Editor
I am going to be brutally honest. I've answered literally hundreds of emails pretending I was absolutely sure what I was talking about when I really wasn't.
That's why you won't find a section on Tennisplayer where you get to write in with your stroke questions and get a written answer. It's not that we don't want to help youit's actually the opposite. Reading a verbal description of what a player thinks his stroke problems are is just not enough information to comment responsibly and give accurate advice. We need to see it.
I know this because I have had so many occasions to meet players with whom I've corresponded and film them for myself. The problem is almost never what the player thinks or describes in his email. To give some common examples I see all the time: a player will be super concerned about the shape of his followthrough and have virtually no body preparation. The player will be looking for more power, or more spin or more depth, or more accuracy, but have fundamental problems in the hitting arm position, backswing, or swing path that makes developing these impossible.
Now as a subscriber you have the chance to show us what your strokes are really like. And we have a chance to give you some accurate feedback that can really make a difference in your game. Every month we'll select a stroke (or maybe two) of a subscriber and do an analysis with pro comparisons, and our suggestions. You might learn a lot even if it's not your own forehand we're talking about.
The only requirements? Film it on miniDV tape, and the camera needs to have a shutter speed of a minimum of 1/500 of a second, or at least, what's called a "sports shutter setting." And don't be afraid to zoom in. We need to actually see what you are doing--fill the frame with that stroke. It shouldn't look like "an ant slapping a tic tac," if I may quote Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy.
Send it in and we'll let you know if we select you and even give you a preview before we put it up on the site:
The address is:
John Yandell
Tennisplayer.net
828 Franklin St Suite 204
San Francisco, CA 94102
jyandell@tennisplayer.net
By the way, I'm not saying I won't answer anymore emails, but I guarantee it will be a lot better if you send in that tape. We'll be more certain about what we are saying and you'll be more certain it's worth your while to try it.
The only place you can find it is here on Tennisplayer.