FiddlerDog
Hall of Fame
The red guy has taken this to heart
Continuous loop or "right on time" is overrated for non-elite players IMO. Possibly risky unless your timing is impeccable. I'm all for an early prep. However, that prep should be an early & full unit turn. Not the racket fully pulled back as red shirt guy is doing. A UT prep similar to the image of Andy M shown below is more appropriate.It's good to be early, but it's better to be right on time.
Him prepping so early is creating a hitch/pause in his stroke, especially on the backhand.
Continuous loop or "right on time" is overrated for non-elite players IMO. Possibly risky unless your timing is impeccable. I'm all for an early prep. However, that prep should be an early & full unit turn. Not the racket fully pulled back as red shirt guy is doing. A UT prep similar to the image of Andy M shown below is more appropriate.
My advice to novice & intermediate students is to start the UT prep by the time the ball is crossing the net (assuming they are somewhere in the vicinity of the BL). The UT should be complete by the time the ball reaches the (back) service line. This is pretty much the prep timing I've observed with Roger Federer.
yeah i agree, he almost never misses a ball but he also usually hits it on the way down. For those shorter balls ideally he'd step in and take them at their peakThat's no such thing a taking a racquet back to early. If it's too early just time it again. What he should work on is stepping in to take the ball early to take advantage of his early racquet back.
Gotta disagree. That is something I was saying 25+ yrs ago... that is, "there's no such thing as taking the racket back too early". Have modified my thinking on that in the past 2+ decades..That's no such thing a taking a racquet back to early. If it's too early just time it again. What he should work on is stepping in to take the ball early to take advantage of his early racquet back.
Isn’t that exactly what Serena does on her backhand?Because of his extreme set position, he has a hitch in his strokes. It does not flow. It is not an efficient stroke and is not at all fluid. It requires him to restart his motion from a position that is not ideal. He does not take advantage of momentum and a gravity assist. And he is not fully utilizing SSC (stretch shortening cycles of his muscles).
No, not exactly. She does employ a directional change. Racket is often moving back and down and then, immediately or almost immediately, she redirects it for a forward swing. Sometimes it appears somewhat like a Fh flip action. Even tho it looks like a hesitation on some of her Bh shots, I'm not seeing an extended pause / wait. RSG (red shirt guy) has a definite hold / pause. It appears that she is still using a gravity-assisted drop and she still takes advantage of the SSC.Isn’t that exactly what Serena does on her backhand?
Stellar Bh, but not my top choice for a 2hBh model. There are actually quite a few very decent 2-handed backhanders on the WTA tour. Serena is undoubtedly in the top 10 for recent times.Isn’t that exactly what Serena does on her backhand?