Videos of my new strokes, incorporating more racquethead speed, please critique

[takeuchi]

Here are a couple clips of my hitting practice yesterday. I am experimenting with trying new things to try to improve to the next level so here I am trying to be a little more whippy with my strokes. I may have been overhitting a bit.

Please comment on what you think I am doing well/right as well as what I could be doing to improve my strokes. (that means constructive criticism please)

http://www.sfu.ca/~krt/TennisStrokes.wmv


I was using a POG mid with quite a bit of lead, and i came to the conclusion that it's still pretty tough for me to use, so I am using a POG OS in this video. Even with the OS I was having some troubles, so i think i need to bring the tension down and add a bit of lead to make it a bit more forgiving.

Note: I edited out a few of the crappy rallies, because they were only like 1 or 2 hits long, I am no means a consistent player. When I become consistent with a shot I usually try to improve my stroke again to get it to the next level.

*UPDATE*
see post #21 for a new video of my strokes
http://www.sfu.ca/~krt/kylestrokes.wmv

*UPDATE 2*
post #48
http://www.sfu.ca/~krt/strokeupdate.wmv

 

[Solat]

it may just be me but you look late on a lot of strokes, you will make more errors if you have to accelerate your racquet so fast so late.

 

[ironstring]

Looks good cuz you look relaxed.

But like the above poster pointed out, your take back is slightly slow.
On top of that, you wait too much till you actually start swinging.

Judging from your wiping swing style,
It is always (if the time/distance allows you) better to take the ball in front of your body.
That puts your weight on the shot, making it powerful even in relaxed, controlled swings.

That is all about the timing and your training to make better habits,
so I'll leave it to you.



Another thing,
you are getting lots of low balls. (prolly due to flat practice balls)
With your swing, low balls are harder to hit.
When you deal with those, you have to lean to the ball and LOWER your body.
Lots of forehands in the vid you just lean slightly and use your wrist to wip it.

Not to mention your wrist's health, you won't see a powerful shot coming out of that form.
low skidding ball(especially on the run) is one of the hardest shots for a wiper/western-grip-like swingers.
Cuz you have to run down, and lower your body at the same time.
Unless you instantly change the grip or swing style for those shots,
lowering your body is a must, not to hit the net.

But look like it is a loose warm up vid, so I can't really tell

Good luck and have fun playing!

 

[takeuchi]

it may just be me but you look late on a lot of strokes, you will make more errors if you have to accelerate your racquet so fast so late.

You are definately right....I was late on some. I am not used to the timing of faster balls.

 

[takeuchi]

Not to mention your wrist's health, you won't see a powerful shot coming out of that form.
low skidding ball(especially on the run) is one of the hardest shots for a wiper/western-grip-like swingers.
Cuz you have to run down, and lower your body at the same time.
Unless you instantly change the grip or swing style for those shots,
lowering your body is a must, not to hit the net.

But look like it is a loose warm up vid, so I can't really tell

Good luck and have fun playing!

thanks for your input. the balls aren't flat, its just that my partner hits hard flat balls and the court is pretty slick.

so are you saying i should have a combo of getting low with my knees and leaning?

 

[dave333]

I think your partner needs to work on hitting it deep; I didn't see many balls hitting your side.

 

[Eli]

Takeuchi

Overall looks pretty good. A couple of things on the backswing that make it shaky and loose. First, you take your elbow back and way up. Most pros lead with the racket head on the takeback and keep the elbow down, which makes the backswing tight and efficient. Secondly, you slide the racket back instead of looping, which leads you to do a lot of extra "business" to get the racket into the set position. The loop combined with keeping the elbow down is the way to go. Make these two changes and you'll have a far more reliable forehand under pressure.

 

[McG]

Enjoyed watching the video -- good strokes. I'll echo the same comments as above, although it looked pretty solid. Perhaps just a little earlier preparation on both sides, tighten up the backswing and execution on the forehand side, and try not to hit so much off-balance leaning backwards. I only watched the video once, but I'm wondering if you could explode a little more on your 2-handed backhand. Looked pretty smooth, but at times it almost looked like you were stopping the follow-through a bit short....

