Video of Me Hitting w/ Ball Machine (need advice)

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Tikiman53

Guest
Hey, guys, I'm kind of in a terrible slump. Before the season, I was playing well, and everyone thought I would have a good position. But I ended up sucking at tryouts, and though I got in, even right now, I'm losing most of my matches. I dunno, I guess I need to be more consistent. Can you guys help me find some things in my stroke that I can improve upon so I can get my game back up? And if you have any wisdom on the matter, can you touch on fighting nervousness and keeping my normal level of play under match pressure? Thanks!

Here are some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFVwq48OeQs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIQ5WW4YvKI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXv0ZpMPzM

Oh, and can you also tell me what NTRP I'm around? I know it's hard w/ only 5 minutes of footage and no match play, but I'm good w/ a guess.

Thanks so much
 

quicken

Professional
Turn your torso on your FH shots more closed, bend your legs, recover to center of the court.

Hm, I think a bit more "low to high" action on both wings may benefit you, since you seem to be using a western grip on your FH, why not add even more spin to really send the ball jumping out of the court?

But, I like your backhand a lot, I mean really... A LOT
 

randomname

Professional
it might have just been me but it seemed like you were taking the ball really late on your forehand, try to hit it further out in front of your body
 
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Tikiman53

Guest
I'm about 5'3. Lol, yeah, I'm a short asian kid. RIght now, my forehand grip is completely boggling me. I'm almost certain I'm using a semi-western grip, but for some reason, on the videos, it looks like a western. I hit again today, and for the first time, I realized I'm turning my wrist over on my forehand or something so my racket face looks really closed. I'm guessing that's bad? I tried just keeping my wrist in the same position so my racket face would be perpendicular to the ground at all times. This is probably better, right?
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Actually, your racquet face can be closed on that forehand side depending on the type of ball you hit and whether or not you catch it on the rise. Seek a grip that's comfortable so that you don't need to deform your arm or posture to hit the ball well.

What I see in your forehand more than your backhand is a rather long preparation and a quick release of the stroke with more arm/shoulder work instead of drive coming from your legs and core. I got to watch the #1 12 year old boy in the world a few years ago in a few different matches/workouts and he was about your size. Absolute man sized game in a still-developping body and his legs and core rotation were clearly his engines. Look to get some earlier preparation on that forehand side and make your overall power from the ground up.

In my coaching experience, lots of players in your age bracket do a great job of building sound technique in their games (your looks to be doing great) and some, but not all, make the extra step of learning different strategies and tactics. Your disappointing results could be the fallout of using what you think should work in a match, but you need to know how and when to come out with plan B when the initial formula isn't successful. This comes from experience, but it comes from doing some of your own homework, too.

Develop your head! This includes learning some productive psychology and we all need it out there. Players need to learn positive habits early on in this game and you look good and ready to work on understanding the extra dimensions in the game - you're oviously beyond your second lesson, right? Keep up the good work and remember to keep it fun for yourself.
 

35ft6

Legend
I think you should keep your left arm out more. Look at pictures of the pros, they keep their arm extended out for a lot longer, and it's there to provide extra balance and to act more effectively as a counterweight, allowing them to generate more torque.

Also, in the short stretch I watch, I felt like you could have used your legs more, like keep them springy, rise up into the shot to get some extra stick.

If you want to work on something, maybe challenge yourself and try taking the ball even earlier.

I'd say you're about a 4.0 to 4.5. Basically, just keep hitting and you'll get better. You're on your way...
 

WildVolley

Legend
I agree with 35ft6, extend that opposite arm across your body toward the side fence on your forehand. Your unit turn looks a little shallow to me. It will get you a little more torso rotation which should translate into a a better drive into the forehand.

You're definitely not a 3.0. Even if you push your serve in (which we didn't see), you hit much better than a 3.0.
 

