Dos anyone else do this?

film1

Semi-Pro
Someone pointed out to me the other day I play with a ball in my hand a lot of the time.
The deal is, I hold two balls in the same hand when I toss the ball on my frst serve and I simply play the point holding on to the ball.
I have been doing it that way for a long time.
 

ProgressoR

Hall of Fame
I do it when rallying and practicing, not often when practicing serves. My coach told me once its illegal anyway.
 
I started playing in the 70's and use to do it all the time, til they started putting pockets in gym shorts. Still do it sometimes when warming up.
 

xr3fgb

Rookie
Only when warming up or just rallying. For some reason, during matchplay, I find it distracting all of a sudden.
 

Fifth Set

Professional
Wow, I would find it strange to try to toss with two balls in my hand.

As for groundies, however, one of my coaches actually suggested that I hold an extra ball in my hand. On my forehand, I was opening up out of my stance too early. Somehow, the extra ball in my hand does seem to help me remember to stay closed a split second longer.
 

theace21

Hall of Fame
I do it when rallying and practicing, not often when practicing serves. My coach told me once its illegal anyway.

Illegal - You can't be serious!!!

Everyone used to do this in the 60's and 70's and probably before. Look at old photos of stan smith, even billie jean king held 2 balls when serving. Nearly everyone had a 1 handed backhand.
 

film1

Semi-Pro
Illegal - You can't be serious!!!

Everyone used to do this in the 60's and 70's and probably before. Look at old photos of stan smith, even billie jean king held 2 balls when serving. Nearly everyone had a 1 handed backhand.

Hope not, I do it all the time, even in tournaments.
I would have to see that rule to change.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
You need both hands to hit proper forehand and backhand, even if both are one-handed stroke. To hold a ball while hitting handicaps you (assuming you have decent game) and is extremely rude, unless you're the coach and/or a couple of levels above the hitting partner.
 

film1

Semi-Pro
It is not meant to be at all rude and I hit with good power.
I simply started doing it in the 70s when some of the past great players the same thing.
Stan Smith was a player I liked a lot.
I see a lot of things as rude but not holding a ball when I get my first serve in.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Oh yes, I don't think it's rude in matchplay, as long as it's legal. I was talking about practice. You could raise your game by a level or two though if you learn proper strokes that engage both hands though.
 

dr325i

G.O.A.T.
You need both hands to hit proper forehand and backhand, even if both are one-handed stroke. To hold a ball while hitting handicaps you (assuming you have decent game) and is extremely rude, unless you're the coach and/or a couple of levels above the hitting partner.

Why is it (EXTREMELY) rude?
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
I do it when I am playing tournaments win, loose, does not matter, it is how I play.
It might be a age gap deal but it is how I play.

Please note that my comment in post No. 16 clarifies some prior misunderstandings and establishes framework for my comment in post No. 18 that you are addressing here.
 

film1

Semi-Pro
So you think it is rude when hitting but not playing a match?
I know it's not done much anymore but I assure you,
a lot of average players, good players and even some great players from back in the day did it and probably practiced like they played.

I always try and be a class act on and off the court:
I don't throw or abuse racquets
Curse
Complain
Do things we see a lot of out of frustration
You would not know if I was winning or loosing from watching me most of the time.

I hold two balls during my first serve and if it goes in, I play the point with a ball in my hand.
Pretty boring older player with a big serve. Nothing flashy.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
I assure you,
a lot of average players, good players and even some great players from back in the day did it and probably practiced like they played.

I do realise that the game has evolved over the years, so I can't be certain of what was or was not practiced in distant past. I personally find it hard to believe that pro's competed while holding a ball in non-dominant hand. I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match.

I still stand by the point I made in the third sentence of my comment in post No. 16, which is probably more relevant for your purposes.
 

Avles

Hall of Fame
I do realise that the game has evolved over the years, so I can't be certain of what was or was not practiced in distant past. I personally find it hard to believe that pro's competed while holding a ball in non-dominant hand. I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match.

Rod Laver, in 1975:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRNZeo70P4
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match.

Like this one:
http://www.sixtiescity.com/Events/Images/EVE166.jpg

Not to be confrontational about this or anything, but is this really a video? Some might argue that this is a still image (a photograph). She could be warming up serves, for all we know.

To clear one thing up, it is LEGAL.

Thanks for clarifying, just goes to show you the extent of tennis knowledge of some of the "experts" arguing in here.


The quality of the video is too poor to really tell what's going on there. If anything, it shows to me that Laver is NOT holding a ball in his hand while playing points. Is there a particular frame you wish to point out that shows otherwise?

