Hi-TechTennis.com, Part one: Setup and First impressions.

[SFrazeur]

Hi-TechTennis.com,
Part One:
Setup and First impressions.

​

After having seen Hi-TechTennis.com for a while now I decided to check it out for myself. I decided to try after having seen the one month trial period of $9.99. There is also a refund (limited) and a no questions asked guarantee.

My 100% guarantee to you: If after a few days you decide Hi-techtennis is not for you, let me know and I'll refund your money. I am so confident that my 60 fps videos and visually detailed information will help your game that I offer a 100% money back guarantee if the site isn't right for you for any reason. Just send me an email with your username and you get a refund. No questions asked.

But I cannot help but to wonder, how long is a few days exactly? Is three a few? Is two a few or would that be a couple? If I am given a certain amount of days as a trial for the momey back no questions asked I would like to know exactly how long a few days is.

Onward with the registration. . .
​

After clicking the "Buy Now" button under the "One Month Trial Subscription" I am taken away to Paypal's secure login page after entering my e-mail address and typing in my pass word: *n*o*t*y*o*u*r*d*a*m*n*b*u*s*i*n*e*s*s*

I paid the amount using my personal options, your account setup will depend on how hassle free this is or not. After payment I was automatically redirected back Hi-Tech to an account setup page. Name, E-mail, Username, Password, Confirm Password fields to enter. Done. after that I was open to view the site. About this time I decided to check my e-mail. I had received the Paypal notification. No welcoming note was sent from Hi-Tech. Good? Bad? It really doesn't matter to me either way.

The promised land. . .
​

The site is easy to navigate. It’s not a flashy website which is fine by me. A subscriber is paying for the actual service, not flash.

I figured I would do what most of the subscribers will do, I headed straight to the forehand video section. The first thing I noticed that there were less than half the amount of videos for the female players than there were for the males. Sorry Drakulie, no Ana Ivanovic. I find that same situation with the backhand section. Back to the forehand section, I checked out one of my favorite players, Roger Fe-just kidding, it's Marat Safin. There are many highspeed clips on him, both in forehand and backhand. Safin fans will not be disappointed. I generally clicked around the males for a while before heading over to see the Women. The women section is more sparse compared to the mens. Same level quality clips. The low point is that Justine Henin is missing from the line up on both forehand and more importantly the back hand section.

Before exploring elsewhere I realized I had not clicked on Roger Federer in the forehand section, so I figured I should do that not to commit some sort of blasphemy that would throw Roger Federer fanboy zealots into some sort of rage where they would chuck their n/K90s at my head. I'm not so scared of the Nadal fanboys, it's hard to be scared of guys running in capri/highwater pants.

I was expecting to see a list of video clips to select from as I had seen with the other players; instead I was presented with an article menu for the break down of Roger Federer's Forhand. Some sections of the articles were not yet completed/posted but were listed "coming soon".

Without reveling the details of the article I will say that I found what was posted to be well thought-out and simply stated and generally easy to understand. The video presented matches what is commented on, something the USPTA videos on their website could learn from.

I gave a quick look at the serve section. Same quality videos. Many players have videos for the different serves, flat, kick, etc. AS for the section of volley videos I was disappointed there, not many videos. Most of my disappointment comes from the fact that it just pales in comparison to the rest of the sections on the website, it spoils you in places.

These are just my first impressions so far on the video library. This is not my full review. I will post my impressions on the "Instruction" part of the website soon.

-SF

​

 

[SFrazeur]

Impressions, Part Two: Instruction and Articles

For every stroke video section is there an instructional article detailing how the pro form strokes work. The instructions are not a step by step instructional on how to hit the shots. Some knowledge on grips is needed.
I would have liked to have seen more of that information presented, at lest to the extent more commentary on the grips the pros shown in example are using. Which I admit can be a tricky thing to do, as some of the classifications for the grips the pros use are controversial. Note: there are two instruction articles under the two handed back hand section, one for hitting bent, and one for hitting straight. I mentioned previously that Federer's forehand video section included a nice break down on is forehand. The instructional article on hitting the straight two handed backhand, includes a great break down of David Nalbandian.

