Video Instruction -- Rate My Coaching

[wihamilton]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the past 8 months working on some instructional tennis videos and I want to know what you think. We call ourselves Fuzzy Yellow Balls (link below). Any comments / suggestions / criticisms are appreciated... we're always trying to figure out how to improve. Thanks!

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

[cstephenson]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the past 8 months working on some instructional tennis videos and I want to know what you think. We call ourselves Fuzzy Yellow Balls (link below). Any comments / suggestions / criticisms are appreciated... we're always trying to figure out how to improve. Thanks!

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

Hey Wihamilton,

Very impressive format. I think what you guys are doing is great. And I love your attitude! Keep up the good work. Best of luck to you all.

Clint

[wihamilton]

Thanks Clint,

I got a lot out of reading your "Re-Strung" thread and incorporated a number of the suggestions people made RE: your DVD. If you have any thoughts on our teaching method I would love to hear them. GL w/the new DVD, the last one was great!

Will

[karbelmusic]

congratulations!!!
very helpfull , very explicite, awesome format of video

[lkdog]

Looks great.
Excellent instruction cues.
Great video clarity and simultaneous instruction on key elements.
Great work!

[smoothtennis]

I am not easily impressed believe me, but your format is outstanding, simply oustanding. I love the Weatherman approach, where you stand in front of the screen, and highlight whatever you are teaching. Man, that is a great combo of visual, and auditory.

[sapient007]

great set of videos and you def point out the little things that ppl tend to miss. one constructive criticism is that i would of liked a bit more of "why" you want certain things a particular way b/c i believe that can lead to better understanding of the motion overall.

[wihamilton]

sap,

Thanks for the constructive criticism. We went back and forth on how much "why" we wanted to put in the videos and we came to the conclusion that, in the instructional portion, we wanted focus on the X's and O's, e.g. only explain how you do something, not why. Adam (one of my partners) convinced me that including too much "theory" could confuse people and that it would make more sense to film videos that only focus (in-depth) on why you do something (which we will add). On the other hand, having too little "why" in the instructional part can be problematic as well. Thanks again for your comments -- it's one of the main ways we're going to improve.

[JCo872]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the past 8 months working on some instructional tennis videos and I want to know what you think. We call ourselves Fuzzy Yellow Balls (link below). Any comments / suggestions / criticisms are appreciated... we're always trying to figure out how to improve. Thanks!

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

Great stuff guys. Technically speaking, I would add the wiper motion to your instruction, but I think you have done a fantastic job capturing the fundamentals of modern tennis. The "check the time on your watch" is a tip I've only heard once before, and I thought it was great. Glad to see you offering it in the video. It's such a great way for people to get a sense of how the arm rotates.

The "weatherman" format, as another poster commented, is great and the video quailty is excellent.

Great job! You guys are onto something!

Jeff

[wihamilton]

Jeff,

Thanks for the kind words. We're definitely going to get into the double-bend / wiper motion / etc. We're still in the process of establishing the fundamentals (filming footwork later this week... will get to volleys, etc.) and we'll build "from the ground up" once we lock up those videos.

If you have any further suggestions I'm all ears.

[dima]

Yeah, I heard the check the time on your watch tip being used for a serve, not forehand, but it also applies.

Anyway, nice strokes man.

[wihamilton]

Yeah, I heard the check the time on your watch tip being used for a serve, not forehand, but it also applies.

Anyway, nice strokes man.

Which part of the serve? Pronating? I got the time trick from Frank Salazar, whose strokes you are probably referring to. The guy is sick good. So far, I've only demoed the service motion, which we teach in a specific way.

[extremer]

Your videos are excellent and they helped me get a better understanding of how to serve better. I am bookmarking your site, and hope it is updated frequently. Good job so far!

[patrick922]

what a fantastic site..... all the fundamentals were covered. keep up the good job fellas

[sunflowerhx]

Hi, wihamilton

Had a comprehensive look at your site and I must say that it is excellent.

I have videos by James Jensen and Tom Avery but your videos far surpass theirs.

Do you have plans to expand your site?
Please do one on the kick serve!

[adamsieminski]

Sunflower,
Thanks for the kind review. We've gotten some requests to do the kick serve, so we're going to move that to the front of the line of what's next for us. Keep an eye out!

Adam

[shanbhagss]

I am impressed with the instruction format. It is ideal....almost takes you back to the classroom. I intend to keep checking out the site periodically. I would like to see instructions on 1HBH.