Just observations from a guy who is probably still too insecure to tape myself!

Chris

 

[Redflea]

Great strokes, really like how relaxed and loose you look (maybe because my biggest issue is tightening up and hitting like a robot).

Particulary like your knee bend...you're doing a great job of getting down to the ball consistently, very nice.

You almost appear to be leaning back when you hit a lot of your backhands...might want to look into that.

Overall very nice stuff.

 

[chapufo1]

just curious, where are you playing? Those courts look familiar....it wouldn't happen to be Saw Mill Club would it?

 

[Cavallino]

You looks like a plastic man!!! Nice strokes

 

[takeuchi]

I think your partner needs to work on hitting it deep; I didn't see many balls hitting your side.

He hits with very low margin, but they are very rarely short, they either hit the net or go long.

Overall looks pretty good. A couple of things on the backswing that make it shaky and loose. First, you take your elbow back and way up. Most pros lead with the racket head on the takeback and keep the elbow down, which makes the backswing tight and efficient. Secondly, you slide the racket back instead of looping, which leads you to do a lot of extra "business" to get the racket into the set position. The loop combined with keeping the elbow down is the way to go. Make these two changes and you'll have a far more reliable forehand under pressure.

I did not notice this until you posted about it. I will definately try to work on it.

I only watched the video once, but I'm wondering if you could explode a little more on your 2-handed backhand. Looked pretty smooth, but at times it almost looked like you were stopping the follow-through a bit short....

I rewatched and you are right...it looks like it's not a complete swing.

You almost appear to be leaning back when you hit a lot of your backhands...might want to look into that.

I felt like I was leaning in on the backhands, but not the forehands. Does anyone think i should be stepping in more on the forehand?

just curious, where are you playing? Those courts look familiar....it wouldn't happen to be Saw Mill Club would it?

No it wasn't. I'm from vancouver, bc.

You looks like a plastic man!!! Nice strokes

I don't know what a plastic man looks like, but cool!

Keep the comments coming!

 

[Cavallino]

I don't know what a plastic man looks like, but cool!

 

[drakulie]

take, nice vid! The strokes are definitely looking a lot better. Keep it up!

 

[Trinity TC]

Hi Tak, Nice tempo and rhythm on your strokes. Looking smooth with good power.

I felt like I was leaning in on the backhands, but not the forehands. Does anyone think i should be stepping in more on the forehand?

You don't have to step in more with your left foot. You're dipping down with your right hip and bending your right knee prematurely which is causing you to put the brakes on the forward weight shift. (Edit: It's most noticable on the shots where you have a lot of time to setup. You're doing an abbreviated version of it on the faster balls and it's making you look a little rushed and late on those shots.)

That's probably what is giving you the sensation that you are not getting as much of your weight into the shot as you are on your backhand. It's stylish looking but it's causing your swing to decelerate when it should be just starting to accelerate.

The fix is minor so don't start messing with other things on your forehand for the time being. You don't have to eliminate the hip drop altogether but gradually reduce it and you should feel more power. One more time...don't worry about stepping in more with your front foot.

 

[JCo872]

You have very good technique. But I think the notion of "racket head speed" is a terrible one to focus on. I can tell you are trying to have a loose whippy wrist in the beginning of your forehand, but this is not going to add power to your stroke at all. It will just screw up your forehand. You don't see the pros with loose whippy wrists like that.

Here are things you can do to add power to your stroke.

1) Pull to the ball, butt cap first, from farther behind the hip
2) Get more supination in the hand/forearm as you pull forward.
3) Hit the ball farther in front of your body
4) Accelerate hard with your hand and shoulder through the windshield
wiper motion.

 

[Trinity TC]

...But I think the notion of "racket head speed" is a terrible one to focus on. I can tell you are trying to have a loose whippy wrist in the beginning of your forehand, but this is not going to add power to your stroke at all. It will just screw up your forehand.