There are more instruction articles on the main page, these articles cover a varied matters, pertaining mostly to helping understand/maximize certain aspects and concepts of ground strokes forms. Including ones on Push/pull, and windshield wiper finishes There are couple of serving articles concentrating on a few important aspects. There are some very nice comparison articles on the differences of lower and higher skilled player's form.

Just to explain, Hi-Tech Tennis articles are not designed on the concept of: I'm boring over payed instructor at a private club: let me just type what I would say. (Like they say that much). The articles are built around videos, and pictures of pro strokes or high level player strokes. The text of the articles navigate you through the inner workings of these strokes.


Sorry this is about two days late. The other day I realized that Tennisplayer.net subscription came with the USPTA now.

-SF

​

​

 

[D-man]

But I cannot help but to wonder, how long is a few days exactly? Is three a few? Is two a few or would that be a couple? If I am given a certain amount of days as a trial for the momey back no questions asked I would like to know exactly how long a few days is.

Jeff is a good guy. You really don't have to worry about it. If you dont' think it's worth it 10, even after your whole month I bet he'd refudn you.

Realize too you only spent 10 bucks. Less than ONE tennis lesson. Less than a pack of strings, less than a delivery pizza, less than a tennis dvd. For that I think it's a good deal.

I'm a year member, and I like the website. Here's why:

1) The instruction is unique and detailed. Different crucial ideas are emphasized that you won't find many (if any) other places. After watching (not exagerating) about $700 worth of tennis DVDs, they don't even come close. My game has been literally revolutionized (it was pretty bad tho).

2) The strokes, though there may not be a lot, are shot in an instructive way.

3) Jeff is very responsive to new ideas.

4) He also answers any request for help. He will analyze your strokes for no extra cost.

5) The instruction may seem sparse, but remember it is a work in progress. Jeff is adding at a very slow steady because he desires to be thorough and accurate, and he is still figuring new things out about the strokes himself! Stuff is added and changed over time.


His site majors on the forehand because that was his weak shot. The principles though often help other areas. Volley and 1H backhand are very sparse, for now.

 

[kidwithshirt]

Hey guys, I joined hi-techtennis yesterday.

As a beginner started playing 2 month ago, this site's concept on forehand (double bend) is very new comparing to what my coach taught me.

Tried it out yesterday, my forehand is feeling much better!

One thing though, this site only tries to teach you how to do a kick serve. Or i m just not finding the right place?

 

[NamRanger]

Excellent instruction on the forehand and serve, alot of good advice and insight on strokes. Very simple to understand too, I was able to drastically improve my serve with some of the things in this site.

 

[SFrazeur]

Jeff is a good guy. You really don't have to worry about it. If you dont' think it's worth it 10, even after your whole month I bet he'd refudn you.

Realize too you only spent 10 bucks. Less than ONE tennis lesson. Less than a pack of strings, less than a delivery pizza, less than a tennis dvd. For that I think it's a good deal.

I'm not worried about the 10 spot, I'm just the sort to ramble when I have the time. :smile:

-SF

 

[JCo872]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. SFrazeur's impressions are very accurate. I definitely need to update the women's video section and will be posting quite a bit more over the next two months. Volley technique, as well, needs to be expanded considerably. I started out with a focus on the serve and forehand exclusiviey, but there were so many questions about the other strokes that I expanded.l

The site was launched in March 06, so it's fairly new. I'm a one man show - videos, articles, web design, programming, etc all by me.

D-man is right as well about "work in progress". I take new ideas and new insights and try to incorporate them as I go. I have as much fun exploring things as I do saying "This is the exact and only way to do it". I also get many of my ideas on topics from these boards. People ask great questions here and I like to incorporate insight from the good responses as well.

To sum up, I will be very happy as well when the female video section matches the males (and it's a priority of mine over the next two months). And also getting the forehand volley, backhand, volley and overhead added with complete instruction.

