My Journey to 6.0 Has Ended... Can I Still Improve? (TennisProdigy Video Diary)

[TennisProdigy]

Salutations my fellow talk tennis warehouser's! As you know, I started a journey to far I could go with my tennis and what my "ceiling" might be, so to speak (Original Thread - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...my-ceiling-can-i-get-to-usta-6-0-long.632210/).

This journey was supposed to cumulate with me playing my friend Collin Johns at the end of 2020 (we both picked up tennis "late" in life, him at age 14 and me at age 18) and seeing if I could get a set off him. Collin reached a career high singles ranking of 978 in the world and hits with two one handed forehands which I helped him develop during our early days. Interestingly, Collin is now a professional pickleball player and his younger brother, Ben Johns, is currently ranked the number 1 pickleball player in the world, congrats to them both!!!

Anyways, I stopped playing tennis and posting videos in April of 2019. I took up rock climbing in December of 2019 and starting to play tennis again in July of 2020 when my cousin (SirShanksALot) moved back to Maryland and wanted to play because there was little to do during quarantine.

He had not picked up a racquet in over 5 years and was probably about a 3.5+ at best upon his return (Peak level was probably 4.5-). He's been playing 5-7 times a week, even through the cold season, while I've been playing singles once a week, doubles once a week, and rock climbing twice a week.

His improvement has been phenomenal in such a short period of time, and I told him that I believed that if he truly dedicated everything he had into tennis, he could one day reach a 6.0 level. Conversely, I've come to the realization I'm actually rather "untalented" when it comes to comes to playing tennis and that my athleticism does not correlate well to this sport.

After playing on and off for 12 years, my serve still sucks, my forehand is average, my backhand is okay, I've just recently learned to hit a decent volley, and the only aspects of my game that stand out are my movement and my "tennis IQ" during a match. Whereas in other sports such as rock climbing, soccer, basketball, and e-sports, I've been able to reach decently high levels of the game in a MUCH shorter period of time...

Oh well, I still enjoy this sport and find it fascinating, so I'll continue to try to improve for the sake of my cousin and my two sons who may one day pick up tennis as well!

TennisProdigy Stats: Age - 30 Height 5'7" Weight - 155 lbs FH Grip - Weak Western/Strong Semiwestern 1HBH Grip - Extreme Eastern - Serve/Vollies - Continental

Me vs. Luis (USTA 5.0) on his favorite surface, indoor hard courts!

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6 man rotating tiebreaks with USTA rated 4.5’s and Luis who is USTA rated 5.0!

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I felt like my forehand improved miles in this practice session, I was able to drive through it and hit some of the hardest forehands in my life without even using 100% effort and maintaining good spin on all my shots! My footwork also felt a lot better than usual, I was flat footed far less and barely had to rely on sliding in order to barely reach well-placed shots. My backhand was pretty much garbage, although looking at the footage, I believe if I change my backswing to more of a loop, I think I can greatly improve this shot in my next hitting session!

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I can't decide whether to switch to a 1HBH or 2HBH... So I hit both in this session and I actually discovered a new shot! The jumping one handed backhand!

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I've abandoned my 1HBH for a 2HBH in an attempt to improve my game, hopefully I made the right decision...

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Me vs. @BallBag in our fated rematch! All I can say is that ballbag did not waste these last 2 years doing nothing, there were some serious improvements in his game!!! I still can’t believe that he’s rated 4.0 right now

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Part 2 of me vs. BallBag: https://youtu.be/lnPF8IoNqGk

Full Uncut Warm up with @BallBag 2/19/21
The only spoiler I'll throw in is that I don't think either of us would've lasted another 5 minutes on court after we stopped playing...

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Played another set with SirShanksALot. I tried to be more aggressive with my OHBH and rely less on the slice. I also tried to maintain 75% swing speed throughout all my serves.
Played okay in this set but I played my doubles match ever yesterday teaming up with SirShankALot vs. my dad (appealed down from 4.5 and rated 4.0 this year) and a 55 year old former D1 tennis player, Alex, who currently plays 4.5 tennis in Maryland and Florida. Alex is 6'3" or so and had the biggest serve I've ever faced in doubles. He had 9 aces in 3 sets of tennis but my partner and I played very solid tennis and attacked the weaker link (my dad) to win 6-4 6-3 then we lost the third set 4-6. I was extremely pleased with my volleys and active movement at net, my technique and physique are both improving week by week, so for now I'll continue on my current path and see where it leads me! 2/11/21

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Trying to Improve my OHBH (groundstrokes and 10 pt tiebreak vs. SirShanksALot) 2/11/21

Full first set of me vs. my cousin SirShanksALot!
SSAL played the best tennis he's ever played in his life hands down, absolutely destroying serves and hitting quality groundstrokes. In the last 8-10 sets him and I have played, I've won every single one with some of them being 6-1 or 6-2. With that being said, this is the best set of tennis him and I have ever enjoyed out of the 100+ sets we've played in our lifetime. (2/6/2021)

My cousin and I warm up before playing a set on 2/6/2021

Last hitting session before I stopped posting 4/3/2019

Last match before I stopped posting 3/31/2019

 

[Deleted member 765152]

You are a decent rec player, just not a self-aware one.

 

[MaxTennis]

I think the important thing is we should set gradual, realistic goals and then continue to build from there.

