Hitting throught the ball?

[willm873]

i went to the memphis tournament this weekend and i notice all the pros including arod(who has a very extreme grip) where hitting balls that where realitivly flat , not these big loopers that my coahc and I have been working on. Any views on this and how i can apply it to my own game.

BTW i had a chance to talk to roddick and i saw his sticks in person. He has lead at 3 and 9 only from the 3rd grommet from teh top to teh 3rd from teh bottom and some under the handle w/ poly in the mains and gut crosses at either 63 or 65 same tention on crosses and mains.

BTW all roddick haters he was really a nice guy to talk to. I also talked w/ his trainer and talked to gambil later for about 20 minutes he was super nice i enjoyed talking to him alot. I talked to some other pros just not for as long.

thanks

-will

[kickingbird]

I agree, after my first visit to a pro tournament I discovered that even in an average rally, they don't merely hit the ball over the net, but rather cut through it. The most amazing thing is that they hit it so fast with minimal net clearance, yet keep it inside the boundaries. What's more the ball doesn't really bounce up that high- it stays rather low making it harder for the other to attack.

So what kind of balls are they hitting?? Do the pros hit really flat with minimal topspin or do they hit it hard with a whole heap of topspin so that at first it travels like a rocket but the spin brings it down into the court at the very last moment? I think some people here may help us out on this, and I sure would like an answer!

But I think one thing's for sure: Pros don't hit 'loopers' much unless they are forced to- it's too slow for their level, and the opponent pounces onto it usually with a flat drive. From what I've observed, the modern day game focuses more on a level-backswing to hit it flatter rather than scooping the ball from underneath. Of course this gives you less margin for error, but these are professionals we're talking about!

So I guess whether you try and start hitting more flat strokes depends on what you want to achieve (Consistancy? Power? etc.)and the level of competition you are currently at.

[Printer099]

The pros definately all hit with little top spin and more flatter especially on a rally ball. They all hit through the ball. i also noticed that all hit open stance on their forehand and never step into the ball on the forehand side.

[lendl lives]

The pros hit all types of shots. I was surprised seeing a-rod beat fish at how much top spin he applys to his fh. Most of his fh's did look very loopy. extremely loopy at times. His forehand stroke is groved with hitting topspin in mind. Its hard to time a stroke with that much topspin.

[Joe Oldschool]

Every year, I go to the Pro tournament that comes through my area. I really enjoy watching the Pros practice most of all. I have always been struck by two things...

1. Yes, they hit hard. Although, the harder they hit it, the more errors they make. They are human, after all.

2. At times, they hit the ball very softly. Often, when they start warming up, they do so standing on the service line dinking the ball back and forth. They back up a little at a time until they are hitting from the back court. Then, they begin to increase the pace. It seemed like they nearly all did it, especially the more veteran players (i.e. Bjorkman, Rafter, Henman etc.). Its like the wiser players know the importance of getting under control first. I once heard Wilander talking about these techniques.

The most impressive thing I saw, in several years of attending these practices, was watching Rafter warm up with Tony Roach looking on. Rafter began serving with a full motion, but literally just dinking the ball over the net. They were like perfectly controlled, spinning, "mini-serves" that he placed perfectly in different areas of the box. Slowly but surely, he increased his power, one serve at a time, until finally he was hitting full speed--still hitting the corners of the box. It was truly impressive.

Ever since, I have begun to incorporate the same methods into my practice. It really works. I find myself getting control over the ball before I fully swing away. Then, if I lose control over it, I reduce the power until I regain it. Tennis is, after all, a game of timing. Power comes from timing too.

[gustavo33]

you should talk to vahaly... NOW that´s a cool guy....