One handed backhand for comments ( video )

[Hmgraphite1]

Topspin:

To me, topspin = swing path to contact (assume square racquet face at contact for this discussion)

Swing path = hand path + racquet head path

Any discussion about "which grip helps more with topspin" is really asking which grip makes it easier to hit the max low to high swing path to contact.

I would argue that how much you allow the racquet head to drop below the hand on forward swing, matters more than the grip when it comes to topspin. I will use my 40+ year flattish 1hbh as evidence for this at the bottom of the post.

This is what I mean by rh drop below the hand. Obviously we can find more extreme examples ... just think Nishikori on some of his 2hbhs.

You can hit pretty good topspin ... any grip ... with just a low to high hand path, with the racquet head level with hand during the swing. You can hit really good (technical term ) by dropping the racquet head below the hand on those low to high hand swing paths.

Here is one of Edberg's from the video above. You would miss it watching live.

Here is a couple of @Curious rh drops ... I didn't check all of them.

I don't coach ... so my opinion on this is from online technical discussion/video, and what I have experienced trying the "extra rh drop". I pretty much abandoned my 1hbh drive (not slice ... 1hbh slice is the meaning of life and my path to winning ) for the last 2+ years converting to the 2hbh. I probably hit less than a couple hundred 1hbh drives in 2 years ... and you know I live on the ball machine. I had avoided the big rh drop on the 2hbh, because I didn't think that was my path to a repeatable low UE 2hbh. I decided to add it to my ball machine sessions this spring because I have come a long way on the repeatable thing. I honestly just expected a "little topspin" bump on a given swing. That is not what I found. I got a big jump in topspin for the same swing by just letting the rh drop as the forward swing starts (limp relaxed drop). Bottom line ... I can't match the spin I get with the rh drop with ANY low to high hand only swing path. The other thing is ... it's a more effortless topspin. And yes ... it's a more difficult thing to time, I still wouldn't recommend it at the start of the stroke learning curve. That said ... for me at this point, it was easier to add (still in progress) than I expected. Some early rash of mishits ... but that settled down pretty quickly.

OK ... back to the 1hbh. I had hit a bunch of 2hbhs on the ball machine the other day, and was pretty much ready to pack up and leave. For whatever reason ... the Dimitrov 1hbh pic popped into my head (that's Tomaz's Feel Good Tennis btw). My thought was ... "I wonder if I can get the same topspin adder on my retired 1hbh with the bigger racquet head drop?" It only took a dozen swings to have the thought "MF ... why in the hell didn't someone tell me this when I was 20 years old ... MF MF MF".

Size of racquet head drop matters.

That Dimitrov video looks .... notice his bicept and forearm location in both videos, it looks like he just pronates his forearm between the two pictures with a small amount of arm movement.

One thing i've been noticing I do is use the left hand on throat to pull right arm out and load it.

 

[Dolgopolov85]

Stan and Roger both hit with continental sometimes.

Again, the modern game is about adaptability and being able to use different grips to produce a variety of outcomes. It's not a one-sized fits all. It's like people who say Fred only uses extreme eastern. There's tons of footage of him using semi-western and western on the forehand side depending on the situation (height of the ball, location on the court, etc.). He even uses continental for forehand sometimes. It's not a one grip for all.

Isn't Wawrinka's stock topspin backhand just a mild Eastern anyway? I have tried the SW grip on the backhand and it feels less comfortable to change direction with than an Eastern (which is what I tend to use). Never tried 1BH with a full continental but worth a shot, I suppose.

 

[ByeByePoly]

An eastern backhand grip is mostly a western forehand grip.

I think you're a bit confused. Hitting a flick backhand with a continental grip is the most optimal. Yes you can do it with Eastern or Semi-Western, but you aren't going to get the most bang for your buck with either of those. There's a reason the two players in the world who hit the best flick one handed backhands (Federer and Dimitrov) use continental on the run or full stretch. Anatomically, biomechanically, and physiologically it makes the most sense.

Let's drill down on that "flick" a little.

We all know we have had painful hand/wrist actions discussions on the forum ... and don't dare mention "active vs passive".

