Videos: Analyze my ground strokes please :)

[matchpoints]

I've been meaning to put these up for the last couple of weeks.

Taken with a Sony CrapCam and then encoded using the Xvid codec (http://www.koepi.org/XviD-1.0.3-20122004.exe).

Since they are not Quicktime files, you won't be able to drag the slider back and forth. If you wish to do that then use VirtualDub (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/virtualdub/VirtualDub-1.5.10.zip?download) (smaller then 1 meg) to open the file.

Forehand (http://home.satx.rr.com/webjunk/forehand.avi)

Problem: Hitting too deep when hitting cross court (so it goes wide).

Backhand (http://home.satx.rr.com/webjunk/backhand.avi) EDIT:Linked fixed (1 and 2 handed, gonna stick with 2 - more stable for me)

Problem: I'm hitting the net a lot on the back hand side. When I try to loop it more, I lose a lot pace and they tend to be short and drop in the service line area.

What a pain looking for that happy medium :)

Cheers

[obackvalobasha]

I couldnt get to your back hand but your forhand sounds good.

[Nero]

Your turn of shoulder is good and your finish is very complete... technically sound :)

[montx]

Looks like good stroke mechanics, you must be a 4.5-5.5, with a sweet shot like that.

[TwistServe]

Forehand looks alrite but has room for improvement. First, you can make the ball heavier by going lower and accelerating through to give it more spin. Right now it looks like you're meeting the ball at the lowest point of your swing already. Also I am noticing that your swing is leading your stroke, not your legs. Your right leg should be launching your swing by starting the weight transfer! I noticed this by going frame by frame, it looks like you swing which causes your weight to transfer.

I can't view your backhand.

[matchpoints]

Backhand link is fixed.

TwistServe~ Great Eye! I've always been told to hit using my legs more. That's one reason why I miss a lot of put away shots.

In the first forehand, the right foot is noticeably lagging behind. I think on that one I waited for the ball to come to me more then usual....lazier then normal.

I like the 2nd forehand the best except I wasn't moving in towards the court.

Here's a side by side comparison of the 3rd forehand with Agassi's

0. Just Planted Left Foot, mine is more open stance
http://img223.echo.cx/img223/2462/00iz.jpg

1. Right Before Contact
http://img218.echo.cx/img218/7747/14pa.jpg

2. Right After Contact
http://img218.echo.cx/img218/152/22ri.jpg

[matchpoints]

3. Right Foot Still Behind Left, Right Knee in Front of Left Knee

http://img218.echo.cx/img218/3318/30we.jpg

4. Right Foot Next to Left
http://img218.echo.cx/img218/5213/47qk.jpg

5. Right Foot in Front of Left
http://img218.echo.cx/img218/1311/54jo1.jpg

[matchpoints]

6. Right Foot Planted (Stopping Forward Momentum), Left foot On Toes (pretty weightless), Entire Body sideways to the net.
http://img218.echo.cx/img218/2832/67yc.jpg

After looking at several more pro's forehand clips, It seems to me that I'm turning my trunk a little bit too much. I'm also not bending my knees enough which seems to deprive me of some explosivesness that I try to compensate by rotating my trunk more.

I also have a more open stance then Agassi which could easily lead to less push-off since pushing with the right leg would be harder in that position.

I haven't slept yet so all this might as well be nonsense. What do ya'll think?

Twistserve, thanks again. It's nothing like seeing it for yourself on video.
Ready for Backhand, Volleys and Serves?

[arodnadal]

was this at new braunfels
great strokes
2handed bh has weird windup but looks like ur getting good topspin on the ball

[arodnadal]

by the way good topspin off both sides
i hope you use the 1hb more than 2 hande bh

[matchpoints]

arodnadal~ yes, thanks, weird? WHAT! :) and I use 2HB 90% in matches.

[takeuchi]

holy crap your strokes look good. can i have your backhand....EITHER OF THEM? lol. i obviously have no criticism for you simply because i am teh suck.

