Roddickace's New Game!-Different camera angle

[RoddickAce]

I'd just like to update everyone who has helped me with my game with my progress so far.

Old threads:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=237593
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=2971719

Things I've worked on/changed since:
-So on my forehand, I've worked on my non-dominant arm, but when I'm rushing the net I still tend to pull it back way too early.
-On my serve, i've been tweaking around to find the service motion that seems to be the most comfortable to me. So I kinda hybrided my old serve with the "new serve" to a newer motion.
-On my backhand, I changed my grip to a semi-western/extreme eastern backhand grip. My backhand needs a lot of work right now:neutral:, but I feel it is worth it because this new grip handles high bals a lot better than my old grip. But for some reason, with this grip, I tend to naturally make a loop sometimes, and I know that's not recommended, so I'm gonna try and get that smile pattern back. (But at least I fixed the wet noodle-itis!)
-I worked on being lighter on my feet as well.

Main concerns:
-On my serve, from the side view I realized that I do tuck in my non-dominant arm, but how do I stop it from flying out to the side afterwards??!
-My backhand looks horrible right now
-Am I tucking in my non-dominant arm too early even when I'm not approaching the net on my forehand?
-My recovery step sucks.

Sorry for bombarding everyone with questions, but I really value your tips as they have helped me improved a lot. Special thanks to BungalowBill and D-fan4life, you guys have helped me out a lot!

Side angle vids:

Rallies:
http://www.vimeo.com/3304658

Some Slow motion serves:
http://www.vimeo.com/3304353

Slow motion forehands:
http://www.vimeo.com/3304294

Slow Motion Backhands:
http://www.vimeo.com/3304311

Practice Points:
Side angle (Be warned! Some pretty bad-looking forehands here!):
http://www.vimeo.com/3304434
Back Angle (Be warned! Some horrible misses here!):
http://www.vimeo.com/3304514

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Aw crap, I made the honorable mentions list. Now I feel obligated to actually try to help you. Son of a bee sting.

The serve:

Your overall motion is decent, but you lack weight transfer INTO the ball. You need to lean into your serve using the back leg before you drive up and into the court. Watch where Roddick lands in the court and compare it to your serve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T__9ZuSID4w

 

[RoddickAce]

Aw crap, I made the honorable mentions list. Now I feel obligated to actually try to help you. Son of a bee sting.

The serve:

Your overall motion is decent, but you lack weight transfer INTO the ball. You need to lean into your serve using the back leg before you drive up and into the court. Watch where Roddick lands in the court and compare it to your serve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T__9ZuSID4w

LOLZ! Didn't mean to put you on the spot. But woah, he lands like 1-2 feet inside the baseline!:shock:

 

[gunbuster]

You seem off balance a lot of the times after the serve is struck. It seems as though you recover 2-3 steps to the left before you can change directions. I'm guessing that you sometimes feel rushed when your serve is successfully returned?

 

[user92626]

I watched the first video and wondered how you could have such a low backswing and it still worked. How would you deal with high ball? Then, I watched the slo mo one and figured that it's because you let the ball dip low before you hit it. You probably have to dig up the ball more and have extra topspin to keep it in, and judging by how you swing, you kinda got that. Interesting.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

LOLZ! Didn't mean to put you on the spot. But woah, he lands like 1-2 feet inside the baseline!:shock:

Exactly. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it. Just place a towel a foot or so inside the baseline and try to finish with your left foot ahead of it every time.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Practice points:

You need to work on your recovery footwork after you've completed your serve, mainly on the second serve. Unless you serve and volley you want to recover at least a foot or so behind the baseline, since your weaker serve is more vulnerable to attack.

Watch the first point of your side angle video. You served your second and just chilled out a few feet inside the baseline, so you ended up playing an off balance shot on the next ball.

The steps:

1. Land on left leg (you do this already).

2. Brake with the right leg by putting it in front of the left.

3. Push off towards the back fence with it onto the left foot again; this step should be the biggest in the pattern.

4. Take another step with the right foot and then push off as hard as you can towards the back fence. This should get you in good position before that return is hit straight at your feet.

You can practice this while working on your serve, so you'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Matt

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

Roddickace, looking at your slo-motion forehand video, I would suggest you widen your stance (feet too close together) and "load up" more on your back (right) foot just prior to your forward swing. ; it'll keep your hips (then shoulders) from opening up prematurely which causes you to rely too much on your arm to provide the "ommph" on your shot. You'll also hit a heavier ball. Pretty good swing path. Good luck in your continued improvement and enjoyment of the game.

 

[mordecai]

You never really step into the court to punish short balls, especially off your backhand. I like how active your footwork is, but maybe now it's time to clean up the efficiency. You seem naturally limber, and you seem to have a sense of rhythm. I think you'd surprise yourself if you tried to be a little more on-top of the ball's bounce and more aggressive about hitting on the rise. Your strokes seem like they would suit this type of game.

 

[RoddickAce]

Practice points:

You need to work on your recovery footwork after you've completed your serve, mainly on the second serve. Unless you serve and volley you want to recover at least a foot or so behind the baseline, since your weaker serve is more vulnerable to attack.

Watch the first point of your side angle video. You served your second and just chilled out a few feet inside the baseline, so you ended up playing an off balance shot on the next ball.

The steps:

1. Land on left leg (you do this already).

2. Brake with the right leg by putting it in front of the left.

3. Push off towards the back fence with it onto the left foot again; this step should be the biggest in the pattern.

4. Take another step with the right foot and then push off as hard as you can towards the back fence. This should get you in good position before that return is hit straight at your feet.

You can practice this while working on your serve, so you'll be killing two birds with one stone.

Matt

Thanks for listing each step out, that's one of my major concerns right now.

Roddickace, looking at your slo-motion forehand video, I would suggest you widen your stance (feet too close together) and "load up" more on your back (right) foot just prior to your forward swing. ; it'll keep your hips (then shoulders) from opening up prematurely which causes you to rely too much on your arm to provide the "ommph" on your shot. You'll also hit a heavier ball. Pretty good swing path. Good luck in your continued improvement and enjoyment of the game.

Thanks! I'll definitely try that out, as I think I'm still opening up too early on my forehand.

You never really step into the court to punish short balls, especially off your backhand. I like how active your footwork is, but maybe now it's time to clean up the efficiency. You seem naturally limber, and you seem to have a sense of rhythm. I think you'd surprise yourself if you tried to be a little more on-top of the ball's bounce and more aggressive about hitting on the rise. Your strokes seem like they would suit this type of game.

Yeah, that is a weak part of my game. I kind of step back to hit backhands especially. I'm gonna try stepping in taking shots earlier as you have suggested.

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it!

 

[SmAsH999]

you play relatively well, you're shots range from 3.5-low 4.5. pretty good.

 

[drake]

I like the strokes, you need another practice partner.