Visual Tennis Method question

[gzhpcu]

John,
When practicing a stroke at home in front of the mirror, with the image of what it should look like in ones head, is the stroke done actual speed, or can also the movement be done in slow motion to study oneself? What are the implications as to what one "feels" when doing the stroke?
Thanks

[johnyandell]

I would say in general as slowly as possible. At the key positions, you want a clear image of all the details and an imagination of how they feel. So you go to the turn, stop, visualize and "feel" all the checkpoints. Go the the contact, do the same. See the details in color, the logo on the racket, wahtever--as much detail as possible.

Do the same with the full swing. Imagine the key positions as you pass thru them. Then you can gradually speed up. Basically any way your mind plays the image that stays true to the checkpoints is probably good.

[vmiller]

When practicing a stroke at home in front of the mirror

Watch out for the ceiling and near by furniture. Especially if you're married.

It may be coincidental, but I often hit well after swinging in front of the mirror.

[gzhpcu]

Me too. Also when I watch a tennis match on TV and concentrate on the player's strokes.

[gzhpcu]

This is an old thread, but I still like the Visual Tennis Approach best.

We live in an age of information overload. Statistics and statistic gathering abounds everywhere: and now the tennis sensors are coming on the market, gathering statistics while playing. During a televised tennis match, we get stats about where the ball landed during exchanges, during the serve, etc.

[hockeyscout]

I would say in general as slowly as possible. At the key positions, you want a clear image of all the details and an imagination of how they feel. So you go to the turn, stop, visualize and "feel" all the checkpoints. Go the the contact, do the same. See the details in color, the logo on the racket, wahtever--as much detail as possible.

Do the same with the full swing. Imagine the key positions as you pass thru them. Then you can gradually speed up. Basically any way your mind plays the image that stays true to the checkpoints is probably good.

I would say in general as slowly as possible. At the key positions, you want a clear image of all the details and an imagination of how they feel. So you go to the turn, stop, visualize and "feel" all the checkpoints. Go the the contact, do the same. See the details in color, the logo on the racket, wahtever--as much detail as possible.

Do the same with the full swing. Imagine the key positions as you pass thru them. Then you can gradually speed up. Basically any way your mind plays the image that stays true to the checkpoints is probably good.

See the details in color, the logo on the racket, whatever--as much detail as possible.

Your idea John -- See the details in color, the logo on the racket, whatever--as much detail as possible. -- man that has so much merit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

Neat, I like it. When my young one was in Grade One she refused to read for the teacher. At the start the student was asked the teacher, "Do you like tennis." The response was not enthusiastic, and the "Authoritative Teacher" decided she did not like a pupil carrying around a tennis racket all day.

My kid wasn't reading, the teacher wasn't taking accountability (or taking it personally) and I was rather perplexed and intrigued, as I came from a much different, likely parent created special nurturing environment.

Anyways, I printed all the letters of the alphabet on the balls one weekend, and issued an ultimatum, "See these letter, 26 of them, please, you need to know the names of every one of these balls. If you don't I will not allow them to sleep in your room, or come to the court, sorry, its rude not to know their names, their human to!"

I knew she'd master it by the end of the weekend. A kid with REAL a passion will always find a way to get from point A to Z fast.

In a matter of 30 minutes she knew them all, and was so engaged.

At the court I would do hand feeds, and ask her to name me each ball as I threw it just to reinforce it.

The funny part of it, the teacher wasn't to happy!

She said to me, "I am glad you've finally taken an interest in your daughters education."

I just said to the teacher, "It surprises me you aren't interested in how I did it? No questions? It disappoints me. Explain to me why I need to do your job for you?"

Anyways, after that I entered the young princess into a high end Florida online home school program, and I believe these people are 10 years ahead of everyone else, and the young one loves it.

Now, pretty soon I had 600 balls, after letters, I was adding new words in every day. She'd be on the court, I would hand feed balls, and she'd yell like Maria Sharapova the names. Imagine for a second a five year old hitting going, "Him. Federer. Me. Nadal. She. Isner. Because. Ferrer. This. Connors. That. Ah, what is that word? Navratolova! Kournikova. That's hard!