Steffi Graf won 11 GS titles playing with the 2nd ball in her hand. When she switched coaches in 1992, she stopped doing that. I also play with the other ball in my hand.

Check 0:22: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c-iia2oT5k

I thought we were discussing real pro tennis here, not women's tour.
 

Avles

Hall of Fame
The quality of the video is too poor to really tell what's going on there. If anything, it shows to me that Laver is NOT holding a ball in his hand while playing points. Is there a particular frame you wish to point out that shows otherwise?

How about seconds 1 through 4? If you can't see Laver holding one ball and bouncing another one, then holding both balls again, I don't know what to say.

But, if you reject that one, here's Guillermo Vilas-- a little blurry, but the other ball is again quite visible (at 43 seconds, for example). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4pPc9YesFc.

Or, Ken Rosewall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh76_gnh5sA. Around 7:15-7:20 the two-ball service toss is unmistakably clear.

So to sum up, world-class players can (and did) compete while holding a ball in the non-dominant hand, and there's zero reason to take offense if your hitting partner does the same.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
How about seconds 1 through 4? If you can't see Laver holding one ball and bouncing another one, then holding both balls again, I don't know what to say.

But, if you reject that one, here's Guillermo Vilas-- a little blurry, but the other ball is again quite visible (at 43 seconds, for example). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4pPc9YesFc.

Or, Ken Rosewall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh76_gnh5sA. Around 7:15-7:20 the two-ball service toss is unmistakably clear.

So to sum up, world-class players can (and did) compete while holding a ball in the non-dominant hand, and there's zero reason to take offense if your hitting partner does the same.

Thanks for that. The Laver video is still unclear to me, but I do see a ball in hand while playing out the point in the Vilas video. I was hoping someone would provide evidence of this sort to cement my position that real tennis in its current form did not exist before the 1990’s.

Today’s game is so far superior to the amateur bunts of those “legends”, and the fact that no pro in his right mind would hold a ball while playing out a point on the tour today is testament to that end. Ball-holding hitting partner is not a concern for me, because I only hit with good players who have good manners.
 

Avles

Hall of Fame
So instead of admitting you were wrong, you've decided that Laver, Vilas, Rosewall and Graf were mere amateurs? Presumably you and your well-mannered hitting partners would be able to totally school them.

Apparently I'm wasting my time with you, but who knows, maybe this exchange will be useful to others who might have been misled by your ill-informed posts into viewing holding an extra ball as bad manners.
 

film1

Semi-Pro
"I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match."

Why rip on past great players?
No big deal, we have all been wrong before.
 

film1

Semi-Pro
Did you write this?

"I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match."
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Did you write this?

"I would welcome you to prove me wrong by posting a video where a touring pro holds a ball while playing a point in a professional match."

I see your point now – you cherry-picked the word “wrong” from my figure of speech and are holding onto it as a drowning man might hold onto a straw. Well, what I was basically saying was: “I know that pre-modern tennis was a joke, but I find it hard to believe that it was farcical to the extent where players held balls in their hands while playing tour points. Please prove me wrong” . Now that I’ve been proven “wrong”, it is clear as day that whatever game those people in the pictures (or “videos”, as you might call them) you posted, were playing, is of no relation to the great game of tennis that we know and love today. Thanks again for your contributions.
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
Then why say things like this?
“I know that pre-modern tennis was a joke"

Isn't that what you guys pretty much told us by showing that those players held tennis balls in their hands while playing points on the tour?
 

ProgressoR

Hall of Fame
I see your point now – you cherry-picked the word “wrong” from my figure of speech and are holding onto it as a drowning man might hold onto a straw. Well, what I was basically saying was: “I know that pre-modern tennis was a joke, but I find it hard to believe that it was farcical to the extent where players held balls in their hands while playing tour points. Please prove me wrong” . Now that I’ve been proven “wrong”, it is clear as day that whatever game those people in the pictures (or “videos”, as you might call them) you posted, were playing, is of no relation to the great game of tennis that we know and love today. Thanks again for your contributions.

SoBad are you just joking around or are you telling us you are really some kind of fool? You talk about manners and rudeness (holding a ball in your hand while practicing or playing is rude??) then you display massive shamelessness in your attitude to the tennis legacy and tradition and history.

So which is it - just pulling our legs or the other?
 

OrangeOne

Legend
SoBad are you just joking around or are you telling us you are really some kind of fool? You talk about manners and rudeness (holding a ball in your hand while practicing or playing is rude??) then you display massive shamelessness in your attitude to the tennis legacy and tradition and history.

So which is it - just pulling our legs or the other?

See my post above.
 
Top