Pro Player Models

[Larrysümmers]

Originally Posted by PhrygianDominant

I think Tommy Haas is a perfect groundstroke model for players with a one handed backhand. I forgot to mention in my OP that his was the backhand I was modelling my onehander after before I switched.



If you only had to have one player Federer might be a good choice, but I agree that his volleys are not as great as some posters on this board would have you believe. On his forehand volley his shoulders are parallel to the net and he slices his backhand volley too much. I like Rafter for volleys, because of that Jeff Salzenstien tip, "keep your head close to your head"...



I hope you're not copying that wonky backhand!

of course i dont

[PhrygianDominant]

Originally Posted by Larrysümmers

of course i dont

haha, good to hear

I was shadowing some strokes in front of the mirror the other day, and I noticed that my forehand has become more compact, especially on the back swing, but the extension is a lot better. I also don't pat the dog, as in my racquet is faceing the side fence, not the ground, before I start my swing to contact. I am not sure if I like it, but it has been better lately, so I am inclined not to mess with it.

I still get topspin on my forehand, my finish is around my upper arm/shoulder after being higher at extension.

I think this is interesting because I have been watching so much Agassi lately. His strokes are super compact. My backhand was already somewhere between him, Safin, and Ferrero. Now my forehand is more tidy. I don't think watching Agassi matches caused this, probably working on my footwork and hitting out in front did that, but still it is an interesting development.

[tennis_balla]

Fabrice Santoro

[Bobby Jr]

Originally Posted by PhrygianDominant

If you only had to have one player Federer might be a good choice, but I agree that his volleys are not as great as some posters on this board would have you believe. On his forehand volley his shoulders are parallel to the net and he slices his backhand volley too much. I like Rafter for volleys, because of that Jeff Salzenstien tip, "keep your head close to your head"..

Herein lies the issue with coaching volleying.

If Federer volleyed like Rafter he would have his arse handed to him on a plate. On most courts you can't hit classic Rafter-esque volleys anymore (deep and/or low) because modern strings and court conditions have tipped the field in favour of the player on the baseline. That is why Federer (and others) hits especially his backhand volley as he does - because short and angled generally works better in this environment. It means that he is not only hitting a different sort of volley but also aiming to win the point with that shot - unlike Rafter who would hit two volleys a lot more often than he could now. Where Rafter could make sure of the first volley > push-back, get them running or make them stoop and then take care of the second volley that wouldn't be as effective in this era, even if it does still work sometimes.

Federer's volley are fantastic but he misses a lot more than you'd hope - a significant part of that is because he's going for a lot more than Rafter (or Edberg or Sampras) needed to > the circumstances of this era dictate he has to.

[PhrygianDominant]

Originally Posted by Bobby Jr

Herein lies the issue with coaching volleying.

If Federer volleyed like Rafter he would have his arse handed to him on a plate. On most courts you can't hit classic Rafter-esque volleys anymore (deep and/or low) because modern strings and court conditions have tipped the field in favour of the player on the baseline. That is why Federer (and others) hits especially his backhand volley as he does - because short and angled generally works better in this environment. It means that he is not only hitting a different sort of volley but also aiming to win the point with that shot - unlike Rafter who would hit two volleys a lot more often than he could now. Where Rafter could make sure of the first volley > push-back, get them running or make them stoop and then take care of the second volley that wouldn't be as effective in this era, even if it does still work sometimes.

Federer's volley are fantastic but he misses a lot more than you'd hope - a significant part of that is because he's going for a lot more than Rafter (or Edberg or Sampras) needed to > the circumstances of this era dictate he has to.

Those are some good points. When choosing a model for volleys however, should we take into account that our opponents aren't as good as Federer's, and the situation dictates a little more security at net? I am saying that we may not have to do a sliced short angle first volley, depending on our level, if we can get it deep and make our opponents run it may win the point outright anyway. Just offering a counter argument, I am not a tennis professional, it is just my opinion.

[anubis]

I try to model my strokes off of federer. But that's mostly because he still has one foot in "classic" tennis, since he's closer to my age. Still has that semi eastern grip, long fluid strokes without that enormous WW finish that some of the younger kids use.

I've always had a 1HBH so who better than he to model it off of? Other than Haas of course...

but mostly what I like about Fed is his footwork. If there's one thing that I'm constantly thinking of during play is trying to "float" on the court the way he does. It's like a work of art.