Sam

[Commando Tennis Shorts]

Fuzzy Yellow Balls. haha. love it

[adamsieminski]

Commando... Arizona? what year? i was '06

[crazy8tiger]

Love the tennis format at the videos. Helped me a lot too, I tried the party stance instead of having my back foot behind the front foot and I served better. Look forward to the other types of serve videos if you have them coming soon.

-Looking forward to the slice serve, as well as the kick.

[Hot Sauce]

I like it A LOT. I think the video format is just excellent!

[Commando Tennis Shorts]

Commando... Arizona? what year? i was '06

class of 2010; I'm a sophomore

[nonick]

thumps up for the great work

[winks]

Ditto what everyone else said (loved the "weatherman" format, etc) Some excellent pointers, technique, etc. The fact you are a lefty only added to the appeal. Well for me at least. I suppose you could reverse the image, but I would think it would be better to have aspiring students switch to southpaw.:grin:

[njboy]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the past 8 months working on some instructional tennis videos and I want to know what you think. We call ourselves Fuzzy Yellow Balls (link below). Any comments / suggestions / criticisms are appreciated... we're always trying to figure out how to improve. Thanks!

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

very good stuffs.

Will you add one hand backhand?

[wihamilton]

very good stuffs.

Will you add one hand backhand?

njboy,

We're working through all the fundamentals -- shooting footwork at the moment. We will have the one handed backhand up there but I'm not sure exactly when. Glad you like the site!

[VoodooChild24]

Hey Wihamilton,

Very impressive! This would be a great help to all tennis fans.

[VoodooChild24]

How about adding different kinds of spin on the serve?

[wihamilton]

Voodoo,

Thanks. We're working on the kick / slice serve. We should have it done in several weeks -- we're waiting on some footage.

Will

[Cindysphinx]

I reviewed the sections on serving, forehand and backhand. I thought the quality was excellent. For the first time, I understand what "pronation" is (and isn't!). Some suggestions:

I would like the video to play automatically upon clicking on the part you want. In other words, if I'm hoping to view backhand shoulder turn, I have to click that picture. And then I have to click play. It would be nice to eliminate that, but I don't know if this is easily done.

Next, I'm a 3.0 and a middle-aged one at that. There is simply no way in heck I could *ever* contort my body into the position in the serve photo of Marat Safin doing his "L" and racket drop and pronation. I would be in traction for a week. As a result, I didn't see much that I could translate into my recreational game. It seems that the site's approach is to explain the components of World Class Tennis Strokes. This is good, and I am sure many people find this quite useful. The approach that would be helpful for me is "OK, you have rec player strokes, what things can be tweaked to make them closer to world class even though we know you'll never be world class?"

Also . . . Were there any women shown demonstrating things? There might have been with forehand, I can't remember. You might consider diversifying things (race and gender) for broader appeal if this can be done.

Again, nice site! I look forward to seeing more.

Cindy -- resisting the temptation to say that WiHamilton is as cute as a button :)

[snoopy]

yeah, I can't learn unless there's diversity of race and gender - give me a break

[wihamilton]

Haha. Cindy, thanks. The pictures we took were from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, which is an all-male event. We went to the US Open hoping to score some press passes, but unfortunately, that didn't work out. We definitely will "diversify things," as you put it, as soon as we get the chance.

RE: the "L" and racket drop, you probably can do them just fine as long as you don't try to do them like Safin :> Safin changes the plane of his shoulders (hitting shoulder much lower than tossing shoulder in "L") and arches his back in the racket drop, but you can get to the "L" / racket drop without doing these two things. For lack of a better way to describe it, try a "less athletic" version. My dad is 60+ years old and he can do them, so you definitely can :>

Cindy -- resisting the temptation to say that WiHamilton is as cute as a button :)

Heh thanks. I wear lots of sunblock to keep my youthful complexion :)

[Fedace]

Hey everyone,

I've spent the past 8 months working on some instructional tennis videos and I want to know what you think. We call ourselves Fuzzy Yellow Balls (link below). Any comments / suggestions / criticisms are appreciated... we're always trying to figure out how to improve. Thanks!

