Load/Explode on return

[ralph]

Does the concept of load, explode, land apply on return of serve? I have a player who looks to me like she loads on her right leg on her forhand and then explodes straight up. Many times she hits a terrific return; all to often the balls goes into the net. She infrequently uses a neutral stance to return. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Ralph

[airforce1]

Does the concept of load, explode, land apply on return of serve? I have a player who looks to me like she loads on her right leg on her forhand and then explodes straight up. Many times she hits a terrific return; all to often the balls goes into the net. She infrequently uses a neutral stance to return. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Ralph

I guess you are talking 2ond serves with time ?

[ralph]

No, she uses this technique when returning 1st and 2nd serves. Her father is a teaching pro and recommends this technique.

Ralph

[airforce1]

If I understand the technique you are speaking of, it is probably a good way to rtn, but she is probably netting them from trying to get too much topspin from a hard ball taken on the rise. Then netting is probably due to compensating to avoid hitting long, by trying to quickly cover the ball too much.

Of course, my answer is loaded full of assumptions given the small amount of info you provide.

[oliensis]

Seems to me the problem isn't exploding, it's the direction of the explosion. In my view leaving the ground as the result of having gained extreme leverage from leg drive into the ball...as part of a wave-like action that has a largely "toward the net" vector, more so than an "up" vector. You're getting down under the ball to drive it up...and the passive result is that you end up leaving hte ground on the way up. But that's a very different "feeling" (kinesthetic sense) that "jumping up." Jumping up makes for the mistakes in my experience. Leaving the ground as the result of loading and then driving makes for a more consistent stroke.

On this one, Murray doesn't leave the ground until the ball has been struck:
http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/andy_murray/am_backhand_return/am_1st_serve_deuce/am_1st_serve_deuce.html?AMBHRet1stSDeuceFront5.mov

Hennin here leaves the ground just prior to impact, but she's not really jumping. She's driving and torquing, and comes off the ground as a result of that, which is again, very different dynamically than jumping.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_woman/justine_heninhardenne/jhh_forehand_return/jhh_1st_serve_deuce/jhh_1st_serve_deuce.html?JHHFHRet1stSDeuceRear1.mo v

[uspta146749877]

Does the concept of load, explode, land apply on return of serve? I have a player who looks to me like she loads on her right leg on her forhand and then explodes straight up. Many times she hits a terrific return; all to often the balls goes into the net. She infrequently uses a neutral stance to return. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

Thanks,
Ralph
Ralph,
there is a female tennis player of Polish origin named Lisicki.
She played on a German Fed Cup team.Ranked #22 in August 2009.
http://www.tennis.com/players/player_info.aspx?player_name=Sabine%20Lisicki
She hits inside out forehand returning a second serve ON CLAY
using a MILD version of load,explode and land technique.
The shot I saw was a CROSS COURT return.
Whether one wants to teach it and at which level remains an open question.

A match was shown on The Tennis Channel last year,I believe.
You may see as well
http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/rogerfederer/rogerfederer_forehand_return/rogerfederer_2nd_serve_ad/rogerfederer_2nd_serve_ad.html?FedererFHRet2ndSAdR ear1.mov

Some coaches consider return of serve to be a defensive/neutralizing shot.
Load,explode and land technique is perceived as an offensive technique by a large number of coaches.
Basically in the case of serve there is no enough time to generate offense.



julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,MA
www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com
juliantennis@comcast.com

[uspta146749877]

You may go through the following list of articles and videos
http://search.freefind.com/find.html?id=49557666&pageid=r&mode=ALL&query=%22serve+return%22

[ralph]

I just want to thank those who responded to my question. Your insight has been helpful.

[uspta146749877]

I just want to thank those who responded to my question. Your insight has been helpful.

You may see a return of serve section of
A free lesson with Novak Djokovic

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