[arodnadal]

your take back looks kinda weird
overall the stroke is beautiful

[matchpoints]

holy crap your strokes look good. can i have your backhand....EITHER OF THEM? lol. i obviously have no criticism for you simply because i am teh suck.

Thanks! Hey you live in Vancouver? We NEED to talk. Please e-mail me if you can. Addy is in my profile.

[gmlasam]

Great storkes matchpoints!!! From the video, you look like few the people that can hit both 2hb and 1hb comfortable. You seem to change between both effortlessly. You must fake some people out when you play.

[POGO]

Matchpoints,

Your forehand is quite similar to mine, specially the footwork, but of course not as good as yours ;). You have very good forward weight transfer. Like the backhand!!!

Would you look at my grounstroke and give me some pointers? YOu need quicktime.
Please click here (http://www.csun.edu/~aml45386/gstrokes3.mov)

[POGO]

TwistServe,

Would you post some video of yourself as well?

[TwistServe]

TwistServe,

Would you post some video of yourself as well?

Hehe why do you want to see me swing?

I'll describe it to ya:

- I have a beautiful western forehand about 5.0 level. I can putaway short balls and high balls, running forehands DTL, inside outs, extreme shortangle, create heavy spin, flatten out, etc, and rip winners from the baseline..
- Serve is all kicks and twists about 4.5 level.
- 1handed backhand about 4.0 level, 2handed backhand about 4.0 level.
- Volleys are non-existing
- Pretty good understanding of tennis strategy

I play NTRP 4.5

One of these days I'll video myself when I get a camera.

[gugafanatic]

Matchpoints, you need to devlop your 2-hander and give up hitting one handers. Your single handed backhand looks strange as during your take back it seems that you are going to slice and dont really get anough shoulder turn.

[arodnadal]

POGO i watched your strokes and they look pretty good. I saw that when you really focused on your bh you hit quite solid. I would try increasing your racquet speed off both sides this could help hit more topspin and more margin for error. Also your slice bh isnt the greatest. It kinda pops up trying having long swing and good shoulder rotation. Overall good strokes good luck on bringin your game to the next level

[Nero]

YOu say your backhand is giving you problems, but your timing of the SBH, given you use 2BH most of the time, is excellent.. good hand eye coordination.. Just choose one that you feel more comfortable.. I still think your footwork is good and you have natural strokes..

[matchpoints]

Matchpoints,

Your forehand is quite similar to mine, specially the footwork, but of course not as good as yours ;). You have very good forward weight transfer. Like the backhand!!!

Would you look at my grounstroke and give me some pointers? YOu need quicktime.
Please click here (http://www.csun.edu/%7Eaml45386/gstrokes3.mov)

I would start a new thread so more people can see it. I peeked at it and the camera is REALLY far away. Can you please put up another video, maybe higher resolution and of 4 or so shots (to keep the file small). That would make it easier for everyone. It's very hard right now for me to look at it frame by frame right now. Thanks.

[matchpoints]

Matchpoints, you need to devlop your 2-hander and give up hitting one handers. Your single handed backhand looks strange as during your take back it seems that you are going to slice and dont really get anough shoulder turn.

My one handers actually have a lot more pace then 2 handers and also more efficient. I know it's dumb to keep hitting them, but it helps a lot when I teach. What do you think I can do to improve my 2HB? Thanks for helping.

So I just thought I might share this bit of info. I REALLY need help with my groundstrokes. My peers at work have been saying that I'm playing well and should start competiting instead of waiting another few months.

I on the other hand am not happy with my game at all. I feel that I should be able to hit harder with better placement and consistency. I'm out of shape and have lost a lot of touch at net and from baseline.

Does anyone else feel that they are capable of hitting MUCH better but can't for some reason?

There are 2 things :
1. I've gotten really weak this last few years bumming. Not as explosive as before. Need to start training.
2. Lost aggressiveness. My hunger for that screaming winner isn't quite there. I should quit having McDonald's and leave room for satisfaction with aggressive shots.

