I appreciate that Hammad. I'm still around and I still talk to people when they need. Reddit is probably the best way to get ahold of me. Once I get my health sorted a bit better, I'll be back. I have a lot more I want to do with this channel, and these videos really only scratched the surface. Not only that, they're all so poorly done LOL so I'm looking forward to making all kinds of stuff.
Racquet Tech I messaged you on Reddit too. The info that you provided in these videos really hit home with me and my game. Hope your health gets sorted soon. You are turbospin on Reddit right?
Yes, the advantage of the ATP Fh set up there is it allows for the ability to have a near instantaneous move towards contact when needed. The racket will pivot around or Flip as some call it, and start lag to drag to near contact. Imo most rec players are constantly working the outside of the ball to draw it back crosscourt and this method doesn't allow you to drag as far as quickly, so they end up a bit late very often when receiving faster balls. Learning to work more on the inside of the ball, like on an inside/out, will let the player drag longer and faster to contact. The timing has to be adjusted for each of these 2 type Fhs.
Here it is March 2017 and I haven't seen a new posting since this one in August. Hope you are ok and planning more. I'm a new subscriber, just found your series about a month and a half ago, and it has focused my racquet mods. I'm a 79-year-old 3.5 to 4.0 player (depending on the state of my knees on any given day), and I've been swinging a racquet since I was about 4. Your comment about everyone using heavy (13oz+) instruments back in the day fits my experience: Jack Kramer Autograph as a preteen/teen, Slazenger (not sure what model, but I thought it looked like a 2 x 4 with a head--HEAVY), Dunlop Maxply Fort for years, then using the Fort until I began to tire and then switching to a Wilson T2000! I used a Wilson Hammer for a few years, then discovered the Wilson 6.1 95 Tour and have used both the 16/19 and the 18/20 (which I prefer). I modified my K-Factor and my BLX from stock (330gr Stat Wt, TW says, 320 Sw Wt, 12 pts hl, 10.9 Tw Wt &167Recoil Wt) to: BLX: 385.5 Stat Wt (14gr lead at 27", 10gr lead on grip under leather, 8gr titanium on trapdoor); 391 Swing wt; 31cm Bal Pt (10 pts hl); haven't figured Recoil Wt or Twist Wt yet. K-Factor: 384.5 Stat Wt (same setup, different stock setup); 393 wing Wt; 31.5cm Bal Pt (8? pts hl); as above. Both racquets are clubs! but they play like a dream. I've played almost two hours at a time with each, and my arm and shoulder don't show any sign of unusual stress. My flat serve seems to have gained a few mph, my kicker is faster and higher than before, and my slice serve leaves the receiver watching in awe! Thanks for your instruction, and thanks for recommending the TW leather grip and the Wilson overgrip. Added them to my sticks, and they are great. Keep the good stuff coming! Before I forget: I'm a ohbher with a western bh grip and a modified Eastern fh grip.
cool vid mate looking forward to exploring this topic further. I've been trying to make my forehand more compact but when I play competitively the old habits come back, still it's always a work in progress.
hey man, ive watched all your videos love the work youve done in explaining twist weight. correct me if im wrong but the conclusion ive drawn is to use a racket with the higheset swing weight that you can personally handle, along with a twist weight that you believe to suit your game. IF this is correct, i should therefore purchase a racket with a low stock twist weight and a head light balance to alter the specs with lead tape (after all you can weight up but not weight down). I was wondering, i if i were to want to increase swing weight, by putting lead tape at 12 oclock, if i were to also put lead at 3 and 9, to increase twist weight, would there be anything wrong about doing this? perhaps a counteracting effect? Thank you so much!
I'm so glad I happen to be up at 2am to watch your new video! I agree with you that technique is important but your channel is unique because it offers a very scientific approach to tennis physics often overlooked and incorrectly used (: p.s. tennis warehouse says the lower twist weight of the new RF pro-staff autograph is actually a "variance".... scary thought there
Yeah it is just a variance. If you add weight at the 26 inch location, the 5 grams that racquet specifically was under weight compared to the last "generation" you get the same swing weight, and the same twist weight, of 338sw and 14.9tw. So basically if you just add weight at the tip in one layer, to match SW you'd get the same high twist weight. I'm pretty sure with the pro staff line, wilson just puts foam inside the tip of the racquet. And on the ps97 that foam extends down the sides a bit. The difference is that because foam is less dense than lead, you can get a higher swing weight, with lower twist weight by adding lead.
