Me hitting with a ball machine

[West Coast Ace]

OP, I think your strokes are pretty good. I do agree with those who say more trunk turn on the FH would help.

How often do you play/practice? Before I'd recommend you go to a pro, you might just want to step up your practice. I will say the 'warming up' excuse for hitting so many FH's long is suspect - when warming up (watch the pros on the practice courts if you get to an event) you should be hitting the ball with plenty of control - think 3 to 6 ft inside the baseline. After 10 minutes start trying to get more depth.

[Ben Hadd]

Your shots look pretty good. I don't think you need to go to a pro, just practice technique. You got tons of tips already I don't need to repeat, and it's hard to break old habits, but well worth it.

[maleyoyo]

The Good: Your strokes are pretty good for a 4.0. That should make you competitive with your peers.
The Bad: You muscle/arm the balls on both wings with little support from the rest of your body, but it's still okay because your are a strong guy.

The Ugly: You may never have proper training before, so your strokes lack fundamentals, and it's going to take a lot of work to re-tool your strokes from the ground up.

It depends on what your goals are I guess. I don't believe in quick fixes.
Disclaimer: I'm a certifiable 3.0!

[dozu]

can someone give this kiddo some tip on the 2hbh... it just looks wrong to me... but I can't put a finger on it as I can't hit the shot.

FH, actually not that bad.

[Tmano]

Well what can I say; it's obvious that my technique is not fully developed actually sometimes not developed at all and it would probably be hard to fix it on your own because it would take me way too long plus I may fix it not in the proper way. I guess a pro is the only way to go beside that keep practicing as much as I can.......Honestly I would like to make it to at least a very solid 4.5 maybe 5.
Tomorrow or later on this week I will upload a video trying to put in practice your suggestions guys( by the way all great) and see how it goes.

[Tmano]

Originally Posted by West Coast Ace

OP, I think your strokes are pretty good. I do agree with those who say more trunk turn on the FH would help.

How often do you play/practice? Before I'd recommend you go to a pro, you might just want to step up your practice. I will say the 'warming up' excuse for hitting so many FH's long is suspect - when warming up (watch the pros on the practice courts if you get to an event) you should be hitting the ball with plenty of control - think 3 to 6 ft inside the baseline. After 10 minutes start trying to get more depth.

I haven't played much lately, just some practice. I was warming up but I always try to hit with enough pace and precision even if it's a "warm up".......I don't really look to keep the ball on the court when I hit with the machine yet I almost go for winners every time.........maybe I'm doing it wrong and I should work on consistency?????

[maleyoyo]

Originally Posted by dozu

can someone give this kiddo some tip on the 2hbh... it just looks wrong to me... but I can't put a finger on it as I can't hit the shot.

FH, actually not that bad.

Maybe he doesn't get set properly. Maybe he chases the ball with his front foot, and swings the ball with most of his weight on his front foot using only his upper body, no weight transfering.

[nabrug]

Originally Posted by dozu

can someone give this kiddo some tip on the 2hbh... it just looks wrong to me... but I can't put a finger on it as I can't hit the shot.

FH, actually not that bad.

First impression.
It looks like he is only swinging the human racket. Passive racket. No extension through the ball.

[maleyoyo]

Originally Posted by Tmano

Well what can I say; it's obvious that my technique is not fully developed actually sometimes not developed at all and it would probably be hard to fix it on your own because it would take me way too long plus I may fix it not in the proper way. I guess a pro is the only way to go beside that keep practicing as much as I can.......Honestly I would like to make it to at least a very solid 4.5 maybe 5.Tomorrow or later on this week I will upload a video trying to put in practice your suggestions guys( by the way all great) and see how it goes.

First thing first, your goal is vague. Is it 4.5 or 5? Huge difference. What is a solid 4.5 in your mind?
I'd add a couple of things to that goal: How much money and time are you willing to spend to get there? You take that to an appropriate Pro to come up with a plan.
And then whatever time frame that you have in mind to achieve your goal, at least double it for a more realistic reality.
Ignore this post if you are just looking for some internet fun.

[West Coast Ace]

Originally Posted by Tmano

I haven't played much lately, just some practice. I was warming up but I always try to hit with enough pace and precision even if it's a "warm up".......I don't really look to keep the ball on the court when I hit with the machine yet I almost go for winners every time.........maybe I'm doing it wrong and I should work on consistency?????