Yep, he speaks the truth. It's about smooth acceleration and not, "I gotta get more and more racquet head speed...I just gotta..."

 

[takeuchi]

You don't have to step in more with your left foot. You're dipping down with your right hip and bending your right knee prematurely which is causing you to put the brakes on the forward weight shift. (Edit: It's most noticable on the shots where you have a lot of time to setup. You're doing an abbreviated version of it on the faster balls and it's making you look a little rushed and late on those shots.)

That's probably what is giving you the sensation that you are not getting as much of your weight into the shot as you are on your backhand. It's stylish looking but it's causing your swing to decelerate when it should be just starting to accelerate.

The fix is minor so don't start messing with other things on your forehand for the time being. You don't have to eliminate the hip drop altogether but gradually reduce it and you should feel more power. One more time...don't worry about stepping in more with your front foot.

So you are saying I should bend down more instead of leaning so much, and really get my weight transferring forward (but not necessarily stepping forward though)?

You have very good technique. But I think the notion of "racket head speed" is a terrible one to focus on. I can tell you are trying to have a loose whippy wrist in the beginning of your forehand, but this is not going to add power to your stroke at all. It will just screw up your forehand. You don't see the pros with loose whippy wrists like that.

Here are things you can do to add power to your stroke.

1) Pull to the ball, butt cap first, from farther behind the hip
2) Get more supination in the hand/forearm as you pull forward.
3) Hit the ball farther in front of your body
4) Accelerate hard with your hand and shoulder through the windshield
wiper motion.

Does this relate to what Eli said above? Having to do with my high elbow takeback and trying to accentuate the whippiness. Would you recommend more of a loop and less height with the elbow so the stroke is a bit more linear from the backswing?

I can tell its harder to control the racquet face, so I'll try to make it less whippy. I was kind of experimenting with it and all of a sudden i hit a few nice shots, but a lot of times i was really shanking the ball or sending it really long.

 

[Trinity TC]

So you are saying I should bend down more instead of leaning so much, and really get my weight transferring forward (but not necessarily stepping forward though)?

Nope. I'm saying hit with a slightly straighter right leg on your forehand. That should give you a stronger and better timed weight transfer...much like you are doing on the two forehands at the 1:29 and 1:30 mark on your vid. It's a tiny adjustment so don't go overboard with the change as you are pretty solid.

 

[JCo872]

So you are saying I should bend down more instead of leaning so much, and really get my weight transferring forward (but not necessarily stepping forward though)?

Does this relate to what Eli said above? Having to do with my high elbow takeback and trying to accentuate the whippiness. Would you recommend more of a loop and less height with the elbow so the stroke is a bit more linear from the backswing?

I can tell its harder to control the racquet face, so I'll try to make it less whippy. I was kind of experimenting with it and all of a sudden i hit a few nice shots, but a lot of times i was really shanking the ball or sending it really long.

Send me an email. I have some ideas for you.

 

[takeuchi]

OK so here is a new video of me, this time from behind so you can see where my balls are going.

I wasn't trying to be as whippy this time on the forehand. I was trying to pull the buttcap a bit more, but as i looked at it on video it stilll seemed a bit whippy even though it didn't feel as such.

As you can see i'm not the most consistent player, nor is my hitting partner. I almost edited out my fall but included it for comic relief.

Critique away.

http://www.sfu.ca/~krt/kylestrokes.wmv

 

[qwerty66]

is your partner's name carlos?
it is carlos isn't it?

 

[takeuchi]

is your partner's name carlos?
it is carlos isn't it?

Yes it is.....you know him from pipeline?

 

[qwerty66]

yah
hahaha
i can tell it's him by the way he swears and says "comon!"
so you play wth him at SFU?

 

[WhiteSox05CA]

That noise at contact got REALLY annoying. Is that what it really sounds like in there? My club doesn't have a "bubble" roof.

 

[dave333]

I have been to a club with a bubble roof too. really loud when you hit the ball.