I'm just not sure if my Prof Staff 97 (basically 12 ounces after the over grip and dampener) is too heavy for me. I'm 5'6 and pretty skinny. The contact feels great and I can easily play with it for a good 2 hours if I'm in a good condition. In rally and volley, I'm ok with the racquet, it's stable and the contact feels great. I like how firm and steady it is and I can feel the swing too. But if the ball is very fast, or it's a cross court, down the line, on the line, something like that, in which you have to run for it and need to move your racquet real quick, it's a bit hard to get those. But I'm not sure if it's because I am bad at footwork(I think I'm pretty fast on the course so I don't think there is anything to do with my speed) or it's actually because of the racquet maneuverability. Need your comment on this. Also, since you have Yonex, is Yonex VCORE Duel G 100 more like Wilson Pro Staff 97 or Babolat PureDIRVE Team (which is 100 square inches)? I don't like the feel of Pure Drive. It's not steady enough and feels too soft at the contact, which might be contributed by the large string bed. I checked Tennis Oxygen's videos. Those are top notch techniques. I need those to perfect my skills. Thanks for mentioning that in the video.
I believe both technique and racquet maneuverability involve in late reaction. I struggled as same as you. So I tried to improve my footwork and technique and testing new racquets (I like testing haha). I tested the PS97 and it has pretty high twist weight for me (14.52 according to Tennis Warehouse site). My preferred twist weight is around 12.3 or below. I struggled a lot with this PS97 and previous high twist weight racquets in defense especially on backhand side. Slice and defensive slice are not good. Volley isn't better either. After knowing about twist weight, I recognised that I preferred low twist weight. It's hard to say if the racquet is too heavy for you (once again, stroke mechanics and racquets relate). I'm as tall as you and my Yonex Vcore Tour F 93 (about 12.3 twist weight) at 350gr strung is great. I even want to weight it up after trying the wooden racquet (th-cam.com/video/v7FWEZgpBC4/w-d-xo.html ). I suggest you test some low twist weight racquets (find some old models) and see how you feel. If you still love the stability of the PS97, you might not like low twist weight racquets and try to improve your stroke mechanics instead :)
I think I would go to mid 340's on swing weight, and just add the overgrip. Maybe add a few grams to the bottom of the handle later depending on how it feels. Then I would probably pick lux 4g with it. I've seen those things chew up string real fast, and would want something a bit more durable/stiffer for control
Yeah, the string is going to be a bit unique to everyone, that's just what I would pick. The 340 swing weight would make the racquet a bit easier to use because of that high twist weight.
Good Stuff for a huge RF forehand fan. I have a compact forehand stroke. I know someone, who is very tall, always raises his racquet way over his head before he hits.
Like delpo? Don't be fooled though! Delpo and all the other ATP players still pat the dog. The only top pro's that I've seen that reach behind them and don't "pat the dog" are on the WTA...
There are many emerging youtube videos that compare the ATP vs WTA forehands. Justine Henin is one of the few women that have a good compact forehand and hence able to trade blows with the top players who "muscle" it with a large take back
I'm not quite sure I follow you on that last one! But, yes justine henin i've been preaching for a while as one of the few women (in her time) to use that ATP style technique. jack sock, verdasco, djokovic, wawrinka, kyrgios, dimitrov, murray, berdych, etc etc all do that abbreviated take back where the racquet is perpendicular to the body rather than reaching back behind them parallel to the body.
Sorry, when I meant "large take back", I was referring to how WTA players don't do "pat the dog" and allow the racquet head to go behind their body. It doesn't matter what sort of crazy take back people have as long as they "pat the dog" before unloading the forehand, it will allow a much more "compact" stroke (bio-mechanic wise) Even Fernando Gonzalez who arguably has the craziest hard hitting forehand with "large take back" pats the dog :D
I will watch center of mass more now. I got a high swing weight racket (pro staff 97) moving from a babolat pure drive gt, and it's been killing me (being late). It's a good point you make, when stuff stops working (timing, direction), you have to figure out how to make everything more compact so less can go wrong.
Exactly! It's a small adjustment. If you derive your power from your core rotation, you won't lose any racquet head speed, and you'll just cut the distance the racquet has to go, making the forehand that much quicker.