In terms of refunding - yes if you weren't happy after a month, I would refund the 10 bucks no questions asked. I will put that in writing as well because "a few days" isn't specific enough.

Jeff

 

[kidwithshirt]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. SFrazeur's impressions are very accurate. I definitely need to update the women's video section and will be posting quite a bit more over the next two months. Volley technique, as well, needs to be expanded considerably. I started out with a focus on the serve and forehand exclusiviey, but there were so many questions about the other strokes that I expanded.l

The site was launched in March 06, so it's fairly new. I'm a one man show - videos, articles, web design, programming, etc all by me.

D-man is right as well about "work in progress". I take new ideas and new insights and try to incorporate them as I go. I have as much fun exploring things as I do saying "This is the exact and only way to do it". I also get many of my ideas on topics from these boards. People ask great questions here and I like to incorporate insight from the good responses as well.

To sum up, I will be very happy as well when the female video section matches the males (and it's a priority of mine over the next two months). And also getting the forehand volley, backhand, volley and overhead added with complete instruction.

In terms of refunding - yes if you weren't happy after a month, I would refund the 10 bucks no questions asked. I will put that in writing as well because "a few days" isn't specific enough.

Jeff

wooa

you are real! that's uber awesome

 

[GuyClinch]

I like the site. I think it's one of the better instructional websites out there. It's alot more focused - and he explains things in a way at least I understand. That being said without a real life coach to tell me what I am doing wrong - I still screw up.

I think my forehand has gotten a bit better (though I still don't understand the "purpose" of the windshield wiper finish biomechanically - I just now what it looks like now). I think his serve advice is good too - I just can't make my body do what it's supposed to. <g>

Pete

 

[barney]

I highly recommend hi-techtennis, which I just signed up for last week. I don't think there's a better instructional deal in tennis. Especially if you compare it to private lessons or even John Yandell's excellent site.

As a point of reference, I'm a solid 4.5. A couple of years ago, I spent a good amount of time and money on lessons to improve my one hand drive/topspin backhand drive. I recently took a few months off from tennis. When I started playing again, my drive/topspin backhand was very shaky. And I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong. While I was considering more lessons, I decided to give hi-techtennis a try and I'm very thankful I did. I spent about an hour going thru the backhand instruction and videos. While viewing them, I got out my racket and practiced the form. Later in the day, I went out with my hitting partner and wah-lah, my backhand was back. I really like how the backhand is broken down into steps that are easy to remember while on the court. I also like the fact that you can see the pros hitting the backhand as described. I'm a monkey-see, monkey-do learner and this really helps.

I'm now working on my forehand side. I've always had a very consistent forehand based around the traditional forehand (low to high, racket finish toward the target). And while it's been consistent, I don't think it's ever had any heavy action on it. After viewing the instruction/videos, I can clearly understand and see the changes that I'll need to make to improve my forehand.

This is just great stuff and I haven't even looked at the serve section yet !

One other section I did look at is the volley section. As was already pointed out, it pales compared to forehand and backhand sections. I'm really looking forward to when this section is improved on. I really need help here, especially the forehand volley ! .

Thanks Jeff for a great site !

 

[stevekim8]

yup, it IS a great site. (although i was out of stuffs to see in 1 day T_T )
i just signed up yesterday, and it took me just few hours to look at all of the things on the site. of course, i learned a lot, but i gotta know how to utilize them into my game. my only hope is to see more "rear" shots of the backhands. there are rear shots of the forehands, and it really helps.

 

[Vision84]

I heard good things about the site so I just took the full year membership about a month ago and am glad I did.

I see myself as a fairly advanced player and play for my college team. A year membership for me was cheaper than a 1hour lesson with my coach. It is well worth the money for the amount of instruction Jeff gives and I am surprised by how little it costs. Jeff could easily charge more.

I am not much of a video person and need the explanation to go along with the videos and the 2 work great for me on that site. I like how the strokes are broken down and have little video clips to help visualize what Jeff writes. Videos on their own or just explanation doesn't work for me.

