Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Condolences to Rod Laver
Mary Laver, the wife of Rod Laver dies at 84.
It is good to hear that they had a full and happy life together. We wish him well in this difficult time.
It is good to hear that they had a full and happy life together. We wish him well in this difficult time.
Become A Dog
As I think about the years I spent learning tennis I'll have to say that one memory never leaves me and that is a story I heard about training under Harry Hopman. Many of his students took to heart the idea that in training you should chase down every ball whether in or out and play it. In that frame fo mind you'd never stand still and watch a ball go past you without at least trying for it.
Think about what in nature follows such a simple rule. Most any dog you teach to fetch will happily chase any ball you throw for them long past when you can't throw the ball any longer or until you lose interest. They are obsessed with chasing down balls, frisbees, and whatever else you send outward for them to run after.
Follow this rule when you train especially if you are young and you'll find that you will be fleet of foot, and rarely will a ball pass out of your reach that wasn't a great placement or just plain luck. Your conditioning will improve and you will force your opponent to hit better shots and therefore draw more errors from them.
Think of yourself as a dog in training. Who knows, you may come back as one someday and be thankful that you trained well in your past life as a tennis player. You'll fetch better than ever and love doing it.
Think about what in nature follows such a simple rule. Most any dog you teach to fetch will happily chase any ball you throw for them long past when you can't throw the ball any longer or until you lose interest. They are obsessed with chasing down balls, frisbees, and whatever else you send outward for them to run after.
Follow this rule when you train especially if you are young and you'll find that you will be fleet of foot, and rarely will a ball pass out of your reach that wasn't a great placement or just plain luck. Your conditioning will improve and you will force your opponent to hit better shots and therefore draw more errors from them.
Think of yourself as a dog in training. Who knows, you may come back as one someday and be thankful that you trained well in your past life as a tennis player. You'll fetch better than ever and love doing it.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
In Memoriam to Margaret Osborne Dupont
http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/margaret-osborne-dupont-united-states-legend-dies-age-94-102512
Tennis great Margaret Osborne Dupont is another name lost to many even in the tennis world but her devotion to the sport and her achievements stand as testament to her skill and determination on the tennis court. She holds a record of 25 grand slam titles at the U.S. Open.
To learn more about her I have added a link to her Wikipedia page.
Tennis great Margaret Osborne Dupont is another name lost to many even in the tennis world but her devotion to the sport and her achievements stand as testament to her skill and determination on the tennis court. She holds a record of 25 grand slam titles at the U.S. Open.
To learn more about her I have added a link to her Wikipedia page.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The Unit Turn For Forehands
If you want to develop a great forehand your first step is to develop a successful unit turn for every stroke. Follow the steps below.
From Ready Position.
When you determine that it is a forehand you immediately pivot while turning your shoulder and bringing your racket back.
We call it a unit turn because it is one motion where the racket doesn't solo and go back first. Avoid pulling the racket back alone. The purpose of this for a straight backswing is to maintain a synchronized movement between the shoulder and racket arm.
Once you've positioned yourself for the ball the only thing necessary to complete a stroke it to unwind the shoulder turn with a synchronized weight transfer back to the front foot.
Now, you can make it more involved and complicated than this especially if you're trying to crush the ball, but for a solid stroke you can simply and precisely get the job done with a unit turn back and a unti turn forward.
Here is a great video by Rick Macci to give you a demonstration of how it should look at the highest levels. TennisResources.com
From Ready Position.
When you determine that it is a forehand you immediately pivot while turning your shoulder and bringing your racket back.
We call it a unit turn because it is one motion where the racket doesn't solo and go back first. Avoid pulling the racket back alone. The purpose of this for a straight backswing is to maintain a synchronized movement between the shoulder and racket arm.
Once you've positioned yourself for the ball the only thing necessary to complete a stroke it to unwind the shoulder turn with a synchronized weight transfer back to the front foot.
Now, you can make it more involved and complicated than this especially if you're trying to crush the ball, but for a solid stroke you can simply and precisely get the job done with a unit turn back and a unti turn forward.