6.0 is extremely tough and there are people who have been playing their whole lives who still weren't able to hit that level.

 

[sureshs]

Only 6.0? That is failure, man. People achieve half the rating within 6 months, which means they can reach 6.0 in 1 year.

 

[WildVolley]

Salutations my fellow talk tennis warehouser's! As you know, I started a journey to far I could go with my tennis and what my "ceiling" might be, so to speak (Original Thread - https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...my-ceiling-can-i-get-to-usta-6-0-long.632210/).

This journey was supposed to cumulate with me playing my friend Collin Johns at the end of 2020 (we both picked up tennis "late" in life, him at age 14 and me at age 18) and seeing if I could get a set off him. Collin reached a career high singles ranking of 978 in the world and hits with two one handed forehands which I helped him develop during our early days. Interestingly, Collin is now a professional pickleball player and his younger brother, Ben Johns, is currently ranked the number 1 pickleball player in the world, congrats to them both!!!
...

I think it is cool that you posted a follow-up.

I believe you're the first poster who has ever started a "I'm going to attempt to get to X level in Y amount of time" who has ever followed up after the time period. Most just disappear after a few weeks, never to be heard from again. Of course, one famous case started fighting with critics and was banned, so I guess we'll never know if he got "90% as good as X."

One thing that stands out is that most people setting goals for themselves, at least those who do it publicly here, are too ambitious. But maybe setting a realistic goal is too boring for a thread to get traction.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

One thing that stands out is that most people setting goals for themselves, at least those who do it publicly here, are too ambitious. But maybe setting a realistic goal is too boring for a thread to get traction.

Certain research shows that those who set goals end up achieving more than those who do not [or are very vague about them: ie "I'm going to lose 20 lbs by following this regimen and sticking to this schedule." vs "I need to lose some weight."]].

The same research shows that those who commit to their goals by writing them down or otherwise "taking a stand" achieve more than those who do not.

 

[TennisProdigy]

I think it is cool that you posted a follow-up.

I believe you're the first poster who has ever started a "I'm going to attempt to get to X level in Y amount of time" who has ever followed up after the time period. Most just disappear after a few weeks, never to be heard from again. Of course, one famous case started fighting with critics and was banned, so I guess we'll never know if he got "90% as good as X."

One thing that stands out is that most people setting goals for themselves, at least those who do it publicly here, are too ambitious. But maybe setting a realistic goal is too boring for a thread to get traction.

I'm not sure what level I'll ultimately be able to achieve, but I've definitely learned that I can still greatly improve pretty much all aspects of my game if I train intelligently and consistency while keeping my body healthy. Posting the full first set later tonight, and I'll say that while it may not be the best I've played in the last couple years, it's definitely the most proud I've been of my game in a single set!

 

[Keendog]

Really, the only thing that is surprising is that you are "good" at soccer and basketball... Those sports do correlate somewhat

6.0 is ridiculously high level, perhaps your lofty goal just made you punish yourself for lack of progress vs actually enjoying the game? 6 is just a number, what's the point if you're not having fun out there?

 

[onehandbh]

Anyways, I stopped playing tennis and posting videos in April of 2019. I took up rock climbing in December of 2019 and starting to play tennis again in July of 2020 when my cousin (SirShanksALot) moved back to Maryland and wanted to play because there was little to do during quarantine.

Years ago I did a little bit of rock climbing as well. Have you been practicing/learning at indoor climbing gyms?

Whereas in other sports such as rock climbing, soccer, basketball, and e-sports, I've been able to reach decently high levels of the game in a MUCH short period of time...

What are you considering to be a decently high level in rock climbing?
5.9? 5.10a? 5.10b? 5.12? 5.13? 5.14? 5.15?

Have you been mostly top-rope climbing(indoors)? bouldering? Have you tried climbing outdoors yet?

Years ago, I did some rock climbing. I climbed for about 2 years. Maybe once or twice a week. Within about a year I could do 5.10a climbs.
I, too, thought I was progressing "quickly" when I started climbing and at one point thought I was a decent climber. I could do some overhangs, dynos (jumping) moves, etc. Could almost do a 1-arm pullup.

The most difficult I climb I was able to do in an indoor gym was a 5.10c for a top-rope climb.

Bouldering is rated V1, V2, etc.

Turns out I only reached the tennis equivalent of maybe a 3.0 in climbing.
I started noticing there were kids under 12 years old doing *much* more difficult climbs than me and with ease -- despite me having a big reach advantage over them.

At the time, I would say I was probably slightly below average strength for a recreational climber but above average for a guy. Could do about 18-20 chinups, about 8-10 chinups with an extra 45 lbs attached to me. Could grab a basketball rim but not quite dunk.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Years ago I did a little bit of rock climbing as well. Have you been practicing/learning at indoor climbing gyms?


What are you considering to be a decently high level in rock climbing?
5.9? 5.10a? 5.10b? 5.12? 5.13? 5.14? 5.15?

Have you been mostly top-rope climbing(indoors)? bouldering? Have you tried climbing outdoors yet?

Years ago, I did some rock climbing. I climbed for about 2 years. Maybe once or twice a week. Within about a year I could do 5.10a climbs.
I, too, thought I was progressing "quickly" when I started climbing and at one point thought I was a decent climber. I could do some overhangs, dynos (jumping) moves, etc. Could almost do a 1-arm pullup.

