Coach Dave Smith's article on "Grip Slip" during service motion?

[Raul_SJ]

Do we know where to find the link to Coach Smith's article relating to the grip shifting during the service motion?

My grip is shifting from strong continental to weak continental during top of the takeback just prior to racquet drop.


See Coach Dave Smith's archive comments below.

[Raul_SJ]

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/archi.../t-398765.html

Do you remember where we can find this few publications?
Tennisone?
This a very common problem but with very little stuff about it...
Thanks

Let me see if I can pull up the archive relative to this. It's been a number of years...

I had a top ranked junior move to Florida to train...only to come back to me a year later and he was doing exactly what the OP was describing..which none of the pros in FL caught. And this was a top 400 ranked player! (He came back and said while his serve speed of 120 was fine, it was his second serve that was just giving him fits and many double faults.)

The first time I saw him serve, I said, "A.J...you are shifting your grip in mid swing, effectively moving towards an eastern forehand grip! You can't get the kind of spin to have a huge second serve."

We worked with him on this, and his serve immediately became huge when he began feeling the serve maintaining his continental grip.

(He went on to be Kim Clijster's hitting partner for two weeks at Indian Wells when she became #1 in the world...so not a bad player...he was on the ATP tour for awhile too.)

Needless to say, even some higher skilled players fall victim to this habit!

-- CoachingMastery

[LeeD]

Use a new tacky grip.
Hit a thousand serves.

[dlam]

One of the thoughts I have when I get exahauted after playing a point and I have to serve is that I tighten up.
I usually just go with the flow and end by solidly my grip and tapping the ground a few times. This works well on the deuce side
On the ad side serving , if I'm equally tired after a long point I don't ever want to grip tight so I end up gripping at the bottom edge of the handle and then set up the rest of my body before I am ready
I'll then start the serve by gripping back up the handle

[LeeD]

Tightening up to serve is always a bad idea.
You practice serves on both sides, don't you?
Well, serve the way you practice.

[Relinquis]

hold your racquet in your non-racquet hand between points as you walk into position. a lot of pros do this.
it allows your forearm muscles to relax a bit.
it adds up over a match.

[Raul_SJ]

I encounter 2 problems when trying to correct the grip shifting during the service motion:

1) Grip gets too tight. It does not slip, but I don't get a full racquet drop due to the tightness.

2) Grip gets too loose, and the grip shifts during the takeback.

The coach says my shadow service motion is perfectly fine --loose and relaxed.... But I get tight when I have to toss and hit the ball.

He says it might take several months of practice to fix the habit and the fact that I can do it correctly with a shadow motion means that it's mostly a mental issue.

[CoachingMastery]

There are two schools of thought here. Ash is right about not wanting to be tight, gripping too tight, and being overall too tense within the service delivery. This, as most people know, will diminish racquet head speed which, in turn, will limit optimal spin, maximum racquet distance, and overall ball velocity.

On the other hand, as Raul pointed out, those who have a grip-shift habit will shift the grip more when the racquet is held too relaxed. The grip shift occurs as the racquet moves into the collapse phase of the backswing. Thus, it is usually the most unconscious moment of the player's feel of the racquet in many cases. This transition from near collapse to the upward acceleration point in the swing causes many players to re-grip the racquet as the hand tends to want to grasp the racquet in the stronger Eastern Forehand grip, (but, obviously, a weaker overall grip in terms of a skilled serve.)

In training a player to not grip change in mid swing, sometimes doing a hundred serves with a conscious, firm grip within the backswing component, can help a player break this habit. After which, the player can then be more relaxed and work the rhythm of the serve without this tension. But, to break a habit, one must make themself aware of the movement through conscious practice. May take many days of working this drill.

I will have to look and see if I did an article on grip shift for TennisOne...I may have many years ago...or it may have been part of an article on problems on the serve. (Grip shift being one of them.)

If I locate the piece, I'll either post the text here or provide a link.

[sureshs]

If the grip is too loose, the frame will twist during impact and the result will be mishit on the serve.

[Raul_SJ]

Originally Posted by CoachingMastery

On the other hand, as Raul pointed out, those who have a grip-shift habit will shift the grip more when the racquet is held too relaxed. The grip shift occurs as the racquet moves into the collapse phase of the backswing. Thus, it is usually the most unconscious moment of the player's feel of the racquet in many cases. This transition from near collapse to the upward acceleration point in the swing causes many players to re-grip the racquet as the hand tends to want to grasp the racquet in the stronger Eastern Forehand grip, (but, obviously, a weaker overall grip in terms of a skilled serve.)

Thanks Coach Smith.

Yes, I believe the grip shift is occurring around the collapse phase of the back-swing.

I believe I want to make sure there is no gap between the palm pad and racquet (grip is too loose) as it moves into the collapse phase... As suggested, I am placing coins in the palm to check that they do not fall out during the swing.

[CoachingMastery]

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

Thanks Coach Smith.

Yes, I believe the grip shift is occurring around the collapse phase of the back-swing.

I believe I want to make sure there is no gap between the palm pad and racquet (grip is too loose) as it moves into the collapse phase... As suggested, I am placing coins in the palm to check that they do not fall out during the swing.

Let us know how you do with this drill! It might take time to gain the feel of where the grip should stay. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

Thanks Coach Smith.

Yes, I believe the grip shift is occurring around the collapse phase of the back-swing.

I believe I want to make sure there is no gap between the palm pad and racquet (grip is too loose) as it moves into the collapse phase... As suggested, I am placing coins in the palm to check that they do not fall out during the swing.

Take a dime and put it between teh index pad (or heel pad) and racquet with the continental.

[LeeD]

Suresh..
Grip pressure is about a 2 out of 10.
There are very few mishits during a serve, because YOU threw the ball up and you can choose whether or not to hit it.