Video of Me - and here I thought I had decent strokes....

L

LHG1111

New User
Two things I found after attaching my phone to my new Slinger Bag:

1 - forehand. my chest opens way too early on my forehand causing me to lose power and topspin. is the way to correct this to keep my non dominant arm pointed more at the ball during impact and make sure the left and right arm are working in sync? one thing I'll note is that because this was my first time using the Slinger, I had the remote in my left hand and was trying to stop it from oscillating. that could have caused me to turn out of the shot more than usual, but still, it's not a good look for a forehand that I thought had decent fundamentals. HOW HUMBLING. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZx6-s7NTy4axOHItIV6Vc74BLUCUKgf/view?usp=sharing
2 - backhand. it seems that instead of having a more open stance, I'm closing off with my right foot, once again losing power and the ability to maneuver effectively on high balls. closing off the stance instead of having my leading foot (right) be more open, is something that needs work. anyone have suggestions on how to self correct this? also, I notice my racquet head going back isn't closed (think Djokovic) on the takeway, and I'd like it to be so I can feel more confident in a low to high topspin generating backhand swing.

Appreciate any and all comments on what you see in my video. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NZx6-s7NTy4axOHItIV6Vc74BLUCUKgf/view?usp=sharing
 
Dragy

Dragy

Legend
lgoler said:
s the way to correct this to keep my non dominant arm pointed more at the ball during impact
Click to expand...
Can you post a pic from a pro FH showing this - non-dominant arm pointed at the ball during impact? Your chest opening seems overall decent, and that's not causing you to lose power and spin. Maybe some slowdown as chest is facing the target may be good to better pass momentum to your arm, but it definitely should open before contact.
novak-djokovic-western-grip.jpg
 
L

LHG1111

New User
Let me clarify what I said, I meant to say BEFORE impact and throughout the turn. I think my turn towards the ball needs to have my non-dominant arm pointing towards the ball when I turn my shoulder, similar to what Roger or most pros are doing today:

the 4 minute mark as opposed to what I'm doing which is basically my left arm flailing out.
 
OldManStan

OldManStan

Rookie
On the backhand side, you have more reach than you think. In your video, your elbows are close and almost tucked into your body as you follow through. Extend your racquet a little more and you'll FEEL the difference in your spin and pace. It should almost feel effortless. See Djokovic's backhand in slow mo for what I mean by a little more separation.

On the forehand side, like you said you open shoulders too early causing you to lose power and consistency. One of the few ways I taught to fix this is 1) Have your head looking over your shoulder as you set up for your shot and 2) keep your head right where you made contact, meaning do NOT turn your head afterwards.

Keep your knees bent and stay on the balls of your feet.
 
L

LHG1111

New User
@OldManStan great advice, thank you! on the backhand side, any drills or swing thoughts to try and get feet more parallel to the ball or even open a la Djokovic as opposed to closed and what I seem to be doing, having my right foot so crossed? I also feel this could be causing my left foot to work extra hard (hence, my ankle is showing signs of arthritis at my age - 50).
 
Dragy

Dragy

Legend
LHG1111 said:
Let me clarify what I said, I meant to say BEFORE impact and throughout the turn. I think my turn towards the ball needs to have my non-dominant arm pointing towards the ball when I turn my shoulder, similar to what Roger or most pros are doing today:

the 4 minute mark as opposed to what I'm doing which is basically my left arm flailing out.
Click to expand...
Here is your FH sequence. You definitely miss off-arm tuck-in motion which should start right after frame 2.
oknZhBX.png


You also possibly hold your hitting arm back for too long - start dropping it earlier. This may look like early chest opening, but it's not - chest opens with good timing, but arm stays back for too long. Need to get here before major acceleration starts:
xX857yH.png
 
ballmachineguy

ballmachineguy

Hall of Fame
Yeah, you could act like you are almost going to catch the ball with your left hand and then only when you are about to start the forward swing, pull it out of the way. I don’t think enough people realize that this is what starts the forward swing. It is not the torso/core or the hitting shoulder. There is a sequence. Left shoulder pulling out of the way starts torso rotation. Then the core muscles/torso hand off to right shoulder which drives through the shot/contact bringing the arm along for the ride. The arm is doing very little but alternating between pronating and supination. This lack of understanding, is why the board is always watching people hit 50mph forehands in their videos. Haha!
Also feel free to turn the hitting stringbed toward the back fence more. It will add to spin and allow to hit with more pace.
I forgot what your feet were doing on the backhand, but one thing I would experiment with would be keeping the racquet head higher on the unit turn. The dropping of the racquet head right before you come forward will give you more momentum and, if you let the head drop below the hands, will increase spin. Also, that sequence I talked about on the forehand applies to the back hand.
 
ballmachineguy

ballmachineguy

Hall of Fame
You also possibly hold your hitting arm back for too long - start dropping it earlier. This may look like early chest opening, but it's not - chest opens with good timing, but arm stays back for too long. Need to get here before major acceleration starts:
xX857yH.png

[/QUOTE]
Rarely disagree with your advice, but showing Feds forehand, a guy that has his arm nearly straight down from his body before he initiates the flip/foreward swing, i.e. a straight armer, might confuse this poster as his arm will never be in that position/ orientation.
 
polksio

polksio

Semi-Pro
Oh the forehand sequence in Dragy's post is great because honestly can't see what the exact problem is from a video, it just feels off. Dunno about no tuck in arm motion though, just see your torso is rotating rotating until contact and then it stops when it should rotate through contact. At the end of your follow through, your torso should look 180* away from where it started in the backswing phase
 
Dragy

Dragy

Legend
ballmachineguy said:
Rarely disagree with your advice, but showing Feds forehand, a guy that has his arm nearly straight down from his body before he initiates the flip/foreward swing, i.e. a straight armer, might confuse this poster as his arm will never be in that position/ orientation.
Click to expand...
Yeah maybe, I just used the video he posted to cut a frame 8-B I love Wawrinka for bent arm sequence actually.
 