The most difficult I climb I was able to do in an indoor gym was a 5.10c for a top-rope climb.

Bouldering is rated V1, V2, etc.

Turns out I only reached the tennis equivalent of maybe a 3.0 in climbing.
I started noticing there were kids under 12 years old doing *much* more difficult climbs than me and with ease -- despite me having a big reach advantage over them.

At the time, I would say I was probably slightly below average strength for a recreational climber but above average for a guy. Could do about 18-20 chinups, about 8-10 chinups with an extra 45 lbs attached to me. Could grab a basketball rim but not quite dunk.

I took 5 months off of climbing at the beginning of the pandemic for safety reasons, so the total amount of time I've been climbing is about 10 months. I consider myself a decent climber but then again 10 months is nothing compared to the 12 years on and off I've been playing tennis.

I train exclusively at two different Earth Treks gyms that are close to me and I've been outdoor climbing exactly one time. For the record, I enjoy climbing more than tennis but I play singles once a week with my cousin and doubles once a week with my dad, cousin, and some other friend because it's a hobby we all share in common and of course I still enjoy tennis.

I just sent my second ever v5 today, and I can comfortably send most of the v4s at my gyms with some of them in flash attempts. In terms of top roping, my highest "clean" sent climb is 5.11c, but I've completed 5.11d with a single fall. I'm currently projecting my first 5.12a and am about halfway up the route.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Full first set of me vs. my cousin SirShanksALot!
SSAL played the best tennis he's ever played in his life hands down, absolutely destroying serves and hitting quality groundstrokes. In the last 8-10 sets him and I have played, I've won every single one with some of them being 6-1 or 6-2. With that being said, this is the best set of tennis him and I have ever enjoyed out of the 100+ sets we've played in our lifetime.

I was extremely happy with my volleying, I've never been a great mover at net, and I feel like my decision to attack the net was key to keep this set competitive. I actually switched from a standard SW forehand with a SW backhand (no grip change) to a weak western forehand and an extreme eastern OHBH grip (no grip change again from FH to BH) about 2 weeks ago.

So my groundstrokes were probably not the sharpest overall but as I said I was pleased with my level of play with the exception of perhaps being too defensive on the backhand side. Enjoy the match and please feel free to comment any tips/instruction you think might be helpful for my cousin and I. I personally noticed that SSAL had pretty bad timing on his split step and often split step too late which is hindering his overall movement.

 

[mental midget]

I think the important thing is we should set gradual, realistic goals and then continue to build from there.

6.0 is extremely tough and there are people who have been playing their whole lives who still weren't able to hit that level.

absolutely. a 6.0 player is exceptionally skilled, makes very few 'gimme' errors, can rally for days, has major weapons...basically, good enough to be a hitting partner for a pro. i play 5.0 tennis, i'd like to think i can do everything pretty well etc., but when i've gone up against guys like that (really strong college players etc.) the sensation is one of "no chance whatsoever." might hold a few times if i'm serving really well, but point in, point out...no way. every ball is hit 'with intention', you're constantly running, can't set up for anything, and you feel incredibly pressured to work wonders with every ball you do get a racket on because if you don't, point's over.

hardly a failing if you never reach that level, as you said very few do.

 

[Grip n Rip]

Mate surprised you have given up so easily. Have you tried switching racquets?

 

[GuyClinch]

You are a decent rec player, just not a self-aware one.

Understatement of the year. LMAO. Only a true would class athlete could reach 6.0 tennis starting at 18. You would have to be one of the most athletic men in the entire world. If say Patrick Mahomes had given up football and went into tennis - maybe he could be a 6.0 by 30..

 

[TennisProdigy]

Mate surprised you have given up so easily. Have you tried switching racquets?

I don’t give a rats ass what racquet I’m wielding as long as it’s headlight, thinish beam, medium stiffness, and swing weight around 330. In fact, when my previous racquets all broke I went on TW and bought 4 of whatever racquet was on clearance and met my preferred specs without even play testing them xD

Understatement of the year. LMAO. Only a true would class athlete could reach 6.0 tennis starting at 18. You would have to be one of the most athletic men in the entire world. If say Patrick Mahomes had given up football and went into tennis - maybe he could be a 6.0 by 30..

Not sure what level I’ll end up achieving but I will continue trying to grow and improve as long as I have the desire to do so.

I’m definitely not one of the most athletic men in the world but I certainly have above average athleticism considering my raw speed and measured vertical jump of 26 inches currently.

 

[Deleted member 765152]

... I certainly have above average athleticism considering my raw speed and measured vertical jump of 26 inches currently.

There you go again. You are not particularly fast or athletic for your age. Judging by your serves and FH, you lack the fast twitch gene also. If at your career best, you beat MEP, I'd be shocked.

 

[StringSnapper]

A tennis 6.0 is like the equivalent of being a state soccer player or something, no? Are you a state level soccer player?

 

[Grip n Rip]

I don’t give a rats ass what racquet I’m wielding as long as it’s headlight, thinish beam, medium stiffness, and swing weight around 330. In fact, when my previous racquets all broke I went on TW and bought 4 of whatever racquet was on clearance and met my preferred specs without even play testing them xD

Well there's your problem!

Try the lastest babolat with velocity mains

 

[Keendog]

I’m definitely not one of the most athletic men in the world but I certainly have above average athleticism considering my raw speed and measured vertical jump of 26 inches currently.