If you say so, some days it works :) - unit turn, leg load, leg, hip, core power, and making sure contact is in front. I find it worst when it is windy and you are hitting into the wind.
Hey, Is it possible to figure out swing weight at home? Just with scale and balance point. Or do I need special machine for that. I find your articles fascinating and even though I know it's me who is missing tennis balls, I'd like to try heavier racket and add a bit more science to my tennis obsession. Thank you.
Hi racket tech, So ive customized a racket with your teachings thanks very much. I bought a head microgel radical MP cuz of its light stock weight. I put around 5 grams total at the tip, (layered 4 inch length), and around 16 grams in the handle near the buttcap using bluetack and lead weight.. strung it up with lux alu power rough at 53. However, i feel like im not getting enough power from my racket even though the swing weight should be around 330-340. what is the problem?
What is your end balance point? When you add a lot of weight to the handle, it doesn't change your swing weight, but it can lower where the sweet spot of the frame is. For some people this can make the racquet feel like it doesn't have power. It's a whole topic I want to get into when I talk about federer/nadal and their racquets soon
Brandon Law Two things: Remove some weight from the handle Add weight to the tip That's pretty much it. There's a trade off for everything, so maybe remove a few grams, and add a gram or two to the tip would be a good blend. It's just a bit of tinkering until it feels good.
hi there man, loving your videos so far looking forward to more content from your channel. thinking of customizing tour g 330.already got leather grip installed but wishing had more comfort .ya think bumping up swingweight with lead at 3 and 9 is a good idea?
Would it be fair to say that a racquet's balance point (center of mass) that's closer to the axis of rotation, would yield a more consistent stroke? I'm just visualizing the opposite (e.g. the balance point up in the hoop area) and that each individual stroke, subjected to various factors like moving to a shot etc, would create a lot of variance in the stroke production. I imagine having the "compact stroke" is designed to do the same thing... shorten that runway so there's less to remember in your "muscle memory", per se.
Well the axes of rotation should be defined about the center of mass (provided you're holding the racquet at the handle), regardless where it is so you're definitely on the right track. The idea behind the compact stroke is to let that racquets inertia cause the lag back, rather than rolling the racquet back, so it keeps the racquet closer to the contact point.
Well I was thinking in terms more of the double-pendulum concept where the axis of rotation for the entire forhand stroke as the player's z-axis during trunk rotation. As the last "part" of the kinetic chain, the racquet's center of mass being closer to the trunk, should produce a more reliable reaction (e.g. swing-path) by the racquet.
Great content from a different perspective than most tennis instructors, keep it up! Having you actually in the video makes it more engaging. I'll be sure to check out Rick Macci as well.
@racquet tech . Watched all your video's. Wish I could retain your services to help me find the right type of customization for my game. Been stuck around 5.0 for 2 years now. Using the RF 97 A factory specs. Need help increasing swing speed . Technique, I've been told by a few people is good so now I'm guessing a racket tweak is needed.
hey hey another question is my racket tend to travel forward faster than my swing,making it sometime leaving my hand when my sweaty palm kick in after half an hr. making me tend to hit out uncontrollably cus the racket angle is wrong Is it cus the handle lack weight? how do i go around it :( i have some lead tape but not foam as its not sold in my country. dun wan to beef up my racket so much cus i am not that wellcondition with around 178 cm tall.
If the racquet is traveling faster than you want it to, adding a few grams at the tip will definitely slow it down. But that kind of "tuning" is rather difficult to do. Try 3g at 27" and see how that changes things. There might be another problem all together, could be technique, but if the racquet feels like it's coming around too fast, then increasing swing weight could help. It also could be that you are pronating into contact, as in flicking your wrist into the ball. That's something you want to not do.
Hey Hey thks so much, you are a genius man :D I fixed it after watching the video and reading up on recoil weight at ur forums. Added 3 g in the handle instead and another 1.5 on top of the 3g at the tip. I think there is too little weight at the handle area so the momentum of the swing causes the tip to travel faster and pronate, another partial reason is my inner replacement grip sort of shrink due to long period compression. ._." Another question just wan to know is that I realised when i was practicing my groundies swing, I realised especially for my one handed backhand the racket is like shaking/wobbling after my swing reaches chest height at the follow through motion is it normal? D: I asked my friends they just say cus it might be I swing with very fast acceleration without any ball on contact to slow it down cus its just a swing, but I dun really buy it.
