Unit turn and beeing late with the shot

[toth]

I am learning the unt turn.
I am an average rec player already wirhout the regular (smooth) unit turn.
As i know with unit turn schould a player react faster than without the unit turn.
But in this begining phase of the learning course it is the opposite - i am often late with the shot with the unit turn, on balls without the unit turn i would be in time.
Is it normal in the begining phase or something must be wrong?
(The shots -fh and bh too- are promising with the unit turn.)

Thank you for your answer
Toth

 

[Bambooman]

It's normal.

 

[dannyslicer]

Spend the next 5 hitting sessions telling yourself to turn immediately on every ball.

 

[Morch Us]

i am often late with the shot with the unit turn, on balls without the unit turn i would be in time

(smooth) unit turn

This is because you are trying to unit-turn when you are supposed to "uncoil" and just hit the ball. The key is "early unit-turn".... or "early prep" (forget about "smooth" prep... at least for now)...
Eventually you want to feel a rythm on the loading to uncoil phase transition (rather than a non-optimal stop). But for now.... earliest possible prep.

 

[toth]

I try to step a little back to gain a little time(?!)
I suspect i play to close to the groundlinie in this begining phase.

 

[johnmccabe]

I try to step a little back to gain a little time(?!)
I suspect i play to close to the groundlinie in this begining phase.

You've been posting here for a while.

start posting video if you really want to get the most useful diagnosis for improvement. You shouldn't trust any doctor's prescription if the doctor never even saw you.

then get ready for sieving out good comments while feeling pretty humiliated, if you choose to be self-taught using this forum.

 

[toth]

You've been posting here for a while.

start posting video if you really want to get the most useful diagnosis for improvement. You shouldn't trust any doctor's prescription if the doctor never even saw you.

then get ready for sieving out good comments while feeling pretty humiliated, if you choose to be self-taught using this forum.

Very few member want to be humiliated, as myself : i dont want to be humiliated!(!!)
I get many useful tips without the video, and practise my poor English too.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Morch is correct. If you unit turn late, your entire base (legs, hips and upper body) is moving in the opposite direction you are trying to move the racquet. Your body needs to be set up to have everything go in the direction of your target before you start the stroke.

 

[PKorda]

Very few member want to be humiliated, as myself : i dont want to be humiliated!(!!)
I get many useful tips without the video, and practise my poor English too.

You could put a paper bag over your head.

 

[Fintft]

This is because you are trying to unit-turn when you are supposed to "uncoil" and just hit the ball. The key is "early unit-turn".... or "early prep" (forget about "smooth" prep... at least for now)...
Eventually you want to feel a rythm on the loading to uncoil phase transition (rather than a non-optimal stop). But for now.... earliest possible prep.

It's a plague, including at club level.
People are just not used to face fast incoming balls and develop bad habits.

OP: Take the racquet back with both hands the moment you decided on which side you are going to hit...

 

[Bud]

You could put a paper bag over your head.

Or a leather hood

 

[badmice2]

I am learning the unt turn.
I am an average rec player already wirhout the regular (smooth) unit turn.
As i know with unit turn schould a player react faster than without the unit turn.
But in this begining phase of the learning course it is the opposite - i am often late with the shot with the unit turn, on balls without the unit turn i would be in time.
Is it normal in the begining phase or something must be wrong?
(The shots -fh and bh too- are promising with the unit turn.)

Thank you for your answer
Toth

video? hard to diagnose without it.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

You could put a paper bag over your head.

Better yet:

 

[ballmachineguy]

Better yet:

Ahhhh, then he could always say it was a video of Curious.

 

[Xen]

Common rec mistake: the unit turn and the take-back are two different actions. You can wait around for the ball in a unit turn position without changing your swing timing. Once you begin your take-back, you cannot stop your swinging motion or you'll have a bad hitch in your swing.

Are you sure what you're doing is a unit turn, and not a take-back? Plz post vids so we don't have to guess.

 

[Fintft]

Common rec mistake: the unit turn and the take-back are two different actions. You can wait around for the ball in a unit turn position without changing your swing timing. Once you begin your take-back, you cannot stop your swinging motion or you'll have a bad hitch in your swing.

Are you sure what you're doing is a unit turn, and not a take-back? Plz post vids so we don't have to guess.

No they are not.

 

[Xen]

No they are not.

Uh... they have to be tho, right? To illustrate: some WTA players will have very extreme take-backs where their racquet face points to the back fence. They're not going to be able to do good footwork from that state. Most footwork happens in the phase between the unit turn and the take-back.