Wait are you the guy who thought cos you were fast you could just destroy everyone on court?

 

[Chas Tennis]

When the Covid threat is over, you should join the USTA and find a USTA Adult league, it has singles & doubles, . They also have singles leagues where you schedule your own matches.

You should study your stroke techniques by comparing your strokes to those of average and better ATP players. Unless you have been doing this, you will always find differences that are likely to be flaws. You can improve if you can change the flaws to better techniques.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/video-comparisons-of-your-strokes-to-pros-single-frame-on-forum.689869/#post-15000018

The forum has a limit of 5 videos per post.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compare your strokes one above the other & single frame in this post. To single frame on Youtube, use the period & comma keys. Always select the video using alt key + left mouse click, otherwise the video starts playing. You can go to full screen and come back down and the video stays on the same frame.

To use Vimeo, single frame by holding down the SHIFT KEY and using the ARROW KEYS.

Compare similar impacts regarding impact height and pace, avoid pressure shots, avoid low intensity practice shots. List all stroke technique differences. To identify the particular stroke clips being compared, record the time scale of the impacts, example, 'backhand at 4:32'.

Justine Henin APAS display.

I recently found the APAS technique, it is one application of 3D motion capture systems. For the Justine Henin APAS video, notice especially the separation angle between the pelvis line (a line between the two hips) and the line between the two shoulders. The rib cage appears to move with the shoulders line. The APAS video may not show internal & external rotations accurately. ?

Warning - The APAS video shows the lines between the two shoulders and the two hips move independently and involve twisting of the spine and trunk, a major power source. Twisting may be too stressful for some spines and trunks, take care and also limit your range of motion.

I only look at one or two strokes and don't search long videos of many strokes.

Your backhand at 20 sec does not look like the backhands of the best ATP players with one hand backhands.

One Hand Backhand - Waht Force to Start Forward Swing?

One Hand Backhand - What Force to Start Forward Swing? I have just been watching great one-hand backhands at the Madrid Open. Including excellent slow motion that can be replayed in even slower motion or single frame with my DVR. Often when I try to swing forward for a one hand backhand...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

On your forehand, you do not use the off arm like the ATP players, accelerate straight-out-off arm prior to forward swing, get up to speed and pull arm in to help accelerate uppermost body. Search: off arm forehand uppermost "ice skater" Chas

 

[Chas Tennis]

Full first set of me vs. my cousin SirShanksALot!
SSAL played the best tennis he's ever played in his life hands down, absolutely destroying serves and hitting quality groundstrokes. In the last 8-10 sets him and I have played, I've won every single one with some of them being 6-1 or 6-2. With that being said, this is the best set of tennis him and I have ever enjoyed out of the 100+ sets we've played in our lifetime.

I was extremely happy with my volleying, I've never been a great mover at net, and I feel like my decision to attack the net was key to keep this set competitive. I actually switched from a standard SW forehand with a SW backhand (no grip change) to a weak western forehand and an extreme eastern OHBH grip (no grip change again from FH to BH) about 2 weeks ago.

So my groundstrokes were probably not the sharpest overall but as I said I was pleased with my level of play with the exception of perhaps being too defensive on the backhand side. Enjoy the match and please feel free to comment any tips/instruction you think might be helpful for my cousin and I. I personally noticed that SSAL had pretty bad timing on his split step and often split step too late which is hindering his overall movement.

Serve looks like going at ball with edge leading. ? Is there any internal shoulder rotation? If so a flaw. Too much motion blur to see. With indoor lighting and automatic exposure control, the shutter speed is too slow and there is too much motion blur. Video outdoors in bright direct sunlight.

This is what you want for comparing the racket approach to the ball. 240 fps. Camera is a Casio Ex FH100.

See instructions post #20.

Get better high speed videos and compare serves to high level players. Find left handed server videos.

Kinovea is a video analysis program with many capabilities. It's free and open source. It can take a right handed serve or ground stroke and reverse the video to make the server left handed. Or you can search for left hand servers. F. Lopez is a good left handed server.

 

[GuyClinch]

I don’t give a rats ass what racquet I’m wielding as long as it’s headlight, thinish beam, medium stiffness, and swing weight around 330. In fact, when my previous racquets all broke I went on TW and bought 4 of whatever racquet was on clearance and met my preferred specs without even play testing them xD



Not sure what level I’ll end up achieving but I will continue trying to grow and improve as long as I have the desire to do so.

I’m definitely not one of the most athletic men in the world but I certainly have above average athleticism considering my raw speed and measured vertical jump of 26 inches currently.

Sure. But a 6.0 is beating EVERY teaching pro in EVERY state - and beating most Div. 1 college kids. You think you are going to beat guys recruited for Tennis? Not to bag on your game but there are 11 year old boys who could thrash both you and me.

Tennis has a large skill element as well - as you need to be able to hit balls good enough to take advantage of your above average athleticism.. As someone with pretty awful athleticism can tell you - I can beat more athletic people because they hit the ball weakly and to stupid spots.

I would add that in tennis height and power matter as well. So the athleticism is not all run/jump athletes. Gronk might be a better tennis player then Tyreke Hill for example. We will never know..

