Decelerate at impact or not?

[New Daddy]

I have been taught to accelerate my racket continuously all the way from take-back to follow-through.
However, I tried something new this morning with my forehand and found it very effective.

At impact, I tried to "grab" the ball by decelerating the racket for a very short period of time (maybe a millisecond) and then accelerated again.
This seemed to give me more control and enabled me to put more action on the ball.
I think by letting the ball stay longer on the string, I was able to put more action.
Is what I did recommendable in terms of swing mechanics?
Did I actually decelerate a little, or just feel decelerate but did not in fact?

I will look forward to your advice.

 

[Ash_Smith]

The sequence goes: prepare, contract, rotate, accelerate. The contraction sets the double-bend structure of the arm and stabilises the elbow, the rotation maintains the double bend structure and elbow stability, bringing the elbow and thusly contact point forward of the body. Then the acceleration of the racquet forward and up begins at the triangle phase as shown in the pic.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/AceOnTheLine/acceleration_phase.jpg

 

[Ash_Smith]

Also (sorry!) forgot to say...don't think about deccelerating prior to contact - just check the point at which to you try to accelerate. Too many players try to accelerate from too far out and consequently lose stability of the elbow, which results in inconsistent shot making.

 

[New Daddy]

Also (sorry!) forgot to say...don't think about deccelerating prior to contact - just check the point at which to you try to accelerate. Too many players try to accelerate from too far out and consequently lose stability of the elbow, which results in inconsistent shot making.

Does this "elbow-focusing" mechanics apply to one-hand back hand as well?

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I have been taught to accelerate my racket continuously all the way from take-back to follow-through.
However, I tried something new this morning with my forehand and found it very effective.

At impact, I tried to "grab" the ball by decelerating the racket for a very short period of time (maybe a millisecond) and then accelerated again.
This seemed to give me more control and enabled me to put more action on the ball.
I think by letting the ball stay longer on the string, I was able to put more action.
Is what I did recommendable in terms of swing mechanics?
Did I actually decelerate a little, or just feel decelerate but did not in fact?

I will look forward to your advice.

This is imposible. There is no way that the human body is able to control a racquet that is accelerating and deaccelerate it for a millisecond. The human body cant even register sensation transfer that fast to the brain.

You can not grab the ball like this and you are fooling yourself if you think you can.

This sounds like that Jumpulse technique. This method is a false method.

You should accelerate through the ball in a relaxed controlled motion.

 

[Steven87]

LOL@ grabbing the ball. You MUST accelerate to get more control actually.

 

[Zachol82]

If you accelerate, decelerate, then accelerate just before contact...then you just wasted a lot of energy for the first acceleration.

Accelerating all the way through would make your shots inconsistent.

What I do is I accelerate slowly from 3 o'clock (since my ground stroke starts at 3 o'clock) to 5 o'clock then right before contact, I accelerate even more. This gets your racquet in place for the shot while still give you full control over your shots.

 

[Steven87]

If you accelerate, decelerate, then accelerate just before contact...then you just wasted a lot of energy for the first acceleration.

Accelerating all the way through would make your shots inconsistent.

What I do is I accelerate slowly from 3 o'clock (since my ground stroke starts at 3 o'clock) to 5 o'clock then right before contact, I accelerate even more. This gets your racquet in place for the shot while still give you full control over your shots.

You must accelerate fully to get full control, what are you smokin son. If you decelerate a bit, your timing will be off. You must accelerate if you want to hit hard and keep the ball in with spin

 

[Zachol82]

You must accelerate fully to get full control, what are you smokin son. If you decelerate a bit, your timing will be off. You must accelerate if you want to hit hard and keep the ball in with spin

I never said anything about decelerating, don't be mean =(. By "accelerating all the way through," I was talking about swinging as hard as you can all the way through...which for me would be from 3o'clock to 10o'clock. Swinging as hard as you can that far would lead to inconsistency.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

If you accelerate, decelerate, then accelerate just before contact...then you just wasted a lot of energy for the first acceleration.

Accelerating all the way through would make your shots inconsistent.

What I do is I accelerate slowly from 3 o'clock (since my ground stroke starts at 3 o'clock) to 5 o'clock then right before contact, I accelerate even more. This gets your racquet in place for the shot while still give you full control over your shots.

That is fine, however, you are wrong about the "accelerating all the way through would make your shots inconsistent". I accelerate through my shots and have no problems.