But this is my understanding at this point:
- movement at the wrist comes in a couple of flavors
- extension to neutralish (don't go past to flexion or you are asking to hurt yourself)
- ulnar - radial
- WW (not a hand movement, but rather an arm roll ... but part of hand discussion)

I think most of us believe by contact you have some version of "firm" wrist to carry the contact. This is what I mean:

- I hit an Eastern FH ... have extension in the back swing, and have gone back to close to neutral by contact ... small lag. I would say I have relaxed play at wrist/hand going into contact, but firms up to carry contact in an "almost" neutral position. I wouldn't call any of that flicking.

- most ATP players will hit the flip ... which is often both 1) some extension/ neutral forearm/racquet angle release 2) arm rolling in the flip with the hand at extension (many ... most ... hold that extension to contact). The WW. But here ... not really flicking at the hand at contact.

My guess is you are referring to racquet head path with the flicking. Pros do some magic when they can't do their full unit turns ... i.e. running out wide to their FH ... reaching ... no doubt doing more wrist action to get to contact. Is that what you mean. A continental would be easier to pull off on those Fed reaching shots. If so, that make sense. To me, no grip does everything the best. I actually probably hit more of a weak eastern on my typical moderate topspin FH flattish shot, but will roll to full Eastern (maybe past, but not sure) when I go for a bigger topspin. I have no trouble with low FHs with this grip, but it's pretty obvious when I swing at higher balls a SW might be easier. Western ... that's a freak show ... won't discuss it.

 

[MasturB]

Isn't Wawrinka's stock topspin backhand just a mild Eastern anyway? I have tried the SW grip on the backhand and it feels less comfortable to change direction with than an Eastern (which is what I tend to use). Never tried 1BH with a full continental but worth a shot, I suppose.

Stan's grip is pretty much eastern, that he hits 90% of the time. He does slightly change to a mild continental here and there. But Stan's backhand is not as versatile as Roger's. That's why he can't play on top of the baseline as consistently as Roger. 1) Big Swing that needs time to load and 2) On the run he's screwed because he doesn't have the flexibility and adaptability as Roger. This is where Nadal ate him up in the Roland Garros Final. Didn't gave Stan those mid court balls where he could step in and unload. He kept pulling Stan wide and once you've done that, Stan's backhand on the run is definitely not as dangerous as it is when he gets his feet set. Roger can survive hitting topspin 1HBH on the run because he maneuvers his body better on the run with more moving parts contributing to the swing, and his slice BH is miles and miles better than Wawa's push slice.

 

[movdqa]

Topspin:

To me, topspin = swing path to contact (assume square racquet face at contact for this discussion)

Swing path = hand path + racquet head path

Any discussion about "which grip helps more with topspin" is really asking which grip makes it easier to hit the max low to high swing path to contact.

I would argue that how much you allow the racquet head to drop below the hand on forward swing, matters more than the grip when it comes to topspin. I will use my 40+ year flattish 1hbh as evidence for this at the bottom of the post.

This is what I mean by rh drop below the hand. Obviously we can find more extreme examples ... just think Nishikori on some of his 2hbhs.

You can hit pretty good topspin ... any grip ... with just a low to high hand path, with the racquet head level with hand during the swing. You can hit really good (technical term ) by dropping the racquet head below the hand on those low to high hand swing paths.

Here is one of Edberg's from the video above. You would miss it watching live.

Here is a couple of @Curious rh drops ... I didn't check all of them.

I don't coach ... so my opinion on this is from online technical discussion/video, and what I have experienced trying the "extra rh drop". I pretty much abandoned my 1hbh drive (not slice ... 1hbh slice is the meaning of life and my path to winning ) for the last 2+ years converting to the 2hbh. I probably hit less than a couple hundred 1hbh drives in 2 years ... and you know I live on the ball machine. I had avoided the big rh drop on the 2hbh, because I didn't think that was my path to a repeatable low UE 2hbh. I decided to add it to my ball machine sessions this spring because I have come a long way on the repeatable thing. I honestly just expected a "little topspin" bump on a given swing. That is not what I found. I got a big jump in topspin for the same swing by just letting the rh drop as the forward swing starts (limp relaxed drop). Bottom line ... I can't match the spin I get with the rh drop with ANY low to high hand only swing path. The other thing is ... it's a more effortless topspin. And yes ... it's a more difficult thing to time, I still wouldn't recommend it at the start of the stroke learning curve. That said ... for me at this point, it was easier to add (still in progress) than I expected. Some early rash of mishits ... but that settled down pretty quickly.