 

[travlerajm]

Full first set of me vs. my cousin SirShanksALot!
SSAL played the best tennis he's ever played in his life hands down, absolutely destroying serves and hitting quality groundstrokes. In the last 8-10 sets him and I have played, I've won every single one with some of them being 6-1 or 6-2. With that being said, this is the best set of tennis him and I have ever enjoyed out of the 100+ sets we've played in our lifetime.

I was extremely happy with my volleying, I've never been a great mover at net, and I feel like my decision to attack the net was key to keep this set competitive. I actually switched from a standard SW forehand with a SW backhand (no grip change) to a weak western forehand and an extreme eastern OHBH grip (no grip change again from FH to BH) about 2 weeks ago.

So my groundstrokes were probably not the sharpest overall but as I said I was pleased with my level of play with the exception of perhaps being too defensive on the backhand side. Enjoy the match and please feel free to comment any tips/instruction you think might be helpful for my cousin and I. I personally noticed that SSAL had pretty bad timing on his split step and often split step too late which is hindering his overall movement.

Hold on... I just watched the first two points. On the second point, you hit a bh volley from near the deuce sideline ... and then you recover by backpedaling several steps toward the center of the court before turning around? I’ve never seen anyone of any level do that before.

Maybe if you focused on more efficient footwork patterns, you’d be closer to your lofty goal?

 

[TennisProdigy]

There you go again. You are not particularly fast or athletic for your age. Judging by your serves and FH, you lack the fast twitch gene also. If at your career best, you beat MEP, I'd be shocked.

I admire and respect MEP, but even in my current form I’d demolish him, he would simply be outclassed in every area including consistency, every set would be won by me 6-3 or better.

Wait are you the guy who thought cos you were fast you could just destroy everyone on court?

No I’m the guy who destroyed everyone on court because I am fast. I am currently rated USTA computer rated 5.0 because in my second season ever at 4.5 I won every match in straight sets except for the first match where I lost in a very close 3 sets Bc I was sick.

I even beat a certain player 6-0 6-1 that bump up season, and this player had beaten me 6-1 6-1 just 3 years prior when I was rated 4.0 in a tournament.

After getting bumped up I took 3 years off from the game to work on my career.

 

[Dragy]

I admire and respect MEP, but even in my current form I’d demolish him, he would simply be outclassed in every area including consistency, every set would be won by me 6-3 or better.



No I’m the guy who destroyed everyone on court because I am fast. I am currently rated USTA computer rated 5.0 because in my second season ever at 4.5 I won every match in straight sets except for the first match where I lost in a very close 3 sets Bc I was sick.

I even beat a certain player 6-0 6-1 that bump up season, and this player had beaten me 6-1 6-1 just 3 years prior when I was rated 4.0 in a tournament.

After getting bumped up I took 3 years off from the game to work on my career.

Interesting how you'd do at 5.0 level. You play well and strong, but you have ton of room for improvement in elements. Particularly, you have a serve that would be repeatedly destroyed by stronger players (and you still DF quite a bit!), and you might face some strong serving you are not accustomed with. But that's not a wall you cannot get over, just needs dedication and well-mentored practice.

 

[TennisProdigy]

When the Covid threat is over, you should join the USTA and find a USTA Adult league, it has singles & doubles, . They also have singles leagues where you schedule your own matches.

You should study your stroke techniques by comparing your strokes to those of average and better ATP players. Unless you have been doing this, you will always find differences that are likely to be flaws. You can improve if you can change the flaws to better techniques.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/video-comparisons-of-your-strokes-to-pros-single-frame-on-forum.689869/#post-15000018

The forum has a limit of 5 videos per post.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compare your strokes one above the other & single frame in this post. To single frame on Youtube, use the period & comma keys. Always select the video using alt key + left mouse click, otherwise the video starts playing. You can go to full screen and come back down and the video stays on the same frame.

To use Vimeo, single frame by holding down the SHIFT KEY and using the ARROW KEYS.

Compare similar impacts regarding impact height and pace, avoid pressure shots, avoid low intensity practice shots. List all stroke technique differences. To identify the particular stroke clips being compared, record the time scale of the impacts, example, 'backhand at 4:32'.

Justine Henin APAS display.

I recently found the APAS technique, it is one application of 3D motion capture systems. For the Justine Henin APAS video, notice especially the separation angle between the pelvis line (a line between the two hips) and the line between the two shoulders. The rib cage appears to move with the shoulders line. The APAS video may not show internal & external rotations accurately. ?

Warning - The APAS video shows the lines between the two shoulders and the two hips move independently and involve twisting of the spine and trunk, a major power source. Twisting may be too stressful for some spines and trunks, take care and also limit your range of motion.

I only look at one or two strokes and don't search long videos of many strokes.

Your backhand at 20 sec does not look like the backhands of the best ATP players with one hand backhands.

One Hand Backhand - Waht Force to Start Forward Swing?

One Hand Backhand - What Force to Start Forward Swing? I have just been watching great one-hand backhands at the Madrid Open. Including excellent slow motion that can be replayed in even slower motion or single frame with my DVR. Often when I try to swing forward for a one hand backhand...

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

On your forehand, you do not use the off arm like the ATP players, accelerate straight off arm prior to forward swing, get up to speed and pull in to help accelerate uppermost body. Search: off arm forehand uppermost "ice skater" Chas

Thank you for the constructive criticism, I appreciate it and yeah I haven’t looked at a video of my game in over a year so now that I’ve seen one I have an idea of what to improve.

