How to get easy power like Berdych?

[Lawn Tennis]

Even when stretched out wide inhibiting rotation this guy can crack the ball. I know he's been playing since he was 5 but what can I do to get some of that easy power? My forehand has enough power to beat 4.0s but if I'm playing a fast 4.0 or most 4.5s, it's not powerful enough for winners.

I make sure I have a loose upper body and especially grip; forwardness into the ball; contact is out in front. Unfortunately, I don't have time to practice much (I work 60+ hours/week). Is there something I can do to my racquet for added power without losing control? I use the Head Liquidmetal Radicals with lead added to handle making it a 12 oz racquet strung at 49 lbs with Luxilon ALU 1.2mm. Should I add weight to hoop or even just the throat?

 

[MisterP]

Tree trunk sized quads.

 

[Topspin Shot]

It isn't the racket. Swing fast and hit the sweetspot and you'll get power.

 

[BlueB]

If all of that lead us in the handle, it's counterproductive - slows down your swing without adding much swing weight. I'd add few grans to the hoop and reduce the handle stuff by at least equal amount, rather more then less. You might need to get used to it, but will be more efficient.

Swing more lineal, without much focus on topspin. Transfer the weight forward into the shots.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

 

[mad dog1]

Work on increasing your core and leg strength. Abs, glutes, quads and hamstrings.

 

[NuBas]

Be 6'5", hit sweetspot, heavy racquet, strong lower and upper body, strong hips and I don't think its as easy as it looks.

 

[PittsburghDad]

If you string at 47, you'll hit just like him. Guarantee.

 

[ptuanminh]

You don't need to hit a whole lot of winners to beat 4.5s. My 2cents.

 

[every7]

You will get easy power by hitting flatter. If you hit flat all the energy is going directly into the ball flat on the strings and not as much energy is being washed off "brushing over" the ball and creating rotation on the ball. What you gain in power and ball speed, though, you will lose in margin. Because the ball will have a less curved trajectory you will have to have less net clearance in order to keep the ball in the court.

 

[MajesticMoose]

Grow to 6'3 or taller and develop super strong legs and lower body.

Besides that, proper mechanics do the trick too.

 

[SinjinCooper]

Berdych's secret to "easy" power: work really, really hard your whole life to develop it, until you get so good at it that it appears effortless.

Same secret used for effortless success in virtually every field of human endeavor.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

timing timing timing.
a good 12y old kid weighing 95lbs, that can sync all their power sources and throw their entire 95lbs behind the shot, will out hit a 200lb muscle bound guy that is lunging/offbalance on every shot.
if you have great timing, it's "easy" to redirect (with interest) an 80mph shot back at the opponent.

 

[Lawn Tennis]

thanks for the input everyone

 

[Lawn Tennis]

timing timing timing.
a good 12y old kid weighing 95lbs, that can sync all their power sources and throw their entire 95lbs behind the shot, will out hit a 200lb muscle bound guy that is lunging/offbalance on every shot.
if you have great timing, it's "easy" to redirect (with interest) an 80mph shot back at the opponent.

this is more the answer(s) I was looking for along with a few others above thank you. look at a player like CC Bellis (110 lbs) who can hit the ball harder than a 5.0 man (6' 200 lbs). Certainly there are little steps to be taken to get easy power without dropping our careers and families.

 

[crux]

I noctice mots of Czech players hit hard,fast but seem efortless too, like Kvitova, Pliskova..
Maybe It's the traditional coach when they were young

 

[Deleted member 23235]

this is more the answer(s) I was looking for along with a few others above thank you. look at a player like CC Bellis (110 lbs) who can hit the ball harder than a 5.0 man (6' 200 lbs). Certainly there are little steps to be taken to get easy power without dropping our careers and families.

just to add some ideas onto your thought process:
* i prefer watching the women play (for tips on how to play better)... they play closer to our ability as rec players (even though they are soooo much better)... especially the "little fighters" like halep, cibulkova, etc...
* was watching D1 level guy/girl hitting... in cooperative hits... the girl looked just as good as the guy... sometimes even bigger (ie. more pace)... but once they start playing points, the difference becomes very clear: running movement, ALOT more spin (that is much tougher to time on the run... therefore the girl could no longer sync all her power sources),... and serve.
* IMO, the best way to get more power, is to work on movement,... so I can be in position (more often) to throw my body weight behind my shot (ie. running in a pattern so you can step into every shot)
* IMO, adding weight to your racquet (especially that much (~1.0oz) - I play the radicals too), will take a while to get used to and will mess up your timing (i tried!) in the short term (you said you don't have time to practice as much).. i'd only do it if you're having trouble with the spin of your regular opponents, but be prepared to put time in to get used to it, and build up the muscle/connective tissue strength, to swing it.
* fyi: i have been stringing as low as 40lbs with kevlar/zyex, but also experimented with similar tensions as poly... i wouldn't think of it as giving you "more power", but more as a way to control your launch angle to get more depth, easier... depth will make a 40mph fh feel "fast" (in terms of taking away time from your opponent's window to prepare) when it lands 2-3ft from the baseline, when compared to a 60mph fh that lands at the service line

 

[Deleted member 120290]

...* i prefer watching the women play (for tips on how to play better)... they play closer to our ability as rec players (even though they are soooo much better)... especially the "little fighters" like halep, cibulkova, etc...

If you watch men's pro tennis or golf in person, it is shockingly depressing how far away their game is compared to 4.5 and below. In person it is evident that ATP pros' shot speed and even more so the spin and their court movement are something that rec players cannot even imagine achieving. Same with PGA mens' swing speed.