NLBwell

Legend
I can't judge your rating with just groundstrokes against a ball machine.
Your groundstrokes look pretty good, especially your backhand. What are you doing with shifting the racket around? Are you turning it around 1/2 turn? What do you do when people hit hard serves to you - do you try to shift grips like that then? Your forehand is hit a little farther back than most western-grip players, but it doesn't look like a problem right now, it is up at your front hip. The real question is, how do you handle low short balls?
The best part of your game is that you are willing to be hitting balls in the dark with no one else around on the courts. Very dedicated - most important thing for success.
When you are playing matches, you may only get a shot like you are hitting once in a while (if you were playing me, you wouldn't get a single one). Other players are going to hit low slices, moonballs, hard skidding shots, balls hit of frames that go who knows where, and dropshots. At your level, it isn't necessarily an advantage to have good strokes versus guys who just push the ball back. In the long run you will be a better player than them IF you play lots of matches and learn how to handle all types of shots. Also for nerves, the best thing is also to play lots of matches.
Volleying and overheads are crucial in beating pushers, and of course the serve and serve return are the two most important shots in tennis.
 
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Tikiman53

Guest
hey, thanks for the advice you guys. So basically, this is what I should keep in mind: Try to take it a little earlier on my forehand, keep practicing, more torso rotation, more legs, bend my knees more, stay lower, maintain a low to high swing motion. Did I miss anything?

What are the best things I can do to improve the fastest and most efficiently right now? I'm getting private lessons, but how should I practice every other time?

Any tips anyone can give me are welcome!

Thanks again!
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Remember to keep after your net game, too. Your strokes are coming along well and if you can also transition forward effectively, you'll be able to raise some hell out there.
 

35ft6

Legend
Once the basics are in place, sheer repetition is good. I think with most people, once the basics are sound, if you just keep hitting and hitting, your body automatically makes subtle adjustments on its own to make the movement more efficient. It's not something you're necessarily thinking about, and I'm not saying you shouldn't put thought into designing what you want your stroke to look like, but there's a lot to be said for simply going out and hitting tons of balls almost mindlessly. One summer at a sleepaway camp, I was teaching tennis and there were no good players there, so I just hit a lot of serves. I didn't work on anything, just hit a lot of serves, and it helped a LOT. Practicing smart is great, but sometimes it's about sheer volume, quantity over quality. In Thai boxing, I heard they'll make newbies kick a banana tree for hours and hours without stopping even before they teach them proper kicking mechanics. They believe that after a while, the body will adjust by itself to make the motion more efficient.
 
I seen a lot of players, my best would be 3.5 on stroke base. Maybe 4.0 compeitive play,, should we differienate stroke mechanics and gameplay? Definately... lol.
Footwork is needed... I can tell by the backhand... youre leaning toward the ball. If you can position yourself better, like your forehand, then definately. Exposing yourself to various velocity of the ball+spin definately will sharpen the footwork due to experience... and possibly bring out more weak links.
 

montx

Professional
I think your stroke mechanics are a solid 3.5. I like your strokes.

I think your footwork needs improvement.
 

Solat

Professional
i didnt read all the posts in details but people are right in saying that your forehand is late, but no-one seems to want to mention why or how you might solve this problem

so i suggest you work on a faster unit turn, you want to have your racquet prepared by the time the ball bounces so that all you have to do from there is execute upward and forward. You can see (vid 3 most easily) how you change grip out in front then do your take back, you should be changing grip as you rotate, this will save you time
 

35ft6

Legend
i didnt read all the posts in details but people are right in saying that your forehand is late, but no-one seems to want to mention why or how you might solve this problem
There's really nothing to say. If he wants to hit it earlier, he doesn't need a new special motion, he just needs to take a step or two in and hit it earlier.
 

lolsmash

Rookie
Check out your knees. They need to bend a little bit. Doesn't matter if you're short cuz you can't load with straight legs.
 

Solat

Professional
There's really nothing to say. If he wants to hit it earlier, he doesn't need a new special motion, he just needs to take a step or two in and hit it earlier.

stepping into the ball wont help if the reason he hits "late" is his preparation is late, it will actually make it worse by giving him less time to get his racquet around
 

Vision84

Hall of Fame
Can't tell without matchplay but judging by this a 3.5.

