why in the hell did he not immediately start training to play a one-handed backhand at the first signs of trouble with that wrist? The one-handed backhand is the most natural motion in tennis. Naturally he already has a one-handed slice so all that he really has to do is to learn to come over the ball. It would take him at most 6 months. At the same time he reconnoitres his tactics and redesigns his service motion to propel him forwards. Voila…a brand spanking new Juan Martin Del Potro.

Another big time player trapped in a faulty paradigm. A paradigm from which there is no escape…unless the mind is somehow opened.

[klacr]

Yep…this is what I have been saying ad infinitum.

arturohernandez…how about Juan Del Potro? Here's a guy who was as high as #4 in the rankings and has a U. S. Open title under his belt. He injured his left wrist (he plays right-handed) and he has undergone numerous operations. Well…at least two.

My question is this…why in the hell did he not immediately start training to play a one-handed backhand at the first signs of trouble with that wrist? The one-handed backhand is the most natural motion in tennis. Naturally he already has a one-handed slice so all that he really has to do is to learn to come over the ball. It would take him at most 6 months. At the same time he reconnoitres his tactics and redesigns his service motion to propel him forwards. Voila…a brand spanking new Juan Martin Del Potro.

Another big time player trapped in a faulty paradigm. A paradigm from which there is no escape…unless the mind is somehow opened.

Love Delpo. Would have been great to see him as a one-hander, see him attack that net. Big man with an awesome presence up at net, like Vic Amaya (University of Michigan Player).
Delpo has actually had surgery on both wrists. Not just the left. The wrist wrist has given him problems as well.

The way he cracks the ball is really something special. But even better, is the person he is. I remember watching him play at the Delray Beach Open a few years back. He played Mardy Fish. After he won that match, He stood outside the stadium for 45 minutes signing his autograph on every single piece of paper, hat, T-shirt that was put in front of him by fans. Not one fan left empty handed, he did this all while still having his match towel and racquet bag draped over his shoulder, still not yet having a chance to go to the locker room. I didn't want an autograph, I just went up to him and shook his hand. He shook my hand firmly and looked me in the eye, like a man. Talking to the tournament organizers and volunteers involved in making the tournament happen they had nothing but positive things to say about dealing with him.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton