Thanks Adam, your videos are so down to earth, practical and actionable. I would like to see you cover weight transfer for all strokes, and the question of whether to stay at one height through groundstrokes, or lift at contact.
That’s a great question!!! Let me see what video shots i have to post. My coaching style for my students i teach that the ball dictates the stroke, so if its a low ball obviously you lower yourself and if its high you remain high…BUT the legs need to be in a position to excentsiate angular rotation of your swing as power and not necessarily lifting the body. So with that in mind, there are times you want to stay high and times you want to stay low. Think of a spinning top or visualize an ice skater spinning. The legs are apart of that motion… but there’s more. Attacking, Neutral, Defensive balls all have a leg component of either stepping in, or not, or even stepping back. Are intending to drive the ball in an offensive attack? Place the ball in a neutral rally shot? Or, defensively take the pace off the ball that is driven to keep it in play by not using your legs at all, -stepping back. Remember my pace if the ball rule for error reduction & consistency too: “your intent when striking a ball is the same pace or less back, never more.” Another point on lowering or raising yourself lets look at volleys: my students learn to keep their upper body erect as much as possible in their ready position but lower themselves with bent knees or widen stance. This is critical for the quick arm movements and reactions at the net. Here is something you can do to actually see my point: bend over forward and raise your arms up over your head while remaining bent over forward. Now stand tall and raise your arms. The difference in freedom of movement is dramatic…point being that body positioning is critical for that: freedom of movement. So back to lowering or raising your body in ground strokes: it is a combination of necessity (the ball dictates that), efficiency (angular rotation) and lastly intent (offensive, neutral, or defensive ball strike) Hope this helps, 4:30am for me… kinda in dazed mode… love to write and respond. Thank you again!!! Always enjoy your comments and great questions!!! Let me see what I can do. Coach Adam
(Original comment from k14ce2002) -i accidentally deleted. GameZ .Tennis Such a great video and even better comment response Coach Adam! Since discovering your channel a few weeks ago, I look forward to seeing new ones in my feed. The first time since taking up the game after a 25 year break, I’m now 50, I implemented your pace of the ball idea when playing. Such a great tip! Thanks again for your channel. @k14ce2002 Thank you K14… The game of tennis is a maturity sport… we appreciate and understand it more as we age: “if i only knew what i know now when i was younger!!” Funny thing: I was at the NorCal USPTA Conference and listened to Pro’s talk and demonstrate their approach to tennis. Not one discussion about teaching adults specifically. It was kind of enlightening and I realized these guys work with age groups that simply nod their heads and never question anything. That could give anyone a feeling that they are doing a great job, simply weed out the natural gifted junior players and take credit. But adults can and do question everything…I love it. We need to redefine the the old jargon of teaching and adapt the game correctly by technique, individual formula and teaching prescription. Ever thought what Game Z meant? Most think it relates to my book Zombie Mode Tennis. Actually it is my little philosophy about the game: “tennis is a journey from A to Z. You should always try to advance yourself toward Z…but the game is always evolving and you will never get there, just enjoy it and keep trying” (something like that) 😆 Sorry, i was editing my response and i think i deleted yours… my apology. Coach adam
I took some clips of Joao Sousa i had and made this for you to look at… look how still his posture is and avoids lowering and lifting as part of the shot, rather his legs adjust to ball strike and angular rotation for the ball strike. Here you go, this unlisted link is for you: th-cam.com/video/uNR1vsiLIlQ/w-d-xo.html
Very interesting as usual. I watched one of your earlier videos in which you advocated using a continental grip on the FH to start off with, because this grip reduces errors. Most online coaches say not to use the continental grip on the FH, because you can not hit topspin. Please could you clarify this; are you saying it is possible to rally from the baseline using a continental grip? If the answer is yes it would help me to play with one grip and make me used to using the continental grip when I serve ( at the moment I find the serve strange with this grip).
Hi Chris, Thank you for the comment and questions. Yes, for all my new students I advocate first learning the continental grip and becoming very comfortable with it before advancing to the other grips. It is the less error prone grip once you understand how to use it BUT you are not stuck having to use it exclusively. In one rally/point I may use all of the grips switching constantly; each grip is dictated by the ball: where it is on the court, how high or low, the pace of the ball, is it an offensive opportunity or am I on defense?… each of these may require a different grip at a split second or reaction. When reacting or considering the situation, the CG is the optimal grip for short court control shots, drop shots, slice, volleys, overheads, and serves. So i recommend you have to learn them all. I like to use the analogy of golf: you have a Driver, Irons, a sand-wedge and a putter. You would not play golf with only a sand wedge? You use each club depending on where you are on the golf course. Each golf club does something different to the ball. In tennis it is the same with each grip and you change your grip depending in what you need or intend to do. Here is an example: this video where i change the pace of the game hitting with cody and how it affects the outcome by changing to the continental grip. th-cam.com/video/1LjslwPL8jY/w-d-xo.html Another video you might like is of Edberg hitting with Federer. This is a great example of the baseline rally you asked about; Edberg is only using the continental grip. th-cam.com/video/Cwrt36THazc/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps. Tennis is very difficult but the challenge it gives us makes it really fun to learn. I use the slogan GameZ which to me represents this learning challenge: “We are trying to learn tennis by a progression from A to Z. We will never actually reach Z… but we should never stop trying.” If you are ever in NorCal let me know and we can get out on the court!! Coach Adam Courtsidenotes.com
Thanks Adam, your videos are so down to earth, practical and actionable. I would like to see you cover weight transfer for all strokes, and the question of whether to stay at one height through groundstrokes, or lift at contact.