I agree with some others who said you need to incorporate your legs and torso more into your forehand . Your fundamentals look mostly sound so far (except for the late forehand contact) and that is the next step. To fix the contact the way the PTR does it is to have the coach throw the ball in front of you so you have to push foreward more into the swing. Get a friend to do this for you and then when comfortable with that just practice light hitting focusing on extending that arm into the out in front contact point in the service box and then move back when comfortable.
 
I noticed that your footwork is much better on the backhand than the forehand. On your forehand your feet stop moving WAY too quickly, no adjustment steps at all. Yet this doesn't seem to be much of a problem on the backhand. :confused:

Nice strokes by the way.
 

CAM178

Hall of Fame
Take my advice with a grain of salt, as some of it might sting.

Basics:

1. You do the same thing that most everyone else does on here when they post vids: you don't move your feet. Regardless of whether or not it is a ball machine is no excuse not to move your feet. Moving your feet better prepares you for match play. ALWAYS move your feet.

2. You are standing too close to the baseline compared to where the ball is landing. This seems like more of a habit than anything else, as if you're thinking 'I'm supposed to stand close to the baseline'. This isn't the best thing with this ball drill based on how high the ball is.

3. Footwork revisited: work on your transitioning better. Yours is not bad. Rather, it just needs improvement, and I think that's why most of us are on here.

Strokes:

1. FH: you have a huge takeback compared to the actual swing. Make that stroke more compact.

2. FH #2: step into the ball. You step in on the BH, but not the FH. Why? Work on that.

3. BH: increase the amount of space between you and the contact point. You are making contact awfully close to your body, and by doing so, you are missing out on a tremendous ability to crush the ball.

4. BH #2: perhaps flatten the BH stroke a bit? You hit with a great deal of topspin, so you have a double negative working on your BH side. You are hitting too close to your body, and you are hitting with too much topsping. If you can manage to flatten that out, I think you would be pleased with the results.

Now for the good stuff!

You have good strokes, great ball concentration, and you are energetic. Those three alone will carry you a long way. The things I'm offering will take some time, and when you do them, they will be one of those 'OHHhhh! moments.

In short: move your feet, do some footwork drills to impove footspeed, step into your FH, and step away from & flatten your BH.

These are just my ideas. Use none, some, or all. . . it's up to you. Good luck, man. :)
 
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Tikiman53

Guest
Whoa, didn't think this thread was still alive. So tell me if I'm missing something. THings I need to work on:

-More steps (esp. on forehand)
-Hitting earlier on forehand
-Less topspin on backhand.
-Bigger backswing on Backhand.
-Hit farther from body on Backhand
-Make forehand more compact.
-Step into shots more, use more legs/torso.

I have a question though. I'm kinda confused about closed/open stances and stepping in. If you step into the ball on the forehand,wouldn't that make your stance closed as opposed to letting the ball come to you, facing the opposite court, and hitting it like that?

Thanks for all the help, btw
 

CAM178

Hall of Fame
I have a question though. I'm kinda confused about closed/open stances and stepping in. If you step into the ball on the forehand,wouldn't that make your stance closed as opposed to letting the ball come to you, facing the opposite court, and hitting it like that?

Thanks for all the help, btw
Hey, we're here to help, so you are very welcome.

As to the closed and open stance, that's up to you. I prefer more of a closed stance, but it also depends on who I'm playing and the court surface. If I'm playing against a good player on hard courts, I don't have much choice but to go open stance. But normally I prefer a pseudo-closed stance. It's a preference thing, really. If I were you, I would recommend trying out both. I always recommend starting with closed stance, and if the player is up to it, then he/she can switch to open.

Give it a try and let us know how it works out.
 
i'd say 3.0. play against some people who are rated. you'll know where you stand.

What?

Dude, most 3.0s would probably have trouble even hitting the sweetspot with that much racquet speed.

It's impossible to give a reasonable rating with just your basic ball machine groundies, but you look like a very solid 4.0. Keep up the good work.
 

