Is it really a good idea to copy other players' strokes?

[Zachol82]

I see a lot of people on these forums as well as players in person trying to copy certain stroke mechanics either from pros or from someone they admire.

Is this really the right thing to do? Personally, I understand the basic mechanics should be utilized correctly. For example, take your racquet back on your strokes, bending your knees and etc. However, to copy a stroke verbatim such as "the racquet face has to point this direction and your offhand has to be doing this during the follow through" and etc seems a little bit...stupid.

Just because professional players hit the ball a certain way with a certain stroke, doesn't mean that you will get the same result by copying his style. Your body is different, your flexibility is different, the range of motion of your joints is different, among many other factors. Even if you do get the same result, it may not be very healthy for your body, since you're either not built that way or you're not conditioning correctly in order to pull certain shots off.

I used to take a lot of lessons from many different coaches but ended up leaving them all because whenever I challenge their methods (in a respectful manner), I will get a reply similar to this: "because Federer does it" or "don't you watch the pros? They do it." No, that's just not good enough for me.

As for the point of my thread, I guess what I'm trying to say is don't just copy blindly. If something feels uncomfortable, use your brain and figure out why. I have a friend who started copying Nadal's reverse forehand and got a pretty bad arm/shoulder injury because his joint was not conditioned properly in order to pull that shot off repeatedly one after another throughout a 2-hour match.

 

[Up&comer]

Nope. That's not to say looking at their strokes is a bad idea, but completely copying it is a bad idea.

 

[Larrysümmers]

you should do the BIG things ie get under the ball, wt transfer, etc. but the take back and how you swing should be what feels comfortable to you

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

you should do the BIG things ie get under the ball, wt transfer, etc. but the take back and how you swing should be what feels comfortable to you

Agreed. Study the pros and break down their strokes, watch what they're doing in order to hit a certain shot (topspin, slice, flat, footwork, racquet preparation, etc), but arrive to the conclusion on your own term. Because everyone has a unique body. Some produce power with blunt force, some produce power by whipping their shots, etc. You get the picture, individuals hit differently.

It's silly how people try to copy their favorite pro's strokes, mostly Federer's, but they do it with a western or a semi-western grip. Or they try to copy pros' service motion, but they don't even serve with a continental/backhand grip to begin with.

Do what's natural to you, let your body flow into the shot, instead of forcing it to hit a certain way.

 

[The Meat]

Agreed. Study the pros and break down their strokes, watch what they're doing in order to hit a certain shot (topspin, slice, flat, footwork, racquet preparation, etc), but arrive to the conclusion on your own term. Because everyone has a unique body. Some produce power with blunt force, some produce power by whipping their shots, etc. You get the picture, individuals hit differently.

It's silly how people try to copy their favorite pro's strokes, mostly Federer's, but they do it with a western or a semi-western grip. Or they try to copy pros' service motion, but they don't even serve with a continental/backhand grip to begin with.

Do what's natural to you, let your body flow into the shot, instead of forcing it to hit a certain way.

I kind of copied Federer's style, it feels pretty natural for me. Now if I started to copy his idiosyncrasies(hair flick, racquet twirl) and his racquet and clothing styles, then I might be dealing with an Identity crisis

 

[tennishotdog]

I kind of copied Federer's style, it feels pretty natural for me. Now if I started to copy his idiosyncrasies(hair flick, racquet twirl) and his racquet and clothing styles, then I might be dealing with an Identity crisis

who are you trying imply here? :mrgreen:

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

I kind of copied Federer's style, it feels pretty natural for me. Now if I started to copy his idiosyncrasies(hair flick, racquet twirl) and his racquet and clothing styles, then I might be dealing with an Identity crisis

Oh that can get dangerous.

 

[Limpinhitter]

I see a lot of people on these forums as well as players in person trying to copy certain stroke mechanics either from pros or from someone they admire.

