Lull energy is when you are not trying to win the point outright, but just patiently waiting for the other player's body clock to go to sleep. Think of Simon, waiting for an opportunity to counter punch. He's just stroking the ball med pace, med depth, med angle or even right dtm. Every top player uses lull energy in every match. The goal is to let the other player beat himself by making too many ues. Lull energy is very relaxed, with no tension, or speed added into the body. It's like idling the engine. The body clock is running med and smoothly, as is the energy inside the body.
Jam energy is ramped way up, ie, when you are trying to jam the other player with a shot that changes speed radically after the bounce. Think Nadal. Super top or super slice, or a short drop shot, or a super flat shot, something that will jar or jam the other player's body clock, and either cause an error or a weak reply. Many players will make errors off the lull shots as well, and it might take 15 lull shots before the other player makes a ue, often, by going for a jam shot himself, and jamming himself in the process, by not relaxing while ramping up his own from his own lull energy. The jam energy must be relaxed or you run a way higher chance of making a ue on a jam transition. The jam transition, from lull to jam, is diff. to learn, how to relax while swinging out hard and full and freely, and not making the ue while attempting the jam.
Finish energy is similar to jam, but, you are moving to finish, not jam, the other guy off. Requires a winner mentality, and a flat shot, or an extreme shot, to a line or a corner, or very short, or a topspin lob, or an outright passing shot, etc.... Also very diff. to learn the transition from lull to finish, or from jam to finish. Requires a faster internal energy. Quick movements of the muscles, yet, smooth. Extreme, yet repeatable. Is there such a thing a a reliable flat shot? If you have the shot you like. You must wait for the shot you like to finish energy. The body knows what it likes. It's diff. for everyone. It's not your mind that determines wins and losses:::: it's your body. How many players have you seen lose to relaxed pushers, who are not trying to win, just trying to see the other guy lose? How many players go out and try to win the point on every shot they hit with their mind? And the body says, "What are you, crazy? You think I can hit a winner from every position? Why don't you video tape me and see what a dumb ass you are?" Whether it can change its energy from lull to jam to finish at will, from both sides, with all types of shots. Everyone's body clock and internal energy motor is unique. The mind has to be in synch with the body. The body clock must run independent of the incoming shots: fast feet no matter what, and fluid torso no matter what.
The transitions are more make-able, if you keep the feet moving fast on slow shots, med shot, heavy shots, jam shots, or finish shots, lull shots. Think of the cheetah, and its incredibly fast feet running down an antelope in the green veldt, volcanic crater. Think of a drunken monkey, and its happy looseness, lithe and fluid/flexy body, strong enough to rip your arm off.... Kuerten was a perfect example of the drunken monkey fast cheetah. The feet have to have the same speed for all of your shots, or you will end up making too many ues. Too many let the feet stop, on a stopped ball. Too many let the feet slow, on a slow ball, due to the body clock trying to match the rhythm of the incoming shot! The result: too many losses to inferior players who are not trying to beat you, but are trying to watch you beat yourself.......The body clock works best when it runs the feet fast, and the torso fluidly/sideways. Machine gun feet, and a watery torso.
On a higher level of play, most errors occur when jamming/finishing or when getting hit by a jam or finish shot. On a lower level of play, most errors are made in lull mode. Lower levels cannot hit balls that change speed radically after the bounce, such as super top, flat, great drops, driven slices.
Go out and practice lull energy with intention, and the transitions to jam and finish, and see if you don't play with more intensity. The goal is to smoothly ramp up from med to extreme, and stay relaxed in the change, while moving the feet fast at all times, keeping the upper body relaxed at all times...... It's like two diff. engines driving and running the same car, at diff speeds, with diff intentions, simultaneously.....
Jam energy is ramped way up, ie, when you are trying to jam the other player with a shot that changes speed radically after the bounce. Think Nadal. Super top or super slice, or a short drop shot, or a super flat shot, something that will jar or jam the other player's body clock, and either cause an error or a weak reply. Many players will make errors off the lull shots as well, and it might take 15 lull shots before the other player makes a ue, often, by going for a jam shot himself, and jamming himself in the process, by not relaxing while ramping up his own from his own lull energy. The jam energy must be relaxed or you run a way higher chance of making a ue on a jam transition. The jam transition, from lull to jam, is diff. to learn, how to relax while swinging out hard and full and freely, and not making the ue while attempting the jam.
Finish energy is similar to jam, but, you are moving to finish, not jam, the other guy off. Requires a winner mentality, and a flat shot, or an extreme shot, to a line or a corner, or very short, or a topspin lob, or an outright passing shot, etc.... Also very diff. to learn the transition from lull to finish, or from jam to finish. Requires a faster internal energy. Quick movements of the muscles, yet, smooth. Extreme, yet repeatable. Is there such a thing a a reliable flat shot? If you have the shot you like. You must wait for the shot you like to finish energy. The body knows what it likes. It's diff. for everyone. It's not your mind that determines wins and losses:::: it's your body. How many players have you seen lose to relaxed pushers, who are not trying to win, just trying to see the other guy lose? How many players go out and try to win the point on every shot they hit with their mind? And the body says, "What are you, crazy? You think I can hit a winner from every position? Why don't you video tape me and see what a dumb ass you are?" Whether it can change its energy from lull to jam to finish at will, from both sides, with all types of shots. Everyone's body clock and internal energy motor is unique. The mind has to be in synch with the body. The body clock must run independent of the incoming shots: fast feet no matter what, and fluid torso no matter what.
The transitions are more make-able, if you keep the feet moving fast on slow shots, med shot, heavy shots, jam shots, or finish shots, lull shots. Think of the cheetah, and its incredibly fast feet running down an antelope in the green veldt, volcanic crater. Think of a drunken monkey, and its happy looseness, lithe and fluid/flexy body, strong enough to rip your arm off.... Kuerten was a perfect example of the drunken monkey fast cheetah. The feet have to have the same speed for all of your shots, or you will end up making too many ues. Too many let the feet stop, on a stopped ball. Too many let the feet slow, on a slow ball, due to the body clock trying to match the rhythm of the incoming shot! The result: too many losses to inferior players who are not trying to beat you, but are trying to watch you beat yourself.......The body clock works best when it runs the feet fast, and the torso fluidly/sideways. Machine gun feet, and a watery torso.
On a higher level of play, most errors occur when jamming/finishing or when getting hit by a jam or finish shot. On a lower level of play, most errors are made in lull mode. Lower levels cannot hit balls that change speed radically after the bounce, such as super top, flat, great drops, driven slices.
Go out and practice lull energy with intention, and the transitions to jam and finish, and see if you don't play with more intensity. The goal is to smoothly ramp up from med to extreme, and stay relaxed in the change, while moving the feet fast at all times, keeping the upper body relaxed at all times...... It's like two diff. engines driving and running the same car, at diff speeds, with diff intentions, simultaneously.....
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