Please critique my form and rate me

MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
http://youtu.be/uLJMrejJmqQ

Feel free to fast forward through portions that drag, as I was playing with my sister and she doesn't like to run lol. I'd greatly like feedback on my strokes and advice on what I can do better, as well as what type of racket and string may be suitable for me. Thanks!
 
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Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
Just remove the bits between the points, that will already get rid of quite a lot of the video. Not because it's about you, but the pros too. Once you edit a match (whatever the level), barely anything remains
 
TomT

TomT

Hall of Fame
MikeHitsHard93 said:
One moment...

Feel free to fast forward through portions that drag, as I was playing with my sister and she doesn't like to run lol. I'd greatly like feedback on my strokes and advice on what I can do better, as well as what type of racket and string may be suitable for me. Thanks!
Click to expand...
It seems that you're having problems with your video. Maybe I can help. What type of source files does your vidcam produce?
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
TomT said:
It seems that you're having problems with your video. Maybe I can help. What type of source files does your vidcam produce?
Click to expand...

It's from my iPhone and I'm using capture app. I'm just going to take a portion of the video. It's not the best anyway, just wanted you guys to see what I can do and see what I can work on. Just give me a bit...stupid technology.
 
TomT

TomT

Hall of Fame
MikeHitsHard93 said:
It's from my iPhone and I'm using capture app. I'm just going to take a portion of the video. It's not the best anyway, just wanted you guys to see what I can do and see what I can work on. Just give me a bit...stupid technology.
Click to expand...
Ok. The iPhone produces .MP4 source files as far as I know. You want to edit out all the non-playing stuff. I don't know if you can do that on the iPhone. So, assuming you transfer the videos to your computer, then what is your computer operating system? That is, do you have a PC or an Apple computer?

If you have an Apple computer, then I assume that the software necessary to edit your iPhone video is in your computer, and, after editing, then you can upload the edited video to YouTube. If you have a PC running, say, Windows 7, then in order to use the free video editing software for that operating system (Windows MovieMaker 2.6) you will need to either convert the .MP4 file to a .WMV file or download a video editor that can handle .MP4 files.
 
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TomT

TomT

Hall of Fame
Bottom line best solution for you (or anybody for that matter), imo, is to just get a decent vidcam that you can use for tennis videos.
 
TomT

TomT

Hall of Fame
MikeHitsHard93 said:
Video updated. Will have another one later.
Click to expand...
Ok. I watched about 30 seconds of the vid. You look like you can hit the ball really well. Unfortunately, that video is totally unacceptable. Get a decent camera. Your tennis seems to be worth it. Just my two cents. :)
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
TomT said:
Ok. I watched about 30 seconds of the vid. You look like you can hit the ball really well. Unfortunately, that video is totally unacceptable. Get a decent camera. Your tennis seems to be worth it. Just my two cents. :)
Click to expand...

And tell your buddy to control the ball and hit it back down the middle. Most of the time you're in the alleys and a phantom ball goes back into play.
 
Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
First...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA
We're missing a good load of content due to this.

Upper body is fine. Not perfect, but workable. Forget about the 1HBH please. :) You abort the follow-through of your FH too often because you're watching the ball land on the other side while being too passive.
Your lower body on the other hand... Bend those knees to put yourself level with the ball, split step more energetically. The times you move your feet correctly you're much more consistent, but still, you're only reacting well after the ball left the racquet of your partner. You're too passive after you've hit the ball, you watch the ball landing instead of repositioning your body. It's not bad to stay with the shot more, but you're waiting to see if the ball is in or not to reposition yourself.
 
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
Lukhas said:
First...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA
We're missing a good load of content due to this.
Click to expand...

this is pure GOLD! hilarious! but so right on.

to OP, no one wants to watch a video where only half the body (non hitting side, too) is showing or worse yet, there's no body in the frame at all. work on consistency. rallies are too short due to balls being hit into the bottom of the net ever 1 or 2 strokes.
 
