Daniel Andrade
Hall of Fame
So as I said on another post I decided to give myself of a year to improve a lot in tennis. Since I don't have that many people to play with, most of my training will have to be serve training (Don't worry I still play at least once a week with someone else, either practice or matchplay, and in matchplay I make sure to attempt things I'm not good at yet, record them, and trying to be a little bit better at them the next time). Most tennis training being serve training makes sense, IMO, since it is the most important shot.
I trained for an hour, however could only record 13 minutes due to my cellphone overheating.
So in the first minute, around seconds 20 to 30. I show my grip to the camera, my idea is to confirm that I'm using the continental grip, some guys were telling me that I wasn't using continental so I was making sure it was the right one and wanted to confirm it with the camera.
Around 1:50 I set up two balls to my right side (2 feet apart), my idea was to toss 10 times in a row within these two balls, and I only stopped the exercise after landing 10 balls in a row there. Was surprisingly difficult. I finished this first drill some 4 minutes later at 5:30. I did this because in a previous serve video some guys were telling me I was serving way to my left.
My next progression was tossing the ball within the two balls AND hitting making sure (or at least trying to) I was using Internal Shoulder Rotation (ISR). Since this exercise was more difficult I didn't try to do 10 in a row, but just 10 where I a)Tossed within the 2 balls and b) hit with ISR and c) the ball crossed the net. Hitting within the service box was NOT a concern at this point since it was too difficult to do all 4 things yet. I managed to do 10 and then realized the drill was getting easier and setting the two balls on the ground that much apart meant sometimes I tossed way too much to the right. So around 9:50 I reduced the distance between the two balls to just one foot.
I did the exact same drill as before but with this new 2 balls set one foot apart set up. Around this time my cellphone overheated so I can only describe what I did next.
Keeping the distance between the two balls on the ground the same, then I did 10 (not in a row) times where a) The ball lands within the two balls. b) I was doing the correct shoulder over shoulder motion c) the ball crossed the net.
After I accomplished this I tried another 10 times, but instead of doing shoulder over shoulder, I was making sure I was coiling my trunk enough. Keeping a and c as mandatory for the attempt to count.
Then I tried another 10 attempts but instead of concerning myself with coiling I was concerned with keeping a "racquet lag". My racquet goes up at the same time with the toss. I was trying to delay the racquet up movement. Again, for the attempt to count, the toss had to be within the two balls and the ball had to cross the net.
Then I tried 10 kick serve motions but without lifting from the ground and keeping my body sideways, just the spin part. (Surprisingly difficutl for me, I do slice serve for my second serve)
Finally I tried some outcome oriented exercises rather than technique oriented exercises. I set up two balls wide on the deuce service box, I had to hit 10 trying to make sure the serve was landing within these two balls and going wide, exiting through the sideline. Also, I had to keep the toss where I was already trying to do before, just barely to my right. Of 10 attempts I only managed 2.
And to end the session I tried 10 second serves, the exercise was a) making sure it was in, b) the toss was barely to the right of my body. I managed 9/10.
First, I have to clarify my "training philosophy", before I start asking questions. My idea is to gradually 'chunk' more and more technical aspects of the serve. First I start with the correct toss, then correct toss + coiling, then correct toss + coiling + shoulder over shoulder, then correct toss + coiling + shoulder over shoulder + racquet lag, etc.
I mean gradually in a literal sense, knowing I will do a full and correct serve motion only a year from now, and perhaps not even then. I will record myself, will make sure to record how many attempts it gets me to do 10 correct drills and will try my best to track progress (each session should take me less attempts).
My questions are:
1. Was I using continental?
2. I noticed I could control the toss better by releasing the ball from the middle of the fingers, rather than from the finger tips, is this right?
3. Am I tossing the ball in the correct place? Barely to my right? Is the height appropriate?
4. Was I using ISR?
5. Did the drills make sense?
6. Do you think "my training philosophy" is correct? Can this lead to success?
This post is a little long, and thanks if you can spend some 15 -25 minutes reading, watching the video and engaging with the post. I have been practicing for 15 years now, and I have had my fair share of bad coaches and players who just wanna rally. This time I really want to do some effort to make sure I can play the best tennis I can, sincerely thanks.
