Bending the knees - or, getting low

[tennisplayer]

I discovered something that seems to have made a big improvement to my consistency. I have been told many times to bend my knees, and while I felt it was important, I never could do it right because I never understood how much to bend. Bending for bending's sake didn't seem right.

Well, I was hitting against a wall some time ago, and I was giving myself a refresher - prepare early, drop racquet head, loose wrist, swing from inside out, etc. I realized that for the low balls, it really helped if my wrist was at the same height as the ball so the racquet would be roughly parallel to the ground at contact. The light bulb went off in my head - bingo! - this is how I could determine how much to bend at the knees!

Of course, in practice, it's really an approximation, and for running shots and hook shots, one doesn't bend that much, but this cue helped me a lot, and I thought this was worth sharing.

[oldguysrule]

Thank you for sharing that...I am going to use it tomorrow night.

I have a similar thought that I have always used on volleys and I was wondering if it makes sense to anybody else. I try to get my head down to the level of the ball without bending from my waist. I can't actually get that low on most balls, but it does seem to help me to remember to bend my knees.

[Kaptain Karl]

I have NEVER liked the "bend your knees" phrase. I prefer "get down to the ball" or -- borrowing from a Princeton seminar decades ago -- "sit down for the shot" (Imagining you are just barely sitting on the edge of a straight-backed chair to be in better body alignment for the shot.)

- KK

[odessa]

Thank you for sharing that...I am going to use it tomorrow night.

I have a similar thought that I have always used on volleys and I was wondering if it makes sense to anybody else. I try to get my head down to the level of the ball without bending from my waist. I can't actually get that low on most balls, but it does seem to help me to remember to bend my knees.

Great way to volley. I dont know where i heared it first but the phrase :
"Bite the ball" helped me alot.
You not only have to get down but you also have to make sure that your face is turned towards the ball.
Dont get to caught up in the imagination though. (or you hurt your self):mrgreen:

[Bungalo Bill]

I discovered something that seems to have made a big improvement to my consistency. I have been told many times to bend my knees, and while I felt it was important, I never could do it right because I never understood how much to bend. Bending for bending's sake didn't seem right.

Well, I was hitting against a wall some time ago, and I was giving myself a refresher - prepare early, drop racquet head, loose wrist, swing from inside out, etc. I realized that for the low balls, it really helped if my wrist was at the same height as the ball so the racquet would be roughly parallel to the ground at contact. The light bulb went off in my head - bingo! - this is how I could determine how much to bend at the knees!

Of course, in practice, it's really an approximation, and for running shots and hook shots, one doesn't bend that much, but this cue helped me a lot, and I thought this was worth sharing.

Very good! You are moving into an aspect of tennis many players never get to! That is, having a way to hit a ball consistently before you hit it!

You are giving your brain excellent information so it can send the signals for the muscles to pul the trigger! I like it!

Dont be discouraged if it doesn't work all the time or you forget to do it in a rally. Just keep plugging away and find those little things that will help you hit the ball cleaner and better!

[tennisplayer]

Thank you for sharing that...I am going to use it tomorrow night.

I have a similar thought that I have always used on volleys and I was wondering if it makes sense to anybody else. I try to get my head down to the level of the ball without bending from my waist. I can't actually get that low on most balls, but it does seem to help me to remember to bend my knees.

Hope it helps you as much as it helped me - good luck in your game!

Very good! You are moving into an aspect of tennis many players never get to! That is, having a way to hit a ball consistently before you hit it!

You are giving your brain excellent information so it can send the signals for the muscles to pul the trigger! I like it!

Dont be discouraged if it doesn't work all the time or you forget to do it in a rally. Just keep plugging away and find those little things that will help you hit the ball cleaner and better!

Thanks for the encouraging words, BB. It's learning things like this that makes all the work I put into tennis worthwhile!

[LoveThisGame]

Using the phrase "get low" instead of "bend your knees" appeared on one of Joe Dinofer's coaching tapes a number of years ago as perhaps a more effective communication phrase. I liked that and have used it since.

I have used another image also as a communication tool. Back in the days when male tennis players wore long white pants, the mark of a good player at Wimbledon was grass stains on the knees of his pants, not from falling down but from getting low on volleys (the good ol' serve and volley days).

[AngeloDS]

Kaptain Karl, I like that -- that's what I tell the girls when I manage them (Girls JV and V atthe High School).

The coach says, "bend your knees" it's not really bending your knees. It's like a wall sit but you're legs aren't at a 90 degree angle. It's like a squat, or the stance you hold right before you're about to sit down.

Like when a surfer is surf boarding they bend their knees but it's more of a sitting position.

Although on volleys, that's where I bend my knees greatly. Almost and sometimes touching the ground on forehand volleys.

[Bungalo Bill]

Kaptain Karl, I like that -- that's what I tell the girls when I manage them (Girls JV and V atthe High School).