And then along came John Yandell's site, she could see all your nice photos, and was so frustrated she could not read what you all were saying, that she willed herself to read (as best she could) here.

Once in a while I will get a strange question like what the heck does quacktaitov mean (quantitative). "Well tennisplayer.net was talking about a heavy ball and can you come read this to me." It always follows with a NO, I like hockey, why would I read a tennis site. Eventually after she begs me 25 times I come and read it with her, but only before I try and watch a few hockey videos! I wonder if she understands this game, or has figured I out I do like tennis. But, then, I really do like hockey more, so I guess she has her thing and I have mine.

I learned to read and write myself when I was 8, and teachers thought I was mentally retarded (which I am to some degree ). Then my grandfather called one day and asked me to write him a book about hockey. My dad begged a man to give him his old collection of Hockey News', so one day he came home with 1000 of them, 1000! Dad told me simply, read, or I will throw them out.

So, I started reading and writing! Anyways, my mom came up with this whole concept, and it was funny when I went to special education they could not believe I was suddenly in one month reading and writing at a level that was at a high school students. They principal took credit for it at a parent - student meeting, and young and naive me, I piped up and said, "I got 1000 hockey newspapers, and I wanted to read them so badly, I HAD to read. I wrote hockey books for grandpa. You're program did nothing. My mama is what teaching is all about, and I don't belong in special education. I am just really bored with anything that is not hockey."

Well, all this did was get me expelled to another special education program because they did not like my London accent, and the speech about how his goal was get me to college, make me all-around, so I could have a good job like him. Little did he know I was pulling in a ton of money with a snow shoveling organization (I am from practically the north pole), subcontracting people to shovel roofs for me and collecting the cash. I wonder if mom knew I was playing sports and hiring other people to do my work for me.

[hockeyscout]

part II ...

I really aggravated those folks by pronouncing everything correctly in a matter of days. I just willed myself to do it. Hell, if I could learn to read on my own, I could do the same with this speech pathology I figured. The principal would then give me very complex tasks, and books after that to put me in my place after that, and he did! He gave me a book report to do once that was so complex! It was a book written by a horse, like 800 pages, well over my head. I went to mom who laughed so loud and explained to me the book was written by a horse, and not a person (horses point of view), and I could just not get my head around the fact a horse would write a book, so anyways, I got the cliffs notes version from my mom as mom could speed read, did exactly what he wanted in the report. My mom just said "this book I barely understand and I got PhD's and University degrees out of my ass", so we did it. I think she figured this teacher was a fucking jerk. It was done very well, and I even typed it up as we had a computer (I knew it like the back of my hand, and would use it when mom wasn't watching. I'd break into the room and play with it. She had to know I was using it, and she put so many obstacles up so I couldn't use it. But, I used it. I used to stuff paper inside the door and then push the locked door open I wanted at that computer so bad). Mom was so impressed I knew how to run the computer. , and I said it must be some kind of magical gift. The principal was okay in one aspect, he'd let me practice on the computers, and I would tell him I was typing out his stupid book reports, but I was doing hockey books instead. Anyways, the next day in school Mr Principal walks in mad. He says "Your mom helped you with this!" I said, "Of course. I brought her in to consult. Yes, she helped a TON! Isn't it wonderful?" This wasn't acceptable, and neither was my follow up point of "You delegate, you have a secretary." Wrong response. He rips up the paper, starts jumping up and down, angry as hell and the rest of the kids are just cowering, and I think the class teacher is cowering as well, scared. Perhaps it was all acting, as he didn't want his authority questioned. Anyways he says, "What do you have to say for yourself young man." I just said, "All I know is my dad is 6'4" (he was an asbestos miner and likely the toughest guy in town but didn't raise his voice, he'd just beat you up calmly, and that would be that), my mama is with the RCMP, and you don't intimidate me the least, and I don't really care how you grade me."

I think after that rebellion all the teachers really liked me a lot because they probably hated working for a jerk who acts that way in front of kids.