Ps: I don't have money for a coach.
I trained for an hour, however could only record 13 minutes due to my cellphone overheating.
So in the first minute, around seconds 20 to 30. I show my grip to the camera, my idea is to confirm that I'm using the continental grip, some guys were telling me that I wasn't using continental so I was making sure it was the right one and wanted to confirm it with the camera.
Around 1:50 I set up two balls to my right side (2 feet apart), my idea was to toss 10 times in a row within these two balls, and I only stopped the exercise after landing 10 balls in a row there. Was surprisingly difficult. I finished this first drill some 4 minutes later at 5:30. I did this because in a previous serve video some guys were telling me I was serving way to my left.
My next progression was tossing the ball within the two balls AND hitting making sure (or at least trying to) I was using Internal Shoulder Rotation (ISR). Since this exercise was more difficult I didn't try to do 10 in a row, but just 10 where I a)Tossed within the 2 balls and b) hit with ISR and c) the ball crossed the net. Hitting within the service box was NOT a concern at this point since it was too difficult to do all 4 things yet. I managed to do 10 and then realized the drill was getting easier and setting the two balls on the ground that much apart meant sometimes I tossed way too much to the right. So around 9:50 I reduced the distance between the two balls to just one foot.
I did the exact same drill as before but with this new 2 balls set one foot apart set up. Around this time my cellphone overheated so I can only describe what I did next.
Keeping the distance between the two balls on the ground the same, then I did 10 (not in a row) times where a) The ball lands within the two balls. b) I was doing the correct shoulder over shoulder motion c) the ball crossed the net.
After I accomplished this I tried another 10 times, but instead of doing shoulder over shoulder, I was making sure I was coiling my trunk enough. Keeping a and c as mandatory for the attempt to count.
Then I tried another 10 attempts but instead of concerning myself with coiling I was concerned with keeping a "racquet lag". My racquet goes up at the same time with the toss. I was trying to delay the racquet up movement. Again, for the attempt to count, the toss had to be within the two balls and the ball had to cross the net.
Then I tried 10 kick serve motions but without lifting from the ground and keeping my body sideways, just the spin part. (Surprisingly difficutl for me, I do slice serve for my second serve)
Finally I tried some outcome oriented exercises rather than technique oriented exercises. I set up two balls wide on the deuce service box, I had to hit 10 trying to make sure the serve was landing within these two balls and going wide, exiting through the sideline. Also, I had to keep the toss where I was already trying to do before, just barely to my right. Of 10 attempts I only managed 2.
And to end the session I tried 10 second serves, the exercise was a) making sure it was in, b) the toss was barely to the right of my body. I managed 9/10.
First, I have to clarify my "training philosophy", before I start asking questions. My idea is to gradually 'chunk' more and more technical aspects of the serve. First I start with the correct toss, then correct toss + coiling, then correct toss + coiling + shoulder over shoulder, then correct toss + coiling + shoulder over shoulder + racquet lag, etc.
I mean gradually in a literal sense, knowing I will do a full and correct serve motion only a year from now, and perhaps not even then. I will record myself, will make sure to record how many attempts it gets me to do 10 correct drills and will try my best to track progress (each session should take me less attempts).
My questions are:
1. Was I using continental?
2. I noticed I could control the toss better by releasing the ball from the middle of the fingers, rather than from the finger tips, is this right?
3. Am I tossing the ball in the correct place? Barely to my right? Is the height appropriate?
4. Was I using ISR?
5. Did the drills make sense?
6. Do you think "my training philosophy" is correct? Can this lead to success?
This post is a little long, and thanks if you can spend some 15 -25 minutes reading, watching the video and engaging with the post. I have been practicing for 15 years now, and I have had my fair share of bad coaches and players who just wanna rally. This time I really want to do some effort to make sure I can play the best tennis I can, sincerely thanks.
Ps: I don't have money for a coach.
if your opponent notices). You have the right idea of racquet/arm action into pronation. But the moment you get off the ground everything goes downhill and overrotates and you are not anymore in a comfortable position for proper arm action into contact. Essentially till you comfortably get the arm action and release of racquet into and through contact, don't worry about any leg drives (there will be some natural leg drive... but don't worry about explosive use of legs).