[matchpoints]

YOu say your backhand is giving you problems, but your timing of the SBH, given you use 2BH most of the time, is excellent.. good hand eye coordination.. Just choose one that you feel more comfortable.. I still think your footwork is good and you have natural strokes..

I recently started hitting with 1hb and usually hit them 50% of the time when I'm just messing around (which is most of the time). I think I started doing it out of laziness. 2HB is so much more work. I just don't feel strong enough to hit the one handers under pressure and also when fatigued. I just noticed how I slid a little on one of the forehands. U can hear a squeak. No wonder my shoes don't last. Thanks for looking mate.

[Nero]

I recently started hitting with 1hb and usually hit them 50% of the time when I'm just messing around (which is most of the time). I think I started doing it out of laziness. 2HB is so much more work. I just don't feel strong enough to hit the one handers under pressure and also when fatigued. I just noticed how I slid a little on one of the forehands. U can hear a squeak. No wonder my shoes don't last. Thanks for looking mate.
I did hear your shoes squeak ;) The good thing was that you seem to be on your toes which is something some recreational players(like me) lack in. I enjoyed your videos and hope you can post more, I can learn something! :) I can tell that you have good timing on hand eye coordination which is essential to hitting solid shots.. keep it up!

[takeuchi]

Thanks! Hey you live in Vancouver? We NEED to talk. Please e-mail me if you can. Addy is in my profile.
emailed you.

[nswelshman]

So I just thought I might share this bit of info. I REALLY need help with my groundstrokes. My peers at work have been saying that I'm playing well and should start competiting instead of waiting another few months.

I on the other hand am not happy with my game at all. I feel that I should be able to hit harder with better placement and consistency. I'm out of shape and have lost a lot of touch at net and from baseline.

Does anyone else feel that they are capable of hitting MUCH better but can't for some reason?

There are 2 things :
1. I've gotten really weak this last few years bumming. Not as explosive as before. Need to start training.
2. Lost aggressiveness. My hunger for that screaming winner isn't quite there. I should quit having McDonald's and leave room for satisfaction with aggressive shots.


The way I see it is that I myself am almost never completely satisfied with my shots, and always have something to work on, but I think you should get out there and compete- not worry about results now, but focus on how your strokes hold under pressure, with different opponents, balls, conditions etc. Consistency and placement will continually develop in conjuction with the development of competitive instinct.
It can be the breakdown of certain areas of your game in competition that really helps you identify what you need to work on. Go for it!

[muscl3s]

post some videos of your serve now :)

[matchpoints]

post some videos of your serve now :)

Man, my serve is UGLY. No legs at all. IIRC, we made videos of serves and volleys that day as well. I'll look for them when I get home and post them in a new thread with "serve" in the title.

Btw, what angles do ya'll think are best for video analysis?

[TwistServe]

Man, my serve is UGLY. No legs at all. IIRC, we made videos of serves and volleys that day as well. I'll look for them when I get home and post them in a new thread with "serve" in the title.

Btw, what angles do ya'll think are best for video analysis?

For serve try getting side angle and back angle..

[Jack the Hack]

Matchpoints,

It looks like we play around the same level... and have similar styles on our groundies.

I didn't think there was much wrong with the forehand. Maybe you could get down a little lower and drive with your legs more, but what you have looks like it could be a formidible weapon.

I would just practice a lot on hitting balls at about 85% of your power capability to very specific spots on the court. Work on adding a little top and hitting to where the service line meets the sideline to pull people off the court in the deuce court, and then work on the inside out forehand drive to the ad-court for knockout punches.

As far as the backhand, your backswing - especially on the 2-hander - is too high and too long. It looks like you are bringing it back above your head! This could cause timing problems on hard hit shots or low balls, and on returns of serve. It's OK to have some "personality" in your strokes (as my old college coach used to say), but I would probably work on making that stroke a little more compact and concentrate on driving through the contact zone.