A relaxed controlled acceleration that comes from the BODY with the arms going for the ride is the smooth gradual acceleration I am talking about.

 

[JCo872]

I have been taught to accelerate my racket continuously all the way from take-back to follow-through.
However, I tried something new this morning with my forehand and found it very effective.

At impact, I tried to "grab" the ball by decelerating the racket for a very short period of time (maybe a millisecond) and then accelerated again.
This seemed to give me more control and enabled me to put more action on the ball.
I think by letting the ball stay longer on the string, I was able to put more action.
Is what I did recommendable in terms of swing mechanics?
Did I actually decelerate a little, or just feel decelerate but did not in fact?

I will look forward to your advice.

Hey New Daddy, shoot me an email at jco872@gmail.com. You may be talking about "the educated use of the wrist".

 

[Mike Cottrill]

This sounds like that Jumpulse technique. This method is a false method.

Oh no, not that again :twisted:

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Oh no, not that again :twisted:

That discussion was a wild one for me. I took a long vacation after reading through and commenting on that junk. The JunkPulse method.

You grabbbbbbb the ball. Yeah right. How long is the ball on the strings? Less then it takes to blink your eye? lol!

The Junkpulse method talks about how Federer can slow down his swing speed for a millisecond and then speed it up. So they show clips with dropped frames to illustrate their point and sell it to the masses to draw out the sucker in the crowd.

Don't be suckers! There are no secrets to tennis. It is hard work! You have to practice. You have to master the basics in technique, conditioning, mental strength, strategy, tactics, and footwork! There are no short-cuts!

This discussion is like the thread on footwork where a person is challenging that professional players dont use a shuffle step or step oput with the foot closest to the ball. He even said he has reviewed film on it. :shock:

 

[wihamilton]

Decelerating prior to / at contact is a big mistake. That's what the follow through is for. Sounds like you might be doing something you think is decelerating but is actually something else.

 

[Ash_Smith]

Does this "elbow-focusing" mechanics apply to one-hand back hand as well?

Yes, the stability of the elbow is vital here too. Have put these together to show progressions. Elbow stabilisation happens at the contraction stage...


http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/AceOnTheLine/1hb_progressions_1.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/AceOnTheLine/1hb_progressions_2.jpg

 

[user92626]

You should accelerate through the ball in a relaxed controlled motion.

Hi Bill,
This acceleration thing is way over my head. I just know that I take back the racquet and swing as hard as I can as far as strength/acceleration is concerned. Is that correct?

Or should I start the swing light and then really whip it around the contact point?

 

[Ash_Smith]

Hi Bill,
This acceleration thing is way over my head. I just know that I take back the racquet and swing as hard as I can as far as strength/acceleration is concerned. Is that correct?

Or should I start the swing light and then really whip it around the contact point?

Have at look at the graphic I posted earlier in this thread, it shows the point at which acceleration from the arm begins. Prior to this point it's contraction of the arm/elbow and rotation.

 

[tricky]

I'm not sure how one actually decelerates at contact, but I can *kinda* see that as a visualization if one is used to slapping the ball. In other words, you want to extend into the shot, the racquet "pressing" or "springing" into the ball.

 

[user92626]

Have at look at the graphic I posted earlier in this thread, it shows the point at which acceleration from the arm begins. Prior to this point it's contraction of the arm/elbow and rotation.

Does this (the graphic) apply for FH?

I understand rotation but what does "contraction of the arm/elbow" mean?

 

[Ash_Smith]

ah, sorry for the forehand...give me a sec!

 

[Ash_Smith]

Okay...here we go!


http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/AceOnTheLine/fh_progressions_1.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh157/AceOnTheLine/fh_progressions_2.jpg

As previous...from contact point forewards to finish on page 1 and from pre-contact to prep on page 2.

Contraction is the stage whereby the elbow stabilizes - in the forehand this means from the final prep position setting the double bend structure and maintaining it through the rotation stage. It's all in the progressions graphics!!!

 

[chess9]

Ah, jumppulse, a time-proven technique, for the whackey rackey set.

-Robert

 

[Bagumbawalla]

This is what, in psychology, is called "supersitious thinking".

 

[tricky]

We need to form a Jumpulse club, just so I can understand what it exactly is!

 

[CAM178]

I don't agree with the OP's logic. Proper technique, especially for advanced players, is a slow takeback, and then a whip through the ball. Basically you explode from the point at which the racquet starts coming to meet the ball. And for heavy toppers, it is an even more explosive acceleration with heavy wrist snap before contact.