December 2003 -- Question: Can you continue with your discussion of the qualitative analysis of tennis strokes that you began in your last column? I would love to see this approach applied to specific strokes.
Answer: If there is a theme to this column, it would be “back to basics.” To quickly review, remember that I created a checklist from which to evaluate the various aspects of each stroke. You may have to use slow motion videotape replay if you have access to it. If not, you will have to position yourself to watch several strokes hit several times and then re-position yourself at another position, probably at right angles to where you were watching previously. For example, if you were behind the player watching him hit a stroke several times and you felt you had adequately analyzed the movement from that angle, you would move to the side and evaluate the stroke several times again. The same is true when you use video; tape two different views at right angles to each other. Tennis is a three-dimensional sport and requires several different views to properly analyze what is happening for each movement.
As you examine each stroke using the information from my last column, you will be looking at 10 areas:
- Overall starting position
- Movement/placement of the feet
- Backswing
- Transfer from feet to the legs
- Transfer from legs to the hips/trunk
- Transfer from the hips/trunk to the shoulders
- Transfer from the shoulders to the arm(s)
- Transfer from the arm(s) to the hand(s)
- Overall finishing position
- Overall stroke effectiveness
Now, let’s look at some specific questions you might ask yourself when examining several of the strokes. These questions are not all inclusive, but can serve as a guideline of the type of questions you can ask yourself.
Forehand
- Is there adequate shoulder rotation as the player takes the racquet back?
- Is the backswing kept compact?
- Is there rhythm between the weight transfer and the initiation of the forward swing? They should not occur simultaneously but in a rhythmic pattern. If the player is moving forward, it might be something like “step, then swing.”
- Is there adequate hip and trunk rotation to accelerate the racquet?
- Does the contact point occur in front of the body?
- Is there a complete follow-through with little exaggeration?
One-handed backhand
- As the player prepares, are the shoulders rotated enough so that if the athlete’s name was written on the back of her shirt, her opponent could read her name?
- Is there rhythm between the weight transfer and the initiation of the forward swing?
- Is the front shoulder in control once the shoulders rotate to a position almost perpendicular with the net? In other words, the front shoulder should not pull out of the shot too quickly.
- Does contact occur well ahead of the body?
- Is the follow-through long and controlled with little extraneous movement?
Two-handed backhand
- Are the hips and shoulders fully turned as the player prepares for the two-hander?
- Is there rhythm between the weight transfer and the initiation of the forward swing?
- Does adequate hip and trunk rotation exist to accelerate the racquet?
- Does the stroke look as though it is being driven with the shoulders?
- Do the elbows stay fairly close to the body all the way to the impact point? After impact, they usually separate from the body.
- Does impact occur slightly in front of the body?
- Does the follow-through demonstrate adequate acceleration by either extending the arms in a long follow-through or by “wrapping” the arms over the shoulder?
Volley
- Do the shoulders turn immediately to prepare the racquet?
- Would you describe the player’s footwork and momentum as moving toward the ball on every volley? Forward motion is ideal, but we all know that it’s sometimes impossible to move forward, given the speed of the opponent’s shot.
- As the player nears contact, is the racquet face beveled properly?
- Does contact occur in front of the body?
- Does the player strike through the impact zone without excessive racquet head action or an exaggerated follow-through?
- Does the ball fly straight out (or slightly upward on a low volley) from the racquet, providing the shot with depth into the opponent’s court?
These are just a few questions you can ask yourself as you evaluate your players’ games. Make your evaluation simple, and your correction should be simple as well. Even the best players in the world go “back to basics” when they struggle with their strokes.
Send questions to jgroppel@LGEPerformance.com.