For most ATP-style forehands, the unit turn and take-back positions are very close, since guys tend to hit open stance. So maybe for guys, perhaps the correct term to use would be racquet drop instead of take-back. i.e. Don't drop your racquet too early or you'll develop a hitch and be late.

 

[badmice2]

Uh... they have to be tho, right? To illustrate: some WTA players will have very extreme take-backs where their racquet face points to the back fence. They're not going to be able to do good footwork from that state. Most footwork happens in the phase between the unit turn and the take-back.

For most ATP-style forehands, the unit turn and take-back positions are very close, since guys tend to hit open stance. So maybe for guys, perhaps the correct term to use would be racquet drop instead of take-back. i.e. Don't drop your racquet too early or you'll develop a hitch and be late.

Have to agree. Unit turn and take back can be 2 separate action. In theory take back can only exist if you have time. Unit turn on the other hand is necessary to engage the body core and hip to drive the ball. When working together it can yield optimal results. Ultimately time is the issue - in another words, what’s more import if time is an issue - unit turn or take back?

 

[Morch Us]

One of the issue with "online coaching" instruction is that, most of them are not tailored to a specific person. There are things a 3.0 should not worry about (but could be indicated as the biggest issue in the world in an online instruction.... since it is meant for another audience/another level).

 

[nyta2]

I am learning the unt turn.
I am an average rec player already wirhout the regular (smooth) unit turn.
As i know with unit turn schould a player react faster than without the unit turn.
But in this begining phase of the learning course it is the opposite - i am often late with the shot with the unit turn, on balls without the unit turn i would be in time.
Is it normal in the begining phase or something must be wrong?
(The shots -fh and bh too- are promising with the unit turn.)

Thank you for your answer
Toth

i felt the same way too... in case our experiences are similar, i'lll share what i used to do...
i used to hit open stance (no/minimal unit turn), chest often facing the net, and just pull the butt cap slightly forward/across, which was great if i had pace coming to me, but terrible when i had to generate my own pace (or worse, tried to flatten out my shot).
when i was learning unit turn... i felt stuck/slow... because i was also learning to start my swing with my rear leg (pushing forward vs. just xfer'ing sideways) & hitting much further out in front... not to mention the entire motion wasn't ingrained in muscle memory (so a very conscious act when i was thinking about the parts, and their sequencing).
so even moderate speed balls seemed "fast" and i was often late, mainly because i was still thinking about all the steps (vs. the old habits which were ingrained, "fired" faster, albeit less optimal)

 

[Fintft]

I am learning the unt turn.
I am an average rec player already wirhout the regular (smooth) unit turn.
As i know with unit turn schould a player react faster than without the unit turn.
But in this begining phase of the learning course it is the opposite - i am often late with the shot with the unit turn, on balls without the unit turn i would be in time.
Is it normal in the begining phase or something must be wrong?
(The shots -fh and bh too- are promising with the unit turn.)

Thank you for your answer
Toth

Again this is the advice Nick Bollettieri gave me on tennis.com:

"Start taking the racquet back with both hands the moment you decided on which side you are going to hit...That way a semi-pivot back (unit turn) happens automatically. From there hit with no tension whatsover neither in your arm, nor in your grip. There is no such thing as too early prep in rec tennis."

My coach said something similar: "You should start moving(and taking the racquet back) soon after the ball leaves her racquet, like after the ball travels 1.5-2m from her racquet" And "I should be done with both movement and prep, before the ball crosses the net. She knows it is hard, but that doesn't stop her from asking".

Best advice I ever got and I have a couple of friends that I am trying to teach that to, in order for them to deal with fast incoming balls.

 

[toth]

I played yesterday and focused on unit turn.
Problems yet:
1.With unit turn is yet more difficoult to get under the ball than without the unit turn
2. Thbh : hard to look to the ball with the unit turn ( i am righty and left eyed dominant)

But: the acceleration is already bigger than was without the unit turn!

 

[Cap]

This video describes early prep well.

 

[toth]

I played yesterday and focused on unit turn.
Problems yet:
1.With unit turn is yet more difficoult to get under the ball than without the unit turn
2. Thbh : hard to look to the ball with the unit turn ( i am righty and left eyed dominant)

But: the acceleration is already bigger than was without the unit turn!

I practised at the tennis wall and found out, that a wrist upwards motion helps a lot for a good shot
Just my experience
I have pretty extrem grips, fh and thbh too

 

[Bud]

This video describes early prep well.

I really wish folks would video themselves from a slight angle. His body is blocking most of the shots.