I never had great instruction on my serve and have always just used a forehand grip with my serve as my coach never altered it. I have learned a lot on this particular stroke from the site. The next stage for me is getting my coach to work with me on things that Jeff discusses. Kidwithshirt the site has 2 sections on the serve. One is for a flat while the other is for the kick serve. The slice and flat serve actually share a lot of similarities anyways so just take what he says on the flat serve and alter a few things and you have a great slice.

Perhaps one of the strongest aspects of the site is Jeff's ability to answer the why question. I always want to know why doing something a particular way will improve the stroke and Jeff does a great job in answering these questions.

So to conclude I am very happy with the site and look forward to the future articles. Thanks a lotJeff for such a great and affordable site.

 

[Tennismastery]

Jeff has done a phenominal job in presenting and packaging the information. He has always been open to new or additional thoughts which make him rare in the teaching world!

The real point of anyone who wishes to become a skilled tennis player, there are resources today that I could not have dreamed of when I was growing up playing tennis thirty years ago!

But, today, I notice that many people who SAY they want to be good, and even go out to take lessons, are not willing to part with a small amount of money to learn from these terrific web resource sites that present audio, video, still pictures and text which opens the mind and allows a player to take more information out to the court.

I commend those who do study the game through these opportunities and I commend Jeff for his site, Hi_TechTennis, John Yandel for his site, TennisPlayer.net, and my fellow writers/instructors at TennisOne.com in providing such up-to-date information at these reputable and constantly-improving sites.

Jeff is also one to share his knowledge here, free of charge, which also recognizes his passion for the game and for helping others!

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Hi-TechTennis.com, ​

Part One:
Setup and First impressions.​

I LOVE JUMPULSE.

I LOVE THIS TOO...

 

[Tennis_Monk]

Jeff has done a phenominal job in presenting and packaging the information. He has always been open to new or additional thoughts which make him rare in the teaching world!

The real point of anyone who wishes to become a skilled tennis player, there are resources today that I could not have dreamed of when I was growing up playing tennis thirty years ago!

But, today, I notice that many people who SAY they want to be good, and even go out to take lessons, are not willing to part with a small amount of money to learn from these terrific web resource sites that present audio, video, still pictures and text which opens the mind and allows a player to take more information out to the court.

I commend those who do study the game through these opportunities and I commend Jeff for his site, Hi_TechTennis, John Yandel for his site, TennisPlayer.net, and my fellow writers/instructors at TennisOne.com in providing such up-to-date information at these reputable and constantly-improving sites.

Jeff is also one to share his knowledge here, free of charge, which also recognizes his passion for the game and for helping others!

Good point. I dont think it is exclusive for Tennis. People have gotten used to "Its free over internet" syndrome.

Eg: How does Digital camera work. A book like this would cost atleast 20$ in a book store (alright 19.99$) . But Google it and you find 1000000's of free pages with detail instructions.

Same for Tennis as well. Google will show a lot of tennis sites with free instructions.

Are they all the same. Absolutely Not. A "digital camera" book by a MIT professor is not the same as the one by a Teenager. The quality, depth, experience are all different.

However there are some free sites that do offer excellent content.

So user is getting confused not knowing what to go for.

Eventually people will realize. you will get what you pay for!

 

[SFrazeur]

Hey guys,

I'm going through the instruction/articles again so hopefully I will have those impressions Wednesday. I will post the full review at around the end of the one month I have the membership for. I figured from the start that this would be the best and be the fairest way to review the site.

-SF

 

[cstephenson]

I would like to weigh in on the www.hi-techtennis.com discussion. I have taught and coached all over the world and seen some of the worst instruction that it almost seemed like robbery and for prices that would make you sick. Hi-tech in my opinion has great info and better video than the other tennis sites. Jeff offers all this for less than a half hour lesson. The site is amazing for the money and the guy actually tries to help you when you have questions. Nice work Jeff. Keep it up.


Clint

 

[paulmaben]

I teach lessons to some juniors and would love to download some of the clips to my pda so that I can show them on the court what I'm talking about. When you subscribe to the service is it possible to save some of the clips and transfer them?