GodGod KB If you're not finding the center-line axis of the frame then the frame will shake a lot more. You can try a bit of weight at 3/9 to see if you pick up some power. Having a lot of shake isn't necessarily a bad thing in terms of the racquet, it just means you didn't quite find the centerline. A lot of youtube videos at one point were saying fed and nadal "cover" the ball and that's just the frame twisting as they made contact outside the center line. It isn't a problem unless you're doing it all the time. If you're doing it frequently, that's when I would consider upping twist weight, with weight at 3/9. It will reduce some of that frame shake and put more of your swing power into the ball, while adding hitting weight/swing weight to the racquet. And I can't go on the forums any more. Looks like TW pulled some black magic, because for the last week or whatever I can't load their page on any of my computers, browsers, or phone. So I won't be posting on there anymore.
I dun really think its twist weight, cus on impact its good just umm i dunno it feel weird if i accelerate fast,just a matter of feel maybe its the polarise setup of weight at the handle and the tip and not much weight on the throat. Not really sure abt it 😂😂 will try what u taught me nxt week after my competition 😅😅 Meanwhile I am looking towards the Yonex sv 100 and sv 100s, planning to do some customise to it as an upgrade for tour 97 for better power and easier swing(aerodynamic & less resistance). For the 100s rightie it is mentioned on the yonex sites as 26.5 inches,I am still confused is it bad to use a half inch shorter racket but tuned it to have a high sw,polarise setup and low tension string? 😂😂
I dun really think its twist weight, cus on impact its good just umm i dunno it feel weird if i accelerate fast,just a matter of feel maybe its the polarise setup of weight at the handle and the tip and not much weight on the throat. Not really sure abt it 😂😂 will try what u taught me nxt week after my competition 😅😅 Meanwhile I am looking towards the Yonex sv 100 and sv 100s, planning to do some customise to it as an upgrade for tour 97 for better power and easier swing(aerodynamic & less resistance). For the 100s rightie it is mentioned on the yonex sites as 26.5 inches,I am still confused is it bad to use a half inch shorter racket but tuned it to have a high sw,polarise setup and low tension string? 😂😂
Yeah! I'm usually between about a 350sw and 360sw. I feel like 330 and 340 are enough of the difficulty of swinging the 350 but just don't have the same power, so I don't feel like I'm getting all that I'm putting into swinging the racquet. High 340's are ok with a more powerful string bed in my experience, but if I'm using a tighter bed (all poly on my yonex's) I really enjoy closer to 360sw. Otherwise in terms of balance I try to be near 32.5 balance, and static weight right now I'm experimenting in the 350-360g range. I've used 390g racquets, 370, 380 etc with 360sw and they feel great, just over a few hours the extra mass feels cumbersome. That being said, I'll play with just about anything. I just don't like lower swing weights now that I'm used to high ones; the way the racquet naturally lags back with higher sw's feels more natural to me. When I've tried 320~ sw more recently, it really just threw me off. I also like/setup racquets that are close to 330g and 360~SW, and really enjoyed that as well. Swing weight is probably the main thing I care about in my specs. I've enjoyed crazy high twist weights, just like I've enjoyed very low twist weights. I can't say I've picked a spec yet, because I still want to experiment and figure out what I play the best with.
Yeah, I've been pretty sick with auto immune disease so the last thing on priority list was more youtube stuff. Haven't even been able to play in a long time. Don't worry though we'll have a lot of content coming out once I'm a bit better
Thanks man. I'm headed back to my doc this week for the millionth time and will be starting some new stuff so hopefully soon. A lot of paperwork and testing before I can get the meds, but once I start it should be smooth sailing. So fingers crossed
think I get your point: a compact motion helps in being more consistently on time with the stroke, when using a heavier racket. this makes sense. but still there are a number of players out there, that have all but a compact motion, and are still doing pretty well with their forehand (del potro above all). but the real point (for me) is another one: the backhand, especially the one handed backhand. what i found out in using heavier rackets, is that forehands are not that difficult to adjust (I suppose because they are a quite "natural" stroke for most of the players). but ohbh are very different. and the real challenge in adjusting to a heavier racket is this stroke (at least for me). I don't see how you can change your swing on the ohbh, because it's a complex motion. and if I look at those pro's with a great ohbh (wawrinka, gasquet, and my personal favourite mahut), they seem to still have a wide motion. when you start practicing the ohbh with a heavier racket, you'll see that in the beginning you're going to hit some fantastic shots, with unprecedent pace. but soon your arm gets tired, and the trouble begins: you start hitting late with no chance to adjust. here you need much more training (arm, shoulder, and especially trunk) to handle the heavier racket properly.
