Please provide feedback

[andrehanderson]

Thanks!! I appreciate it!

[Nellie]

I couple of things I see in the slow motion (bad shot) video:

1) on the forehand, you are not getting a lot of shoulder rotation. I see the racquet coming back with you bending at the wrist. Try to point at the ball with your left arm so that your shoulders (when the racquet is back) are in line with the path of the ball. In general, I think you are a little too close to the body and too far back on a lot of your forehands. I would try to get more extension on that side (I like to feel as if I am throwing the racquet forward at the ball)

2) you swung too much at the volley - you would have done better to punch straight through the volley (with a short stroke) instead of swinging straight down with a long stroke.

3) In contrast, on many of the slice backhands, you are stopping at contact, instead of finishing long and through the point of contact. Use that follow-through as a guide. The finish helps you aim and determine the amount of underspin. When you finish low, the ball will be shorter and with more underspin, when you finish high, the shot will be hit deeper and with less underspin.

4) On the serve, if you freeze at 16, right at contact, you see that (a) you are not hitting the ball as high as possible, so you are losing power; (b) you are not swinging through the shot (so you are losing power) and are, instead, stopping the racquet at contact.

[TomT]

Originally Posted by andrehanderson

Thanks so much! What is a flex league?

Originally Posted by andrehanderson

Ttt for flex league info. I assume it's a tourney that allows you to play outside your rating level?

Thanks.

A tennis flex league is a tennis league that might have seasons running for a couple of months that allows the players to set dates and times for matches. That is, match scheduling isn't dictated by an administrator but is rather totally determined by the players. I'm in a flex league. Check out the website in my signature.

[andrehanderson]

Originally Posted by Nellie

I couple of things I see in the slow motion (bad shot) video:

1) on the forehand, you are not getting a lot of shoulder rotation. I see the racquet coming back with you bending at the wrist. Try to point at the ball with your left arm so that your shoulders (when the racquet is back) are in line with the path of the ball. In general, I think you are a little too close to the body and too far back on a lot of your forehands. I would try to get more extension on that side (I like to feel as if I am throwing the racquet forward at the ball)

2) you swung too much at the volley - you would have done better to punch straight through the volley (with a short stroke) instead of swinging straight down with a long stroke.

3) In contrast, on many of the slice backhands, you are stopping at contact, instead of finishing long and through the point of contact. Use that follow-through as a guide. The finish helps you aim and determine the amount of underspin. When you finish low, the ball will be shorter and with more underspin, when you finish high, the shot will be hit deeper and with less underspin.

4) On the serve, if you freeze at 16, right at contact, you see that (a) you are not hitting the ball as high as possible, so you are losing power; (b) you are not swinging through the shot (so you are losing power) and are, instead, stopping the racquet at contact.

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. You are spot on! I have incorporated your advice into my shots and its helping a lot. Thank you very much!

[andrehanderson]

Originally Posted by TomT

A tennis flex league is a tennis league that might have seasons running for a couple of months that allows the players to set dates and times for matches. That is, match scheduling isn't dictated by an administrator but is rather totally determined by the players. I'm in a flex league. Check out the website in my signature.

Thanks so much, TomT! I will check out the site in your sig...

[andrehanderson]

Here is some video I took yesterday. Im on the far side of the court. Im focusing on earlier preparation, a complete swing all the way through the ball, and hitting harder. Ive also switched my racquet to the APD.

Please let me know what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuwMDlRBcEQ

[bhallic24]

Originally Posted by andrehanderson

Here is some video I took yesterday. Im on the far side of the court. Im focusing on earlier preparation, a complete swing all the way through the ball, and hitting harder. Ive also switched my racquet to the APD.

Please let me know what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuwMDlRBcEQ

Hi Andre. Nice video. Love a player who hits with a one hander. Nice strokes there, but just a couple comments/questions.

How is the APD for hitting one handed backhands? I've always had more success hitting it with wilson rackets, smaller head sized, head light frames. Just curious because the APD is mainly known for spin and power right? But then it seems that you hit a lot of the shots very flat and barely clearing the net. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think to up your level now, the pace is there so bravo. But gotta "spin for the win" as they say. Try to clear the net by a bit higher while still having the ball penetrate just as deep into the court. The spin will add consistency. Don't get me wrong, I love it when I crank one DTL flat for a winner, but unless your roger federer, under game pressure, that flat shot will get dumped into the net without some more spin.

BTW you speak great English too. You Brasilian? Seems like a beautiful place. Cheers.

[gregor.b]

Originally Posted by andrehanderson

Here is some video I took yesterday. Im on the far side of the court. Im focusing on earlier preparation, a complete swing all the way through the ball, and hitting harder. Ive also switched my racquet to the APD.

Please let me know what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuwMDlRBcEQ

Tbh, it looks like you may have been a bit hasty with your racquet change. I think your previous stick may have been a little more suited to your strokes as you hit relatively flat.

Those forehands you are hitting into the back fence should give you a clue. Otherwise, you will probably need to go a little more low to high with your standard rally ball using your new stick.

[andrehanderson]

Originally Posted by gregor.b

Tbh, it looks like you may have been a bit hasty with your racquet change. I think your previous stick may have been a little more suited to your strokes as you hit relatively flat.

Those forehands you are hitting into the back fence should give you a clue. Otherwise, you will probably need to go a little more low to high with your standard rally ball using your new stick.

Thanks! Im on the far side of the court in the last video, though...I dont recall hitting any forehands into the back fence that day, but Ill check the video again.... Thanks! I do need to adjust to the new stick, for sure...and I do need to improve the spin Im putting on the ball for sure.

[andrehanderson]

Originally Posted by bhallic24

Hi Andre. Nice video. Love a player who hits with a one hander. Nice strokes there, but just a couple comments/questions.

How is the APD for hitting one handed backhands? I've always had more success hitting it with wilson rackets, smaller head sized, head light frames. Just curious because the APD is mainly known for spin and power right? But then it seems that you hit a lot of the shots very flat and barely clearing the net. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think to up your level now, the pace is there so bravo. But gotta "spin for the win" as they say. Try to clear the net by a bit higher while still having the ball penetrate just as deep into the court. The spin will add consistency. Don't get me wrong, I love it when I crank one DTL flat for a winner, but unless your roger federer, under game pressure, that flat shot will get dumped into the net without some more spin.

BTW you speak great English too. You Brasilian? Seems like a beautiful place. Cheers.

Hey! For some reason I didn't see your post until now. Sorry about that!

Thank you for the kind words! I'm an American who moved down here in March. My wife is Brazilian and always wanted us to move here, so we finally did.

I can hit a two handed backhand with a lot of spin and power but I'm like you in that I just love the one-handed backhand. I am trying to add more spin but am having a hard time. It's a constant struggle. I've watched a ton of videos on it but seem to hit flat almost every time.

Any advice would be awesome. Thanks!

[andrehanderson]

ttt to see if there is any feedback that hasnt already been given. You have all given me a lot to work with, so I have plenty already, but I figure Ill give this one last bump.