I am currently part of the USTA and am computer rated 5.0, I’ve played 1 season at 4.0 and two seasons at 4.5.

Serve looks like going at ball with edge leading. ? Is there any internal shoulder rotation? If so a flaw. Too much motion blur to see. With indoor lighting and automatic exposure control, the shutter speed is too slow and there is too much motion blur. Video outdoors in bright direct sunlight.

This is what you want for comparing the racket approach to the ball. 240 fps. Camera is a Casio Ex FH100.

See instructions post #20.

Get better high speed videos and compare serves to high level players. Find left handed server videos.

Kinovea is a video analysis program with many capabilities. It's free and open source. It can take a right handed serve or ground stroke and reverse the video to make the server left handed. Or you can search for left hand servers. F. Lopez is a good left handed server.

Not sure how much internal shoulder rotation I am lacking in my serve, but I’m certainly lacking many elements that I can see on camera. Proper extension, contact point, rotation somewhere...

Definitely lots to work on and to be fair I had a teeny flair up of golfers elbow in this vid so i was hitting spin served only at 80%.

Sure. But a 6.0 is beating EVERY teaching pro in EVERY state - and beating most Div. 1 college kids. You think you are going to beat guys recruited for Tennis? Not to bag on your game but there are 11 year old boys who could thrash both you and me.

Tennis has a large skill element as well - as you need to be able to hit balls good enough to take advantage of your above average athleticism.. As someone with pretty awful athleticism can tell you - I can beat more athletic people because they hit the ball weakly and to stupid spots.

I would add that in tennis height and power matter as well. So the athleticism is not all run/jump athletes. Gronk might be a better tennis player then Tyreke Hill for example. We will never know..

oh I agree with you, it’s the skill element and the mental element that makes tennis so fascinating to me. When I started playing tennis at age 18-19 I would hit with some of the best 11-12 year olds at my local club and lose handily...

I’ve also lost several matches to players over age 70, skill is an amazing equalizer in tennis that makes it a sport for life

Hold on... I just watched the first two points. On the second point, you hit a bh volley from near the deuce sideline ... and then you recover by backpedaling several steps toward the center of the court before turning around? I’ve never seen anyone of any level do that before.

Maybe if you focused on more efficient footwork patterns, you’d be closer to your lofty goal?

You are absolutely correct, I am lacking in footwork patterns and footwork in general, I am completely aware of this.

ive used my raw speed to compensate for this flaw but it’s time for me to correct this weakness in my technique thank you.

 

[atatu]

Mostly I'm proud of you for not giving up and playing pickleball like your friend. I'm sure you could dominate a bunch of old folks and declare yourself a "professional" pickleball player as well.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Interesting how you'd do at 5.0 level. You play well and strong, but you have ton of room for improvement in elements. Particularly, you have a serve that would be repeatedly destroyed by stronger players (and you still DF quite a bit!), and you might face some strong serving you are not accustomed with. But that's not a wall you cannot get over, just needs dedication and well-mentored practice.

right now I believe I would lose at the 5.0 level in straight sets almost every match but the sets might be close depending on how I’m playing.

the reason why I started posting again is actually because 6 days ago I was invited to a high level drilling/playing session instead of my usual mundane session vs my cousin and/or my dad.

for 90 minutes, I drilled/hit with a computer rated 5.0 and two strong 4.5 players (both computer rated 4.5 but bounce between. 4.5/5.0).

I was paired with the 5.0 the first 30 min and his groundstrokes technique was strikingly beautiful and elegant. I’ve never hit against more beautiful strokes in my entire life. The effortless power he produced has inspired me to improve whereas before I was fine my level of tennis and I was focusing most of my effort on rock climbing.

Now he did not hit me off the court, and he actually complimented my heavy, consistent topspin, we hit with 1 ball for 30 min while the other two players had two balls (only one new can was opened for this session).

After that we did drop/hit team singles for an hour rotating teams every game. At the beginning I was tight and my footwork and strokes were breaking down Bc of the higher level of pace I was unaccustomed to.

Eventually I started to adjust and everyone actually ended up with 3 wins and 3 losses by the end (games to 21). In actual match play though, I’m 100% sure I would lose to that 5.0, but I believe I would beat one of the strong 4.5s and play the other strong 4.5 even or lose by a small margin (that 4.5 had a monstrous forehand but weaker fitness than me so the match would be on his racquet on how well he controlled the points with that forehand).

 

[TennisProdigy]

Mostly I'm proud of you for not giving up and playing pickleball like your friend. I'm sure you could dominate a bunch of old folks and declare yourself a "professional" pickleball player as well.

I’m 97% sure this post is in jest, but pickleball is a beautiful sport in its own way and has an impressive tactical/strategic aspect to it from what I’ve observed, but I admit it’s physical skill cap seems a bit low. I’ve never actually played myself but plan to try it when the weather warms up.

it’s great that even new players can pick it up quickly, makes it accessible to more people without having to spend thousands to become a decent player like in tennis. It feels like an “easy to learn hard to master” sport to me.

Collin is able to make a full time career playing professionally and teaching at a local country club, while Ben purely plays and makes over 200k a year as the number 1 player in the world in a sport that has been developed less than 5 years ago.

 

[EP1998]

Mostly I'm proud of you for not giving up and playing pickleball like your friend. I'm sure you could dominate a bunch of old folks and declare yourself a "professional" pickleball player as well.