OK ... back to the 1hbh. I had hit a bunch of 2hbhs on the ball machine the other day, and was pretty much ready to pack up and leave. For whatever reason ... the Dimitrov 1hbh pic popped into my head (that's Tomaz's Feel Good Tennis btw). My thought was ... "I wonder if I can get the same topspin adder on my retired 1hbh with the bigger racquet head drop?" It only took a dozen swings to have the thought "MF ... why in the hell didn't someone tell me this when I was 20 years old ... MF MF MF".

Size of racquet head drop matters.

Here's my example. Here, the racquethead drops below the hand and the racquethead is ahead of the hand to reach the ball.

 

[ByeByePoly]

That Dimitrov video looks .... notice his bicept and forearm location in both videos, it looks like he just pronates his forearm between the two pictures with a small amount of arm movement.

One thing i've been noticing I do is use the left hand on throat to pull right arm out and load it.

Yeah ... probably a rabbit hole to try and chase down all the variations that get the extra rh drop ... I just have come to the conclusion it's a big deal to make it happen for extra topspin.

I don't ever think of the off hand ever doing anything other than supporting/stabilizing the racquet as I do my unit turn ... I don't pull with it. But I don't think it matters ... do what ever gets you into good unit turn.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Here's my example. Here, the racquethead drops below the hand and the racquethead is ahead of the hand to reach the ball.

That is such a cool shot ... even more so at .25 playback speed. Man ... you almost touched the clay with the racquet head. Great example ... can't do that shot without exaggerated rh drop.

 

[Dolgopolov85]

Here's my example. Here, the racquethead drops below the hand and the racquethead is ahead of the hand to reach the ball.

Great shot!

 

[FiReFTW]

Producing topspin can be done with a semi-western, eastern, or continental backhand grip.

There are variables involved: Swing Path, Racquet Angle, Location of Trajectory, Launch Angle, etc.

What separates the pros from the recs, is they know how to adjust all of these variables including adjust their grips to produce the outcome they want.

The more extreme grip the easier and more natural you get topspin tho.

 

[Limpinhitter]

Edberg's topspin BH had quite a bit of power and spin

How would you describe Edberg's 1HBH grip?

Eastern.

 

[ARKustom93]

After the shot, you need to be more balanced.

After-contact balance is dependent upon setup balance, going into your swing. You're setting your front foot toe-first on a number of shots, which causes a straightening reflex, pushing you backwards. Stepping heel-first, just like a fencer's forward lunge, will 'roll' your body momentum into the swing, resulting in better balance, and even more importantly, more power without swinging harder.

 

[Limpinhitter]

Good find

Turns out:
- you can hit a topspin 1hbh with continental ... who knew?

Wut?

Lew Hoad, Roy Emerson, Tony Roche, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, and many more who were not necessarily major champions hit topspin backhands with a continental grip.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Wut?

Lew Hoad, Roy Emerson, Tony Roche, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, and many more who were not necessarily major champions hit topspin backhands with a continental grip.

You missed my sarcasm my friend

 

[Kevo]

Wut?

Lew Hoad, Roy Emerson, Tony Roche, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, and many more who were not necessarily major champions hit topspin backhands with a continental grip.

I've seen McEnroe and Becker play, but not the others. I wouldn't recommend McEnroe or Becker as models for the backhand.

Look at 1:02 and see the continental 1HBH. Awkward and if it's mistimed the load on the wrist is problematic. No way I'd teach that to someone today. Spin potential is also limited by limiting arm rotation in order to maintain directional control. You could certainly do well with that backhand if you are highly skilled at it, but it will never be as good as a more modern form at the same level of proficiency.