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MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
mad dog1 said:
this is pure GOLD! hilarious! but so right on.

to OP, no one wants to watch a video where only half the body (non hitting side, too) is showing or worse yet, there's no body in the frame at all. work on consistency. rallies are too short due to balls being hit into the bottom of the net ever 1 or 2 strokes.
Click to expand...

To be quite honest, it's very hard to keep a rally going with my sister. She doesn't move well and her shots spray.

Sorry about the horrible video quality. I know it's probably the most boring thing you've ever watched, and I hope to record something that has me against a much better partner.

Reason for me waiting to see where the ball goes: her shots are sporadic. I'm just looking for comments about when I actually get a few rally shots in with my normal technique. Once again, sorry about the video quality :oops:
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Lukhas said:
First...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA
We're missing a good load of content due to this.

Upper body is fine. Not perfect, but workable. Forget about the 1HBH please. :) You abort the follow-through of your FH too often because you're watching the ball land on the other side while being too passive.
Your lower body on the other hand... Bend those knees to put yourself level with the ball, split step more energetically. The times you move your feet correctly you're much more consistent, but still, you're only reacting well after the ball left the racquet of your partner. You're too passive after you've hit the ball, you watch the ball landing instead of repositioning your body. It's not bad to stay with the shot more, but you're waiting to see if the ball is in or not to reposition yourself.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the constructive criticism. The vid quality is bad, but hopefully good enough to make a decent analysis.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
TomT said:
Ok. I watched about 30 seconds of the vid. You look like you can hit the ball really well. Unfortunately, that video is totally unacceptable. Get a decent camera. Your tennis seems to be worth it. Just my two cents. :)
Click to expand...

Sorry, it's crappy.
 
G

gmatheis

Hall of Fame
Hard to rate because you cant really have a decent rally and you aren't very serious because it's your sister and she doesn't hit very well etc.
I think somewhere between a high 3.0 and a medium 4.0. (I know that's a pretty big range)

I like your two handed backhand that I saw a few times

You seem to make a lot of mistakes when you have to run to a ball ... make sure you keep your focus on the ball all the way through your stroke.

Try to get to balls faster so you can get set and hit a good shot, don't play just in time tennis.

Next time turn your phone on it's side and get someone a little better to hit with you (no offense to your sister)
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
gmatheis said:
Hard to rate because you cant really have a decent rally and you aren't very serious because it's your sister and she doesn't hit very well etc.
I think somewhere between a high 3.0 and a medium 4.0. (I know that's a pretty big range)

I like your two handed backhand that I saw a few times

You seem to make a lot of mistakes when you have to run to a ball ... make sure you keep your focus on the ball all the way through your stroke.

Try to get to balls faster so you can get set and hit a good shot, don't play just in time tennis.

Next time turn your phone on it's side and get someone a little better to hit with you (no offense to your sister)
Click to expand...

Thank you for your feedback.

My sister isn't a terrible player (she was #1 doubles varsity, can't play singles though lol), but she realllllly needs to develop spin and actually move. I consider my 2 handler my best shot right now, because my forehand is spotty. I'm going to hit tonight with a better player and his uncle, which will give me a lot of rally balls and show how I actually play.
 
mad dog1

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
MikeHitsHard93 said:
You get a few pretty good hits from me in this one and can see me pretty clearly. Hopefully it's a bit better than the last one. I'll be posting the better one later tonight.

http://youtu.be/JD3egfvxsWs
Click to expand...

tough to provide any feedback when both players hit every other ball into the net. there's definitely good footage of an open court when the ball goes to the forehand. and excellent footage of your rear end when you move to hit a backhand. of course the actual stroke is out of range of the iphone.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Alright, I took all of your advice and did the film in landscape viewing. Me and this guy have very close games, except he has a better serve. I also took some serves and will post that next. This is a portion of our hitting that I though went pretty well. Overall it shows what I like to do and am able to do (and not able). Thanks for the feedback, even if it is kinda harsh lol.

http://youtu.be/h_OWep02eEI
 
PhrygianDominant

PhrygianDominant

Hall of Fame
I like your strokes, but yeah there aren't very many split steps. I will stop giving advice because I don't think I am qualified, I'm definitely not any better than you. Keep it up!
 
loosegroove

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
Yeah, definitely the most obvious thing is the glaring lack of footwork. And I think you and your partner should practice getting some reps in and hitting the ball back to one another, rather than trying to win the rally immediately after the feed. There's not much hitting really going on in the video.
 
Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
Try this with your partner. "Five shots from each side (minus the initial starting ball), and then you try to win the point". Five shots and then the point starts.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
loosegroove said:
Yeah, definitely the most obvious thing is the glaring lack of footwork. And I think you and your partner should practice getting some reps in and hitting the ball back to one another, rather than trying to win the rally immediately after the feed. There's not much hitting really going on in the video.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the ironic thing is that we kept telling each other to take it easy and just get a good rally ball going, but as soon as one of us hits a hard shot the other guy hits it back with pace so we basically fight fire with fire.

The lack of footwork is probably from not competing or having any instruction for three years. There were quite a few moments in the video that we had some ok rallies that lasted about 8 shots, but then it was followed by picking up balls or something.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
PhrygianDominant said:
I like your strokes, but yeah there aren't very many split steps. I will stop giving advice because I don't think I am qualified, I'm definitely not any better than you. Keep it up!
Click to expand...

Nah man you're cool! Just because my strokes might look better than yours doesnt mean you're not better than me. My serve sucks! Lol :) and my consistency due to my lack of footwork sucks too. I'm really only about a mid 3.5 on average. My partner actually beats me all the time because his serve is better and I can't get into a groove (it's frustrating). Thanks for the advice.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Lukhas said:
Try this with your partner. "Five shots from each side (minus the initial starting ball), and then you try to win the point". Five shots and then the point starts.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will do. I promise that I really do have that ability, but I don't know if he does.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Let me ask you guys this: would it help me to use a lighter racket and shoes so I can give myself a little extra time to get into position while I work on my footwork?
 
Last edited:
J

josofo

Semi-Pro
MikeHitsHard93 said:
Let me ask you guys this: would it help me to use a lighter racket and shoes so I can give myself a little extra time to get into position while I work on my footwork?
Click to expand...

not really.

a lot of times with your forehand your balance is off. its really important to have good spacing towards the ball and good posture with the upper body and good balance with your legs.
 
Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
MikeHitsHard93 said:
Let me ask you guys this: would it help me to use a lighter racket and shoes so I can give myself a little extra time to get into position while I work on my footwork?
Click to expand...
No. Your upper body is fine. And even if you were with a pair of Feather 2 CC (one of the lightest shoes out there), it wouldn't matter. You're not moving your legs anyway. You're not split-stepping correctly. You're still watching the ball land without doing anything meanwhile. These have nothing to do with your equipment.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
I agree that equipment isn't the problem, it's reaction time and footwork. So you think the stroke is fine though? I was just wondering if it would help me at all if I were to get some lighter shoes. I need new ones anyway.
 
Timbo's hopeless slice

Timbo's hopeless slice

Hall of Fame
there's not much wrong with your strokes, Mike

(well, except the 1HBH, forget about that one!)

You tend to exaggerate the WW on the FH a bit too much for me, but it isn't chronic.

however. feet. Eek.

get yourself a skipping rope, young man, and get to it!

seriously, I mean it!

you are just sooooo lead footed, and I am not talking about your shoes!.

but props on your video, good for you :)
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
Timbo's hopeless slice said:
there's not much wrong with your strokes, Mike

(well, except the 1HBH, forget about that one!)