I never really thought much about pickleball as something other than a rec sport. In the last couple of years though I keep hearing about people I know from tennis moving over to pickleball and making decent money. Way more than playing tennis. It's crazy. I just looked at a recent event in FL and there were a ton of ex players in it including former ATP pros.

 

[heninfan99]

It's one thing not to keep your word but a whole other thing to return with a man bun.

 

[travlerajm]

Full first set of me vs. my cousin SirShanksALot!
SSAL played the best tennis he's ever played in his life hands down, absolutely destroying serves and hitting quality groundstrokes. In the last 8-10 sets him and I have played, I've won every single one with some of them being 6-1 or 6-2. With that being said, this is the best set of tennis him and I have ever enjoyed out of the 100+ sets we've played in our lifetime.

I was extremely happy with my volleying, I've never been a great mover at net, and I feel like my decision to attack the net was key to keep this set competitive. I actually switched from a standard SW forehand with a SW backhand (no grip change) to a weak western forehand and an extreme eastern OHBH grip (no grip change again from FH to BH) about 2 weeks ago.

So my groundstrokes were probably not the sharpest overall but as I said I was pleased with my level of play with the exception of perhaps being too defensive on the backhand side. Enjoy the match and please feel free to comment any tips/instruction you think might be helpful for my cousin and I. I personally noticed that SSAL had pretty bad timing on his split step and often split step too late which is hindering his overall movement.

Just watched the 2 highlight points recommended in the opening seconds. Nice!

 

[samarai]

i think 5.0 is your limit then. Thats still quite a feat to attain for recreational tennis.

 

[Dartagnan64]

i think 5.0 is your limit then. Thats still quite a feat to attain for recreational tennis.

Yes 5.0 is a great feat. What I see now is 4.5 speed and consistency with a 3.5 serve and 4.0 groundstrokes, so it would take some effort to get there again.

i think it's great to have goals, but accurate self assessment in setting those goals is key to achieving them.

You need to start at the assessment of being a "good" athlete but not a "great" athlete and what can be reasonably expected of a good athlete. For some reason, you want to set your expectations as if you were an exceptional athlete, which you are not, I'm sorry to say.

I think the millennial generation were fed a whole pile of manure when they were told by their parents "They can be anything if they just set their mind to it." They walk into this world full of themselves and don't realize the skill and effort needed to truly be special.

Appreciate that you have the balls to post here again even though your journey ended pretty much where most of us said it would.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Yes 5.0 is a great feat. What I see now is 4.5 speed and consistency with a 3.5 serve and 4.0 groundstrokes, so it would take some effort to get there again.

i think it's great to have goals, but accurate self assessment in setting those goals is key to achieving them.

You need to start at the assessment of being a "good" athlete but not a "great" athlete and what can be reasonably expected of a good athlete. For some reason, you want to set your expectations as if you were an exceptional athlete, which you are not, I'm sorry to say.

I think the millennial generation were fed a whole pile of manure when they were told by their parents "They can be anything if they just set their mind to it." They walk into this world full of themselves and don't realize the skill and effort needed to truly be special.

Appreciate that you have the balls to post here again even though your journey ended pretty much where most of us said it would.

The journey is far from over my friend, I simply did not reach my goals in the time I wanted to.

I respect your opinion on my game, but you can’t argue that despite your perceived rating of the individual aspects of my game, my overall game is currently around a strong 4.5 level considering I’m pretty much back to where I was when I got bumped up from 4.5 to 5.0.

 

[travlerajm]

The journey is far from over my friend, I simply did not reach my goals in the time I wanted to.

I respect your opinion on my game, but you can’t argue that despite your perceived rating of the individual aspects of my game, my overall game is currently around a strong 4.5 level considering I’m pretty much back to where I was when I got bumped up from 4.5 to 5.0.

The camera adds -0.75 NTRP points. It’s just one of those things you get used to around here.

 

[Keendog]

I admire and respect MEP, but even in my current form I’d demolish him, he would simply be outclassed in every area including consistency, every set would be won by me 6-3 or better.



No I’m the guy who destroyed everyone on court because I am fast. I am currently rated USTA computer rated 5.0 because in my second season ever at 4.5 I won every match in straight sets except for the first match where I lost in a very close 3 sets Bc I was sick.

I even beat a certain player 6-0 6-1 that bump up season, and this player had beaten me 6-1 6-1 just 3 years prior when I was rated 4.0 in a tournament.

After getting bumped up I took 3 years off from the game to work on my career.

Lol! Yeah I remember you beat a future NFL WR in a footrace, were going to post every 2 weeks or it's a free racquet etc etc. Your "journey" as you put it was 4 months long! You are very good at writing clickbait, I will give you that, but watching your vid you're just a poor mans @badteeth !

But yeah thanks for posting a thread announcing you have given up 2 years after you actually gave up. BTW guys, I have something to formally announce: due to some unfortunate tennis elbow I am now ending my pursuit of an ATP title and taking a set off of Nadal... I realise now sitting on my arse for 30+ years not training it's not gonna happen. I thought because I beat a future Olympic archer in a footrace in 1991 it would've been achievable.

 

[PrinceMoron]

If you wrote F you on the back of your t-shirt your opponent would only see it when you were on your way back from picking a ball up from the bottom of the net.