I tried to find a good example of Becker's 1HBH, but couldn't find one. His backhand I believe was a bit stronger than McEnroe, but I don't know if he was straight continental or not. He was a bigger stronger guy, so his strength could have made the difference.

 

[Limpinhitter]

You missed my sarcasm my friend

Did you mean irony? Your sarcasm is hard to miss.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Did you mean irony? Your sarcasm is hard to miss.

LOL ... you sent me to the online dictionary. Sarcasm is irony laced with mocking and contempt. So ... I ask you sir Limpin ... which one is more appropriate for ttw? Maybe irony in the string forum, and sarcasm everywhere else. The string people are nice.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Good shots but biggest thing I would work on is either more upright, or even a bit more forward upper body position. You lean way back which forces you to pull across often, and you can see the ball side-spin and curve.

 

[zalive]

@Curious: one more thing crossed my mind, so I checked it. Not sure if anyone mentioned exactly this (possibly had).

Look at the timing when Gasquet plants his front foot into position. It's approximately as the ball hits the court.
Now check your timing for the same. Suddenly you'll understand why issues with weight transfer. You lack time for the proper weight transfer because you plant your foot too late!
Otherwise, bit more turning sideways in prep, someone mentioned it and I think he was right, I think you would indeed benefit.

Btw. check various positions from which Gasquet hits those BHs. No stability issues whatsoever

 

[ByeByePoly]

@Curious ... I just bought these (the orange things, not the black and grey thing) today for targets. Forget all that spin cr@p ... work on being able to hit your spots.

Spin don't impress me much

 

[ByeByePoly]

Good shots but biggest thing I would work on is either more upright, or even a bit more forward upper body position. You lean way back which forces you to pull across often, and you can see the ball side-spin and curve.

I hear an echo.

Yeah, when I look at pro 1hbh ... Wawrinka in particular, they are often leaning forward from waist on normal height balls, and stand up straight when balls are higher.

Edit: only Kerber and Radwanska put their butts on the court to keep from bending at the waist.

 

[Chas Tennis]

Nice quality high speed video. What camera and frame rate?

Looks as if a lot of your ball feeds are high. To get an easy ball at the right height from my low launch ball machine, I found moving it in to about 1/2 the distance between the baseline and service line worked better than placing it at the baseline. I have not practiced a lot so there may be better ways. ?

1) The post below discusses the distinct method used by Wawrinka, Gasquet and Justine Henin to bring the racket down just before the forward stroke.

You are not doing this in the same way or with the same purpose - ISR - that the above players are.

Demo -

Stand with your arm straight and across your chest. Hold racket with Eastern backhand grip. Keeping the arm in place, using the off hand rotate the racket down resulting in all or mostly internal shoulder rotation (ISR), the upper arm bone rotates around its long axis in the shoulder joint, the arm does not go anywhere for this demo, it rotates like a top. As ISR occurs it will lengthen then stretch the muscles that do external shoulder rotation (ESR).

Now keeping the arm still, using the hitting arm rotate the racket back up with ESR. That is the ISR-ESR stretch shorten cycle that probably goes on in most high level one hand backhands. This distinct movement is in the backhands of Wawrinka, Justine Henin, Gasquet and Federer and others. See in clear high speed videos (~240 fps).

For example, look at 1:10 to see the ISR-ESR motion described and demonstrated above.

The ESR can add top spin during impact.

Backhands at 0:34 & 1:47

______________________________________________________________________________

2) Chest pressing upper arm to start forward stroke -

On the other hand

Picture a credit card squeezed between the chest and upper arm. If the card is not squeezed during acceleration it would fall out. "Arming" - in my usage - means that the shoulder muscles are moving the upper arm. When the chest is directly pressing on the upper arm that is the opposite of using the shoulder muscles. You use the shoulder muscles later as shown by the upper arm separating from the chest.

The forehand has different biomechanics than the one hand backhand. There is no forehand equivalent for the one hand backhand's solid pressing of the chest on the upper arm .

See thread.
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...and-waht-force-to-start-forward-swing.462997/

Draggy has some interesting alternate views.