Well I think we disagree. Del Potro has a large take back from ready position to pre power position, but he doesn't take the racquet behind him. He still hits the pat the dog position. It's funny you say that, because I was literally just watching his USO 2016 practice, and looking for the pat the dog technique. Like I said the take back isn't as critical usually, simply because you can still get to the right position ("pat the dog" without it). I would still say the super direct compact take back is the best, because it saves you time, but sometimes a player has to use what works. Like when we watch federer and nadal step around the backhand at easy and crank a forehand, that's largely to do with how compact that stroke is. A longer stroke would likely be taking a fair number of those shots late. A lot of pros hit 70+mph (the guys playing nadal and federer), so even with good footwork, a long take back will be late on a ball moving that fast. The only other solution then, is to start the swing before the ball bounces, which is really difficult to stay consistent with. In fact, out of hundreds of slow motion videos I've seen (I usually watch a few a day, and have been for a while now), the only players I've seen that don't use the "pat the dog" are on the WTA. Players like Serena etc. Where they reach the racquet not pointed perpendicular from their body, but closer to parallel. Tennis oxygen does a great video comparing the ATP to WTA forehands, and points out this trend of having the racquet pointed out to the side of the body, rather than back behind. As for the backhand, it's similar to the forehand where you really need to learn to use your hip to drive the shot. That's something I'd like to talk about more, and give exercises to help people build their hip flexors up, because with open and semi open stances a like, you can get a huge boost in easy, reliable power, with strong hips and good hip rotation. This timing can be difficult to learn, but it's a great tool to focus on. Check out this video, I think it will help with your backhand. It's really critical to also lag on the backhand and emphasize letting the hips drive the racquet. Even in the examples that aren't wawrinka, there is plenty of hip drive. th-cam.com/video/mxgE-n9G7XU/w-d-xo.html
I don't want to enter too much into technicalities, because what I defintely do agree with, is the fact that one has to use what works. to the untrained eye there may seem major differences, but the underlying mechanics are pretty much the same. at the end we are talking about racquet head accelleration, and in this specific case, if a shorter motion allows you to reach the same racquet head speed and brings more consistency with it (to which I agree, even if I suspect that the grip and whipping motion have some role in this, given that nadal tends to frame forehands more often than federer). still - and after watching some footage of del potro - I don't see much of this pet-the-dog position in his racquet (by which I suppose you mean racquet face flat down, just like putting the racquet on the floor). what is absolutely true is, that men and women have very different types of forehands. guess this is mainly because of different body mechanics, as you can see even more clearly in the serve motion. which seems to be quite "unnatural" for women as opposed to men. yeah, nowadays everybody wants to copy wawrinkas bh. but apart from a muscular aspect (which you absolutely need if you want to copy wawrinka), in my opinion timing is even more crucial (and harder to get). he has such an outstanding timing, that allows him to accellerate the body unwinding (and consequently the racquet head) and still hit the ball clean and controlled. this is simply out of reach for all of us. hence I advocate a more conservative ohbh (like Federer's), because it is more approachable for the average player, provides more consistency and still offers a lot of power potential if executed correctly.
Hey man! Umm. So. I have been playing tennis for 6-8 months and I hate my racket. The head of it is 110sq inch. I first looked at stock rackets then came to your videos. I'm a kid so like 60 bucks is my maximum but I was just wondering if you know a good base rocket for me to then modify. There is a used rf97 (not autograph) in my area. Would it be good after modifying it? Idk please give me your opinion
RF97a is not a bad racquet, but it's pretty heavy stock. So you're not going to have too much room to really add weight outside of adjusting the swing weight or using a lighter stock grip. Looking for a racquet that is 11oz range stock would probably be a better choice, so that you can have more options for the long term. If you want that 97 racquet you can look for a ps97 used on ebay maybe you can get a deal on, that would be a better option giving you more flexibility in the specs you can achieve. Or you could even try a chinese 97 knock off. I need to get back into hitting but so far mine has held up well.