Turn your shoulders across the path of the ball so your opponent can see your back and whatever you care to write on your shirt
Go on try it for five minutes and tell me you haven’t lost the awkward forced slashing at the ball. Might also stop you looking across the net before the ball has even reached it.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Lol! Yeah I remember you beat a future NFL WR in a footrace, were going to post every 2 weeks or it's a free racquet etc etc. Your "journey" as you put it was 4 months long! You are very good at writing clickbait, I will give you that, but watching your vid you're just a poor mans @badteeth !

But yeah thanks for posting a thread announcing you have given up 2 years after you actually gave up. BTW guys, I have something to formally announce: due to some unfortunate tennis elbow I am now ending my pursuit of an ATP title and taking a set off of Nadal... I realise now sitting on my arse for 30+ years not training it's not gonna happen. I thought because I beat a future Olympic archer in a footrace in 1991 it would've been achievable.

Well the truth is I beat someone who actually was a running back/wide receiver for the Ravens in a foot race (my high school friend). In pure speed, I bet him a couple times early on in high school (both of us were freshman), but in terms of agility and overall athleticism he completely outclassed me, and by the time we were seniors we were worlds apart.

6 days ago whenI started lurking on these boards I did make good on my free racquet promise btw.

https://imgur.com/a/mB63MIO

 

[TennisProdigy]

If you wrote F you on the back of your t-shirt your opponent would only see it when you were on your way back from picking a ball up from the bottom of the net.

Turn your shoulders across the path of the ball so your opponent can see your back and whatever you care to write on your shirt
Go on try it for five minutes and tell me you haven’t lost the awkward forced slashing at the ball. Might also stop you looking across the net before the ball has even reached it.

Would you mind elaborating on this a little bit? Are you saying I need more shoulder turn as I’m preparing my strokes or more shoulder turn during my follow through?

I can see that I could use more shoulder rotation through my forehand follow through and I could use more shoulder rotation in my backhand prep.

But as I said before I’m only 2 weeks into using my new groundstrokes grips so I’m still adjusting and tbh SirShanksALot brought a completely different game than I’m used to in terms of pace so I felt a bit uncomfortable against his ball the entire set since he literally played half a level higher than he normally does.

 

[Space_D]

Glad to see you back here, always enjoyed your vids/content (on your other YouTube channel as well) especially since I live nearby. To be honest reaching 5.0 in the time/way you did is a tremendous accomplishment and nothing to scoff at.

 

[Rosstour]

Narcissism is a hell of a drug. lol

 

[BallBag]

Good to see you are playing again. We are overdue for a rematch.

 

[TennisProdigy]

Good to see you are playing again. We are overdue for a rematch.

Good to hear from you bro! Just heard from your buddy that you’re in good form xD

I’d love to mix up and see how your game has evolved, when you looking to rumble?

 

[BallBag]

Good to hear from you bro! Just heard from your buddy that you’re in good form xD

I’d love to mix up and see how your game has evolved, when you looking to rumble?

Saturday at Longreach?

 

[J011yroger]

Saturday at Longreach?

I got winner.

OP: Username does not check out. Did you find out that the real treasure was the friends you made along the way?

J

 

[TennisProdigy]

Saturday at Longreach?

Got my son on Saturday and drop him off Sunday at 4, I can do this Sunday after 4 but it’s Valentine’s Day so you might be busy

The following weekend I have him until Saturday at 4 pm then off all day Sunday, long reach would be great let me know what’s best for u in that range

I got winner.

OP: Username does not check out. Did you find out that the real treasure was the friends you made along the way?

J

Username does not check out indeed, would TT allow me to switch my name to “TennisDropout?”

Have definitely had some great changes in my life along the way and met some cool people

 

[PrinceMoron]

Would you mind elaborating on this a little bit? Are you saying I need more shoulder turn as I’m preparing my strokes or more shoulder turn during my follow through?

I can see that I could use more shoulder rotation through my forehand follow through and I could use more shoulder rotation in my backhand prep.

But as I said before I’m only 2 weeks into using my new groundstrokes grips so I’m still adjusting and tbh SirShanksALot brought a completely different game than I’m used to in terms of pace so I felt a bit uncomfortable against his ball the entire set since he literally played half a level higher than he normally does.

Get the prep right and the rest just happens without having to arm the shot.

On the backhand rotate until your chin touches top of the racquet arm. Get the shoulder to point through the line of the ball, bisect it.

 

[J011yroger]

Get the prep right and the rest just happens without having to arm the shot.

On the backhand rotate until your chin touches top of the racquet arm. Get the shoulder to point through the line of the ball, bisect it.

Thank God for you!

J

 

[TennisProdigy]

Get the prep right and the rest just happens without having to arm the shot.

On the backhand rotate until your chin touches top of the racquet arm. Get the shoulder to point through the line of the ball, bisect it.

Thank you, I’ve actually been aware of this flaw in backhand technique for a long time. I’ve been unable to control the extra power that results from the correct OHBH shoulder turn.

miraculously tonight I was able to apply proper shoulder turn to my BH and create some impressive topspin backhands consistently during PRACTICE.

How long it’ll take be able to apply this to match play who knows. I have a tendency to play too defensive in matches so applying an offensive technique like this will probably prove difficult... but I’ll give it a go when I play SirShanksALot on Thursday.