What do you see? (Match Videos)

[tazz]

(If there is a thread on here with amateur match videos were everybody is commenting on the videos, please point me to it. Otherwise, feel free to post your own videos.)

A friend tried to tape several points of me during a match in a tournament yesterday. I won the game easily 6:3/6:1. The conditions were tricky because the wind kept changing directions. I felt okay although moved sluggishly. My opponent played slow with a lot of moon balls therefore I moved to the net and hit as many volleys yesterday as in all my single matches this summer combined. I rarely hit my OHBH - I mainly sliced his slow and high balls or played FH inside/out.

I identified some deficiencies in my strokes myself already, but I'm curious about what you are seeing!

Video 1

Video 2

I might add, I'm the lefty in the front.

Hopefully I can add some more videos in the coming weeks.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Have you considered adding more lefty slice to your topspin-slice serves? This can be an advantage against R-handed returners. On the Ad side you can angle the serve more (short, wide angle) to pull them out wide on their Bh side.

Also a good lefty slice into the body on the Fh side can be quite effective on either the Ad side or Deuce side

 

[tazz]

Have you considered adding more lefty slice to your topspin-slice serves? This can be an advantage against R-handed returners. On the Ad side you can angle the serve more (short, wide angle) to pull them out wide on their Bh side.

Also a good lefty slice into the body on the Fh side can be quite effective on either the Ad side or Deuce side

Usually, I serve with slice and angles. In this game however, I preferred not to slice too wide with my serve, as my opponent kinda liked the open angles. In general, I perceive my serve the area with the most room for improvement.

a) Ball toss is unstable
b) Push with leg is close to non-existant
c) My kick wide or fast flat is laughable.

 

[Airspun]

Solid 4.0, could take a set off Nadal.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Usually, I serve with slice and angles. In this game however, I preferred not to slice too wide with my serve, as my opponent kinda liked the open angles. In general, I perceive my serve the area with the most room for improvement.

a) Ball toss is unstable
b) Push with leg is close to non-existant
c) My kick wide or fast flat is laughable.

If you don’t want to hit too many wide serves, then go for a jammer to the body more often. With some returners, you might want to spin it toward the right hip or shoulder. With other returners, who like to run around to hit their Fh a lot, you might want to spin the serve to their midline (or even slightly to the Bh side of the body).

a) Your tossing action is a bit on the fast side and, as a result, your toss is fairly high. You might consider a slower, slightly lower toss to see if that is more reliable.

However, if you like it on the high side (for timing or for added topspin), you might be able to make it more stable / consistent. One way to do this is to look up during your tossing motion and visual where you want your toss (or contact point) to be. With a bit of practice, the brain will figure out how to get the ball toss to that visualized location.

b) You might be mistiming your knee flexion & subsequent leg drive. You Might have enuff flexion but it looks like it is a bit late. You want your max knee bend as you come into the trophy phase. Your max knee bend appears to be a little bit after the trophy, as your racket head starts to drop. The legs should start to straighten as the racket starts to drop but, in your case, the knees are still flexing. As a result, you will likely not get a decent, well-timed leg drive.

c) As a lefty server, I was not hitting a high % of my serves flat —not until I started playing against 4.5+ to 5.5 returners. I was getting a lot of mileage with the lefty slice & topslice serves against 3.5 to 4.5 returners.

I didn’t hit a lot of (twist) kick serves against righties. I learned to hit a decent kick but really only used it against certain players who were bothered by it. My lefty kick tended to bounce to the L (the returner’s R). For many returners, that bounce neutralized my lefty slice advantage — since it was no longer jamming returners on their Fh side. On their Bh side, they could use a slice return to any kick serves into the body.

 

[tazz]

The high ball toss is downstream from my messed up kinetic chain. Thank's @SystemicAnomaly for giving me pointers.

I should probably start by fixing my tossing motion. But how do I incorporate the timing of the leg drive?

 

[eah123]

Other than the serve toss being too high, I don't have any advice. I love how you get into the right position very early, have great load/coil on all of your groundstrokes. It's like you see the game in slow motion, and make excellent clear tactical decisions throughout the point. I hope to get to your level some day!

 

[tazz]

Other than the serve toss being too high, I don't have any advice. I love how you get into the right position very early, have great load/coil on all of your groundstrokes. It's like you see the game in slow motion, and make excellent clear tactical decisions throughout the point. I hope to get to your level some day!

That's nice to hear, thank you.

However I find that the racquet gets to far behind the body (pad the dog position) and is therefore moving rather circular than linear towards the ball. This makes timing a little difficult and sometimes balls fall short (see OHBH in second video). In this game, it even was the better play, although it was not a deliberate decision by me. He didn't like shorter balls and had trouble, when moving towards a ball in court whereas he easily returned standard spin balls close to the base line comfortably (second video, after he returned my forhand longline to his forhand I had to slice to kill his momentum again).

Other than that, I find my wrist to be pretty stiff on all shots (I felt it, thus I see it in the videos).

 

[Curious]

how do I incorporate the timing of the leg drive?

Just released for you.

 

[tazz]

These tips seem reasonable and easy to execute. Thank you @Curious for posting the video. I wonder, if by just getting used to the feeling, the sequence of my serve motion will improve. Right know, I couldn't for the love of god tell, when I push my legs up vs when I should do.

 

[Curious]

These tips seem reasonable and easy to execute. Thank you @Curious for posting the video. I wonder, if by just getting used to the feeling, the sequence of my serve motion will improve. Right know, I couldn't for the love of god tell, when I push my legs up vs when I should do.

What I see is perfect timing of leg drive! But for some reason you can’t launch upwards as if you have 10kg tied to your ankles. I’ve never seen something like this from an otherwise athletic young person like you.

 

[tazz]

I’ve never seen something like this from an otherwise athletic young person like you.

That's flattering, but actually I'm far from athletic or young (35yo). But I'll focus on really jumping into the ball. I guess, it has something to do with messed up timing:

Uncontrolled toss > Higher toss > Difficult timing jump > Staying on ground.

RHS is another issue, I hope to finally solve this fall, by going lighter. I simply cannot make the stick move fast enough when serving. On groundstrokes, it's fine but there is room for improvement as well.

 

[Curious]

That's flattering, but actually I'm far from athletic or young (35yo). But I'll focus on really jumping into the ball. I guess, it has something to do with messed up timing:

Uncontrolled toss > Higher toss > Difficult timing jump > Staying on ground.

RHS is another issue, I hope to finally solve this fall, by going lighter. I simply cannot make the stick move fast enough when serving. On groundstrokes, it's fine but there is room for improvement as well.

In the end it’s an upwards throwing motion. That should be the focus, not jumping. It’s in a way not a true jump, it’s more a lifting off the ground as part of the throwing action rather.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

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