How Much Should You Bend Your Knees In Tennis?

How Much Should You Bend Your Knees In Tennis?
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About John Craig:
☑️Former Collegiate Competitor (Palomar College and San Diego State University)
☑️4 years of inter-collegiate competition in both singles and doubles
☑️Competed in 5.5 and open level tournaments through Southern California, in both singles and doubles, from 1978-2000
☑️Former Director of Tennis at the legendary John Wayne Tennis Club
☑️Player Development Manager For Junior Program At Newport Beach Tennis Club
☑️35+ years of teaching & coaching tennis to all ages, from beginners through advanced players
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[@ql3670]

Yep, for low balls, trying to bend down so much just to keep the racquet head horizontal at contact is not effective and quite exhausting. The more vertical swing with tilted shoulders at contact makes a lot more sense. I was taught the wrong method at first and I hated it. Only years later, I was taught the better way to deal with low balls, and it felt like an "aha" moment.

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Thanks for the feedback and sharing your experience. (You probably learned the Braden method) Hopefully you got the right idea before killing your knees! Best, John

[@ql3670]

@@PerformancePlusTennis Thanks for your reply. I learned the shoulder tilt for low balls from Jeff Salzenstein. He also has a channel on TH-cam.

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

@@ql3670 Yes, great! Jeff is a great guy and friend of mine. We developed and promoted a serve course together. Best, John

[@FundamentalTennis]

John this is no doubt one of the best TH-cam videos I have ever seen. Well done!

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Thanks Jeremy! Happy New Year! I hope you are doing well! Stay in touch!

[@rossdickinson2541]

Thanks John! For me, remembering to keep the knees bent helps to keep me on my toes and then easily land and move out of my split step... so the idea of bent knees is ALSO or FIRST to be reaponsive to the responding shot, then to turn and drive around the swing.

[@JohnCarrizosatennis]

Awesome John!!! So tired of coaches barking bend down , get down or telling their poor students “ stay down on your shot”🙄 That’s not old school, it’s Little House on the Prairie school😆 Kudos for educating players and coaches.

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Thanks John! Hope you are doing well! Happy New Year!

[@colinbyer3018]

Great video thank you very much 🙏 but you still have to bend your knees in a ready position for example returning serve or in doubles when your waiting. Correct?

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Hi Colin, We certainly need to bend at the knees or flex the knees to engage the muscles and create a load - for virtually every shot or more we make in tennis! Thanks, John

[@joelintl2226]

I think excessive bending the knees is a measure to address a very deep ball (when taken on the rise), because you have to take it so close to the ground. Like when positioned on the baseline, and the ball bounces just before the baseline.
Pushing up with every shot helps with creating power too, but it shouldn't be a lot, and rather dynamic.

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Hi Joe, Thanks for your perspective and contribution to the video! Kindly, John

[@tezcaninanlar1934]

You touched an important topic and explained very well coach John, thank you!

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Thanks! Stay tuned for the video coming this Friday. Best, John

[@bournejason66]

Nice explanation. Regarding to WTA bending low to hit, isn’t that Kerber’s money shot? My take on that is she is using a more extreme grip and when incoming ball is low, it’s hard to return. By bending low it makes her life easier and also takes time away from the opponent. Feel free to correct me if that’s not it.

[@lognathan7119]

In order to have a wide base, the knees should be bent. If you have wide based and don't bend your knees, it will look like you are walking on stilts. I *think* this video is about players who are hunching down or reaching for balls instead of maintaining good posture. The player needs to be taught how to maintain posture and balance *and* bend the knee. Look at this court level video of Emma practicing. th-cam.com/video/AO45Z-PELWY/w-d-xo.html. For every single shot, see she will have a wide base, low center of gravity and *bent knees*.

[@lognathan7119]

When watching Emma's video, scroll the video such that her upper body is out of screen.. so you can watch only her legs.

[@williamsannuto8239]

If you listen to John he means excessive down to the ground bending not bending the knees slightly to have a wide athletic base to react to the ball. The context you are comparing is incorrect.

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

Hi Nathan, Thanks for your input and contribution to the video. Yes, knees must be flexed, but they key point is not to over-bend deliberately. I hope this makes sense! Thanks again and stay tuned. Kindly, John

[@lognathan7119]

@@PerformancePlusTennis Hi Coach, Appreciate your comments, and love your videos. Can you review the footwork pattern of Belinda Bencic in this video: th-cam.com/video/IZ3aa6cCSjo/w-d-xo.html. Bencic has different footwork pattern than other players. She hits all the shots with her outside leg, right leg for forehand and left leg for backhand. It looks like open stance, but she even sets up the outside leg in font of her inside leg. This is exact opposite of semi-open stance. I call this as "forward open stance". Sometimes when players play differently we ignore it for a while, and later that style becomes "modern" style that everyone now has to learn. Is Bencic's footwork a new way? Would you teach this style to your players?

[@PerformancePlusTennis]

@@lognathan7119 Hi Nathan, Thanks for your great observation, question and contribution to the video. Bencic certainly plays her backhand off the left/ outside leg on virtually every shot in this video (the exception when is pushed back). She places the left foot forward when she is moving into the ball. This is the opposite of what is commonly taught, so what is she doing? She is creating more separation between lower and upper body...more torque, and she is pushing off the left leg to move into the ball. I actually teach this footwork pattern on approach shots, on both forehand and backhands. It allows the player to move through ball, especially on wider and shorter balls that require you to move through them. I also teach open stance backhands and forehands as an option on high contacts and wide balls. On the forehand she does the same, but you see more of the classic open stance on her FH side. One big take way is every she plays is with dynamic footwork during her swing...nothing is stationary. She is always putting her body into the shots, unless she is pulled wide and forced to stretch and slice. I hope this is helpful. Thanks again, John