Having some fun practicing (video)
 

Me and my partner tried to out hit each other just for change. Down side is rallies are shorter. We are both old school as you can see but I would loved to modernise my shots a bit. I have got a few great tips here in the past but I'm finding, when I simply get into rally I forget what I'm supposed to do. I also know my prep can be a bit late on faster balls.
Anyway, here is the video, if you have any tips feel free to comment.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQw66fWRvQ

Lookin very good.
Great backhand prep, but you know your forehand can be late getting into position.
Nice freeflowing strokes.

Thanks Leed, it's interesting what you say about forehand. It's usually my strongest shot but that day it felt weird. I felt like I was getting jammed at times. Is my footwork a bit slow to get in a position?

Not slow at all.
It's late reacting, as if you had trouble recognizing where the ball was going when it goes to your forehand.

Nice top spin 1hbh from dude in blue. Some here don't recommend the pendulum take back, but still pretty good.

I can't really explain it. It's like I'm thinking, "I've got enough time to get in position", scanning where my opponent moves and next I find myself late to be where I want to be. I simply fall asleep. Should I start taking some eye drops? Seriously, I'm glad you mentioned that 'cos I had comments from my first video that my prep is a bit late. I can't download it to my brain for some reason.

Forehand

I believe that the 'current' forehand has some characteristics that you could focus on

The free arm helping with a shoulder turn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oc7U5oJ6ps

Look at the other tennisoxygen forehand YT videos also.

(another thread on this subject http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=423053 )

Rick Macci - Secrets of the Forehand
http://www.tennisresources.com/index...100&vidid=3549

In the backswing, it looks as if you could use more shoulder turn - keeping the free arm on the racket in the backswing helps.

In Elliott's reference, Technique Development in Stroke Production, he breaks down the main components of the forehand and gives the logic of why they are there, for example, to provide stretch loading. One thing that is needed in your pattern is more turn of your shoulders than your hips in the backswing [lumbar rotation by the internal & external obliques]. When the line between the shoulders turns a little more than the line between the hips it stretches the muscles of the trunk. This stretch energy is then used in the forward trunk turn that adds racket head speed to the forehand. Djokovic uses a lot of this corkscrew-like motion. Be careful though as twisting too freely and too much might be rough on some backs. The overall concept is that the body turn adds pace and this is one component of body turn.

I find that if I do this I get more pace and it feels good. The extra shoulder turn adds a timing issue. I'm trying to get this motion into my game forehand now.

For timing I have a tendency to get lazy and decide what to do as the ball crosses the net. This works with low pace balls arriving but not heavier pace balls. I try to start stroke preparation as the ball leaves the opponent's racket.

At the beginning of your video it looked as if you were looping slower maybe more conscious of your forehand form.

You are right, I need more shoulder turn. I actually started doing that by holding the racket neck with my right hand a bit longer. That seems to be working well with my turn plus it makes the take back more compact.
The problem is, once I start hitting harder I tend to forget about it and slip back to my old style. I don't know how to force myself to it consistently.:confused: At the begining we were just warming up.

I added a Macci video on the forehand to my earlier reply #7- a top notch and clearly explained instructional video.

Hey!!

You have good strokes, but If could play with more topspin in your forehand...

Another thing that I am doing now is facing the raquet to the ground in the first spet of forward swing. I think here is calling ¨pat the dog¨

I can hit enough topspin if I need to but must admit it's not the same as WW forehand I see some guys hit. That's something I'd loved to learn. I can shadow that swing (I think) but in reality it's nothing like I'm shadowing in front of the mirror. That "pat the dog" thing, is that at the take back or follow through. I imagine you can't hit the ball with that, otherwise you hit it with the edge of the frame.

At your level, you don't need to see where your opponent is going. You know he has to cover your possible angles, and more importantly, YOU have to hit your shot. Forget about him, focus on the ball.
Nobody at your level runs around helterskelter to all corners of their court. Everyone at your level plays the percentages, covers as much of their court as possible, so you KNOW where they're headed after they hit the ball.

Oh, your forehand.
I thought you hit very open shouldered so you can recover back to position quicker. You footwork is late, so that part is hard to tell.
Few good players can turn well on both sides, forehand and backhand. Most favor the full turn on one side, then hit more open the other.
Pros are the exception, of course. They are pros.

You might have said this before, but what grip do you use on your forehand?

PTD is at the end of the take back, right before you pull the trigger to start the forward swing. From my own experience, PTD helps you load-up the pronation on your wrist so the racquet whips up more powerfully through the hitting zone, imparting more topspin.

Here's a Federer video that shows it pretty clearly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ImeQaAyFPc

I've noticed that pros who tend to hit flatter, like Del Potro, don't really hit the PTD position as much.

Great simple advice. I was always too focused on my opponent and basicaly took my eyes off the ball.

Eastern but sometimes I change it to SW on a higher balls.

OK, I see, it's all about accelleration of the racket head. I'll have a read about it.

Thanks, great video! I watched it 'till the end. Some very good points he makes. One thing I need to force myself, is to make the back swing more compact by holding the racket with my right hand a bit longer and secondly, watch the ball all the way to the impact. I get sometimes too carried away and can easily take my eyes off the ball.

IMO, same as last time, hit the ball higher. It will make you better in the long run.