Ask the Pros
What are the advantages and disadvantages of two-handed shots? Fan Dear Fan, The one hander is more classic and flowing, as Laver of Edberg, but also may be harder for a beginner to learn. The two hander is more of a body shot, compact, and powerful like Connors but the two hander generally has less reach on wide balls. As a coach for many years it is difficult for me to recommend one or the other. It depends a lot on the players style and body build. Best TennisONE Reading up on some tennis literature I have come upon a contradiction that sticks in my mind. I am asking whether this contradiction is one sided or if the two sides are not mutually exclusive. I have seen Groppel, Yandell, and Elliot mention the necessity to keep a firm elbow through contact. Gropell says such a position will maximize the force transferred through the chain links of the forehand. Murphy brings up the idea that the body is a set of levers and to remove/reduce the arching affiliated with such a system one must unbend the elbow at contact to flatten out the hitting zone producing a more direct line through the ball to the target. I see Groppel's point and am inclined to agree with it but, Murphy does bring up an interesting concept. Perhaps the attempt to create such a motion, by unbending at the elbow, is a futile one due to the precision required to perform the task effectively. As it is, Groppel's model involves 2 gears prior to contact. Those involved with the rotation of the torso and the rotation of the arm about the shoulder. These two gears seem to produce a relatively linear swing path as it is. These points lead me to believe there is a progression of motions that transmit the ground force through the body, but all links after the shoulder are static. The motion of the wrist and elbow, in my mind, not only complicates the stroke, but actually impede it. Is this your view and what is your view on this contradiction? Thank you for your time and patience. Brett, I side with Murphy, Groppel seems to mechanical and muscular. One gets an area of contact with Murphy and a point of contact with Groppel. The key is accelerating with the elbow slightly bent and allowing it to straighten instead of holding it fixed or instead of making it straighten. Imagine the forehand, where the ball and racquet meet at one exact moment. Further, imagine that the racquet face swings in a perfect arc. Now if there is a specific target on a swing where the racquet face swings on this type of arc, hitting the ball a moment sooner than perfect will hook the ball left, and hitting the ball a moment later than perfect will send it off to the right. So on that type of swing there is just one moment of perfect contact. If on the other hand the wrist and arm work as two levers instead of one, the racquet face can be made to stay on line for perhaps 6 inches, so that at any moment within this six inch area the player could hit the ball to the target. Therefore, with a point of contact swing one needs perfect timing (which does not exist) and with an area of contact swing one can time the ball within a larger area Jim McLennan TennisONE I have several questions so here we go. I'm having trouble calibrating my low to high swing so that my racket face is perpendicular to the court at contact. What should I do? How low to high should I swing to have good pace but enough topspin for control? How close to the body should my elbow be? How much should I bend the elbow? I read books which instruct to keep the elbow locked in front of the torso, but I thought the entire arm is supposed to swing as a whole unit, and locking in the elbow seems to prevent that. Okay finally, how much should I lay back my wrist? And I read some of Vic Braden's book in which he talks about the inside-out concept. I don't understand why I should swing inside out if I don't want to hit an inside-out forehand, nor do I understand how to swing inside out. Boy! I've got problems. Dear friend, Good Question. That there are so many ways to hit the ball is either the fun or the mystery of tennis. Many techniques appear to work on the professional tour, and often a player is at the mercy of the coaches "prior history". For me, the arm wrist and elbow should be used naturally, which means neither fully extended or fully flexed, and when used naturally there is more "feel". But there are many exceptions to what I have said, nevertheless the players you watch that are graceful are generally not tight nor fully locked or flexed. On the arc of the swing, topspin requires an inside out path, and underspin requires an outside in path. The reason is quite difficult to explain simply. Suffice it to say that when swinging up on the ball for topspin you want the racquet moving forward up and every so slightly away. An alternate picture is to try and accelerate the racquet from 6 to 12 o'clock on the face of the ball. Suggestion: In your area try and find a really fluid looking professional, not one who plays muscular or contrived but is really nice to watch, and probably he can sort out your concerns. Best TennisONE I started tennis lessons not long ago and I have a very old tennis racquet which is too heavy and too big a grip for me. I enjoy my tennis lessons and I want to buy a new racquet that can last me at least 5 to 10 years but after I did some research I am very confused by so many different kinds of racquet for players whom have different abilities. Can you give me some advice? Thank you. Helen, Tennis manufacturers are constantly introducing rackets with new designs, material compositions, etc. Past a certain point, however, it is questionable how much, if any, these super rackets improve performance. In fact, for many players, the opposite may be true. Ultra stiff, superlight, or super head heavy rackets can make it more difficult to develop good technique and ball control. My personal opinion is that there is a limit. Some technology can help players, especially beginners, but too much is too much. At our tennis school we recommend two Wilson frames. First, the Wilson Hammer Hammer 6.2 Stretch with a 110 square inch head. Second, the Pro Staff Classic 6.1 Stretch, also with a 110 square inch head. The first racket is especially good for beginning women if they have a two-handed backhand. Try demoing these frames, and don't let sales people confuse you with too much hype. They may not know what they are talking about! Regards, TennisONE When I return a serve that is moderately paced I can take a full swing and do whatever I want to with it. What do I have to change with my ground stroke motion in order to return a much faster serve? Phil Dear Phil, When playing a player with a faster serve the first thing to remember is to shorten your backswing. You still would like to be offensive but a long backswing can make it difficult to meet the ball in front against a big server. Most people will agree that two of the most dominant returns in history have been Jimmy Connors and Andre Agasssi. Both take very little backswing but still move forward so that they can transfer their weight and be offensive. If the serve is just unbeilevably fast then you might be successful by thinking of little or no follow through - much like a volley. The key is to have a short, compact stroke and use your opponent's power rather than trying to generate a big shot on your own. Good luck, Send your questions to: askpro@tennisone.com |
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