My Dilemma
 

It all started with a comment from the instructor at a clinic. He said that I wasn't finishing my strokes (on both sides) "correctly" over the shoulder. I've never really paid much attention to where my racquet ends up, just as long as the ball gets to my intended destination. On the other hand, I am aware that my strokes are not as easy as many people's. I don't "arm" it completely but I have been trying to figure out how to achieve the same objective with a little less energy.

Still, I wasn't sure exactly where he was coming from. I mean not every kind of stroke naturally ends up over the shoulder, right ? So I took a full lesson to try and understand his thoughts. He seems to have specific ideas as to the best kind of grip and stroke, etc - all of which I can respect. He's after all trying to give me the shortest path to a better style (which is something I have been wanting lately anyway).

He did also say that he was surprised to see the quality of my shots despite the "broken" style. He observed quite accurately that I am physically too tense and need to loosen up. He's really good at spotting my grip from across the court. Gotta say, I would never be able to tell, but then I guess that's his job.

So what's the problem ? Nothing except that I wonder as I set upon this path just how essential it is to do things in one particular way. Would I like to have a nice easy stroke that looks like textbook style ? Yeah, I guess. I reckon it may take a lot of effort to change existing habits.

Has anyone here else walked this path ? What was the result ? Is it the smart thing to do to regress a little while trying to fix your style ? How much emphasis needs to be placed on such things as ending up with the butt of the racquet facing the net, and other similar minutiae ?

EVERY single on of us has gone thru this exact thing.
The only thing I can say is, listen to coach.
And play GOLF. In golf, your followthru creates your swing. If you don't follow thru, you can hit a great ball, but with no consistency from day to day.
Same as in tennis, the followthru allows you to be consistent from day to day, shot to shot.

Don't worry about finishing over the shoulder - that one is an old technique rule that is no longer always correct.

But keeping the arm and wrist relaxed is a must. Once you'll relax and learn to throw the racket behind torso rotation the racket will naturally wrap around you On shoulder side or above it depending on your technique and type of shot.

I think it's worth getting this part down - it will let you relax and enjoy tennis more.

actually with the rotational FH plus a WW action, the finish should be below the shoulder.

A moment in time.
With full WW, the rackethead goes past the high finish to go down lower at the "actual" finish.
So, where do you count "finish"?

Yep, that consistency thing has been elusive.

Hey, you're on Staten Island ? Maybe we can play sometime ?

Are you an adult? What are your tennis aspirations? If you want to hack around a local club, maybe even get pretty good on the club ladder, you can do that with pretty basic mechanics. If you want to play in the upper echelon of rec players, you should try and attain proper strokes.

Peter Burwash pointed out in a Tennis magazine article last year that many club players are better off without the full across-the-body swing of the pros. Specifically, he mentioned that people are misled and don't see how much the pros extend towards the target during the swing. Focusing on the across swing creates weak balls for many players who try to copy the pros but don't have the necessary swing speed or control over the amount of extension and subtle changes needed for direction. He also mentioned the possibility of injuries.

If a player has good swing speed, control, and body rotation, much of the across swing will happen automatically. It is no point forcing it without having the prerequisites.

Sure, just shoot me an email.

Who's clinic are you talking about? Is it at CSI?

I say listen to your coach. If you want to develop better strokes, it's always worth it to regress for awhile to fix the problem. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get rid of. And like others have said, it's not necessary to finish over the shoulder on every shot, but if you can't do it consistently if being told to, that's not good. I think it'll help your overall game too, as even with a WW finish, you will finish below the shoulder but the buttcap should still be pointing in the same direction. A WW finish will come naturally as you develop the more traditional forehand.

Lack of proper follow-through means you might be applying hand-brakes in the contact zone. The racket-head speed through contact will take care of follow-through. Remember, follow through is the result of everything which happens before!

At www.tennisplayer.net you can watch the relevant, applicable super slow motion videos of the top players to learn from their technique.

Adult and then some, but still in relatively decent shape. Picked up tennis after a 20 year hiatus. Aspirations ? To consistently reach that spot where I can hit sweet shots over and over. Sure beats hitting the treadmill. Would be great to get to the point where playing for points can be as much fun as hitting casual rallies.

I think I've got to work on the strokes.

Yes, I find that focusing on any mechanics at all messes me up. I think I have the prerequisites, so it's got to be possible to attain a better swing.

Never got a reply from the people at CSI, and anyway it's close to impossible to get a court there on weekends. No, I've been going to a place close to my current work location in the Princeton NJ vicinity.

I wasn't able to figure out how to get your email address. My profile contains mine, so if you know how to send a direct email, please go ahead. Though I guess it may be difficult to find courts before the temperatures rise a little.

Thanks for confirming...

You're exactly right. I think that's all part of the whole excess physical tension problem too. Greater relaxation would probably lead to a more natural and extended follow-through.


Thanks all. It's great to get feedback and encouragement like this. Now I've got to see whether an oldish dog can learn new tricks.

Good luck.

In a couple of years when you are avoiding injuries from muscling shots, I think you will be pretty happy.

==========================

A WW forehand has nothing special to hit... it's just about pronating your forearm, but, of course, it has to be done properly. It's not that it would cause injuries, it's more that doing it wrong doesn't help your stroke at all.