Two forehands- pulling it off?

[don_budge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgE0Anpn6-s&feature=youtu.be

Much better angle. Man...I wish that the video had the ability to take it frame by frame as in the archive videos. Nobody is here to rip anyone I can assure you. It's a conversation. A critique. You have to have balls to put the video out there in the first place.

There is some funny business going on here in the loop behind the back and to tell you the truth I don't think that I have ever seen anything like it. But the proof is sometimes in the pudding and I will say this the results are pretty darn good from what I can tell. Excellent net clearance. No surprise as the boy's margin for error is also excellent on the groundstrokes which indicates a sound tactical foundation.

Take this kick serve for example. Your boy manages to land this one quite close to the sideline and uses the spin to land it short in the service box and kicks it out to the side fence taking the receiver well out of the court provide he doesn't move in very quickly. Very effective stuff. Not to mention he is nearly on the doubles alley with his setup. This too is a good idea tactically to move around a bit on the baseline to create angles. I used to do this and being left handed I would kick way out on the right handed forehand in the deuce court to expose the backhand on my first rally ball...or my volley. But at the same time I had practiced hitting a slice up the middle from that angle which in effect gave my opponent another thing to think about. Tactical acumen. I love tactics...even more than I do technique. Perfect technique is not always attainable for reasons unknown but there is absolutely no reason why a player cannot be taught sound tactics. Sound tactics can many times cover a multitude of "sins" technically speaking.

Some really good stuff going on technically with the kid's serve. He keeps that racquet head out in front of his body until it is time to fall behind his back. The setup is somewhat abbreviated so his backswing might be a tad quick which might account for the superfluous motion in the loop behind his back. He looks to be a bit off balance after contact as the right leg seems to out flailing a bit. So what is the source of the off balance? It's all in the link in the motion. The setup may encourage a quick backswing which somehow causes the funny business in the loop behind him which causes him to overcompensate throwing him off balance in the end.

The fix? I believe that many times in a pretty decent motion such as this a better aiming process in the setup with a more thoughtful backswing the balance will work itself out without getting overly technical. In the setup I would try setting the racquet more forwards so that the weight is more over the front foot. The weight shifts to the back foot at the same pace that the backswing is moving the racquet down and up. In other words the backswing is setting the pace of the body. A little more deliberate and perhaps a little fuller backswing. That's where I would begin.

What I try to imagine in a perfect service motion is fluidity. Lack of friction. Like a rollercoaster. The weight of the racquet head doing the work that is supplied by the motion of the body. Like the golf swing.

I like the looks of this boy's attitude. He looks coachable. Probably gets it from the old man.

[don_budge]

The BACKSWING (setup)...

In the setup make a line with the ends of he toes pointing at the target. For instance in your son's video the toes appear to be making a line at the right net post. Align those feet so that they are pointing where the ball landed. The shoulder on the same line. Now set the racquet forwards with the tip of the racquet pointing where the ball landed. Let both hands fall with only gravity dictating the speed and continue upwards...and again since it is gravity the motion up is slower than the initial downward motion. Keep in mind that the tip of the racquet will travel on a line backwards from the target to the fence behind him. A nice long flowing motion.

I think by initiating the swing with this tweak in the setup and more thoughtful tempo the situation in the loop will iron itself out.

[knifer]

The reason he can hit from both sides is because when he was young we were 30 minutes from a court so I built this to teach him:

[don_budge]

The reason he can hit from both sides is because when he was young we were 30 minutes from a court so I built this to teach him:

Unbelievable! Actually...come to think of it great idea! Thirty minutes from a court? You must have been in the "sticks" or otherwise? As I said I learned from both sides in the beginning too. Bat left...golf right. Throw right...tennis left. Use more of your brain that way.

[don_budge]

The reason he can hit from both sides is because when he was young we were 30 minutes from a court so I built this to teach him:

Is that a golf mat he is standing on? That yard looks plenty big to build a court on. Incredible porch. Nice video. Like the tune as well.