The coach says, "bend your knees" it's not really bending your knees. It's like a wall sit but you're legs aren't at a 90 degree angle. It's like a squat, or the stance you hold right before you're about to sit down.

Exactly. The lowering of the butt is the key focus, the bending of the knees is the means to do it. If a player has their legs too close together chances are they will have a tendency to lean over with their head too far over their toes. In essence they are losing their balance. Widen the stance and players can drop their butt sort of like a squat.

Like when a surfer is surf boarding they bend their knees but it's more of a sitting position.

Exactly, my avatar shows me bending me knees for the bottom turn at Gas Chambers Hawaii. Had I not done this, the board would have slid from under me for a beautiful face plant in the water. In actuality, that wave was moving pretty fast and I had to lay a hand down to grab a track back into the wave. Good observation!

Although on volleys, that's where I bend my knees greatly. Almost and sometimes touching the ground on forehand volleys.

Yes, this is where the Micheal Chang drill separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls. ;)

[Bungalo Bill]

another double post

[AngeloDS]

I'm not sure what the Michael Chang drill is but my JV coach was a Serve and Volley specialist and that's what I was taught. All these pretty gruelling drills. One drill where he wanted us to get so low with our knuckles scraping the ground and our knees barely touching the ground.

I haven't done too much drilling of that kind lately. College practice is pretty much like 10 minute warmups or mini-matches, not so much drilling (which I wish we did more of) so I took the initiative to drill myself at home heh.

Also, when I get down on the ball at the baseline. It really helps you keep balanced as well -- I see a lot of people being forced back by shots. Like the shot comes and they lean backwards or step backwards. Getting into this stance helps you keep your body stationary or moving forward so it isn't forced back.

[Bungalo Bill]

I'm not sure what the Michael Chang drill is but my JV coach was a Serve and Volley specialist and that's what I was taught. All these pretty gruelling drills. One drill where he wanted us to get so low with our knuckles scraping the ground and our knees barely touching the ground.

It is only called the Chang drill because he did it a lot. The drill is probably a common "no name" drill but like you said it is a real leg burner. It also transfers to groundstrokes and other areas of one's game.

Basically, you field volleys back and forth for 30 balls. The coach can send the ball to be volleyed wider and wider and then drop a slow ball that barely clears the net and is dropping fast. On those balls you can not touch your racquet on the ground to field them, you have to make another "drop" shot volley and continue with the drill. Sometimes the coach can mix in an overhead, etc...

This is performed for 20 - 30 minutes. Talk about a lung burner, right now, if I did that drill, I would probably have a heart attack.

The key to the drill is to minimize crossover steps. It does not mean you will not take a step to the ball to get there, what it does mean is you need to not step over too much where you send your weight too much to the side fence. If you do, the player will get behind. It is best to keep the feet apart, use the step outs, and get as close to the ball as you can by keeping the feet apart while you move. You move very similar to a linebacker.

[Freedom]

I heard that the best place to be was about a foot below your normal height- you can move more fluidly, your center of gravity is easier to manage, and your knees are already bent.

[molybdenum]

i am confused. are we supposed to a "loose wrist" for forehands? I thought we should have a fixed or locked wrist for forehands.

[Bungalo Bill]

i am confused. are we supposed to a "loose wrist" for forehands? I thought we should have a fixed or locked wrist for forehands.

Strive for a looser or educated wrist. The wrist will lay back as you propel the racquet forward. The motion forward will also stablize the wrist to keep the racquet from rotating or wobbling. Loose is relevant to the hinge motion of the wrist and hand.

You can test this yourself right now. Position your arm like you are swinging your racquet forward. Then move your forearm forward with a loose wrist. YOu will sort of throw your hand forward. Now do this back and forth to see how your hand moves forward but it doesnt rotate around or droop down. It is fixed as in keeping the racquet level but is also on a hinge so the hand can be accelerated forward.

Fixed means the racquet is not rotating around in your hand. Loose means you are allowing the motion of your swing to perform the laid back wrist and the eventual forward movement of the hand.

As a beginner to this motion, you might want a little more pressure on the handle then when you move to the advanced levels. This is to condition and train the stablizing muscles in the forearm.

[mr2union]

I have been hitting my 2-h backhand pretty well for the last couple of years. I line up my feet almost perpendicular to the baseline with my right toes facing forward. I think my stance is semi-open (or semi-close depending on whether you're a half full or half empty person). In some cases where I want to hit down the line, I may line my left foot right and behind of my right foot.

However, I just played with this partner for the first time last week who is a lefty and have a lot of spin (top, slice, sides..etc). I was totally confused by the spin and my footwork was all wrong. I realized that when I hit my backhand to him, I sometimes have a wide-open stances so my feet are parallel to the baseline, or sometimes both my legs are both stone straight...etc. The shots were either at the bottom of the net or they were three-story high.

I think I have to work on my baby-steps and bend my knees better so I hit the ball at my waist level. I was hitting the ball at my chest level due to the partner's topspin...