August 8, 2010
How to hit the Drop Shot
Now that we've discussed where and when to hit the drop shot, this final installment in our video series discusses how to execute the drop shot. By making some simple adjustments to your slice you will be able to hit a well-targeted drop shot. Learn more about these techniques and continue to Play the Clay, Learn to Win and Play for Life! "What's New" Product Video – from Tennis Warehouse – Women's Apparel - DTL Queen of the Court line - Tank, Skort, Dress, Racer Tank, Flounce Skort.
Foundation vs. Evolutionary Change David W. Smith Senior Editor, TennisOne As we approach “prime time” in American Tennis with the upcoming U.S. Open and the preceding U.S. Open Series of tournaments, we will have the opportunity to watch a lot of tennis on television, and for a lucky number, attend one of these professional events. In observing tennis either live or on television, players and students of the game often see different things. Yet, as I’ll talk about in a moment, the foundation is almost identical among top players across the board. However, one thing that has always struck me is the debate about how this foundation is developed. That is, some say you can let people learn to play tennis any number of ways; the thinking or belief is that each individual will eventually adapt or evolve. This, of course, is true within the context of simply using gravity and adjusting ball speed and height to make a ball land in the court. Others focus on teaching skills to players, even though learning of those skills will feel very foreign or uncomfortable at first. However, through practice and applied replication, the unfamiliar will indeed become familiar and comfortable. Certainly, we can see the latter approach used to teach musical instruments, keyboarding, and other sports such as golf, where proper swing or finger positions also seem awkward at first. Another area discussed is the use of unconventional methods that some people use and have mastered to the point of becoming competitive at relatively high levels in spite of such unconventionality. Yet, the key word in that last sentence is “relatively.” I’ve had some coaches write me letters claiming they had a student who used what most pros would recognize as limiting or mediocre form, only to have that student progress to become one of the more competitive players in their region. I always have two questions for such a coach:
Watching the Pros When we watch professionals play tennis, we often hear two seemingly contradictory statements: “Wow, the pros all look alike!” or, “Wow, the pros all look a little different.” Depending on what we are observing, both statements could be considered accurate. If we are looking at what the players are all doing with the ball at or near contact, we see almost identical elements occurring. The pros all hit with what I call, “A repeatable, reliable swing path.” This simple but true statement actually can be used to describe any skilled player…even players who might indeed use ‘unconventional’ form. If the player can create a swing path that is dependable and repeatable, then the will indeed be able to hit more effective shots more consistently. Even as the pros may have idiosyncrasies and other perceptual differences in getting their racquet to the ball, the bottom line is, all those differences lead to essentially the same event during the contact phase. The difference between those differences and the different swing patterns we see among recreational players is that recreational players have a difficult time in two main areas:
Defending One thing that must also be taken into consideration is that while it is one thing to hit more effective shots more consistently, it is also another issue to be able to “defend more effective shots hit more consistently by our opponents.” This is where a lot of players using unconventional or ineffective form fail to improve. You see thousands of players reach the 3.5 level only to remain there for life. A great many of these players have the athleticism, desire, and dedication to move up, but not the skills. Yet, they often win a lot of 3.0 and 3.5 trophies! There is a big difference between 3.5 and 4.5 players that goes beyond just hitting consistent shots. 4.5 players often hit deeper, harder, and with more angles and spin. Certain grips, for example the eastern grips on volleys, may work just fine against the slower, less effective 3.5 level player but are inadequate against harder, faster, lower, or better placed balls that more advanced players are capable of hitting. But back to our pros: What about the saying that “Wow, the pros all look a little different!” Good question! I’ve trained approximately 3,500 players in over 35 years teaching tennis. While I’ve trained almost all those players within an almost identical foundation, no two players ever emerged playing exactly the same. It is impossible to produce “tennis clones” contrary to what some people might claim. The personality, character, perception, and individual style of every player will “evolve.” Their strokes, techniques, playing style, and strategies will develop to meet their personal sense of need, strengths (or weaknesses), and feel. Yet, all these students evolved from a common and advanced foundation. Conversely, players who first learn inadequate or ineffective techniques must change such patterns if they hope to compete at more highly skilled levels. That kind of change is never natural or easy. When change is mandatory for advancement, it comes at a price: usually a long period of frustration followed by reverting back to old habits. In other words, two steps forward and one step back. This explain why millions of players who take lessons to break old habits sometimes have an impossible time doing just that! I don’t know a single pro, top college player, top ranked junior, or top ranked adult club player who didn’t at some point, learn more effective patterns through some means. Now your thinking, "What about the Magician?" Top pros may all look a little different; from full western grips to strong eastern, from straight back backswings to full loops, from platform stances to pinpoint stance serve positions, from attacking game plans to counter punching, and some, Like Fabrice Santoro play like nobody else. However, within these differences, they all create a stroke that meets the criteria I mentioned earlier (yes, even Santoro): Hitting more effective shots and defending more effective shots more consistently.
We can see extremes in the differences among pros too, yet their foundation still falls within this criteria. Consider Monica Seles or Fabrice Santoro with two-handed forehands. Or look at Jim Courier whose two-handed backhand was executed using a strong eastern backhand grip on his dominant hand, unlike most all other two-handers who favor closer to a continental grip for their dominant hand. Yet amid this diversity all these players creating a repeatable, reliable swing pattern that is both done with a level of command as well as a with a fluid stroke that can adapt in a split second. So, for all our students of the game out there, remember that diversity is never going to be a problem for any player learning the game properly. However, when players learn the game within ineffective means, this kind of diversity seldom allows the player to reach their true tennis potential. The answer? Evaluate your current stroke pattern and identify the issues within your swing that contribute to problems (or have a pro help you do this!) and then emulate the stroke you know will provide you with the advantages mentioned in this article. Finally, employ the new strokes in every opportunity without reverting back to the safety and comfort of your old methods. I have a saying that summarizes this concept: If we avoid that which we are trying to achieve, then we will only achieve that which we are trying to avoid. Think about it!
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Michael McDowell introduces the first of two articles, using the SportsCAD video analysis program to analyze key elements of a high level serve. The serve is the most important stroke in the game and perhaps, the most complex. In part one, Michael examines in great detail the preparation phase; everything up to the point in the serve that is commonly called the trophy position.