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com

GREAT site, Mr. Hamilton. I think you have something very special in tennis website here. This looks like beginnings of great tennis website. Your techniques of teaching the proper machanics are right on cue and easy to understand for everyone, from advanced players to beginners. I think you do a great job of using the pro machanics like Henman to explain what needs to happen in the swing pattern. We can all learn from the flawless techniques from pros like Henin' backhand, Hewitt's forehand, and so on. another idea would be to discuss some of weight training or machine training to develop specific parts of tennis strokes. I believe weight training has become more popular due to so much success of Rafa Nadal. We cannot develop the muscles like Rafa but i do believe moderate weight work can make our stroke production more powerful and easier. and also if done properly can also help us avoid injuries as well.:grin:

[Cindysphinx]

Haha. Cindy, thanks. The pictures we took were from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, which is an all-male event. We went to the US Open hoping to score some press passes, but unfortunately, that didn't work out. We definitely will "diversify things," as you put it, as soon as we get the chance.



Ah, I figured there was some licensing-related sort of explanation. You can't just grab footage of Sharapova or Blake willy nilly and use them however you want, now can you? :)

Well, it does seem like money well spent to use the pics of the pros. It shouldn't matter (Frank is doing a nice job his own self), but somehow it really brings it home to see it all done by a top player.

[wihamilton]

Unfortunately not, heh. You need press passes to be able to use the pictures you take at pro tourneys -- most events won't let you film because that violates TV contracts. I suppose you could license clips, but I haven't looked into it. Considering Frank played on the tour, I'm not really that pressed :)

[mrHan]

Nice site. I thought you looked familiar btw. Just realized it was you who I played against in doubles :)

[wihamilton]

Nice site. I thought you looked familiar btw. Just realized it was you who I played against in doubles :)

Haha. How's it going? I'm still having nightmares about your lefty kick serve :)

[Midlife crisis]

Let me also add my congratulations on the excellence of your instructional videos. My 14 year old son spent the better part of a couple of hours going through he videos and they worked really well for him. Just the right amount of repetition and focus on the important things to keep the attention of a junior player, but with enough detail for everyone else. Your teaching methods are very effective and well done.

[Sup2Dresq]

Haha. How's it going? I'm still having nightmares about your lefty kick serve :)

Hint - Han do a video to show the general population how your lefty serve plays havoc on our right sided tendencies. Just don't wear those visor hats ala old Roddick anymore. :)

[Ross K]

Well done, guys. Great work there. Probably the best I've seen...

Simple. Effective. Well presented. Modern. Generally appealing...

I say you're on to a winner!

Also, as I'm kicking round a few ideas (I created the 'Babolat Alliance' thread in the 'racquets' forum) that I want to develop, do you mind if I email you some questions?

[wihamilton]

Ross,

Glad you liked the site. We appreciate the feedback. You can definitely shoot me an email: will@fuzzyyellowballs.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

[Ten_is]

Will (fuzzyyellowball),

I think one of the biggest things in the serve that is not included on your website is the use of the hips well into the court in the trophy position. I don't even see yourself doing it as this is a huge power generator most people don't think about or are taught.

Perhaps you can discuss the different types of stances and reasons behind them? Not sure the rocking back and forth is necessary either as in my opinion simplifying the serve is the way to go (federer doesn't rock yet he's one of the more effective servers today).

In regards to the hips bending into the court, take a look at Pete Sampras as an example and understand why he has one of the best and most effective serves in history of the sport.

Great website!

[wihamilton]

Ten,

Thanks, that's a good suggestion. Another coach made that same recommendation just the other day. We'll work it in when we retool the videos. We're working on some new footage -- stuff that will affect the entire site -- so we haven't had the chance to update videos / add any new content.

Rocking from the front to the back foot certainly isn't necessary, but for someone learning the serve I think it is a good idea to get them used to transferring their weight. RE: Federer, I think he does rock back -- he starts w/all the weight on his front foot and back heel up. RE: Sampras, I agree. Best serve ever. He's a good example of a guy that doesn't rock -- all the weight starts on the back foot.

Thanks again for your thoughts. If you have any others, let me know :).

[samster]

Very nice layout, I like it. I haven't gone through all the videos but the forehand one I checked and thought it was informative.

[Ryoma]

Very nice and clean interfaces. Keep up the good work! It seems the almost all the instructional site focus on stroke mechanics as oppose to the actual game of tennis.

It would be really nice to have tactics and strategies with demos. e.g.
1. slice serve out wide in the deduce court
2. volley to the ad
3. volley/overhead for the winner

It is really frustrating to get all the strokes mechanics down and lose to someone playing with granny stick that are better at the game of tennis.

[tbini87]

hey will. just checked out the sight real quick. looks good. i only checked out the "grips" section. don't know if it would be worth it. but showing a pro (or yourself) hitting a forehand with each specific grip might be helpful. just a thought. i will try to give it a better look later. good job and good luck!

Travis