Design-a-playa!

[Solat]

for Jco & Tricky mainly but i want theoretical back up of opinions please

how would you build a player from pros technical strokes? based on their solid technique rather then results driven, would it just be all Fed?

obvioulsy almost every pro has the solid technical base but would you / could you specify what makes one stroke better technically then another?

cheers

ps Jco : that vid example page including Djokovic's serve, i had never really looked at his serve before but it looks good, especially post contact, great extension and high elbow thru pronation

[TonLars]

fun! ok heres what id do:

Serve: Sampras
Net play: Rafter
Return: Agassi
Forehand: Federer
Backhand: Kafelnikov
Physical build strength/ speed: Safin
Grunt: Guga, or Muster (lol)

[tarheels2323]

Let's see...

the libedo of Ron Jeremy
the endowment of an elephant
the ability to run game like Charlie Sheen (don't give me crap for it... it's late and he's the only one I can think of)
oh, and the looks of Colin Ferell (again, it's late and i'm still a dude... ladies, he's a good looking guy right?)

Sounds like a good playa to me? Hell, if you want a real playa, look up Magic Johnson in the 80s.

Please... if you want a guy that hooks up with five different girls in two days, then go ahead a keep requesting a playa. If you want a tennis player, then say so.

[Solat]

fun! ok heres what id do:

Serve: Sampras
Net play: Rafter
Return: Agassi
Forehand: Federer
Backhand: Kafelnikov
Physical build strength/ speed: Safin
Grunt: Guga, or Muster (lol)

this is what i didnt want, just a list

i am really looking for technical opinions on strokes as a basis

like sampras serve , because of his unbelievable shoulder adduction and forearm pronation
or agassi's backhand because of its outside in swing shape and early contact

[TonLars]

this is what i didnt want, just a list

i am really looking for technical opinions on strokes as a basis

like sampras serve , because of his unbelievable shoulder adduction and forearm pronation
or agassi's backhand because of its outside in swing shape and early contact

Ummm, yeah I read your OP and understand what you were getting at now.

However, thats a fairly weird question, honestly. Like you said, good players and pro players have the "right" and "good" technique. And hopefully you realize there are several different ways to do all of the different shots. There is a uniqueness to all of it, and every way has advantages and disadvantages. To be really general, this would boil down to some shot techniques being really consistent with more spin, and others producing more power. And youll see different players win more on different respective surfaces.

You cant really say a certain way of doing something is superior to another if both ways are being done very well and correctly. In the end, results are what matters anyways for all shots, and over time results are the best gauge for realizing what is really effective and when, or what a shot is capable of, etc.

Yeah, those things you are referring to (pronation, early contact, wght transfer, taking the ball early, etc) for certain strokes are what produces a really great shot. Maybe youre simply looking for comments on those components of certain shots in this thread. But otherwise, it is known the necesseties and fundamentals of what goes into a good shot; those things are constant among good players. If one doesnt have them, then the shot is going to have a breakdown and be a weakness. Its a matter of who performs the shot better, and consistently better, and does it better in tough situations, and one making the right choices of what kind of shot to hit. Otherwise isnt it just about the uniqueness and style of a player?

[af1falcon]

I'm a 3.0-3.5 junior player and I live a few blocks away from a tennis court with hitting walls. I'm taking lessons right now once a week and I have practice a few times a week with my high school team, but I was wondering if hitting against a wall for an hour or two once a week helps?

My coach tells me its a good way to gain muscle memory of your strokes

thanks

[Hot Sauce]

I'm a 3.0-3.5 junior player and I live a few blocks away from a tennis court with hitting walls. I'm taking lessons right now once a week and I have practice a few times a week with my high school team, but I was wondering if hitting against a wall for an hour or two once a week helps?

Thanks

I hear hitting against a wall really messes up your game.

[ipodtennispro]

I hear hitting against a wall really messes up your game.


It did wonders for Arthur Ashe. He learned to hit on a wall. You can't get a better work out partner than a wall.

www.ipodtennispros.com

[shindemac]

It can mess up your strokes and be difficult to adjust back on the court. But I think it's good for volleys, footwork, and getting your stroke mechanics. If you mix it up with real hitting, it should be ok. But don't do it right before a big match.

[TonLars]

Well, if youre hitting the ball in a manner that is different than your normal stroke.... like too hard or soft, or hitting from too short or too long a distance away, or letting the ball bounce twice with lazy footwork, or your wall is a poor surface... Then you would have a problem on a wall.

Otherwise, many many good players have learned and improved their tennis on a wall. Ashe I guess, as well as Agassi, and a guy named Bahrami back in the day almost exclusively practiced on a wall and he was a top pro at the time. A wall is a permanent practice partner to hit groundstrokes with. Practice different shots and move yourself around, hit some crosscourts, hit some down the lines. This also then becomes a great conditioning tool. Work yourself cross court and then give yourself some tough defensive shots, and youll find doing several sets of this helps get you in shape and simulates playing points.