Here is a great video by Rick Macci to give you a demonstration of how it should look at the highest levels. TennisResources.com
Monday, July 9, 2012
Federer - Return of the King
Fed is the King of grass much as Rafa is the King of clay. With Nol'e no longer in full control of things and Rafa seemingly vulnerable it is the perfect time for the King of tennis to regain his crown if only for a time. There are always more coming up from behind but this is sweet for those of us that have come to near worship Fed for his artistry on the court. It doesn't hurt that he is a likable guy that appears to have no rough edges and is a good family man too. He is the perfect model for tennis as it was and should always remain.
I hope he has more good years ahead so that those of us in our selfish way can see tennis as it might be played by those not subject to the normal rules of human architecture and physics.
As for his future, even those of us among his strongest contingent began to doubt his ability to hold back the younger titans in waiting coming up. I was hopeful he'd grab one more but after seeing him play yesterday I do believe he has improved his game again. His backhand is stronger and he's taken a few hints from the past when Ken Rosewall used his chip backhand to attack and sliced it to break up the rhythm.
He's improvised shots that I've never seen before. One was a ball that Fed attempted to run around to hit his inside out forehand but the ball was moving so fast that it was going into his body. Murray seeing this held back at the baseline and watched in disbelief as Fed performed a peel the orange slice forehand on an angle that I didn't know was possible from that position in the court. I went out last night and tried it and figure he must have some battery powered spin inducing device in his racket to get the action needed. What he created was a perfect angled drop shot from the baseline as he was moving backward. I knew it wasn't an accident after he did it again later though I really was sure it was intentional the first time since he wasn't rushed in the execution of the shot even though he was jammed. Damn he's good.
If we had to put up one person to play a match on grass for the future of planet earth against space aliens to avoid a devastating intergalactic war, I'd chose Fed. He's the best we have and ever have seen and that I admit as someone who idolized Rod Laver as the perfect tennis player in both skill and demeanor since I was a child.
Thanks Roger for giving us more years to enjoy.
Long Live the King of Tennis
I hope he has more good years ahead so that those of us in our selfish way can see tennis as it might be played by those not subject to the normal rules of human architecture and physics.
As for his future, even those of us among his strongest contingent began to doubt his ability to hold back the younger titans in waiting coming up. I was hopeful he'd grab one more but after seeing him play yesterday I do believe he has improved his game again. His backhand is stronger and he's taken a few hints from the past when Ken Rosewall used his chip backhand to attack and sliced it to break up the rhythm.
He's improvised shots that I've never seen before. One was a ball that Fed attempted to run around to hit his inside out forehand but the ball was moving so fast that it was going into his body. Murray seeing this held back at the baseline and watched in disbelief as Fed performed a peel the orange slice forehand on an angle that I didn't know was possible from that position in the court. I went out last night and tried it and figure he must have some battery powered spin inducing device in his racket to get the action needed. What he created was a perfect angled drop shot from the baseline as he was moving backward. I knew it wasn't an accident after he did it again later though I really was sure it was intentional the first time since he wasn't rushed in the execution of the shot even though he was jammed. Damn he's good.
If we had to put up one person to play a match on grass for the future of planet earth against space aliens to avoid a devastating intergalactic war, I'd chose Fed. He's the best we have and ever have seen and that I admit as someone who idolized Rod Laver as the perfect tennis player in both skill and demeanor since I was a child.
Thanks Roger for giving us more years to enjoy.
Long Live the King of Tennis
Friday, July 6, 2012
Federer and Murray in the Final at Wimbledon
I'm partial to Fed but I'm happy to see Murray get a shot at the championship. Getting past Tsonga into the final seemed like a struggle of confidence more than one of skill for Murray. He wanted to go backwards and shriek and growl rather than fight. I think Lendl has helped him immensely and it's proven by his arrival in the final. He has an obstacle named Federer who won't go quietly and may roll over him if he's not careful. I wish them both a great match but I prefer to see Fed set a new record as his likely last Grand Slam Championship win. Call me selfish, but I want to be able to say I did watch him go where no one has ever gone in tennis and it seems unlikely anyone else will again. Good luck Federer.
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