WTA players are much more realistic in terms of being able to copy although even their games are miles above rec players'. 3.0 - 4.5 men need to put their egos aside and learn more from women's strokes.

 

[5263]

this is more the answer(s) I was looking for along with a few others above thank you. look at a player like CC Bellis (110 lbs) who can hit the ball harder than a 5.0 man (6' 200 lbs). Certainly there are little steps to be taken to get easy power without dropping our careers and families.

yes, it is timing that is well integrated into the swing path, which from my perspective is quite different from the concept of pushing out for extra extension.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

learn more from women's strokes.

personally prefer the ladies that hit more like the men: stosur, cocoV, henin...

 

[5263]

personally prefer the ladies that hit more like the men: stosur, cocoV, henin...

I agree, especially since women like Keyes are hitting faster avg shots than the men now.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

yes, it is timing that is well integrated into the swing path, which from my perspective is quite different from the concept of pushing out for extra extension.

to me, when i hit my fh "perfectly" i am "pushing out for extra extension"... to the point where i'm thinking, "gee, how the heck did i hit that, and how did it stay in"

 

[5263]

to me, when i hit my fh "perfectly" i am "pushing out for extra extension"... to the point where i'm thinking, "gee, how the heck did i hit that, and how did it stay in"

and there is the issue....when you use that method for power, you won't have it stay in with the type percentages that make for best players. I'm not saying you can't hit that way, but that it is more suited to games of distance....that lack a net to clear and a BL to restrict distance

 

[Deleted member 23235]

and there is the issue....when you use that method for power, you won't have it stay in with the type percentages that make for best players. I'm not saying you can't hit that way, but that it is more suited to games of distance....that lack a net to clear and a BL to restrict distance

to me, it feels like the extra extension ends up adding more topspin.... so if i hit "out" 100%, if i don't "extend" it goes long, but when i extend, the ball dives in.
similarly when i "extend" on my serve (dare i say "wrist snap" ), i feel i can just aim long, and the spin, will drive it down.

it's kinda like when snappin a wet towel... it's the difference between making the "snap" sound, and not.

my $.02

 

[LeeD]

Short player's can have great power, but not power and spin. They get their power from hitting flat. Direct takebacks and level swingpaths.
Very few athletic 6'5" players LACK power. What most lack is control.

 

[coupergear]

No such thing as easy power. It wasn't easy playing five to eight hours a day every day since he was five! No, but I know what you mean the effortless look these guys have when they crank huge groundstrokes and serves. The kinetic chain is so smooth, amazing. Put your forehand on tape. Work is on drills where you're out of position hitting balls see if you can maintain form. I think it's very true that when people are just sparring they can look very similar and you can have big hitters when it's right in their wheelhouse but what really separates players is their ability to do things with the ball under duress.

 

[LeeD]

Short player's can have great power, but not power and spin. They get their power from hitting flat. Direct takebacks and level swingpaths.
Very few athletic 6'5" players LACK power. What most lack is control.

Except for Johan Kriek, at 5'8+ some change, had power, ball speed, and heavy spin.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Except for Johan Kriek, at 5'8+ some change, had power, ball speed, and heavy spin.

Or Philipp Kohlschreiber, or to a bit lesser degree Ferrer.

 

[LeeD]

Or Philipp Kohlschreiber, or to a bit lesser degree Ferrer.

I guess you didn't really watch Johan back in the late '70's much. He was feared by all the other players, including Connors and Nastase, for having the ability to hit winners from anywhere on court, as if he was 6'9" tall, yet he was a foot shorter than that. He didn't push like Ferrer, and he had the power of Tanner on serves, and basically unmatched in groundstrokes. Of course, at sub 5'9", he didn't have consistency on flat first serves, yet could crank them out well beyond 140 on good days.

 

[dave t]

Maybe Kohlschreiber. While Ferrer hits some heavy fh's, his bh is regularly short, weak and relatively flat. he makes it work by being much, much faster than you.

 

[LeeD]

Gotta love Kohlshreiber. Average size dude, bigger than average ATP game.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Maybe Kohlschreiber. While Ferrer hits some heavy fh's, his bh is regularly short, weak and relatively flat. he makes it work by being much, much faster than you.

By ATP standards it may be slow, but I've been on court watching him and it is anything but slow. It is on par with most players. Not as much spin as most though, which I think is by design for Ferrer.

He is a dang runner though.

 

[5263]

to me, it feels like the extra extension ends up adding more topspin.... so if i hit "out" 100%, if i don't "extend" it goes long, but when i extend, the ball dives in.
similarly when i "extend" on my serve (dare i say "wrist snap" ), i feel i can just aim long, and the spin, will drive it down.

it's kinda like when snappin a wet towel... it's the difference between making the "snap" sound, and not.

my $.02

so you serve with your wrist snap down the target line or across the ball?

 

[5263]

By ATP standards it may be slow, but I've been on court watching him and it is anything but slow. It is on par with most players. Not as much spin as most though, which I think is by design for Ferrer.

He is a dang runner though.

It's not even slow by ATP standards....maybe his avg GS is a bit slower, but his speed range is ATP normal. Can he hit 120? I can't say, but he can and does hit 90-100 at times. He may not hit as hard on avg as the big hitters, but then, he is more consistent than avg too.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

so you serve with your wrist snap down the target line or across the ball?

across, "up an out"

 

[5263]

across, "up an out"

much like a Fh should be....