You seem to have the upper arm pressed by the chest and the line between your shoulders turns. Looks OK, so far.

Your posture looks different somehow, tilted back? Use tight fitting clothing and not that hoodie. (a sleeveless shirt shows the shoulders) Compare your technique to Gasquet, Justine Henin and Wawrinka from very similar camera angles and pick out the differences.

 

[Shroud]

@Curious ... I just bought these (the orange things, not the black and grey thing) today for targets. Forget all that spin cr@p ... work on being able to hit your spots.

Spin don't impress me much

Omg. What did you do to those poor psychedelic witches? Embed them in tile??

 

[zalive]

Omg. What did you do to those poor psychedelic witches? Embed them in tile??

Actually they turned him (BBP) into a dog, but he behaved so they allowed him to type on the internet

 

[Shroud]

Actually they turned him (BBP) into a dog, but he behaved so they allowed him to type on the internet

Lmao!!!

 

[navigator]

Perhaps someone giving valuable advice in this thread can post video of their own topspin BH that's 50% as good as the pro's BH they're trying to emulate.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Lmao!!!

Sucker was a visual aid to help Curious know short targets (witches) are fine.

Man ... targets during ball machine sessions can be enlightening (sad). I have been setting my basket in the bh corner, about 5 feet from baseline, and 3 feet from sideline. What I test is the hopper (about 40 balls) pattern, noting the worse misses. I don't care about actually hitting the basket, that is really just luck. I do care about the big misses ... both line and depth. You can really get fooled just grooving a stroke without targets. I can hit cc 2hbh without missing many, nice rhythm (sometimes) ... decent topspin. Throw down a target ... and ... wtf. Let's put this way ... my FH 40 ball pattern is quite respectable. 2hbh pattern ... not ready for primetime. What I want to get to is a very reliable pattern with the same stroke (2hbh flattish drive full stroke). Once there, I want to hit random strokes, flat, max spin, full follow through, abreviated flat shot, loopy no pace ... all with a good target pattern. If you can't do that with a ball machine, sure can't do it with opponent.

Oh yeah ... first session without the hamstring sleeves. It's definitely not 100% … but much better. My nordic curls are better ... but still in the sad range.

 

[Limpinhitter]

LOL ... you sent me to the online dictionary. Sarcasm is irony laced with mocking and contempt. So ... I ask you sir Limpin ... which one is more appropriate for ttw? Maybe irony in the string forum, and sarcasm everywhere else. The string people are nice.

This is an example of the long term improper use of a word becoming so widespread that it is eventually recognized by dictionaries. Another is the formerly non-existent, inherent redundancy - irregardless, which is now recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.

PS: Traditionally, sarcasm means caustic, bitter, mean, nasty, intended to cause hurt or pain. Irony means saying the opposite of what you really mean, e.g. when you hit a poor shot and say "that's great." I prefer to use the correct, traditional, definitions of words regardless (not irregardless), of the common usage.

 

[zalive]

Perhaps someone giving valuable advice in this thread can post video of their own topspin BH that's 50% as good as the pro's BH they're trying to emulate.

What does it matter navigator?

OP (Curious) asked for eyes and words (of wisdom, preferably ), not for hands. He's seems to be a good guy and he's a decent player who wants to further improve. He didn't post this just to fish compliments for his shots, I'm positive he really wants constructive criticism and truly appreciates what he got. And throughout this thread I see a lot of positivism.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Perhaps someone giving valuable advice in this thread can post video of their own topspin BH that's 50% as good as the pro's BH they're trying to emulate.

So you think Curious expected higher skilled player participation here at ttw when he asked for input? He should have been more clear.

Did you see Borg explaining his 2hbh in a video in another thread? hehehe ... no advice from hack players may be valid, but that doesn't mean all advice from pros is good.

 

[Shroud]

Perhaps someone giving valuable advice in this thread can post video of their own topspin BH that's 50% as good as the pro's BH they're trying to emulate.

Sureshs is my pro model and while I can just get his pachyderm footwork I miss the fluidity and the hitting with a pillow aspect- so 50% as good

 

[movdqa]

Perhaps someone giving valuable advice in this thread can post video of their own topspin BH that's 50% as good as the pro's BH they're trying to emulate.