Bungalo Bill

G.O.A.T.
Hey, guys, I'm kind of in a terrible slump. Before the season, I was playing well, and everyone thought I would have a good position. But I ended up sucking at tryouts, and though I got in, even right now, I'm losing most of my matches. I dunno, I guess I need to be more consistent. Can you guys help me find some things in my stroke that I can improve upon so I can get my game back up? And if you have any wisdom on the matter, can you touch on fighting nervousness and keeping my normal level of play under match pressure? Thanks!

Here are some videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFVwq48OeQs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIQ5WW4YvKI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXXv0ZpMPzM

Oh, and can you also tell me what NTRP I'm around? I know it's hard w/ only 5 minutes of footage and no match play, but I'm good w/ a guess.

Thanks so much

Work on:

1. Footwork: Footwork seemed a little clumpy. Could have been the ball machine practice and the frequency of feed. Still in all, you need to check this because footwork is the name of the game in tennis. Work on your split-step and step-outs to build coordination and strength in the weaker side.

2. Shoudler Rotation: On occasion it was border line. In other cases, it wasn't enough. Work on bringing the front shoulder under your chin and then when you rotate back into the ball, bring your back shoulder under your chin on both forehand and backhand.

3. Non-dominant hand/arm on forehand: I thought you brought it back into your body well and didnt leave it dangling out. I do agree with the posters above, you cold extend your hand out toward the contact point before bringing it back into the body. Haas does this very well.

4. Knee bend: Need more.

Without seeing the rest of your game and hitting on a ball machine, I would not give you a 4.5 rating. However, you are around the 4.0ish area. Competition will sort that out.
 
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Tennisman912

Semi-Pro
Tikiman53,

Pretty smooth strokes off both sides. It seems you are using more of an arm swing and not transferring enough into your shots. A little more coiling to transfer more energy would up the pace noticeably. Bend those knees. The lack of pace would hurt a lot against the better players.

Also as others have said, footwork needs improvement (not my strength either). I have a more loose definition of what your footwork should be like. Concentrate on getting to the ball early, coiling and exploding into the ball. If you can do that consistently, your footwork will sort its self out. A little zen like for some I am sure. You have a good foundation to build on though. I would place you in the 3.5 range or just above if you are losing consistently as you say. As you are learning, winning is about more than pretty strokes. Your strokes are consistent enough for 4.0 but in my humble opinion you don't have enough pace for that level. I wouldn't put too much weight into any ratings number though. We need to see you playing in a match to give a better idea. Listen to cam178. He is a strong player who knows what he is talking about.

Good luck to you.

TM
 

Nellie

Hall of Fame
To add to the above comments - you really need to bend your knees more and move forward and back to take the ball at a comfortable height. From what I see, you look like you are upright because you are hitting the ball too high. On several shots, you are off balance and leaning into the ball because you are so upright. By bending your knees, dropping your center of gravity, and moving to take the ball at a better height, you could hit with more weight shift and less arm swing. This would let you hit harder/swing slower for more accuracy/consistency. I can see how your shots could breakdown with a deep/hard ball.
 

Tennisman912

Semi-Pro
So do I Cam. It is amazing what you learn if you pay attention to everyone. It is pretty easy to tell who knows what they are talking about usually but a useful nugget may come from anywhere.

TM
 

Bungalo Bill

G.O.A.T.
Tikiman53,

Concentrate on getting to the ball early, coiling and exploding into the ball. If you can do that consistently, your footwork will sort its self out. A little zen like for some I am sure.

This is where the wheels came off for me. :mad:

Footwork and its patterns are not a natural thing for players. You need to work at footwork. You need to learn the patterns for tennis and how to get to the ball with the fewest steps, spending the least amount of energy, while allowing you to be balanced as you transfer weight into the ball.

Coiling and exploding into the ball does not lead to footwork sorting itself out! It takes work to develop good footwork and footspeed. We are not talking about trotting, walking or prancing to the ball. We are talking about footwork patterns and how you should move your feet to get to the ball.

If I were ballroom dancing, does footwork sort itself out? If you think that, you are completely wrong.
 

