Hi TW! I went out to hit against the wall for a bit, as everybody was busy today (probably doesn't help that it was overcast and started to drizzle during my session!) and took a few videos so I could watch myself, as I've never actually done so before. I'm looking for any feedback (or criticisms) on my serve and groundstroke form. Also, though it might be hard to judge from the video and the lack of a hitting partner, what would you rate me on the NTRP scale approximately? I've always considered myself 4.0 or maybe 4.5, but I was never quite sure (especially as Youtube videos of NTRP players varies a lot). Thanks for reading! Serves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye3DJbo79Zw Groundstrokes 1 (shorter video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjegv9QperM Groundstrokes 2 (longer video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iHlMmj_4Eo
I can never tell much from a camera at that angle (good view of the pebbles on the court), so this may not be all that great an analysis. Serve looks like 3.5 to 4.0 level. Form is decent, so it really should be better than it is - seems erratic and you are not getting out all the power that is in your stroke. Groundstrokes look pretty decent and you are able to hit varying flavors of forehands and backhands. Spin and power could be up to 4.5 level, but you are pretty erratic in where the ball is going, so I'd say 4.0. However, maybe you would hit better against a real person than the wall. (nice backboard setup, by the way) Really work on your footwork and making each stroke have as good as form as possible when working on the backboard. It is easy to just get into slapping the ball around since it is so repetitive. Remember, you are grooving whatever level of stroke you are hitting. You don't have to worry about an outcome against the wall - you will always lose to it. Emphasize form.
You're right about the erratic serves, I've had problems over the years with my serve, and recently changed my tossing motion. I think I need to work on knee bend and explosiveness after the bend. As for groundstrokes, I think you're right that they would probably look better against a hitting partner (I feel I hit better against somebody else). I can also see the footwork laziness and the 'slapping the ball' mentality that you described. I wasn't looking to hit the x on the wall, but that might be a good idea to try and improve my shot placement. I noticed I got jammed up a few times on my forehand due to footwork. I'm not sure if it was the slick surface from the rain. I'll try to get a few videos with a partner and see if that improves the quality of my groundstrokes.