I am working on a 370sw 37xg 30.5cm balance setup. But I haven't been able to play enough to really pick one setup. As I play more I will make videos and just include what I'm using/why.
All of the pros bring the racquet/racket head up not planer. Roger does move his frame from the raised position in his loop through the frame face/palm down position then twisting back upward. Perhaps this is how he increases frame head speed. JM PD does not do this, thus a simpler motion, and less prone to error, also more effective. Suggest looking at the videos and analysis of the two in comparison. By the way, a look into the past of Bjorn Borg, who was known to have the best forehand [and backhand] in tennis, has the 'modern' strokes, and yes using his heavy wooden frame [which was steel re-enforced to handle the high tensions of gut strings, known to be 85 lbs.] (the high pitch, tone is easily noticed, each time the ball is hit) (And Pete Sampras also used a heavy PS 6.0, over 14 oz. with high tension gut too, ~75 lbs.). [John McEnroe's strokes and specifics are quite different, though weights were high, the tension of the gut strings @45 lbs., fitting his playing style (like You commented in other videos)] However, the exact form and method is better described by some other experts. You could learn from them, as i have. My start in tennis was in the wooden racquet/racket era, as some modern frames were coming out with new materials, sizes, shapes etc., but were all still solid, until the next generation of hollow frames, and then stiffer and more to the point of harmful. My strokes went from a simple bio-mechanical to more recently developing the more modern approach that we saw with Bjorn Borg, Guillermo Villas, then Boris Becker, Stephan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Aaron Krickstein, Jim Currier, Michael Chang, etc. (to name a few). It is important, if not vital to get the form correct. Now using more motion, looping, bending of the joints [wrist, elbow], shoulder uses, pronation [forearm twist] and such these body part are more prone to damage. If done wrong, even a little bit, the joints are more susceptible to damage and injury. Add to this the hollow frames [with multiple vibrations frequencies], stiffer frame materials, layup and strings. This mixture, even with top form still leads to serious injuries from damage to the joints. Have You noticed the amount of serious injuries and often resulting in surgery with long comeback time. At the time of Your video, We did not know yet Novak Djokovic was suffering from pain, injury, damage in his right elbow, which took two years with surgery in the middle, now at Wimbledon he rose up again and won. JM PD has had serious injury, damage to his left wrist, and on his third comeback, each time had surgery. Jim Currier had right wrist problems, which led him to retire early. Andy Murray is recovering from serious injury and surgery to his hip, and just now returning to the tour. Look at the many times Rafael Nadal has had serious injuries to many joints and has come back each time. Maria Sharapova has had surgery twice to her right shoulder. Stanis Warwinka, Milos Raonic, Kevin Anderson are additions to these. Serena Williams with her injuries, has come back each time [now after having given birth (which her coach said is more difficult than any other she has experienced)]. Viktoria Azeranka, both injuries and birth. Some of the videos of IMG has a young rising female, named Maria Shishkina, who i've been following. Seems even with all the staff and experts she has there at IMG, she has had some injuries which have significantly affected her in the last two years. Hope she will be able to rise. In all of my years, have never had any tendinitis to any joint, wrist, elbow, shoulder. Only a hyper-extended knee tendons, once [with a sports medicine orthopedic doctor's advice, guidance and exercises (strengthening my quads) they healed without recurrence. Do You have any videos about customization which absorbs the vibrations? Apparently, it is common if not all pro's have silicone injected into the hollow handle which absorbs vibrations significantly. My ideas and concepts led me to fill the entire frame hollow space, though silicone would add too much weight, unless starting with an extremely light weight. Silicone-RTV has a density of 1.04g/ml. Hollow space in the entire handle is ~ 60ml. Measured one of my hollow frames to be more than an additional 60ml, closer to 80-100ml depending upon the beam width of the hoop and shaft. If the frame was 200 g adding 120g, 140g or 160g is within a usable range. Then there will also be significant other weight distribution effects on SW, TW, Bal, etc. There are other options. Me personally, prefer the older solid frames with good materials like braided carbon, fiberglass, Kevlar/Aramid, Ceramic. Am experimenting with filling the handle with silicone/RTV and the remaning frame with Silicone/RTV foam whose density is 0.1g, 0.15g, 0.2g /ml. Am awaiting my first Donnay Xenecore frames in anticipation to testing their design. [Prefer their earlier releases, now many are lighter]. Also there are the new Snauwaert Xenecore [but the wide beams, light weight not for me]. Please do address both of these issues: Proper form [from the experts] and Saftey/Harms of the Modern Racquets/Rackets [look at Donnay's site for the links to the experts information and access to the class action suit of all manufacturers (it is not just marketing hype, probably the reverse, the big names have the hype)]
Note: Look at Juan Martin Del Potro. His forehand is by many experts, the best. Roger Federer has commented that juniors should model their forehand to JM DP's forehand. There are videos from IMG showing their teaching their students and using the pro comparison for forehand to be JM DP! When You look at his forehand You will see a simpler, more effective, higher head speed, effective extension, and proper bio-mechanics. This is Physics too.