Paul

 

[Anton]

niice...i'm subscribing

 

[Tennismastery]

I would like to weigh in on the www.hi-techtennis.com discussion. I have taught and coached all over the world and seen some of the worst instruction that it almost seemed like robbery and for prices that would make you sick. Hi-tech in my opinion has great info and better video than the other tennis sites. Jeff offers all this for less than a half hour lesson. The site is amazing for the money and the guy actually tries to help you when you have questions. Nice work Jeff. Keep it up.


Clint

Clint, I see you are in Indian Wells. Do you know one of my students living there now, an 18 year old, A.J. Bartlett who is playing on the ATP tour?

 

[Milano]

I will definitely be signing up too after I come back from vacation in 3 weeks.

Also, I'm not sure if someone has mentioned this or not, but the video analysis of your strokes he has is also invaluable and is a great tool.

 

[JCo872]

I would like to weigh in on the www.hi-techtennis.com discussion. I have taught and coached all over the world and seen some of the worst instruction that it almost seemed like robbery and for prices that would make you sick. Hi-tech in my opinion has great info and better video than the other tennis sites. Jeff offers all this for less than a half hour lesson. The site is amazing for the money and the guy actually tries to help you when you have questions. Nice work Jeff. Keep it up.


Clint

Hey Clint! Good to see you on the boards. How is the 2nd DVD coming along? I'm looking forward to it!

Clint is a good example of how I am always looking for new ideas and new material to incorporate into my site. When I first saw the Guru book/DVD I realized that Clint was doing something totally unique. He is a hitting partner for pro players, and he coaches on the tour, so his insight into stroke mechanics is unreal. He gave me cutting edge ideas to consider for the site - especially his idea of "the pull" and the "wiper" motion.

Jeff

 

[cstephenson]

Clint, I see you are in Indian Wells. Do you know one of my students living there now, an 18 year old, A.J. Bartlett who is playing on the ATP tour?

I know AJ well. He lives down the street from me. Have not seen him since Indian Wells. He's still in school in Hawaii I think.

 

[cstephenson]

Hey Clint! Good to see you on the boards. How is the 2nd DVD coming along? I'm looking forward to it!

Clint is a good example of how I am always looking for new ideas and new material to incorporate into my site. When I first saw the Guru book/DVD I realized that Clint was doing something totally unique. He is a hitting partner for pro players, and he coaches on the tour, so his insight into stroke mechanics is unreal. He gave me cutting edge ideas to consider for the site - especially his idea of "the pull" and the "wiper" motion.

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

Second DVD is coming along slowly. Might not be finished until December. However I just converted my book into an E-Book since the hard cover sold out and I don't have the time to make the corrections for print until the end of the year. I should have done an e-book from the start because the pics are better and in color. Live and learn I guess. At least it sold out! My travel schedule has put me on the road almost every week this summer. I'll be in Washington at the Legg Mason will you be there?

 

[Tennismastery]

I know AJ well. He lives down the street from me. Have not seen him since Indian Wells. He's still in school in Hawaii I think.

Good to know. Yes, I forgot he is playing for Dave Porter in Hawaii. Haven't seen him since IW either. Hope he is playing well.

 

[JCo872]

I will definitely be signing up too after I come back from vacation in 3 weeks.

Also, I'm not sure if someone has mentioned this or not, but the video analysis of your strokes he has is also invaluable and is a great tool.

Thanks Milano for bringing up the "Your Strokes" part of the site (and glad you like it!).

You can see examples of how I help people using pro stroke comparisons and video analysis here:

http://www.hi-techtennis.com/analysis/serve_overview.php

 

[brandonht]

i've been a member of hi-tech for over a year now, re-subscribed for the annual fee. i'm also a member of tennisone.com (good site). I find that hi-tech is very simple and informative, very pleased with my money.

 

[SFrazeur]

Hey guys if anyone is interested I added my final pre-review impressions, check post #2 above for that.

-SF