CAM178

Hall of Fame
Above all else, do what works best for YOU. People will tell you to do this and that, and it might feel like crap. Obviously, you need to try it out more to see if it sorts itself out or not. If it doesn't, then it's not for you. This is what I've always told every person who has asked me for advice. In the end, no 2 pros have the same strokes or movement, so it is vital to develop your own. That being said, you need to work on the fundamentals now, so as to prevent bad habits like the kind that you have already started.

It's one thing to hear what you should do to improve strokes, but it is quite another to actually go out and practice them. Really practice them. Work on one thing each day until you have it mastered. Then move on to the next thing. Or work on one thing for 15 minutes, then the next idea, and so on. Even with practice, it is up to you to decide what is going to give you the best results.

Me, for example, I go out and have set ideas about things that I want/need to work on, and I work on them until I feel better about the area of focus (high FH's, slice up the line, OH's, etc.). Then I move on to the next thing.

But above all else, I place footwork as #1 on my list. That has been my saving grace in tennis, and I never want to get lazy or not put in the time where that is concerned. Especially with the hard court season and high heat coming up, there is nothing better than a guy coming up to you at the start of the 2nd set and saying 'Hey man, I can't continue. It's just too hot out here, and I am too out of shape.' That comes from busting your hump on footwork and cardio.

A great drill for this, for example, is to line up on the service line. Have someone feed you balls from the deuce court to the ad court, in rapid succession, until the hopper/cart is empty. This exercise will kill you, but will really help on side-to-side. To improve the drill more, you can have them feed the balls randomly, as in if you have just retrieved a ball from the ad court and are already running to the deuce court and the feeder hits the ball back behind you to the ad court. Keeps you on your toes.

But again: stay on your toes, and always be moving your feet. To me, footwork is the key to success in tennis, in the end.
 
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Above all else, do what works best for YOU. People will tell you to do this and that, and it might feel like crap. Obviously, you need to try it out more to see if it sorts itself out or not. If it doesn't, then it's not for you. This is what I've always told every person who has asked me for advice. In the end, no 2 pros have the same strokes or movement, so it is vitalto develop your own. That being said, you need to work on the fundamentals now, so as to prevent bad habits like the kind that you have already started.

It's one thing to hear what you should do to improve strokes, but it is quite another to actually go out and practice them. Really practice them. Work on one thing each day until you have it mastered. Then move on to the next thing. Or work on one thing for 15 minutes, then the next idea, and so on. Even with practice, it is up to you to decide what is going to give you the best results.

Me, for example, I go out and have set ideas about things that I want/need to work on, and I work on them until I feel better about the area of focus (high FH's, slice up the line, OH's, etc.). Then I move on to the next thing.

But above all else, I place footwork as #1 on my list. That has been my saving grace in tennis, and I never want to get lazy or not put in the time where that is concerned. Especially with the hard court season and high heat coming up, there is nothing better than a guy coming up to you at the start of the 2nd set and saying 'Hey man, I can't continue. It's just too hot out here, and I am too out of shape.' That comes from busting your hump on footwork and cardio.

A great drill for this, for example, is to line up on the service line. Have someone feed you balls from the deuce court to the ad court, in rapid succession, until the hopper/cart is empty. This exercise will kill you, but will really help on side-to-side. To improve the drill more, you can have them feed the balls randomly, as in if you have just retrieved a ball from the ad court and are already running to the deuce court and the feeder hits the ball back behind you to the ad court. Keeps you on your toes.

But again: stay on your toes, and always be moving your feet. To me, footwork is the key to success in tennis, in the end.

Are you supposed to hit groundstrokes or volleys with that drill? Or both?
 

Uthree

Rookie
Footwork debate should include feet position for shot. His front foot is too side on for the backhand in the preparation.
 
This is probably stated already, I didnt bother reading much of sec page... but one thing caught my attention is the backhand... you tend to reach for it. Moving in closer will definately get you that control and power you're looking for. This could lead to some problems with people who hit no pace to your backhand... especially those with no spin are low... it possibly would punish that "reaching" for the ball on that wing.
 