We played a student basketball game versus a teacher game, and it was funny, I'd get the ball and the whole floor would clear and I'd take this guy (the principal) 1 on 1 to hole and just destroy him. At 8, I was almost at a teenage athletic level, and I played against men in indoor soccer, and older boys in the rest of the sports, and it was do or die competition. If you did to good, or got to cocky, they'd remind you boxing was a sport. I had one dude kick me in the nuts so bad once in soccer on purpose who was 15, however, I kept playing. I got him back good when we played floor hockey (two hits to the nuts) and never had an issue with him after that as I could take it and give it he must have figured.

Later in the principal year gives us all a psychological survey, and one of the questions on it was "Who do you like better, mom or dad." Anyways, I brought the paper home with me, didn't turn it in, showed mom, and I think hell hit the roof because that guy was gone."

Suddenly that school was a whole new world. The teachers in the school were playing sports, and interested in hockey. I got a ton of extra 1 on 1 time. I thin they cancelled special education. They'd hold me after school, talk, we'd do work (didn't seem like work), play sports and talk, talk and talk. The rest of the kids would go home at 3, and I would stay till 5:30 working with them all, they'd interchange me, or sometimes I would get a group, and of course, they'd play basketball, soccer, floor hockey or sports with me. That one on one really helped me. They'd show up at the hockey rink, and the rec center, always out of the blue, and spend so much time.

This is development!

Its interesting to see now with my daughter how people take that same kind of interest in her, especially the semi - pro and Junior tennis players. I've had coaches fly here and hang out with us who are my buddies, and a few guys I met along the way here and there. I got this MMA boxer who just shows up at the house all the time, or the courts, and we do a one hour lesson and it becomes a five hour deal, and video games at the arcade and all the rest. We know them all very personally, and they know our program, and I have a willingness to listen to the patient ones who've invested the needed observation time.

I had a mama who really knew how to empower a child, and how to use someones natural passions and work ethic to achieve an end result. Maybe she got the teachers to come after school, paid them extra, or who knows what, but you know it never felt like a technical lesson, or a school teacher to pupil type relationship. The other kids saw I got a lot of extra attention, however, they understood I was serious about some goals, and wanting the extra help to get me out of the north pole!

I had one tennis teacher back in Russia who became a good friend, and I don't think he ever mentioned one technical thing to my girl, and he'd go play with her on the wall, feed her balls and tell her to hit him in the head, and goof around and I asked him why he never said anything technical, and his response was "Your kid is listening to every word we say when we're in the tennis office, and out eating pizza, its not necessary, and she will come to the right end conclusion. She sits their and watching coaches videos with me, and is surrounded by tennis, players and sports parents 24-7.

That's what is missing today in our programs.

That perfect storm environment. Perhaps I had a VERY talented parent who understood how to create it.

The one hour lesson, hi, bye, gone. I'm sure it has some value, however, their is nothing quite like the program I was exposed to, and perhaps it was manufactured by a mom by the way who had her kid on a glutum free diet in 1984 (I laughed when I heard Novak was using this as mama was doing that back when the Bee-Gee's were big). As a kid she fed us sushi LOL, 20 years before it got big. Hell, one year we thought mama went off her rocker when she brought unveiled a Japanese Christmas tree)! Its just to bad mama didn't coach me in hockey, because I think she would have hit on a lot of next's.

We've got to good at being BUSY!

PS: By the way, at 13 I moved away from the north pole, to the south, and just crashed in school system. Every teacher was concerned about their program, instruction, salary, benefits, getting the hell out of school at 3:00 PM, unions, PTA, holidays, retirement fund and all the rest. I was lost, as were most kids, however, my strong base I got from 8 to 13 carried me later on. Strangely mom wasn't to concerned about this regression from 14 to 17, and at 18, a lot of things changed. A woman ahead of her time I guess.

[hockeyscout]

And yes, don_budge is right, we will have a short lifespan with coaches as we will likely (a) write them to death, (b) talk them to death, or (c) work them to death or (d) confuse them to death, and or, a mixture of a - b - c and d!

My best regards:
worldsworsttennismentorwhoknowsnothingaboutgripsan dwillhaveashortshelflikewithcoaches

[gzhpcu]

Ages ago, I had met a tennis teacher who advised me to put a bright yellow tape around the top of the frame of the racket, to help me be more aware of the racket head...