[devwizard]

I REALLY agree with Jack on your 2hander. I have never in my entire life ever seen anyone with such a ginormous backswing!!Wow! I can definitely see how you can use that to get some crazy topspin shots every now and then. Plus, it may become difficult to be very accurate because the racquet is facing such a crazy angle during the backswing. My biggest advice; try to shorten it a LOT to where you can start low and power through with the left side of your body.

Hope this helps! :-)

[nyu]

First, it's really easy to give anonymous advice out over the internet, so like everyone else's postings, do take mine with a grain of salt, since you do have beautiful strokes. I'm a 5.0 baseliner with a semi-western/western grip and the same 2-handed backhand grip as yourself.

Overall, I really like your strokes, especially the forehand. I'm going with the majority by agreeing that you could improve your momentum and overall power by bending your knees more and really loading up. This is especially prevalent in your bakchand, which is technically sound, but with a bit more of a knee bend, you could really explode into the ball.

There have been some comments posted so far about your backswing being too big off the backhand side. If you're the experimenting type, you should look into taking the racquet straight back, because right now it looks as though you're taking it straight up and then dropping it straight down before. Taking it straight back would give you a bit more leverage if you want to hit the ball a bit harder. It would be interesting to see if your strokes change at all when you're trading groundies with another player of your own level, I'm guessing they look even more solid.

[matchpoints]

you should look into taking the racquet straight back, because right now it looks as though you're taking it straight up and then dropping it straight down before. Taking it straight back would give you a bit more leverage if you want to hit the ball a bit harder.
I've tried that before and do hit shots on the run that way. It's definitely more solid but for some reason my mind tells me that my swing isn't big enough. Maybe I should look at Hewitts long take back but straight take back.
It would be interesting to see if your strokes change at all when you're trading groundies with another player of your own level, I'm guessing they look even more solid.
That's a great idea. I'll try to do some recording in an actual hitting session rather then being fed balls at a slow pace. Thanks for the suggestions.

[ssjkyle31]

You have some very nice strokes and good power. Do you have any video against an opponent?

[matchpoints]

You have some very nice strokes and good power. Do you have any video against an opponent?
Thanks. I don't have any. In fact, that was the first time I've EVER recorded myself. I will make one next week playing against a friend.

[Exile]

Needs more cowbell.

Ok so it wasn't relavent.

2 handed backhand should be quick back, quick forward, there's no time for that kind of swing.

Every little thing you add to your stroke is just more that can go wrong when it really counts.

[BigbangerNYC]

I've been meaning to put these up for the last couple of weeks.

Taken with a Sony CrapCam and then encoded using the Xvid codec (http://www.koepi.org/XviD-1.0.3-20122004.exe).

Since they are not Quicktime files, you won't be able to drag the slider back and forth. If you wish to do that then use VirtualDub (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/virtualdub/VirtualDub-1.5.10.zip?download) (smaller then 1 meg) to open the file.

Forehand (http://home.satx.rr.com/webjunk/forehand.avi)

Problem: Hitting too deep when hitting cross court (so it goes wide).

Backhand (http://home.satx.rr.com/webjunk/backhand.avi) EDIT:Linked fixed (1 and 2 handed, gonna stick with 2 - more stable for me)

Problem: I'm hitting the net a lot on the back hand side. When I try to loop it more, I lose a lot pace and they tend to be short and drop in the service line area.

What a pain looking for that happy medium :)

Cheers


Mechanically both your fore and backhands are great. the only two things I noticed were (1) bear down a little more to put more wieght behind the ball, and (2) in the forehand video clip, iy seemed like you stopped the rotation of your hip during contact. This will defintely prevent you from transfering all the weight into the ball, which is critical in generating power. (If you have a chance of looking at a martial artist making a side kick, pay attention to how he pivot his hip or look at tigetr woods when he tees off, this should give you an idea of what I am talking about) Have you clocked the speeds of your groundies? How fast?