A New Year's Serve

[klacr]

This is the topic I dream about most.

The one handed backhand is why I play tennis and why I love tennis, and I will consume all tips regarding the backhand especially the high flying ones. I like the idea of building tension with the off hand at the beginning of the stroke. I think I do this and I will have to ask BH next time I hit (which is hopefully during lunch). I just know that my racket feels like it goes through extremes during the shot. At first its very heavy then it feels like its made of nothing and at contact the ball feels like a marshmallow. After contact comes a moment of joy, time slows down and I breath out. The OHBH my one true high.

It really is, when struck well, the most beautiful shot in tennis. Great post!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[bottle]

One Coin on Edge, One on its Side-- Now Go Go Go

If we can't value simplicity, we can't be tennis players.

The coin on edge is the ATP3 backswing. The coin on its side is the ATP3 foreswing. With a 4-foot dogpat in between.

For more explanation or discussion read earlier posts in this thread or send me a private email.

But it's here, I tell you, all right here in # 2567 .

[bottle]

On Finding Names for Tennis Phenomena

"It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for." — Oscar Wilde

[stotty]

Choosing the right words

''Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything.'' ― Aldous Huxley

[bottle]

''Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything.'' ― Aldous Huxley

It's true. And search engines are good too. I think I put in "quotes on naming things" and picked the Oscar Wilde out of some list of 30 great ones. But there were other lists I didn't yet have time to explore some with 500 entries all on the value of naming things. Take Steve Navarro's "dogpat," one word without hyphen or separation and behind which is Steve's love of a dog.

[bottle]

Regarding Federfores

If you use maximum body rotations simultaneously combined with horizontal adduction and internal arm rotation especially from the shoulder you will get around on the ball in time.

You then can relax the backswing, which I regret once calling a flip past the head. The backswing can go close by the head but in fashion more relaxed, reader, than I'm pretty sure you ever imagined.

Here's the Federer clip which may be the closest thing we'll ever have as proper model (http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...1%20500fps.mp4). Just leave out Roger's manipulation of the racket before he starts his four-foot dogpat. You need it like a hole in the head. But be free enough in your demeanor to fiddle around until you find the grip that works.

One really important feature in this design is a complete and vigorous pointing across with opposite hand to help turn body to the max. You can use opposite hand to help bring the racket up toward your head (body is already turning) but from there you need bigtime to emphasize the arm pointing across.

Go Manny.

[bottle]

Too bad.

[bottle]

Eliminate and Keep

No Manny Pacquiao. Go with The Federfore and The McEnrueful. And The Short Angle. And The Scoopy Slice Approach Shot Down The Line, the drop-shot and the lob. That is a bag of good forehands.

[bottle]

Time Management

Everybody has a different theory about how you ought to spend your time. Work to make money? Exercises for sciatica? More rehabilitative exercises for replaced knee? Self-feed the Barry Buss type forehand? Practice overheads?

[bottle]

I don't know why I didn't include vacuum the floor.

[lobndropshot]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWyV_GaH7K0

[bottle]

Good essay. I just did short angle solitaire but have yet to vacuum.

[bottle]

Properly Cueing the Bottle Backhand

Here's where one should shut up, according to the person in the Brown Crew who sat directly behind me. You've figured something out, so use it while staying quiet about it. But the coaches and experts never were particularly fond of either of our experiments. And I never listened to Ed or to anybody too much.

My one hander now starts with a flying grip change to 50 per cent of thumb directly behind the handle. 100 per cent would be thumb extended up the handle. So thumb is on a diagonal and slightly bent, and as a matter of fact that's where I keep it for most of my other strokes no matter the grip. If that makes me unbelievably weird, ignore me, I won't care.

I just pulled with left hand to effect the grip change so now is the time to pull in opposite direction with right hand while both hands loop around and down to point racket butt toward the net. The efficiency in the shot is largely from immediate replication of that loop in the opposite direction bringing racket tip around while arm continues to unfold.

[bottle]

Baby Fed

This forehand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3vfjOZuKJI) is supposed to be the same as this one (http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/...1%20500fps.mp4).

Well, it isn't.

[bottle]

Two Steps for Possibly Developing a Better Federfore

1) Be very simple-minded about employing double coin imagery. The backswing close by the ear and all the way down is a coin on edge. The swing through the ball is a coin on its side.

2) Add tilt of racket to the outside while hand and racket are still high. Concentrate on path of the hand, though, not path of the racket head. The hand path, same as before, preserves the imagery of the two coins.