I'll work on it once I'm able to play tennis again.

 

[navigator]

What does it matter navigator?

OP (Curious) asked for eyes and words (of wisdom, preferably ), not for hands. He's seems to be a good guy and he's a decent player who wants to further improve. He didn't post this just to fish compliments for his shots, I'm positive he really wants constructive criticism and truly appreciates what he got. And throughout this thread I see a lot of positivism.

I agree with every word you wrote. And I don't think there's anyone who's posted that can really help him (or anyone else) in any meaningful manner with his BH. He - like pretty much everyone else here - is just going to need to work it out on his own on the court.

 

[Shroud]

Sucker was a visual aid to help Curious know short targets (witches) are fine.

Man ... targets during ball machine sessions can be enlightening (sad). I have been setting my basket in the bh corner, about 5 feet from baseline, and 3 feet from sideline. What I test is the hopper (about 40 balls) pattern, noting the worse misses. I don't care about actually hitting the basket, that is really just luck. I do care about the big misses ... both line and depth. You can really get fooled just grooving a stroke without targets. I can hit cc 2hbh without missing many, nice rhythm (sometimes) ... decent topspin. Throw down a target ... and ... wtf. Let's put this way ... my FH 40 ball pattern is quite respectable. 2hbh pattern ... not ready for primetime. What I want to get to is a very reliable pattern with the same stroke (2hbh flattish drive full stroke). Once there, I want to hit random strokes, flat, max spin, full follow through, abreviated flat shot, loopy no pace ... all with a good target pattern. If you can't do that with a ball machine, sure can't do it with opponent.

Oh yeah ... first session without the hamstring sleeves. It's definitely not 100% … but much better. My nordic curls are better ... but still in the sad range.

Glad you are healing. Omg targets are sooo hard I never do them and this was the 1st time. Only hit it once

 

[ByeByePoly]

This is an example of the long term improper use of a word becoming so widespread that it is eventually recognized by dictionaries. Another is the formerly non-existent, inherent redundancy - irregardless, which is now recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary.

PS: Traditionally, sarcasm means caustic, bitter, mean, nasty, intended to cause hurt or pain. Irony means saying the opposite of what you really mean, e.g. when you hit a poor shot and say "that's great." I prefer to use the correct, traditional, definitions of words regardless (not irregardless), of the common usage.

Wow ... you are arguing with dictionaries now ... and I'm the bitter one.

 

[Shroud]

I'll work on it once I'm able to play tennis again.

No way dude. What happened??? All those nails in the racquet and your arm fell off right?

 

[ByeByePoly]

Glad you are healing. Omg targets are sooo hard I never do them and this was the 1st time. Only hit it once

Hitting that target is a fluke for a rec player ... I want to see the pattern ... worse misses.

Man ... Nav made me so self-conscious ... hard to post.

 

[Shroud]

Hitting that target is a fluke for a rec player ... I want to see the pattern ... worse misses.

Man ... Nav made me so self-conscious ... hard to post.

Nav is soooo good he can’t even hit a topspin bh

 

[movdqa]

No way dude. What happened??? All those nails in the racquet and your arm fell off right?

If only it were that easy.

 

[Limpinhitter]

Wow ... you are arguing with dictionaries now ... and I'm the bitter one.

You called yourself bitter. I called you ironic.

 

[zalive]

I agree with every word you wrote. And I don't think there's anyone who's posted that can really help him (or anyone else) in any meaningful manner with his BH. He - like pretty much everyone else here - is just going to need to work it out on his own on the court.

Does it mean you think words are meaningless?
Of course he's the one who needs to work it out on his own on the court. That doesn't mean some right advice cannot help him in that journey.
Or you meant that ones who wrote here are not able to give a good advice?

 

[navigator]

Nav is soooo good he can’t even hit a topspin bh

Topspin schmopspin. Everyone knows that Slice-A-Roni is the San Francisco treat.

 

[ByeByePoly]

There should be spin dependency detox centers.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Glad you are healing. Omg targets are sooo hard I never do them and this was the 1st time. Only hit it once

One of your bad misses hit me in the forehead.

