Loading the torso over the ”dominant breacking leg"

[albesca]

Hi. In attempt to improve my forehand, I’ve noticed some things, someone obiouvs, other not so much.
1 from the baseline, the arm doesn’t make a great job without a “trunk rotation support”.
2 Trunk CAN’T loads without a firm basement. Not so easy to find it, because we have to move in all direction, but before hitting, we need to be firm with legs just a fraction of second.
3 To breack the run, whatever direction it goes, we use a “dominant breacking leg”, depending on body movement direction. Ex. if we are running to the right corner …we “breack” the run with the right leg, to the left side with the left leg, ahead with the left leg, back with the right leg . So, the “advanced” leg in relation to the movement direction would be the “dominant breacking leg” (we can use both legs to breack the basement when we don’t need to run).
If this is not a nonsense, it would be helpful to find a good balance, keep attention on load the torso OVER the ”dominant breacking leg”, when that leg bends and stops for a moment on its breacking action. What do you think about ?

[user92626]

Like walking whenever I get conscious about what to do with legs in running I'd likely screw up or even trip. All I ever need is the big picture and the body figures things out naturally.

[albesca]

Like walking whenever I get conscious about what to do with legs in running I'd likely screw up or even trip. All I ever need is the big picture and the body figures things out naturally.
Thank you. Unfortunately I am not able to do anything without understand it, becouse i'm start playing 38 y.o. and now i'm 44, i play 2 times a week so, due i can't build automatisms, I tend to look for techniques certainties on which i could attack to move ahead.
Is it correct to load the trunk like as I have described ?
Many thanks.
Alberto

[user92626]

alberto,
I would say that your observation 1, 2,3 are all correct. What you describe as "breaking leg" is planting the correct foot before hitting. Yes, you need a good balance and firm basement to support a fast swing, even more so while moving, which correctly should involve hip/torso turning.

But like I said, don't overthink this. There are many situations that you need to be flexible. You can hit with or without this firm base. You can hit while spin a bit in the air. You can hit while the weight is loaded more on the front foot/leg. Lately, I observed Soderling playing alot and this guy just loves to hit every FH in a rhythmic foot planting and springing up. It looks good on shots he has control but kinda sluggish and late against fast shots. Federer still stretches his legs wide apart for a firm base but he just simply hits the crap out of the ball seemingly with just his torso.

Did my input make sense?

[albesca]

yes, you are the right. ... i have a great mental handicap ...i am loosing myself inside numbers and geometries.... i can't improve without to change my mentality. Thank you.

[plasma]

indeed....moving on to higher technical levels the idea of loading your weight is fine as long as you load onto the ball of your foot and not your heel. Also I don't like the metaphor for loading since it makes me think of the upper body tipping.
How about you post some videos of your awesome techinical thinking, I think we enjoy it very much.
When I started boxing 20 years ago they told me that everyone nowadays was terrible. They said they were all "arms and legs". Now I know what those old guys meant...

[albesca]

indeed....moving on to higher technical levels the idea of loading your weight is fine as long as you load onto the ball of your foot and not your heel. Also I don't like the metaphor for loading since it makes me think of the upper body tipping....

Agree with you 100%. The correct feeling seems to be "turn the torso and point on the ground the balls of feet as you would to push ahead and jump on the ball". So doing i feel a little "ahead off-balance" before contact, and a neutral balance after contact.

Here is a old video of my forehand, i push laterally with my legs to recover ..
http://video.google.it/videoplay?docid=1080725564050089520

No weight is transferred on the ball because i "escape from the ball" at contact... I will post some new video with pushing ahead action.
Thank you.

Ciao
Alberto