 

[takeuchi]

yah
hahaha
i can tell it's him by the way he swears and says "comon!"
so you play wth him at SFU?

hahaha he always swears in portugese. no i just hit with him every so often. he doesn't go to sfu.

 

[qwerty66]

where do you guys play ?
i haven't hit with him since fall
i might start hittinig with him during the season

 

[WhiteSox05CA]

What's your NTRP rating? Or what would you guys rate him?

 

[superbooga]

When you watch pros or really good players hit the forehand, watch their opposite shoulder. You'll see how quickly they pull the shoulder back; this is a sign of the speed of the body rotation.

Imagine you are trying to fling a dumbbell or any heavy object. How would you do it? You would find very quickly that the best results come from first bending down, pulling back your opposite shoulder and rotating your torso, pulling the object and building angular momentum, and then finally releasing the object. You would not get the best results from moving your torso and swinging at the same time; you want to delay the acceleration of the racquet.

 

[NbladeTopspin]

nice shot at 3:35 i think it was

 

[Deleted member 6835]

nice vid. if you're ever playing that guy in a match, hit wide to hit forehand im serious, lol

 

[takeuchi]

where do you guys play ?
i haven't hit with him since fall
i might start hittinig with him during the season

I'm not a liberty to discuss where we play...but in summer usually at ioco

What's your NTRP rating? Or what would you guys rate him?

bah...lets not get into this. i just want to improve my strokes. i do play tourneys though.

When you watch pros or really good players hit the forehand, watch their opposite shoulder. You'll see how quickly they pull the shoulder back; this is a sign of the speed of the body rotation.

Imagine you are trying to fling a dumbbell or any heavy object. How would you do it? You would find very quickly that the best results come from first bending down, pulling back your opposite shoulder and rotating your torso, pulling the object and building angular momentum, and then finally releasing the object. You would not get the best results from moving your torso and swinging at the same time; you want to delay the acceleration of the racquet.

So you are saying i need to pull my shoulder back quicker?

nice shot at 3:35 i think it was

too bad it didn't get the shot on camera...i was fully stretched

nice vid. if you're ever playing that guy in a match, hit wide to hit forehand im serious, lol

We never play any matches, usually just rallying.

 

[superbooga]

So you are saying i need to pull my shoulder back quicker?

You need to rotate more. As I said, just think that you are flinging a heavy object. Pulling back the shoulder can assist the motion. Take a look at Federer and Agassi hitting the forehand:

http://www.usta.com/lessonsandtips/home.sps?iType=935

Edit: Overall the strokes are quite good. In the original vid, I think the best strokes are when you feed the ball. For example, at 0:37 and 1:18 you first rotate and then use that to smoothly accelerate the racquet. Obviously this is easier than hitting a moving ball, but try to prepare quicker and replicate the motion for all shots.

 

[qwerty66]

I'm not a liberty to discuss where we play...but in summer usually at ioco

he took you to vancouver lawn tennis club right?

 

[takeuchi]

You need to rotate more. As I said, just think that you are flinging a heavy object. Pulling back the shoulder can assist the motion. Take a look at Federer and Agassi hitting the forehand:

http://www.usta.com/lessonsandtips/home.sps?iType=935

Edit: Overall the strokes are quite good. However, in general you swing too fast in comparision to your rotation speed. In the original vid, I think the best strokes are when you feed the ball. For example, at 1:18 you first rotate and then use that to accelerate the racquet.

I assume you mean 2:18? If you look at 3:10 the forehand i hit...I thought that it was one of the better technically hit forehands in the video. What do you think about this one?

 

[takeuchi]

he took you to vancouver lawn tennis club right?

no

 

[superbooga]

I edited my post slightly. However, the original vid is only 1:38 in length on my computer.

 

[takeuchi]

I edited my post slightly. However, the original vid is only 1:38 in length on my computer.

Wait did you make your comments based on the original video or the new one posted?

 

[superbooga]

Yeah, they are based off the original vid.

Anyways, you need to accelerate smootly, setting off the motion by rotating your torso.