That’s a great question!!! Let me see what video shots i have to post. My coaching style for my students i teach that the ball dictates the stroke, so if its a low ball obviously you lower yourself and if its high you remain high…BUT the legs need to be in a position to excentsiate angular rotation of your swing as power and not necessarily lifting the body. So with that in mind, there are times you want to stay high and times you want to stay low. Think of a spinning top or visualize an ice skater spinning. The legs are apart of that motion… but there’s more.
Attacking, Neutral, Defensive balls all have a leg component of either stepping in, or not, or even stepping back. Are intending to drive the ball in an offensive attack? Place the ball in a neutral rally shot? Or, defensively take the pace off the ball that is driven to keep it in play by not using your legs at all, -stepping back. Remember my pace if the ball rule for error reduction & consistency too: “your intent when striking a ball is the same pace or less back, never more.”
Another point on lowering or raising yourself lets look at volleys: my students learn to keep their upper body erect as much as possible in their ready position but lower themselves with bent knees or widen stance. This is critical for the quick arm movements and reactions at the net. Here is something you can do to actually see my point: bend over forward and raise your arms up over your head while remaining bent over forward. Now stand tall and raise your arms. The difference in freedom of movement is dramatic…point being that body positioning is critical for that: freedom of movement. So back to lowering or raising your body in ground strokes: it is a combination of necessity (the ball dictates that), efficiency (angular rotation) and lastly intent (offensive, neutral, or defensive ball strike)
Hope this helps, 4:30am for me… kinda in dazed mode… love to write and respond.
Thank you again!!! Always enjoy your comments and great questions!!! Let me see what I can do.
Coach Adam
(Original comment from
k14ce2002) -i accidentally deleted.
GameZ .Tennis Such a great video and even better comment response Coach Adam! Since discovering your channel a few weeks ago, I look forward to seeing new ones in my feed. The first time since taking up the game after a 25 year break, I’m now 50, I implemented your pace of the ball idea when playing. Such a great tip! Thanks again for your channel.
@k14ce2002 Thank you K14…
The game of tennis is a maturity sport… we appreciate and understand it more as we age: “if i only knew what i know now when i was younger!!”
Funny thing: I was at the NorCal USPTA Conference and listened to Pro’s talk and demonstrate their approach to tennis. Not one discussion about teaching adults specifically. It was kind of enlightening and I realized these guys work with age groups that simply nod their heads and never question anything. That could give anyone a feeling that they are doing a great job, simply weed out the natural gifted junior players and take credit.
But adults can and do question everything…I love it. We need to redefine the the old jargon of teaching and adapt the game correctly by technique, individual formula and teaching prescription.
Ever thought what Game Z meant? Most think it relates to my book Zombie Mode Tennis. Actually it is my little philosophy about the game: “tennis is a journey from A to Z. You should always try to advance yourself toward Z…but the game is always evolving and you will never get there, just enjoy it and keep trying” (something like that) 😆
Sorry, i was editing my response and i think i deleted yours… my apology.
Coach adam
I took some clips of Joao Sousa i had and made this for you to look at… look how still his posture is and avoids lowering and lifting as part of the shot, rather his legs adjust to ball strike and angular rotation for the ball strike. Here you go, this unlisted link is for you: th-cam.com/video/uNR1vsiLIlQ/w-d-xo.html
@@GameZTennis Thanks so much Adam
@@GameZTennis No worries on the accidental deletion of my comment. Your replies are just as insightful as your videos! Keep them coming!
Very interesting as usual. I watched one of your earlier videos in which you advocated using a continental grip on the FH to start off with, because this grip reduces errors. Most online coaches say not to use the continental grip on the FH, because you can not hit topspin. Please could you clarify this; are you saying it is possible to rally from the baseline using a continental grip? If the answer is yes it would help me to play with one grip and make me used to using the continental grip when I serve ( at the moment I find the serve strange with this grip).
Hi Chris, Thank you for the comment and questions. Yes, for all my new students I advocate first learning the continental grip and becoming very comfortable with it before advancing to the other grips. It is the less error prone grip once you understand how to use it BUT you are not stuck having to use it exclusively. In one rally/point I may use all of the grips switching constantly; each grip is dictated by the ball: where it is on the court, how high or low, the pace of the ball, is it an offensive opportunity or am I on defense?… each of these may require a different grip at a split second or reaction. When reacting or considering the situation, the CG is the optimal grip for short court control shots, drop shots, slice, volleys, overheads, and serves. So i recommend you have to learn them all. I like to use the analogy of golf: you have a Driver, Irons, a sand-wedge and a putter. You would not play golf with only a sand wedge? You use each club depending on where you are on the golf course. Each golf club does something different to the ball. In tennis it is the same with each grip and you change your grip depending in what you need or intend to do. Here is an example: this video where i change the pace of the game hitting with cody and how it affects the outcome by changing to the continental grip.
th-cam.com/video/1LjslwPL8jY/w-d-xo.html
Another video you might like is of Edberg hitting with Federer. This is a great example of the baseline rally you asked about; Edberg is only using the continental grip. th-cam.com/video/Cwrt36THazc/w-d-xo.html
Hope this helps. Tennis is very difficult but the challenge it gives us makes it really fun to learn. I use the slogan GameZ which to me represents this learning challenge: “We are trying to learn tennis by a progression from A to Z. We will never actually reach Z… but we should never stop trying.”
If you are ever in NorCal let me know and we can get out on the court!!
Coach Adam
Courtsidenotes.com