Is this really the right thing to do? Personally, I understand the basic mechanics should be utilized correctly. For example, take your racquet back on your strokes, bending your knees and etc. However, to copy a stroke verbatim such as "the racquet face has to point this direction and your offhand has to be doing this during the follow through" and etc seems a little bit...stupid.

Just because professional players hit the ball a certain way with a certain stroke, doesn't mean that you will get the same result by copying his style. Your body is different, your flexibility is different, the range of motion of your joints is different, among many other factors. Even if you do get the same result, it may not be very healthy for your body, since you're either not built that way or you're not conditioning correctly in order to pull certain shots off.

I used to take a lot of lessons from many different coaches but ended up leaving them all because whenever I challenge their methods (in a respectful manner), I will get a reply similar to this: "because Federer does it" or "don't you watch the pros? They do it." No, that's just not good enough for me.

As for the point of my thread, I guess what I'm trying to say is don't just copy blindly. If something feels uncomfortable, use your brain and figure out why. I have a friend who started copying Nadal's reverse forehand and got a pretty bad arm/shoulder injury because his joint was not conditioned properly in order to pull that shot off repeatedly one after another throughout a 2-hour match.

As I see it, you can either emulate the top pros and exploit the evolution of the game (by taking advantage of what has already been learned by those who came before you), to your advantage, and build on that, or, you can spend years and years trying to reinvent the wheel, and perhaps not have as much success.

 

[sureshs]

I kind of copied Federer's style, it feels pretty natural for me. Now if I started to copy his idiosyncrasies(hair flick, racquet twirl) and his racquet and clothing styles, then I might be dealing with an Identity crisis

I twirl my racket like Federer, and also wear his brand of shoes.

 

[LeeD]

Simulate certain parts of a pro's game that might help you.
Don't ever copy their strokes.

 

[sureshs]

I see nothing wrong in copying pro strokes. You cannot go wrong with copying Federer. Nadal is a good model for the juniors.

 

[LeeD]

Nobody has the talent to copy Fed's strokes and apply it better than their own strokes.
I can't copy Nadal's strokes because I"m not strong enough, not young enough, and don't care to hit 5 balls to win ONE measly point.
Who else, amongst the top 200, has strokes remotely close to Feds? Plenty of Nadal clones in the junior ranks.

 

[AnotherTennisProdigy]

I see nothing wrong in copying pro strokes. You cannot go wrong with copying Federer. Nadal is a good model for the juniors.

If you're able to replicate it exactly, then of course you can't go wrong. Problem? We lowly players can't replicate it exactly like they do, so success with the stroke isn't guaranteed.

Example. I heard during a match once, the commentator said that Rafa and Roger are top 2 in average RPMs (rotations per minute). Even if we do manage to copy the stroke exactly (which is hard to do in itself) it won't have the same effectiveness since we can't put as much spin as they do.

IMO copying strokes limits your potential as a player. What you CAN do though is take components from the strokes and incorporate it into your own.

 

[Xizel]

Nobody has the talent to copy Fed's strokes and apply it better than their own strokes.
I can't copy Nadal's strokes because I"m not strong enough, not young enough, and don't care to hit 5 balls to win ONE measly point.
Who else, amongst the top 200, has strokes remotely close to Feds? Plenty of Nadal clones in the junior ranks.

This guy named Dimitrov.

 

[WildVolley]

It isn't necessarily a bad idea to try to copy a pro's strokes. First of all, most people have terrible form and the pros tend to have much better form. Secondly, most people aren't able to closely mimic a pro in any case. Try to copy a pro and then videotape your result. Odds are that you don't look too similar.

Most of us don't have a great talent for emulation. Unfortunately, many rec players are better at looking like a pro (clothing and racket) and copying affectations (hair brushing movement, underwear picking, strange take backs) than they are the basics of the stroke.

 

[mightyrick]

This guy named Dimitrov.

I've watched a lot of this guy. Especially after being called a Federer-clone or "the next Federer". I just don't get it.