You tend to exaggerate the WW on the FH a bit too much for me, but it isn't chronic.

however. feet. Eek.

get yourself a skipping rope, young man, and get to it!

seriously, I mean it!

you are just sooooo lead footed, and I am not talking about your shoes!.

but props on your video, good for you :)
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot timbo :) I feel like I could be a lot better if I moved better and reacted better...I just don't work out anymore and don't do any sports! I think it's time to change that!

I really was anticipating some negative comments about my play, but I wanted to show people that I'm not necessarily ALL talk :) but I'm definitely not the best player you've ever seen...far from it.

As for the fh, I don't know whether I should WW finish or over the shoulder...oh and I've always been on the fence about the bh...until now :) thanks
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
josofo said:
not really.

a lot of times with your forehand your balance is off. its really important to have good spacing towards the ball and good posture with the upper body and good balance with your legs.
Click to expand...

Alright. Do you think it's because my feet lag behind?
 
hrstrat57

hrstrat57

Hall of Fame
I would end racquet quest and focus on tennis specific footwork / fitness and overall balance. The actual act of striking a ground stroke looks excellent but appears to happen by accident at times to to poor/lazy footwork.

Most importantly I think is find better people to hit with. If this proves difficult a good ball machine might help but I always dial the ball delivery down to the lowest frequency when I have used a machine. Careful with a machine tho it does not allow you to develop the skill of learning to react to an opponent. A ball machine however is excellent for working on ball striking and most importantly footwork

Good ball striking opponents to build structured practice with is always best. Unfortunately as we all know finding good players to hit with pleasantly is difficult.

I find the most difficult thing to get back after a bit of a layoff is footwork. I view the game sort of like a dance with the tennis ball, when I can repeat my footwork the ball really starts to drop in and the pace and spin get crazy!!
Good luck Mike!!
 
Last edited:
HunterST

HunterST

Hall of Fame
I'd really shorten up the backswing on the forehand. It's pretty big and loopy and can cause you to be late on the ball.
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
hrstrat57 said:
I would end racquet quest and focus on tennis specific footwork / fitness and overall balance. The actual act of striking a ground stroke looks excellent but appears to happen by accident at times to to poor/lazy footwork.

Most importantly I think is find better people to hit with. If this proves difficult a good ball machine might help but I always dial the ball delivery down to the lowest frequency when I have used a machine. Careful with a machine tho it does not allow you to develop the skill of learning to react to an opponent. A ball machine however is excellent for working on ball striking and most importantly footwork

Good ball striking opponents to build structured practice with is always best. Unfortunately as we all know finding good players to hit with pleasantly is difficult.

I find the most difficult thing to get back after a bit of a layoff is footwork. I view the game sort of like a dance with the tennis ball, when I can repeat my footwork the ball really starts to drop in and the pace and spin get crazy!!
Good luck Mike!!
Click to expand...

Thank you. The odd thing is I cannot bear this guy in a match setting. He plays John isner tennis (hard serve, and go for broke forehand). In reality, I have better fundamentals but his serve is more consistent than mine.

I have recently found one guy that I have extremely long rallies with, and I'd love to post a video of us hitting. It's much different! I can't afford a good ball machine yet, but maybe that's a good birthday idea!

I'm gonna do timbos jump rope thing and also start running. Need to get rid of some loose baggage...

As far as the racket quest, I know it's in my best interest to stop it. What's the best racket for my game right now in your opinion? Is the speed port black fine? That's what I was using in the video. Thanks for your comments!
 
Vlad_C

Vlad_C

Semi-Pro
I won't give you any advice on your strokes, I don't think I'm qualified to give advice on that, I'm still working on my game too.

But one thing I will say is, when hitting in practice sessions like that, try to keep the ball in play as long as possible. In those vids you barely have any rallies, it's just quick 2-3 shots and someone hits out or into the net.
Try to keep the ball in play for at least 10 shots. Just hit easy, TO each other rather than AWAY from each other.
Going for winners right away against someone who feeds you slow balls like that, is easy, but it won't really get you very far.
Rather, try to develop control and consistency first.
 
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