Any better (video)

[Homey]

I got constructive criticism a few weeks ago on my forehand and backhand.

I have been working on trying to implement the things suggested on my forehand.

Here is a link to my previous forehand video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xDETKHzI8E


These are the things I have tried to change:
--More unit turn, including non racket hand.
--Open stance on forehand (previously hitting very closed).
--Trying to hit with core muscles and not so much arm.
--Trying to get racket back earlier and further back. (struggling with this)

Here is link to changed forehand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wbpyIk8Tco (side view)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBtIJoM-YQ (rear view)

I basically want more constructive criticism. I want to know if form is BETTER or NO DIFFERENT.
Does the racket need to be further back and sooner???

Before I spend long hours trying to train my body to do this stroke naturally I want to make sure the stroke is correct.

Thank you in advance!!

[takl23]

That looks so much better! My finish tends to be just like yours and my tennis coach always tells me to finish up by my ear. I know it can't happen on every shot, but it can be something to work towards. You could bring it back just a touch sooner. If you're comfortable where the racket is at takeback, then that's fine. It wouldn't hurt to see it just a touch further back. Very nice improvement though! The big question is, can you take that into a match?

Cheers,

Tim

[junbumkim]

Looks better to me

Your left foot is no longer crossing over the right foot, so that's good.

In all shots, you are hitting with the neutral stance, which is fine.
One thing, is your recovery step. Notice how you drag your right feet and it's on its toes after you completed your followthrough? That's great because it means that you are properly balanced. However, as you advance, you want that right leg to naturally come around so it puts you right back into the ready position immediately after the followthrough.

I think you could extend your left arm a bit further, and straight. It might just be a style thing...But You want to bring that left arm into your chest as you swing through the ball to block your body opening up too soon.

Another thing is you can probably use a little more hip turn. It seems find, but if you do that, you will put more weight behind it.. It seems fine, but I think you could use more..

Also try to hit a few open stance and semi-open stance. There will be times when you will have to hit with these stance.

[Pusher]

Nice vid-looks like you could hit that forehand all day.

A very serviceable FH but if you want to hit a big time FH you're going to have to do something about your racquet backswing-its limiting your power and spin.

You might try getting a little loop in your takeback-make it continuous and don't break the motion (See Roddick for example). That will also help you rotate your shoulders and hips and bring your core into the power generation-right now you're arming the ball way too much. Once you fix your takeback and start rotating you can begin opening up your stance a little at a time. At that point you will begin to feel like a spring thats coiling and thats when you can start really swinging away with the FH.

Your off hand (left) seems like its protecting the family jewels while it should be out front tracking the ball-that helps your balance and rotation. If its the former then stay with it at all costs.

A good FH, like any shot, is a progression of small improvements made over time and thousands of hits.

And don't let the chickens on the court-they'll make a mess.

Good luck.

[fuzz nation]

Well done. Looks like a pretty comfortable stroke.

A couple of thoughts that may help you against a heavier hitter. First, the timing of your stroke is very in sync with the ball machine. What I mean is that you are swinging "on time", but if that machine were to sneak you a heater, you wouldn't be ready for it. You can take a more assertive first move when you set and turn - look at what you do now and you can see that your racquet stays out in front of you for almost a half second after the ball is on the way. That time is money in the bank if you use it to set up every shot even sooner - you can never be ready too early, so get that racquet over to your side right away... every time. Venus and Serena are masters at this - I'm no fan, but this move makes them both almost impossible to rush.

Second thought: I don't want to bum you out, but I spotted this more in the new video, probably bacause your stance isn't as closed up. Not just on the lower balls, but also on several others I can see your chest and shoulders starting to open up to the sky a little bit even though your balance looks pretty good. This is a killer when the heat is on because it makes it tougher to keep the ball down on the court. When the chest and shoulders "look up", our racquets see them doing it and because they're gullible, their faces look up, too. At moderate play, this isn't a big deal, but when the real shooting starts, this subtle posture issue will send a lot of balls long. Don't fixate on this so much as just keeping it in your head's ready reference where you occasionally remind yourself to stay down through the stroke.

Keep up the good work. Your dedication is producing some real results!

[mattyc]

Hi Homey,

Firstly well done on the improvement so far, it is great to see people being pro active in developing their strokes. I am going to give you some tips. Take it or leave it these could potentially take your 4 hand to the next level.

For the record I am a 6.0 futures player, I also coach 2 juniors who both have ITF Rankings......


OK first point. You have correctly identified that rotation was an issue. Whilst you have made efforts to rectify the problem, I think this could be further developed.......
Your footwork/ stance is cannibalizing the positive effects rotation gives. When you make contact with the ball you have minimal torsion across your core. By opening up your stance, you will achieve a higher level of torsion before you hit the ball. (think of this a stored energy ready to explode on the ball.)

Having studied your side shots, I would also suggest (to some contraversially) that you are aiming for a contact point too far in front.
I teach that the contact point needs to certainly be in front but not by much. Being closer to the ball, you make contact with the ball when the maximum amount of energy is travelling through your racquet. This is how good players are able to impart more spin with more power on the ball. A good example of this is any of the slow motion shots taken at last year's oz open.


Finally just as you are not getting maximum torsion through rotation, your knees do not transfer energy at the right time. try to stick ur ass out a little so you sink then consciously explode with your legs a split second before contact.



Probably quite confusing in words, feel free to disregard what i am saying but contact me if you have any questions, i am only too happy to help.

well done so far though!

