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TennisOne Lessons
The Sampras Overhead
Jim McLennan, Senior Editor, TennisONE
As Pete continues to garner titles in his quest to be the all time number one player, he has begun to take the net more and more. Serve and volleying, and now the chip and charge on the opponents second serve. He is no Edberg in the approach game, but still the results speak for themselves. Part and parcel of every commanding net game is a decisive overhead, and here Pete steps up to the plate in spades. We have all seen his leaping, crashing, almost circus like overhead, his one gesture of showmanship in an otherwise take no prisoners workmanlike game. The following two pictures show a unique position, known only to the best of the professional servers, and few of the mortals playing at our clubs and city parks. But this action is common to the game of badminton, and yes it can be learned. Pete swings the racquet up and into the ball, but the signature of his serve and overhead owe to first external and then sharp internal rotation of the shoulder. Note, you will need to be loose, limber, and well stretched for this one, or the rotator cuff muscles will become very angry and sore. Stand up, arms hanging at your sides (the anatomical position), and palms near or next to the outside of your thighs. Relax, this should feel natural. Leave your arms at your side and rotate your thumbs out and away from the thighs so your palms face forward, this is external shoulder rotation (your arm is rotating externally about the shoulder joint). Now back to normal, then rotate your thumbs in and toward your backside (internal rotation). Quickly rotate your arms back and forth. No problem. Now with a racquet in your hand, raise your arm and feel the same external and internal rotation. If done correctly the external rotation will feel prepare the racquet to hit the overhead, and the internal rotation will snap the racquet forward. The key is to hold the racquet so it is at right angles with your arm, then when you rotate your arm the racquet moves considerably.
Now look at Pete in the first photo. His racquet is down, his elbow is up (external rotation). In the next photo, his elbow is still up, his arm is fully rotated from the previous picture, and the racquet has snapped through the hit. Want to learn this the easiest way possible, join a badminton league and develop your overhead clear. Identical stroke, with a lighter racquet and a shuttlecock that demands that you swing through rather than down.
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