I see his 1HBH and to me it looks more like Gasquet than Federer. Especially the extreme follow-thru. I see his forehand (especially the semi-western grip) and I don't see Federer there, either. The serve is platform, but many pros serve in platform stance.

Understandably, people don't want the elegance of Federer's strokes to disappear from the game. So they need someone to take his place.

But like any great player, when they're gone... they're gone. Nobody is going to replace them. Nobody is going to imitate them. Try as we might.

 

[CoachingMastery]

I'd like to add a few points to the OP question.

There is nothing wrong with emulating a pro who fits your style, (if you know what your style is), or is fairly conventional in terms of mechanics.

The truth is, no matter how much or how hard you try to emulate a particular pro player, your game will evolve and mature as well as change due to the human condition and the personality, perceptions and habits that the student has.

Let's face it, most teaching pros follow a fairly similar teaching program that they see as productive in getting students to understand skilled tennis strokes. While there are pros who have some variety in their ability to teach strokes, the fact is they teach a similar methodology across the board. Yet, even in my experience in teaching over 3500 players an "advanced foundation", no two players EVER emerged to play exactly alike. Yet, most all reached highly skilled levels of play if they stayed in the program.

Look for the ideal stroke, footwork, and strategy that seems to make sense to you. Understand why those strokes work, both mechanically as well as strategically. I wouldn't copy Fabrice Santoro's forehand but I do teach a two-handed forehand that is used by most top two-handed forehand players...and I teach one-handed forehands that are more in line with Djokovic, Fed, and others top players...thus, you can see variety even among top-ranked players on the forehand.

The point is, if you understand the components of top-level strokes, you have a much better chance to not only emulate the basic properties of them, but then your own personality and strengths can emerge within those foundation strokes to make those stroke your own.

But, if you blindly try and hit tennis balls without any conceptual idea of what you are wanting to do, they you will run the risk that so many millions of recreational players encounter: you never reach your potential because you use stroke patterns that are not based on advanced stroke mechanics. Hackers, dinkers, pushers, and players who simply can't get much better usually can be observed as using not just inferior methods, but methods that most observers can tell aren't associated with skilled play. Hence their low levels of skill achievement.

So, yes, copy pros you feel you would like to emulate, that play the way you would like to play or that you admire. I guarantee that almost every single player who does will ultimately be much closer to developing a high level game than players who specifically don't follow the lead by those who have paved the way to better play.

Anyone remember the Nike ad that had kids saying, "I am Tiger Woods?" Not promoting Woods here...but the idea was that kids wanted to emulate the world's best golfer. Most world class tennis players and golfers can be heard saying, "I copied so-and-so" or "My goal was to play like so-and-so."

 

[tennishotdog]

I've watched a lot of this guy. Especially after being called a Federer-clone or "the next Federer". I just don't get it.

I see his 1HBH and to me it looks more like Gasquet than Federer. Especially the extreme follow-thru. I see his forehand (especially the semi-western grip) and I don't see Federer there, either. The serve is platform, but many pros serve in platform stance.

Understandably, people don't want the elegance of Federer's strokes to disappear from the game. So they need someone to take his place.

But like any great player, when they're gone... they're gone. Nobody is going to replace them. Nobody is going to imitate them. Try as we might.

i think his forehand resembles that of fed but he just arms it more than fed and doesnt have that liquidity smooth whip fed has. would love to for them to play against each other one day to see how dimtrov's forehand compares to fed's.

as a tennis fan i'd love to see someone that plays almost exactly like federer emerge in the future and maybe replace him somewhat. it's not impossible. because fed will be missed when he retires and its boring watching the likes of nadal and djoker.

 

[tennisplayer1993]

well maybe. I use andy roddick's compact backhand swing and gets loads of power. I use my own weird loopy forehand windup that sends the ball sailing high up but with loads of topspin aka **** the crap out of my opponents.