Waltonkidd
New User
What do you all see that could use some work?
It starts off with basic ground strokes and then works into serves and volleys.
It starts off with basic ground strokes and then works into serves and volleys.
Can you guys evaluate my form?
- Thread starter Waltonkidd
- Start date
F
FRV
Guest
I cannot! Your form is far superior than my own!
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Looks like are you jumping backwards on your serves?
Groundstroke form looks pretty good.
Waltonkidd
New User
Waltonkidd
New User
Thanks for the Feedback! Definitely need to start jumping forward into the court! Should i start throwing my toss out in front more? Or should i keep the toss the same?
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
Are you by chance holding your breath on your serve? Because you seem to have some tension.
Serve:
- nice knee bend
- good racquet drop
- good racquet edge approach to ball
- great finish, implying you're using your legs well in the upward drive
How's your consistency in matches?
FH:
- nice coil
- good use of legs
- consistent swing path
You wait for the ball to get closer to you before taking the final part of your backswing [you seem to hesitate initially]: this might be problematic against a faster, flatter hitter.
0:26: You double pump with your knee bend: you first bend your knees, take your racquet back, push up with your knees, then go back down and come back up. Therefore, the first knee bend is a waste of energy.
Your elbow seems rather close to your body.
BH:
I can't make up my mind if you're letting the ball get too close: how does it feel/look to you?
Volleys: I didn't see any wide feeds. But your movement is good and you have a good follow-through as well rather than coming to an abrupt stop.
You've got some nice strokes there! What's your NTRP/UTR?
Dolgopolov85
G.O.A.T.
You are damn good, man. As FRV said, I am not sure feedback other than that of a select few on this board will be useful to you. I would LOVE to have form as good as yours.
I would only add to S&V's point about the FH and say that perhaps because of delaying your backswing, you end up taking the FH a little high (ball getting big on you). I would also say try not to get behind or across the ball for the FH and allow yourself to hit with the ball a touch wide of you. It looked like you were at times overrunning and ending up not having as much room to extend your arm as you could have if you let the ball be a little wide of you and hit from a more neutral rather than open stance. But these are minor points and overall your form is really good, again.
I would only add to S&V's point about the FH and say that perhaps because of delaying your backswing, you end up taking the FH a little high (ball getting big on you). I would also say try not to get behind or across the ball for the FH and allow yourself to hit with the ball a touch wide of you. It looked like you were at times overrunning and ending up not having as much room to extend your arm as you could have if you let the ball be a little wide of you and hit from a more neutral rather than open stance. But these are minor points and overall your form is really good, again.
Waltonkidd
New User
Tg
Serve: I never thought about my breathing during my serve but now that you mention it i definitely think i stop breathing during my serve. My serve has been very shakey the last two or three months so maybe that will help.
Forehand: So should i start my back swing earlier before the ball bounces?
Backhand: My backhand always feels off and it defiantly does look a little close to my body. That being said i recently learned the correct form for a backhand only about a month ago so i definitely need to work on it some more.
Thanks For the Reply! My UTR is really bad at a 5UTR. I only started getting coaching about a year ago. I have also only been playing tournaments for a year. When i first started playing tournaments i was very inexperienced and not ready at all. I am hoping to become a 7UTR by the end of 2019.
Serve: I never thought about my breathing during my serve but now that you mention it i definitely think i stop breathing during my serve. My serve has been very shakey the last two or three months so maybe that will help.
Forehand: So should i start my back swing earlier before the ball bounces?
Backhand: My backhand always feels off and it defiantly does look a little close to my body. That being said i recently learned the correct form for a backhand only about a month ago so i definitely need to work on it some more.
Waltonkidd
New User
Thanks for the Feedback! Definitely will try and work on my back swing.
S&V-not_dead_yet
Talk Tennis Guru
That's amazing progress in a very short span of time; give yourself some credit!
You'll become more fluid and relaxed if you breathe properly.
Well, if you have the time you might as well prep. Give it a try, especially against a faster ball rather than a hand feed.
Keep up your journey! And don't get too hung up on rating.
Dragy
Legend
On FH side:
The key thing I'd work with is overrotating. Compare with Thiem:
This exact your shot is an extereme pick, but in all other you still rotate through contact. Your arm should come forward at come point while torso rotation slows down when chest is more or less facing the target. Thiem video used:
On BH side:
I think it looks decent, however, video quality is not great to pick lots of details. Maybe sometimes too close to your body, as @S&V-not_dead_yet mentioned?
