Comments on groundstrokes of a 3.5 player

[drnantu]

I am a 3.5 player who is hoping to reach 4.0 in another year. I have gone from 2.5-3.0 to 3.5 in the past year. I have played 4 times a week and had private lessons. I also worked out in the gym to improve my stregth and endurance.

Here is a video of me hitting some ground strokes today.
http://www.vimeo.com/6311452

Please give me some constructive comments. Thanks.

 

[lordmanji]

thats very impressive to make such a leap. what grip are you using on your fh? one thing that sticks out immediately about your fh is that you need to load your weight more.

 

[smoothtennis]

On that backhand - keep your energy through the entire swing balance and forward. You tend to come up and pull back a little. That could be a nice backhand. Bolitterri says the stroke is nothing more than an extension of the foundation underneath it. Get that stance loaded, and keep your intention forward into the ball.

 

[drnantu]

thats very impressive to make such a leap. what grip are you using on your fh? one thing that sticks out immediately about your fh is that you need to load your weight more.

Thanks. I am using an eastern forehand. My V of the hand (between thumb and index finger) is on platform number 2. I think James Janson's video says it is an eastern because semi-western is V on platform number 3.

Does loading weight mean shifting body weight foreword when hitting?

 

[drnantu]

On that backhand - keep your energy through the entire swing balance and forward. You tend to come up and pull back a little. That could be a nice backhand. Bolitterri says the stroke is nothing more than an extension of the foundation underneath it. Get that stance loaded, and keep your intention forward into the ball.

Very good point, thanks. Do you see other mechanical things that I can improve?

 

[heretoserve]

I would experiment with a raised elbow. Watch some vids of Steffi and Pete. The raised elbow anatomically shortens the backswing as well as closes the racquet face. Closing your racquet face will allow you to swing faster and out further. You can actually have it up in the ready position then all you have to do is turn. Remember don't think get your racquet back then it almost always goes back to far. Think "turn".

 

[heretoserve]

Forehand for that last post by the way. backhand just get your racquet lower. A very common error is swinging at the ball and not letting the racquet drop before hitting the ball. This will put your contact point further away from your body allow you you to hit deeper and get more pace as you'll get about 5 mph every foot that your racquet falls behind you, a very efficient power source.

 

[tikkimonkey]

I would keep my non-hitting arm straight out on the forehand to help track the ball and balance, and your backhand slice looks kind of drifty. Other than that, I'd say you're looking pretty good.

 

[GuyClinch]

Not bad. I wish some of the local self-rated 3.5s around here hit like you. That being said the 3.5 - 4.0 jump is the hardest.. Being a 4.0 means your better then most people at the local club..rec courts etc, IMHO. Most rec players top out at 3.5.

Pete

 

[drnantu]

Forehand for that last post by the way. backhand just get your racquet lower. A very common error is swinging at the ball and not letting the racquet drop before hitting the ball. This will put your contact point further away from your body allow you you to hit deeper and get more pace as you'll get about 5 mph every foot that your racquet falls behind you, a very efficient power source.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[drnantu]

I would keep my non-hitting arm straight out on the forehand to help track the ball and balance, and your backhand slice looks kind of drifty. Other than that, I'd say you're looking pretty good.

The non-hitting arm is a very good point. Backhand slice is indeed all over the place due to lack of repetition during practice.

 

[drnantu]

Not bad. I wish some of the local self-rated 3.5s around here hit like you. That being said the 3.5 - 4.0 jump is the hardest.. Being a 4.0 means your better then most people at the local club..rec courts etc, IMHO. Most rec players top out at 3.5.

Pete

Thanks for the kind words. I know that I am a 3.5 as I play in the 3.5 tournaments. I win some matches and lose some matches. I'd say that I am a low 3.5 right now. My aim is to reach mid 3.5 (say 3.75) by the end of the year. Then, try to make the last jump to low 4.0 mid next year. (Aug. 2010)

Many of the 3.5s have very strange looking strokes and so-so footwork. These players have been 3.5 for many years. They will not advance because they did not learn the proper forms early in their tennis career. Many rec. players like to play matches and do not take lessons. They win matches against other 3.5s mostly due to match experience. However, the inherited bad forms hinders them advance to 4.0.

That is why I try to take private lessons as much as financially allowed. I go to the tennis court about 4 times a week. With accumulated match experience and good coaching, I hope that I can reach my goal of 4.0 next year. I will keep posting videos to show progress.


I looked at my video from one year ago. Oh, it looks like a slow motion video. I moved sooooo slow and missed soooo many easy shots.

Here is me hitting in Sept. 2008, （2.75）：http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umPXQFNYLbU

Here is me hitting in April. 2008: （3.25）:http://www.vimeo.com/4406042

Here is me hitting in Aug. 2009 （3.5）: http://www.vimeo.com/6314302

 

[Blade0324]

Here are my thoughts for you. I see that some times you do a nice job of stepping into your fh and those balls seemed to be less floaty and more consistant. You do some of the time hit kind of off your back foot on the fh side and tend to hit those balls high or frame them a bit too. I realize that you do have to hit off the back foot sometimes but many of the balls you hit that way you would have had time to back up a bit and then step into the ball better. This is a footwork thing that you can work on. Don't let yourself get lazy. The other thing I see is that when you go to hit the ball harder you tend to not step in as much either and you move your head and pull it out some which causes you to misshit. Keep yourself still and transfer that weight more. This will ensure more pace while still allowing you to make the shot.

 

[Nellie]

From a technical standpoint, you are not finishing the strokes - you should strive to develop a full shoulder rotation so that you start, for example on the forehand, with the left shoulder pointed to the ball and finish with the right shoulder and right elbow pointed to the intended target. You finish with your chest toward the target, which means that you swipe at the ball across your body, using arm strength instead of torso rotation. Arming the ball leads to inconsistent strokes and occasional over hitting.

also, your footwork is spotty - you need more little steps between contact to set up at a better position - you waiting for the ball to move and then often lunging when you are out of position.


From a strategic standpoint, you need more topspin! your flight balls are flying all over, and there is no way could sustain a longer rally - get the racquet under the ball prior to contact, and hit through the ball with a low to high arch, so that after the contact, the racquet continues up until well above the contact point.