Slowtwitcher

Slowtwitcher

Legend
You have very decent strokes.

Some very good advice already, I'd just add that your footwork could use some work to get you in the right place to hit the ball. I'd say 3-5 foot contacts before hitting each ball, on the videos you're doing 1-2 contacts after step-check.
 
N

nyta2

Hall of Fame
fh, i pretend i'm catching the ball, then only "not catch the ball" just before i swing
2hbh, i always try to step toward the net... so take it earlier... ideally neutral stance... but only if late, a closed stance... but that step to close is diagonally toward the contact, ideall 45 degrees... but it also means, i might need to move back to make space to step forward.
 
OldManStan

OldManStan

Rookie
LHG1111 said:
@OldManStan great advice, thank you! on the backhand side, any drills or swing thoughts to try and get feet more parallel to the ball or even open a la Djokovic as opposed to closed and what I seem to be doing, having my right foot so crossed? I also feel this could be causing my left foot to work extra hard (hence, my ankle is showing signs of arthritis at my age - 50).
Click to expand...

I noticed that you tend bend your knee momentarily and then straighten it out again. If you go to 0:37 in your video and play it at 0.25x speed, you'll notice what I'm talking about right away. Instead of shifting your weight forward with your shot, you actually put it back on your back foot. A drill you could do with a friend or a ball machine is to first be in a backhand loading position with your right knee bent (think like you're lunging with your right foot). Have him/the machine gently toss balls to your backhand side. After contact your hip and left foot should naturally swing over into an open stance. This drill should help you with staying in control and hitting the ball out in front.
 
N

Nellie

Hall of Fame
looks to me that you are trying to hit an open stance FH (right to left weight shift) with an closed stance, which will limit your rotation and cause you to be imbalanced. Try opening your stance or stepping forward with that forehand side leg
 
user92626

user92626

G.O.A.T.
Dragy said:
I

I believe you can find some tool. I’m just lazy. And it takes couple of minutes, if I have time - why not. Better replace full page of misunderstanding with one post with good pics ... and still misunderstanding :sneaky:
Click to expand...
I found a tool. It works well.

 
J

Jonnytron

New User
LHG1111 said:
@OldManStan great advice, thank you! on the backhand side, any drills or swing thoughts to try and get feet more parallel to the ball or even open a la Djokovic as opposed to closed and what I seem to be doing, having my right foot so crossed? I also feel this could be causing my left foot to work extra hard (hence, my ankle is showing signs of arthritis at my age - 50).
Click to expand...

I don't there's a "drill" that can help with this, but there are some things that you can focus on as you hit the backhand that may help:

- With your last step, really exaggerate stepping into the court. I noticed when the ball was a little shorter, your foot positioning naturally became more open because you had to step more forward. You should be doing this (to a slightly lesser extent) on every backhand you hit.

- Really exaggerate your left foot and hip coming around. On the video of Djokovic Stan posted above, watch the very first backhand hit in the video and look at how he brings his left foot (and hip) all the way around parallel to his right foot. This will force your front foot to pivot and open up, or it'll feel super awkward.

Don't worry so much about the racket face on the take back IMO. Nalbandian has one of the best topspin 2 handers I've ever seen, and his racket face is borderline open. If you really want to close the racket face more, you can experiment with cocking the left wrist back more like Djokovic does and see if that feels more natural to you.


 
Topspin Shot

Topspin Shot

Legend
Forehand: Your left arm doesn't do anything during the stroke, which makes you arm the ball too much with your right arm. Work on getting into a proper unit turn position and then possibly catching the racket on the follow through.

Backhand: Your stroke is kind of stunted; I'd prefer to see your right arm straighter in the takeback, and I'd also like to see more hip rotation through the stroke.
 
1

18x20 ftw

Semi-Pro
For your forehand, your non-dom arm pulls your body open (I bet you miss long and left). This video is for you (took me several months to fix but now so much better). Also, just catching the racquet after forehands helped.

 
1

18x20 ftw

Semi-Pro
On your bh, you are not getting any lag or whip. Try to institute some lag into the left arm and some pivot into your hips after you shift your weight.
 
N

NLBwell

Legend
Your backhand stroke is fine for now, it's not bad at all. You can add a little more whip or topspin later. Complicating your stroke now will just make things harder Right now, the issue is that you don't get in proper position for the backhand. You need to find and get comfortable with a contact point that is the proper distance in front of and to the side of you. Then, you need to MOVE YOUR FEET to get to that position. If you are reaching and stretching or jammed, the stroke won't be right. One or two sessions with a pro should help you find your good contact point - I can't tell from the video exactly where it should be. Then you must have lots of perfect practice to ingrain where you and the racket need to be in relation to the ball.

The forehand needs more work than the backhand and others have given you advice on that.
 
L

LHG1111

New User
@NLBwell completely agree on the forehand needing more work. it has been a weapon for me at points, but pros I trust (one in particular) used to say to me often that he liked the mechanics of my backhand, but my forehand much less so. for me it is definitely about footwork on that side, and feeling like I have enough distance from the ball when making contact so I get the proper extension and whip. much to practice. now I only need to get rid of the impossible ankle injury I'm dealing with to be able to get back on the courts. I wouldn't wish what I'm dealing with on my worst enemy.
 
L

LHG1111

New User
@18x20 ftw definitely some of the same tendencies I'm facing (over rotating + closing off the stance). Thanks for sharing the video of you and your coach, very helpful!
 
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