[mista-k]

homey--can you give us video of an actual match? you against your coach? usually ball feeding is so repetitive that you dont get to see the "real" strokes of a player during a real match...but vid 1 to vid 2 I noticed your backswing is more farther away from your body>giving you more energy/power to your shot (eastern grip right?= flat) vid 1 > half swinging

mattyc- the juniors you coach ....what brand of strings are they sponsored with?

[tbini87]

i would say they do looked improved from the last vids you put up. looks like a good turn, and bend in the knees. looks like you are using your legs and whole body. how much topspin do you hit with? looks to me like it might be a little flat, but can't really tell. i would now work on keeping your strokes fluid... not so mechanical and rigid. it will come with time, but try to make the turn, take back, and stroke and follow through all one smooth motion. good job, keep working and improving!

[MrAWD]

You definitely show improvement from the first video, but you are still doing it the same way. The point here is that you are using your right arm to accelerate your racquet and that is pretty much all of your body that you are using. I would try to start your motion with the left hand (especially your left shoulder) which will help you to move your hitting arm even further back. The left hand motion should be something like elbowing someone on your left side. That motion will help opening your right hip and all of that will actually start movement of your right arm and give it beginning acceleration. After that point you can use your right arm muscle to maybe add more acceleration in the case of heavier shots, but more likely you will need it mostly for guidance of the racquet. That way, you will be using longer strokes, generating much more power, and the most importantly be able to maintain the same kind of strokes all and all over again!

Good luck!


Fedja

[shojun25]

Footwork changed a lot (in a good way). I would say to have more body rotation because that didn't really change.

[CAM178]

Things look better by appearance, but you're still doing the same things, just faster and harder now. You have a short backswing, and you're still finishing down. It's your natural tendency. In order to break this habit, you are going to have to slow things down, and force yourself to finish high (up).

If you have a bit more backswing, and finish high, you will see markedly better results. You've got a nice shot, and obvious power. Just take it to the next level. You're not far off.

This is what gets difficult about teaching, and what separates good pros from bad: it's the little things. As you get better and better, it will become more and more difficult to dissect the errors.

Great job, and keep at it!

[Loco4Tennis]

i saw a much more agressive swing from the first video, good job
i also agree with the posters here that say the backswing is an issue with your swing

it think this descrives it best:
CAM178"You have a short backswing, and you're still finishing down"
CAM178"If you have a bit more backswing, and finish high, you will see markedly better results"

[Homey]

Hey guys, thanks for ALL the input. Thank you to : takl23, junbumkim, pusher, fuzznation, mattyc, mista-k, tbini87, mrawd, shojun25, cam178, loco4tennis.

I understand WHAT you are saying about my lack of takeback and not enough core rotation. I am just having a hard time RE-TRAINING my body. I have been hitting for about 8 years, and it is real hard to break old bad habits. I have to tell myself on EVERY stroke, RACKET BACK, off-hand arm up, and lead with the off-hand. I will keep practicing and let you look at it later.

I did have a question about my non-racket hand and the takeback though.

Non-racket hand: When getting ready to hit the ball, should it be pointed toward the net??? Should it swing first and then whip the rest of the body around???

Takeback question: Some of you are saying get the racket back as SOON as I see it is going to my forehand. What if I am in the middle of the court and a ball it is hit pretty wide to my forehand. Do I immediately get the racket back and THEN run over and hit it, OR do I run over to the ball THEN get the racket back??? It seems odd for me to do the former. It seems odd to get the racket back pointed one way and my non racket hand pointed the other way and THEN run over and hit it. It seems like I would have my arms pointed out like I was flying the whole time I am running. Which is correct??

PUSHER: You said something about not letting the chickens on the court. Is that because you think I live on a farm?? The only chickens we have are KFC Extra Crispy and Original recipe.

Thanks again.

[mista-k]

watch the Tennis Channel or taped Tennis matches of pros
Men or women...youll notice the "reaction time" of pros are from when the other player hits the ball - upon impact they already move to position plus they have already started taking the racquet back (backswing) try shadow hitting (like shadow boxing) while youre watching the match and see if you can keep up/ mirror the players movements...note how far back their take back is...youll be amazed how fast things happen / One good example is Venus Williams- her take back/backswing looks mechanical but well timed and fully extended even before the ball bounces on her side of the court...

[hector]

Good work.

The main thing I would work on is your takeback. It seems disjointed and short. There are many theories on this but my preference is to have a little more of a loop and bring the racket further back. This has to happen much faster then you are currently doing. In some of the shots you are still taking the racket back as the ball enters the picture. Given that these ball are coming slowly and you have an abbreviated takeback you are getting away with it.

So current technique works if ball does not have much pace and you are not looking for much power. However given the improvement you have made this should be easy to fix.

Keep up good work

[MrAWD]

One thing that might help with the motion of getting the racquet back for the more powerful swing is to try to use a disk and try to trow it outside. The disk I am referring is the one used for one of the decathlon disciplines (sorry, can't remember the English word for it). The point here is to learn the use more of your body to do a swing. Once you have something heavier in your hand then strength of the single arm will not be able to trow heavier object far enough. So, that would make you to naturally use more of your body (mainly legs and hip with the help of the non hitting arm). Well, just an idea!

As of the non hitting arm, you don't have to have it point to the net while hitting. The idea with extension of it toward the net is basically to open up the shoulders and start moving the racquet back. Then, you start to move to the side and back in order to begin creating the torque in your hitting arm which starts to move from that as well.

I personally don't point to the ball, but rather use the non hitting arm to basically elbow someone who would stand behind me. That is what gives me a starting torque and stronger you hit that person with your elbow, more of the torque will be generated for the hitting arm.

Good luck!

Fedja