Serve: tough one. You definitely have good explosiveness and whole body involvement, which is great, and you also manage to balance and direct it well.
1. I'd get rid of that front foot step. It gives you nothing good, and with your low toss it steals your time. For example, you have no time to push your hip inside the baseline, hence jumping up, not exploding forward.
Look at low toss servers: Groth, Dolgopolov, Kyrgios. No one actually steps with his front foot after ball toss. Some kind of pivot - posssible, but not a step. Another problem is the temptation to chase the toss when it gets erratic in a match, instead of skipping, focusing and retossing (and keeping as a rule to practice and polish ball toss).
2. As the backward jump mentioned, you then compensate with overbending in waist:
Work on exploding more "tilted" into the court, more onto the ball, rather than up behind the ball. Direct all your movemant upward into the ball, don't try to hit forward/down as you've jumped in the air. Racquet is redirected on the very top of the swing only, pivoting via all-arm internal rotation (ISR) and some wrist flexion, and it's inavoidable, shouldn't be forced, but timed.
So, to round up the serve part, I suggest some smooth practice with precise toss and smooth upward acceleration and upward swing. Maybe some cylinder drill:
Volleys: I'd say you could get the racquet head more above the ball, so you naturally get some downward path:
Especially on BH side, where you tend to slap with closing motion on so many of them. Racquet higher in preparation, strong wrist - and you get all the punch you need (BH OH being a separate story).
Kobble
Hall of Fame
You have pretty good strokes, overall. Most of the critical stuff you do right, I think.
Forehand
1) On some shots, it look like you muscle the arm into the hitting slot, rather than letting it naturally lag, which has the hand more inside (on the ventral side) of the torso before you complete squaring up the shoulders. How it looks to me is where postions most top pros would be when the line of the shoulders is 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the incoming line of the ball, you appear to be in those positions earlier; more like 45 degrees (give or take). What I think it might be doing is forcing you to try and save that speed to deliver it crosscourt. It seems like you swing more like Roddick. If that is the forehand you want, I would do some sharp comparisons with how he hits it.
Backhand
1) Left arm is straight the whole time. The best two handed backhands go from a bent left arm to a straightened left at, or just before contact. Watch Agassi, Nalbandian, Malisse and Safin. This is something I would experiment with changing if it were me. I am all for going against the grain when it makes sense, but the overwhelming greats go from bent to straight. Even, Nadal, and to a lesser extent, Djokovic.
Forehand
1) On some shots, it look like you muscle the arm into the hitting slot, rather than letting it naturally lag, which has the hand more inside (on the ventral side) of the torso before you complete squaring up the shoulders. How it looks to me is where postions most top pros would be when the line of the shoulders is 90 degrees (perpendicular) to the incoming line of the ball, you appear to be in those positions earlier; more like 45 degrees (give or take). What I think it might be doing is forcing you to try and save that speed to deliver it crosscourt. It seems like you swing more like Roddick. If that is the forehand you want, I would do some sharp comparisons with how he hits it.
Backhand
1) Left arm is straight the whole time. The best two handed backhands go from a bent left arm to a straightened left at, or just before contact. Watch Agassi, Nalbandian, Malisse and Safin. This is something I would experiment with changing if it were me. I am all for going against the grain when it makes sense, but the overwhelming greats go from bent to straight. Even, Nadal, and to a lesser extent, Djokovic.
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golden chicken
Hall of Fame
A minor detail on your volleying: I know you're being fed and it's not a live ball, but if the ball is short or soft, you should make a point to jump on it asap and get as close to the net and finish the point if possible.
The jump on the serve is off. You're jumping like you are going up for a rebound in basketball. In the tennis serve the jump is a two stage affair - the first stage is leg drive, the second stage is from the release of the energy stored in the upper body. The feet don't come off the ground together, the back foot comes off first (during the first stage) then the front foot rolls and comes up (second stage). Watch the video below, which has a great explanation. You'll get more power. Right now your legs are doing a lot of work but not generating much power.
Below the instructional video is a good video of Djokivic that shows how he jumps.
You are really good, keep it up.
Below the instructional video is a good video of Djokivic that shows how he jumps.
You are really good, keep it up.
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VacationTennis
Semi-Pro
Nice strokes all around buddy. I would say keep working on looseness that will translate into effortless rhs.
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