September 8, 2010
Now, if you lose sight of the ball,
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New DVD - Doug King's "Topspin Forehand"
In "Keys to Modern Tennis Technique: One-Handed Topspin Forehand," Doug King continues his in-depth examination of the modern game, this time focusing on how to develop the kind of powerful, effortless topspin forehands you see at the professional level. This DVD, which runs nearly 2 hours, more than twice the average instructional DVD, will cover every aspect of transforming your forehand into a powerful weapon. You'll learn that developing a great topspin forehand is not about "hitting" and "swinging" at the ball harder, but allowing the body's rotational power to flow into a rhythmic "stroking" model for your forehand. This model shows you how to truly connect with the ball, generating more power and control with a manageable and efficient motion. This DVD also provides in-depth slow-motion analysis, showing you the subtle nuances of preparation, take-back, dropping into the slot, contact, and follow-through. Additionally, there are a number of extremely innovative drills for you to practice so you can easily grasp and internalize everything you've learned. Finally, as in all of Doug King's videos, you'll find you've learned more than just how to develop a great forehand. You'll learn the "feel" of how the pros play, and learn a way to enjoy the game at its highest level. 20% Discount for TennisOne Members Tennis Warehouse – New Products – Men's shoes - Nike Air Court Ballistic 2.3 (Rafa's shoe); Head SpeedPro; Strings - Solinco Tour Bite & Revolution; Polyfibre Hexabalde and Black Venom strings
Seeing the Little Things David W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne There are perhaps few things that can motivate a tennis player better than attending a professional tennis tournament and seeing, first hand, the pros in the heat of competition. This is especially true of the the U.S. Open, the biggest arena in our sport. Beyond the elaborate, celebratory, and festive nature of the U.S. Open, enthusiasts can witness the biggest names in tennis practicing on the outer courts and playing on the show courts…all for the biggest stars in tennis! However, one can miss the little things the pros do; the elements of each player’s game that provides the pros the means in which to execute great shots over and over. Personally, I’ve enjoyed all the professional matches I’ve been fortunate enough to attend. The U.S. Open is my sentimental favorite because my first trip to the Big Apple was spent with a week of Media Credentials at the Open. What are We Seeing? What Should We Be looking for? When I attend any professional match, I feel as if my eyes are catching things that other people may not be looking for. Instead of just watching the ball go back and forth over the net (which I also enjoy), I look for things that contribute—or prevent—players from reaching their potential. Many people, when watching the pros up close, view them as super-human. They place professionals on such a high pedestal that they literally lose sight of the essence of the game. Not that professionals are unworthy of such accolades, yet it would serve people better, at least those who want to improve, to analyze professionals with more of a discerning eye instead of simply watching them hit and say, “Wow!” In many ways, pros simplify the game. This can be summarized when we hear people say, “Gee, the pros make it look so easy.” And, in fact, they do! In my experience, most recreational/club players employ so many ineffective or extraneous stroke components that they have to go through gyrations just to counter what I call “Clutter” in their games. This is why so many players are offered “Tips.” (This was discussed with great accuracy by our writer Doug King in our last newsletter, Tips to Mastery.) The Little Things When I sit with club players at tournaments like the U.S. Open, I often hear things like, “What a huge shot.” Or, “How in the heck did he do that?” These sort of subjective comments or questions don’t allow the observer to think inside the box. That is, they are so busy being “wowed,” they lose sight of what indeed made it possible for a player to execute such a shot.
What can the recreational, club, junior player take from looking at “The Little Things?” Let’s start with the most basic…or, at least, the most intimate: the Grip When a pro executes a severe angle volley, for instance, an observer can look for several things relative to the grip: The continental grip, the racquet head orientation to the arm before and after contact, the position of the racquet on the turn, the hold of the racquet after the shot. All of these issues are directly influenced by the continental grip; whereas the recreational player who uses an eastern grip will find every one of these elements different compared to the pro. In fact, a player who uses an eastern forehand or backhand grip will find it nearly impossible to execute a severe angle volley. (This sometimes explains why many players look at pros as being almost inhuman: because of just one little element, the grip, the recreational player simply sees such a shot as impossible!) There are many “little things” that players can watch for in addition to grips: Stance and body position at the start of the serve, the finish of a topspin or slice shot, the type of spin used on volleys, etc. Comparative Study In addition to simply looking at each individual player’s “little things,” comparing those same elements to other players can greatly reinforce the impression when we observe all players doing essentially the same thing with only slight idiosyncratic variations. For example, the continental grip is used by nearly every single pro on the volley, the serve, the overhead, and the dominant hand on the two-handed backhand. Body Position Typically, beginners tend to face the net and their target when first learning to play. This is because the most rudimentary means to see a moving ball–and then direct it somewhere–is to face it and the target the player is aiming at. Yet, when we watch the pros play tennis (and pros in most other sports), the skilled player is usually turned sideways, especially in sports that use a swinging implement such as a bat, a golf club, or a tennis racquet. Take a look at the basic body position of the pros, on certain shots such as the one-handed backhand topspin, the backhand volley, and the slice backhand…all these shots require a very sideways position for maximum effectiveness and success. Footwork The statistic identifying the number of steps the pros take compared to the number of steps a club or recreational player takes is very revealing. Ken DeHart, associate editor at TennisOne, has done some excellent articles covering footwork relative to this concept. (Legendary Pat Etcheberry has also contributed some excellent drills that address footwork at TennisOne as well!) The most fundamental aspect of tennis is to be in the best position to hit the best shot for each situation. Just because we can reach out and hit a ball with minimal steps doesn’t mean we should! That is a big problem for most players: because they can save a few steps by reaching for balls…and make a few of these shots, they get lulled into doing this minimalistic footwork in more and more situations. With the pros averaging about 12 steps between each hit, and the typical club player averaging less than five steps, we can see that this simple observation can have a huge impact on players who do indeed decide to work on improving this part of their game. Watching the pros can emphasize this emphatically One caveat here! Make no mistake, the pros are in incredible shape. Next time you are on the court consciously try to take 12 steps between each stroke and see how long you last. Pros can do this for five sets. Most of we mortals will tire out after 3 or 4 games. Conclusion Obviously, there are many other areas to observe, (Strategies, shot selection, swing path, etc.). But, the idea is to start looking at the pros in two main ways:
You can start to train your eyes to see more as well as learn more. When this is accomplished, tennis is no longer a “blur” but a series of identifiable stroke components that make the “wow” possible.
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TennisOne Writers Store One of your many new benefits as a TennisOne membership is your ability to purchase selected instructional DVDs at 20% off ($7.50 off each) in our new TennisOne Writers Store (login in first to access members links):
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