"‘What I like about it, he doesn’t really hold back. He doesn’t care if he misfires a few times. He keeps doing it until he finds his range and his rhythm. ‘It seems like a huge takeback, so you always feel like he’s going to be late on it. At the end of the day he’s in position when he needs to be. ‘He drives through the ball perfectly. I think a lot of juniors actually should look at that forehand as a great forehand.’" Yet in that same interview he ranks nadal's as a better forehand, as the greatest. Who has very very similar mechanics to his own on takeback style. "‘I think Rafa’s for me is maybe number one,’ he said when asked if he ranked Del Potro’s forehand as the best in the world." metro.co.uk/2017/09/05/roger-federer-perfectly-explains-what-makes-the-juan-martin-del-potro-forehand-so-fearsome-6905992/?ito=cbshare I don't think delpo has a bad forehand. It's simple no doubt, but on the faster courts that most of the public deals with, I think it's a disadvantage. The extra length makes timing harder as you have to predict starting of the stroke earlier. That's something I especially found hard to do with higher weight racquets on faster courts, and against players who hit over 60-65mph it was a real problem on fast courts. As for IMG... I'm personally not a fan of their work lately. Nishikori is their best player currently, and he does not use those mechanics. I'm a big nishikori fan, but I'm dissapointed with some of their other "alumni" like harrison.
Raquet Tech, You have some good points. However, Your analysis is slightly incomplete and slightly inaccurate. Firstly, in results. JM DP's forehand overpowers RF and RN. Look at their matches this year, especially on hard courts. [JM DP vs RF Indian Wells 2018 F, JM DP vs RN Wimbledon 2018 QF]. Secondly, where exactly do You see JM DP'S "take back" - back swing is larger than either RF or ND?? Yes the racquet/racket face starts higher, but NOT further back. Seems quite similar to Bjorn Borg. Thirdly, the twisting of the forearm that RF uses and You noted You use, adds a complication to the stroke, that JM DP does not have. The added movement and twisting requires more timing and thus room for more error especially on faster, hard courts. If We look at the US Open 2017 SF RN vs JM DP, we will also see JM's power forehand shots were overpowering RN. RN's adjustment, which led to his victory, was hitting more to JM's backhand, which at that time was still significantly weaker than his capability in the past and now. RN's victory at Wimbledon was aided at the end of the fourth set and the fifth set by using the drop shot effectively. The match was late in the day, from high heat, and the court became slippery. JM slipped and fell a number of times, as did RN a couple near the end. Again, grass, which is fast, with less bounce, typically, and more unusual bounces requires adjustments and quick responses. JM was overpowering RN with his forehand. RN was able to win using other tactics, that allowed him to hit winners, especially through movement of JM that required him to move quickly on a more slippery surface. RN also slipped in his attempts, but less than the number he subjected JM to. We see the comradeship, respect each has for the other. JM with RF too. For me, see he has this with nearly if not all players, which is noticeable at the end of the match when they greet after the competition and battle. As for Your perspective if IMG, me thinks You could see it from the greater, wider perspective and thus improved perception. Let us look at ALL of the players that have used Nick and IMG. Firstly, the two proteges from the same time, Andre Agassi and Monica Seles. Both amazing players who are champions. What do You say about Venus and Serena Williams? There are rare if any who reach their level. Serena especially. Many including her present coach, say about Serena, when she is playing her best, she is on a different level than the rest. No wonder she has equaled the best and still going still shy of 37. Venus at 38 + keeps on going and is a formidable opponent for anyone including her sister Serena. Their father brought them to Nick and IMG when they were young girls. Maria Sharapova, arrived at IMG probably just after the Williams sisters left and turned pro. She developed into a champion also. Yes, there are many pros who have not achieved the great levels of others that trained with Nick and IMG, but this is true for all players coming from any training or with anyone. There are many aspects to consider. One is, not everyone will be a champion. Another is, not everyone will reach the levels of multiple championships or the numbers of the great and greatest. The coaches and those who develop them, are doing their best if they can help the individual to