Search results

Hi, Can anyone provide a succinct explanation as to why an 'old' tennis ball does not fly as fast through the air, and also does not bounce as high? Also, I sometimes hear people saying that the ball feels 'heavy' when they hit an old/dead one. Why is this so? They claim that new balls are...

Hi everyone I'm in a bit of trouble. I've strung about 20 racquets with Synthetic gut, and today I'm trying to string a Head LM4 for the first time using Kevlar. I'm not sure if it's the Kevlar or the special Grommet-shock absorber ("Integrated String Dampener")- both I'm trying out for the...

Despite my interest in new racquets, I always find myself coming back to this one racquet that I have for about 5 years now- the Yonex Ultimum RD Ti-50. Unfortunately the buttcap is making irritating squeaking noises everytime I swing, and because it's stapled onto the handle I can't seem to do...

-It's an old frame, head size is 97 sq inches. -It's mostly blue, and there's a bit of green near the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock areas of the frame. 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock areas are white. -On the side of the frame it says Graphite Composite, and on the other side it says Classic. -String...

Mine is closer to eastern bh grip, which is a fair bit away from my fh volley grip (continental). I do this because I simply cannot get power from continental grip on my bh volleys. Anyone else do this (especially for high bh volleys)? Also, how far out infront should I contact the ball? I...

If you hit a fast forehand with an extreme low to high swing and make contact with the ball with a vertical plane, would the ball's trajectory be like a lob? Will it have lots of spin? If you answered yes to both, doesn't this mean that it's not possible to hit a heavy ball that is 'net...

Is it advisable to try and hit every ball with the racquet face (therefore the entire racquet from grip to tip of racquet) parallel to the net? Ie. for a right hander's fh the racquet tip is pointing at 3 o'clock on impact, -O and bh, 9 o'clock O- This was what I've believed...

What can you expect to cover in a 1 hour coaching session? I know that when *playing* tennis, time flies and even 2 hours seems like nothing. This is why I am worried that if I pay big $ for just 1 hour, it may not be worth it in the long run. So, my question is, can you cover quite a bit in...

I happened to be checking out the sticky and noticed that operationdoubles offers a unique approach to succesfully moving backwards to hit overheads. In short, they recommend you keep your racquet down near your leg as you move backwards and only lift the hitting arm and other arm when you...

All of my old tennis shoes have the same spots worn out- the big toe area of my left foot, and all along the left side. A pair of those Silver Yonex shoes lasted me half a year until a hole emerged in the left shoe. Is half a year a decent lifespan for a pair of tennis shoes? Can anyone...

I seem to have really bad depth perception and was wondering if there are any tips as to how I should position myself for a smash. I know you have to have the racquet up and be sideon as soon as possible, but how do you know where you should move? I'm often caught with the ball behind my...

Hi everyone, need your input on this one. I just haven't been able to get a definitive answer (maybe there isn't one). On groundstrokes and volleys, is it ideal for you to contact the ball with a square/vertical face??? By square/vertical I mean, the strings meet the ball right in the...

Quick questions on the stiffness of a racquet: If 2 different racquets respectively have a stiffness rating of 60 and 70, which is stiffer? Is flexibility the same thing as stiffness? And my main questions are, which would feel 'softer', and which would give more power/control? Thanks!

Hi I need your opinion on this! I had this really really disappointing session of tennis the other night. The most notable thing was that it felt like I was hitting the ball with a wooden board- it felt like the strings of my racquet had no elasticity at all!!! It never felt like I was...

What would it mean if I can occasionally hear rattling sounds from inside my racquet when I swing it around? It doesn't always happen- only when I shake it at a particular angle or something? I must say that I've slammed this racquet once on a hardcourt after it slipped out of my hand on a...

What would you normally do against a ball that is slow, you have lots of time to get set to hit it, but it's falling and it's deep? I just wait for the ball to drop into my strike zone and hit it flat with a square stance, as if I were just self feeding the ball, but sometimes it's hard to time...

How much knee bend is necessary for a serve?? This has been a big issue for me- I've been told I have a deep knee bend by at least 2 coaches. I just can't seem to fix it because if I don't bend my knees it doesn't feel like I'm getting any power out of my legs. If you look at the pro circuit...

Hi, although this thread is addressed to the physics-oriented people out there, any thoughts from anybody is welcome! Here is a little experiment I did... I hit a fh in two different positions, moving only my arm through the stroke. The 2 positions: 1) Knees bent, almost in squat position...

Hey all, I'm a player who plays the game largely based on 'feel' and sensation. So I ask you: On second serves, does it feel like you're hitting the ball square or only scraping it? From my experience it's possible to hit the ball square and still have lots of spin on it, but when scraping...

Here's one shot I've been trying to work on, but I make the same mistake each time. Racquet face is too open and the ball sails long. I use a continental grip and it's just so hard to 'come down' on the ball on the backhand side, because the position of the wrist is not very stable. The racquet...

After players have a break and have to change ends the umpire calls 'time' in English speaking events, but what do they actually say at RG in French? It sounds like 'A vo pris' or something like that. Can anyone let me know? I've been wondering for a while. Thanks.

I've always thought of angle shots as relatively slow loopy shots, but I've come to find that whenever I hit a 'flattish' ball, or a ball that 'skims' the net at an angle without any extreme pace, it produces a really effective angle shot. My question is, when hitting angle shots, do you...

I have this habit of giving my forehand passing shots too much height over the net. What do some of you successful passers consciously think about when hitting Federer-like forehand passing shots? And I mean the ones from a little behind the baseline, where a little pace is required to make the...

Hi everyone, I have a question I'd like to ask. I know this 8 year old who has loads of potential- he is a real standout performer for his age and I can really see him going all the way. He has the smoothest service motion I've ever seen on an 8 year old- he is not that tall but can get the...

This is one shot I just cannot make. I can hit smashes if the ball is not dropping at a high speed, but if it travels high up in the air, I just cannot time it properly. Yes, letting the ball bounce might be a good idea, but I really want to be able to hit it on the full too. My main problem...

Have you ever hit a serve only to find that you've mishit it, and therefore produced some kind of wicked spin on it that makes it bounce in an unpredicatable manner? Maybe even on a groundstroke = twist serve groundstroke? Well I was wondering, what actually gives it that kind of spin? I mean...

For the forehand, a lot of people refer to the SW and the W to be a 'strong' grip in comparison to say a Continental. This can be felt when striking the ball- when I hit a forehand using the Eastern grip and then a Semi Western, I can feel a difference. The racquet head seems much more stable...

What do you people think are the pros and cons of a low ball toss on a Serve? By low ball toss I mean hitting the ball almost on the rise/when it reaches its peak, instead of letting it drop a little (I think Ivanisevic had this kind of quick serve, so does Sanguinetti, maybe Massu...

If I get the ball where I want it, I can volley well. However, when I have to hit a high volley using my continental grip, I mis-hit the ball sometimes. I can hit low volleys ok, mid volleys good, and high volleys terribly. I don't know if I should hit down on them or apply a bit of slice on...

If any, what is the most ideal way of hitting a forehand? I used to try to hit every ball in a semi-open stance every time, loading the weight onto my right leg. However I started to notice that if I stepped into the ball with my left leg (almost a closed stance) and unloaded onto the ball I get...