5263

G.O.A.T.
Come on guys,
You know those strokes are 3.5+ like TM said. This guy clearly has the groundstrokes to compete low in the lineup in singles, but does he know his way around the court? Are you playing singles?

We can't tell from the footage, but we know from what he's told us that he still thinks this is a hitting game. He hasn't realized that shots that are easy to make when your positon is good,
are sooo hard when you are off balance and out of position.

and Tiki most of all!

I'd bet the farm you don't handle the mid court ball well.

80% of the time that is what separates the winners and the not so fortunates.
Am I right? You rally 3, 5, 7 balls, then get something short or mid court and either do nothing with it and restart the rally or you miss. Right?
If this is not true, then you would be winning.

So set up that ball machine to give you the mid court balls that you experience most often in your matches. Realize that these mid court balls are what "all" the rallying is about, JUST to get one! Then work out what shots you can make that pressure your opp from those spots. Make sure you use shots that are strong, but that you KNOW you can make almost everytime.
They don't have to be hard, but they must really challenge your opp.

Tiki, when you have done that and done it well, you will go on big winning streak!
 

Bungalo Bill

G.O.A.T.
Come on guys,
You know those strokes are 3.5+ like TM said. This guy clearly has the groundstrokes to compete low in the lineup in singles, but does he know his way around the court? Are you playing singles?

Didnt we already say this? Hello?

We can't tell from the footage, but we know from what he's told us that he still thinks this is a hitting game. He hasn't realized that shots that are easy to make when your positon is good,
are sooo hard when you are off balance and out of position.

Wow, how profound. Please can you tell us something we dont know or how to fix this?

I'd bet the farm you don't handle the mid court ball well.

Why because his footwork isnt up to par? LOL!

80% of the time that is what separates the winners and the not so fortunates.

Sort of like the survival of the fittest. Dog eats cat. Cat eats mouse. Bear eats fish. What is with you and your numbers? 80% of the time? Why not 90%?

Am I right? You rally 3, 5, 7 balls, then get something short or mid court and either do nothing with it and restart the rally or you miss. Right?
If this is not true, then you would be winning.

So how does he fix it Einstein?

So set up that ball machine to give you the mid court balls that you experience most often in your matches. Realize that these mid court balls are what "all" the rallying is about, JUST to get one! Then work out what shots you can make that pressure your opp from those spots. Make sure you use shots that are strong, but that you KNOW you can make almost everytime.
They don't have to be hard, but they must really challenge your opp.

That is it? Just setup a ball machine and off he goes? LOL!

Tiki, when you have done that and done it well, you will go on big winning streak!

Hilarious, and Tiki will still have lousey footwork. lol
 

5263

G.O.A.T.
Bungling Bill,
You just keep embarrassing yourself. His footwork was not that bad for HS tennis and there is only so much you can see of it on the video.

The reason it's not 90% is because of several reasons like how some have a real weapon on the serve or return. Some have great volleys and overheads, so all these areas can compensate for avg or worse mid court shots when the matchup is pretty good.
OK and you caught me using the old 80-20 rule. You have heard of it I'm sure.

Of course you are right that better footwork will improve everyones game, but it will probably take 6-12 months to make a big difference.
He can go out and work for 2 weeks on handling the mid court ball (with his avg footwork)
and make a big, big difference in his match play results.
The biggest part for him (and you) was to realize how important that part of the game is. That aspect alone will make him better.

By the way, thanks for being my foil and asking the dumb questions that newer players may be afraid to ask. You are a true team player!
:)
 

CAM178

Hall of Fame
Are you supposed to hit groundstrokes or volleys with that drill? Or both?
It's more like short court, if you've ever played that. The feeder is supposed to feed a bouncing ball. What you do with it is up to you. The point of the drill is repetition and movement. The goal is to absolutely work you over.
 
It's more like short court, if you've ever played that. The feeder is supposed to feed a bouncing ball. What you do with it is up to you. The point of the drill is repetition and movement. The goal is to absolutely work you over.

Would a ball machine set on oscillation mode at a high feed rate with heavy topspin perform the same task? I don't know too many players with the patience to do that drill for an extended period of time.
 
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