tennis talk for dummies!

[Ross K]

I thought it might be useful and fun to have a thread where people can have explained to them, very simply and clearly, some of that overly technical, pseudo scientific or just downright odd language so beloved of us tennis geeks. Basically, if you don't understand a phrase or term or whatever, just post your queries here and (hopefully) the good folk of TT will reply and, er, educate!... So... to get the ball rolling, how about we start off with these three commonly used 'classics'...


. buttery feel

. plow-through effect

. pronate/supinate


Right, who can post a short and clear summation of what these three mean?

[Voltron]

Hey, if you want (completely up to you), I can add these to the "common forum abbreviations / technical terms " part of the FAQ.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Voltron

Hey, if you want (completely up to you), I can add these to the "common forum abbreviations / technical terms " part of the FAQ.

Sounds good to me...



Anyone going to start this off then?^

[shindemac]

Take your hand off the mouse and rotate it. That's supination. Put it back on the mouse and that's pronation.

Buttery feel. Hmmm, I guess it feels buttery.

Plow thru effect. Never heard of this one. I guess when a snow plow plows thru snow.

[J to tha C]

I think im correct in saying pronate/supinate are types of movement used in serving?
not sure tho, im only 16 :P

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by Ross K

. buttery feel

. plow-through effect

. pronate/supinate

Buttery Feel: Used when describing a string or racquet. An nice smooth sensation, the ball jumps off the racquet with no shock or harshness, may be a little vague but on the whole smooth and pleasant. Usually said of softer strings and frames.

plow-through effect: Feeling when hitting a ball. The racquet feels rock solid when it hits the ball, especially against pace and spin. Like hitting the ball with the 7:14 express train, your racquet is swinging, the ball gets crushed, and gets the heck out of the way. No feeling of the racquet being bullied around by the ball. Usually said of heavier racquets.

Pronate: Rotating your arm/forarm/hand from Palm facing the sky to palm down.

Supinate: The exact opposite of Pronate, rotating from palm down to palm up.

J

[shindemac]

I think pronate/supinate are fancy sounding words that confuse people but shouldn't. If someone says "raise your hand", would u know what to do? Yes. If someone says "bend your elbow", do u know what it means? Yes. What if I say "flexion of the elbow"? No? It means the same thing as bending your elbow.

So pronation/supination is just rotating your forearm one way or the other. Now is that hard? Yea, we really need to sticky this. It seems this question gets asked on a weekly basis or something.

[TheShaun]

kick serve?

[J011yroger]

Kick Serve: Commonly used to denote a topspin serve, especially one with mostly topspin but some sidespin to make it jump not only high into the air, but also towards the backhand side of the court (Assuming a RH Player).

Replaces the archaic "American Twist."

J

[TheShaun]

i should probably work on just getting my serve in on a consistant basis before i worry about getting fancy with it

[chess9]

The buttery feel gives you greater margarine for error.

The plow through effect is one pound of buttery feel 'spread' throughout an oleagenous swing.

Pronate is a very good guard for the Nicks.

Supinate is the ability to sucker Nate.

Please, feel free to ask for all the definitions you need. This Dicktionary is always open.

-Robert

[Ross K]

Ahhh! So we've been making progress with this then after all? Great stuff... and my vote goes to JO11yroger for the best, most all round clear descriptions of buttery feel and plow-through (man, do I love those two!) and pronate/supinate...

Right... come on everyone... if there's a tennis term, phrase, whatever, post your queries here!

And Just to keep this thing ticking over, let's have another random trio...

. sit and lift
. shake hands with the racquet
. hawkeye

(Btw, no. 1 has nothing to do with sitting in a bar and raising your beer to your mouth... no. 2 doesn't denote that you've gone completely insane... and no. 3 does not refer to a character from the old hit TV comedy 'M.A.S.H....!')

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by Ross K

. sit and lift
. shake hands with the racquet
. hawkeye

Sit and Lift: An old somewhat outdated way of teaching people to get under the ball and drive it with topspin. Bending the knees starting below the ball and finishing over it.

Shake hands with the racquet: An old way of teaching beginners to find the eastern forehand grip.

Hawkeye: A computer and system of cameras that spots where the ball lands with great accuracy.

J

[TheShaun]

this may not be the right thread for this. i know what hybridding is but.....

1) why hybrid?
2) what strings go with what strings?
3) what goes in the mains and what goes in the crosses?
3) what's the deal with the different tensions? how do you know which ones to make tighter and which looser?

i think that's it for now!

[TheShaun]

Originally Posted by J011yroger

Sit and Lift: An old somewhat outdated way of teaching people to get under the ball and drive it with topspin. Bending the knees starting below the ball and finishing over it
J

that's what my instructor is getting me to work on. but he calls it low to high.

[J011yroger]

Originally Posted by TheShaun

this may not be the right thread for this. i know what hybridding is but.....

1) why hybrid?
2) what strings go with what strings?
3) what goes in the mains and what goes in the crosses?
3) what's the deal with the different tensions? how do you know which ones to make tighter and which looser?

i think that's it for now!

1) Usually durability issues. Some poly users do it to soften up the stringbed. Most recreational players do it because it is cool, or because the pros do it (mostly Federer)

2) Usually a durable main, with a softer cross. Or an expensive main with a cheap cross.

3) Polyester or Kevlar in the mains, gut, multi, or synthetic cross.

4) If it is not a hybrid, or the strings are of similar construction, you can string the mains a bit tighter than the crosses, because for the longer strings end up looser, even when tensioned the same. Some people if they are stringing a poly and a synthetic or multi they will string the poly 10% looser than the multi because poly is a stiffer string.

The Federer type hybrids with gut or multi mains and poly crosses are not very durable, while they play well, for an advanced player they are usually cost prohibitive, and recreational players play them longer than their ideal playing time.

On the whole, hybrids are not really necessary for the great majority of players. But lots of people have fun fooling around with them.

J

[TheShaun]

thanks. i'm just back in to tennis after being a pretty good high school player. it's been ten years, i feel like i'm starting from scratch now. the hardest part is getting my consistency back. one day i'll be a 2.5 the next day i'll be a 3.5. i was probably a high 3.5 when i stopped playing.

[TheShaun]

i got another one!

is it true that when you break a string you should cut the rest of them out asap? also when you cut strings out there is a certain way you should do it? or is that just for really anal people!

[Virginia]

"Choke" = though you've been playing well, suddenly your wits and nerve desert you and you lose (for no good reason).

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by TheShaun

i got another one!

is it true that when you break a string you should cut the rest of them out asap? also when you cut strings out there is a certain way you should do it? or is that just for really anal people!

yea i like to cut my right away. i know some people dont. from what i read you cut out from the the spot where teh string snapped, going in diagnoal up and down until you get to teh frame.