Also, you need to adjust your rotation speed and swing size based on how quickly you can prepare. Practice varying rotation speed and swing size. For slow rotation + large swing, you will have to prepare very early.

 

[WhiteSox05CA]

Haha, no I'm just asking because I think I could be around the same level as you, and same age.

 

[qwerty66]

hey kyle what lv are you and what lvl do you think jas is?

 

[blubber]

Your look like you're on the right path to getting better. Since you mentioned you're late on some balls and you're playing with a POG (heavy static weight and high swing weight) I thought I'd suggest demoing some racquets with a lower swing weight. A lower swing weight will let you swing faster and get around on balls more easily. Moving to a racquet with a lower swing weight really helped me hone my swing, especially when I started hitting with better players.

PS There's a lot of disagrrement on these boards between the value of high vs low swing weight racquets. I don't want to ruin this thread by turning it into another battleground for that disagreement. It's just a suggestion based on personal experience, take it for what it's worth.

 

[Nick Irons]

You look nice and relaxed.

You look nice and relaxed.

You look nice and relaxed.

-

I'd like to see more explosion coming out of the contact on both sides of the ball. I'd also like to see you hittting balls not hit perfectly right at you.

Overall; you seem to have a nice stroke. A nice and relaxed one.

 

[tennisfanatic]

why did you fall when attempting to hit a volley on your first video???? it's very funny....

this is my comment:
-you need to bend your knees more when hitting low balls.
-you need to develop quick reaction for every incoming ball. that way you'll not have a late awkward shot.
-when you move forward for a volley don't forget your split step.
-even when rallying on the baseline you need to consistently split step for every shot.
-i think you need to focus more on your consistency rather than your racquet head speed and pace. set a goal like 10 hits for forehand and 10 hits for backhand. then at next practice at least 20 hits or more. this what my and my coach do if we have rallies. and if i make mistake the consequence is i have to run five rounds in the court.

*you're relax and that is good point for you. it will help you in your consistinency and will save you from a lot of injuries and body pain.

 

[takeuchi]

why did you fall when attempting to hit a volley on your first video???? it's very funny....

this is my comment:
-you need to bend your knees more when hitting low balls.
-you need to develop quick reaction for every incoming ball. that way you'll not have a late awkward shot.
-when you move forward for a volley don't forget your split step.
-even when rallying on the baseline you need to consistently split step for every shot.
-i think you need to focus more on your consistency rather than your racquet head speed and pace. set a goal like 10 hits for forehand and 10 hits for backhand. then at next practice at least 20 hits or more. this what my and my coach do if we have rallies. and if i make mistake the consequence is i have to run five rounds in the court.

*you're relax and that is good point for you. it will help you in your consistinency and will save you from a lot of injuries and body pain.

I fell because I think i tripped over my toe. I somehow managed to hit the ball while falling though

Thanks for the comments, I'll look into them even though I thought my feet were good in the first video, i haven't paid attention to my feet in the 2nd one though.

 

[takeuchi]

Your look like you're on the right path to getting better. Since you mentioned you're late on some balls and you're playing with a POG (heavy static weight and high swing weight) I thought I'd suggest demoing some racquets with a lower swing weight. A lower swing weight will let you swing faster and get around on balls more easily. Moving to a racquet with a lower swing weight really helped me hone my swing, especially when I started hitting with better players.

PS There's a lot of disagrrement on these boards between the value of high vs low swing weight racquets. I don't want to ruin this thread by turning it into another battleground for that disagreement. It's just a suggestion based on personal experience, take it for what it's worth.

I won't get into the debate, but I was using a pogmid around 13 oz before without any difficulty swinging, now I am using no lead on the pog os, so I don't think swingweight is an issue for me. Thanks for the comment though!

 

[takeuchi]

Thanks to Jeff for really helping me out via email

Here is another update. Vid is about 40megs

I think its a bit of an improvement but still need to work on the whole shoulder coming though more. I was pretty lazy on backhand side as I was pretty tired (not bending down enough), but I included all the junky rallies this time.

http://www.sfu.ca/~krt/strokeupdate.wmv