How many balls does that gadget hold?

 

[Shroud]

One of your bad misses hit me in the forehead.

How many balls does that gadget hold?

Listen closely as I say, "Thats for BBP" I ironically meant it sarcastically.

28 which is perfect IMHO. I can run back and forth and not die

 

[zalive]

Listen closely as I say, "Thats for BBP" I ironically meant it sarcastically.

28 which is perfect IMHO. I can run back and forth and not die

Nice hitting, Shroud! Some perfect DTL's are there...

 

[navigator]

Does it mean you think words are meaningless?
Of course he's the one who needs to work it out on his own on the court. That doesn't mean some right advice cannot help him in that journey.
Or you meant that ones who wrote here are not able to give a good advice?

The percentage of folks here who are able to give good, actionable advice to a rec player is a small fraction of the percentage of folks who think they can do so. I've been here for almost 4 1/2 years and have yet to see anyone make a meaningful, verifiable improvement in their game (1/2 an NTRP point?) based on wisdom received in these forums. But perhaps I'm wrong. There are hundreds of regular posters here... maybe you can find me three specific examples. Should be pretty easy.

 

[navigator]

There should be spin dependency detox centers.

Agreed. They should build them right next to the technique obsession detox centers.

 

[zalive]

The percentage of folks here who are able to give good, actionable advice to a rec player is a small fraction of the percentage of folks who think they can do so. I've been here for almost 4 1/2 years and have yet to see anyone make a meaningful, verifiable improvement in their game (1/2 an NTRP point?) based on wisdom received in these forums. But perhaps I'm wrong. There are hundreds of regular posters here... maybe you can find me three specific examples. Should be pretty easy.

You said it, court hours practice is what makes player a better player. Not necessarily, though. You do wrong things, you likely won't improve.

I can tell you a story about what happened to me.
Couple of years ago I was hitting against the wall. It was my first outdoor comeback season and I was never better than a weekend warrior hack player, playing a lower 4.0 game in my best days...but 13 years of inactivity made things yet worse. I was hitting and trying to figure out what to do to improve. Then I was given actually a good advice from an older player who seem to knew how FH should work. He actually described to me the whole kinetic chain of hitting a good FH with passive lag (something which I have never ever hit even remotely), even with the ATP WW finish. And he demonstrated it too in slow motion with a racquet, phase by phase. Especially now I understand he was right, he got all the important core elements right. Yet, I was unable to convert what he described into a stroke. I could not connect the elements in a whole. I did partially use few elements, I even thought I got the important, but it wasn't it. I simply couldn't reproduce kinetic chain he described.

Then recently I saw one vid, which was not even educational. Guy hitting some really nice forehands. Then I read another post describing the arm friendly FH. And one phrase, 'pulling the racquet', finally opened my eyes. I needed that particular phrase to understand what I needed to do!

(I'm yet far from converting it into a real match working technique and stopping arming the ball, but at least now I've a kinetic picture what I need to do; something I didn't have until recently when it comes to FH)

That older player knew the important, and he described everything well. For some reason he couldn't reach me though, except theoretically. I'm sure he'd reach practically someone else who would click on his words, plus demonstration. But what I needed was subjective to me, I needed that key which would make me reproduce it...and it was so specific. To me, it was that particular phrase, to someone else...who knows?

The point: it's hard to predict what will trigger someone to see the important and understand. Or how much of it. I couldn't predict it. But I'm pretty much sure you cannot as well. Don't judge. There is still some valuable stuff here, and I personally for myself know I appreciated lot of posts I read here, and not all of them were made by experts skilled with right words. But through time many puzzle pieces can fit indeed into a big picture, and the whole has its value even if its bits ain't perfect.

 

[Curious]

Then I was given actually a good advice from an older player who seem to knew how FH should work. He actually described to me the whole kinetic chain of hitting a good FH with passive lag (something which I have never ever hit even remotely), ev

I suspect that old man was @Limpinhitter!

 

[ByeByePoly]

I suspect that old man was @Limpinhitter!

I took that class.