Absolutely. There's nothing wrong with ripping some balls - if you do move up you'll need the FH weapon. But consistency - being able to reliable hit the ball in deep and with some pace - will win you a lot of matches - and set up you up to get a short ball to put away.

[Tmano]

Originally Posted by nabrug

First impression.
It looks like he is only swinging the human racket. Passive racket. No extension through the ball.

nabrug, what do you mean by no extension through the ball? should I fallow through the direction of the ball?

thanks

[Tmano]

Originally Posted by maleyoyo

First thing first, your goal is vague. Is it 4.5 or 5? Huge difference. What is a solid 4.5 in your mind?
I'd add a couple of things to that goal: How much money and time are you willing to spend to get there? You take that to an appropriate Pro to come up with a plan.
And then whatever time frame that you have in mind to achieve your goal, at least double it for a more realistic reality.
Ignore this post if you are just looking for some internet fun.

maleyoyo
4.5 and 5 are actual numbers that in tennis define your ability, level, skills etc, so I would like to get as good as I can without breaking the bank. About the time, I have time after work( I get off pretty early ) and for frame time my goal would be maybe a year or less......I'm getting old so better get there faster

thanks

[blackfrido]

Originally Posted by Tmano

A friend of mine landed me a ball machine for a while plus I just got a new racquet (traded with Airrmaxx)Babolat PSGT Tour so I decided to make a video while hitting but unfortunately after the fist set of balls the camera ran out of charge...
Well the strings on the racquet are pretty old that's what I was told and maybe the prospective of the camera does not show clearly the shots but it was fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAcE7IAR4MQ

Fell free to criticize I'm open to suggestion.

what kind of shoes do you wear? that's the only question it comes to my mind about this video....

[nabrug]

Originally Posted by Tmano

nabrug, what do you mean by no extension through the ball? should I fallow through the direction of the ball?

thanks

Yes. But that is easier said than done. Most people need a good teacher to learn this.

[Tmano]

Originally Posted by blackfrido

what kind of shoes do you wear? that's the only question it comes to my mind about this video....

blackfrido

The shoes are Fila R4...pretty comfortable and stable.

[maleyoyo]

Originally Posted by Tmano

maleyoyo
4.5 and 5 are actual numbers that in tennis define your ability, level, skills etc, so I would like to get as good as I can without breaking the bank. About the time, I have time after work( I get off pretty early ) and for frame time my goal would be maybe a year or less......I'm getting old so better get there faster

thanks

That’s just it. To you 4.5 or 5 is just a number with no real understanding of how people at those levels play or how they got there. I assume.
The 4 factors that determine how good a player you can be (in order of importance):
1. Mental (psychological component)
2. Physical (physiology and footwork components)
3. Tactical component
4. Technical component (strokes)
Your FH and BH are just 2/100th of the whole package as a tennis player, and the technical aspect of the game is on the bottom of the list.
If you can become a solid 4.5 in 2 years from where you are, it’s quite an accomplishment.
Best of luck.

[Tmano]

Originally Posted by maleyoyo

That’s just it. To you 4.5 or 5 is just a number with no real understanding of how people at those levels play or how they got there. I assume.
The 4 factors that determine how good a player you can be (in order of importance):
1. Mental (psychological component)
2. Physical (physiology and footwork components)
3. Tactical component
4. Technical component (strokes)
Your FH and BH are just 2/100th of the whole package as a tennis player, and the technical aspect of the game is on the bottom of the list.
If you can become a solid 4.5 in 2 years from where you are, it’s quite an accomplishment.
Best of luck.

maleyoyo,
don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't care about all this aspects and I know are all really imporrtant but it also true that I'm 37 and I honestly I will never play so competitively so I feel like I can care a bit less. If I had started playing tennis 10 years ago would have been a different.

[callmethedoctor]

Originally Posted by Tmano

Thanks but I'm not a great player at all, just average but I know I could do a much much better than that. My technique is what it is, lacking in some simple but fundamental basic structure because I never took lesson. Never knew I had to look at the ball after you hit it.
Also when you say "stick out the the left hip before contact" what do you exactly mean?

thanks

Need a good instructor!!!

Like, um, lean into the shot. If you throw body weight forwards, it adds to power without subtracting from consistency.
And about the looking at the ball, I'm no professional but it's just one of those things that I feel should be a part of every stroke. Good luck!

[airrmaxx]

Did you keep the hurricane feel on the racquet?

Er...and no one notices the killer calves?