achieve their best. Kei Nishikori is a very good example. He utilizes his tools and weapons to achieve his results. When he is doing his best. he competes well with the top players. Yes, often their talent combines with their effective use of it to win. Kei has a similar property to Michael Chang that played every point to the end, chasing every ball he could. He may not have had the level of talent of his competitors, but his perseverance was often greater, and allowed him to defeat the best and achieve GS's and a World No. 2 ranking. Jimmy Conners also may not have had the talent others had, but his mental strength, determination, and perseverance was of the highest level. He played every point like it was important. He had very good timing and would hit the ball on the rise. Arthur Ashe used this to aid him to defeat Jimmy in their 1975 Wimbledon Final, by giving him slower pace, varying the shots, placement etc. Kei has had injuries often during his carrier, which he is rising again from. He played often with injuries and was victorious also. Not long ago, in a tournament on clay in a final with RN, Kei won the first set, was winning about half way through the second set, and had to retire. Ryan Harrison has not shown much though Transworld had made a video about he and his brother. Actually noticed recently he has been playing better. He has shown is biggest vulnerability is his mental aspects, and through lack of self control. This has improved as has his success. What will be his ultimate success? Unknown. Look at John Isner at 33 is having his best year and last year was not too shabby either. Kevin Anderson is 32 and his performance over the last year has been to what we saw in spurts and even better now, with more confidence and consistency. As for the discussion of palm down or not, we can actually look at all of the top players and see how they do it. My first "real training" and teaching came from a fellow who became my best friend. He had significant training, teaching and to be a teacher from a well know former professional and Davis Cup player known as "Dr." Mayer. If You know tennis from decades ago, You may have heard of him, or his two sons Sandy and Gene Mayer. Sandy is Jimmy Conner's year along with a few other greats like Elliot Telscher, Brian Gottfried, all born in 1952. Gene close in age, a bit younger. They were one of the best doubles teams. Gene reached World #4 and Sandy not too far behind him. My friend taught me what was called simple, biomechanically efficient strokes. They allowed me and others to be efficient and effective with the use of the body, and with allowances for variances in surface, bounce, including the unusual, and timing. John McEnroe has about the smallest back swing of any player, especially GS winners. John has quickness with his hands, feet and mind. He utilizes these along with spin and placement. He had many matches with a high ace service count, not from power, but spin and placement along with disguise which he used at the net and for passing too. Now Bjorn Borg is a master with his ground strokes. My friend told me they asked "Dr." Mayer why we don't teach people Bjorn Borg's forehand? Bjorn had the BEST forehand in tennis. The reply they got was, most people cannot duplicate Bjorn's forehand, so we'll teach them one they can duplicate. Such it was. But, there were many who did manage to learn it, and became top professional too. And as we see in the modern game, who does not have such strokes? Also, i have learned to adjust my stroke production patterns, which are not easy for many to actually change. John McEnroe, did not change though he did change his racquet/racket [from wood to graphite (small mid to larger mid) to wider beam and Midplus (98 sq in)]. Bjorn has switched his frame to modern, but have only seen a Midsize in his hands. Jimmy had switched a couple of times after the change from wood to the steel, then graphite mid and finally an early wider beam MP, but the strokes were always the same. For me, am a person of change, so it fits who i am, but with some classical mixed in. Prefer the simple to the complex. Timing is easier to handle with the more simple, hence prefer the JM DP forehand. The palm down in the middle adds a seemingly unnecessary complication, but do see its use to adding speed. So, even the great RF will have huge errors and mishits from this. Perhaps this is a reason or basis why he recommends juniors to learn from JM. Can You or know someone who can ask RF to clarify? Back to the point. A place like IMG and Nick's training camp is a place for individuals to develop their best. What more can be expected? It also offers an environment with other who have similar goals, commitment and desire along with competition that can allow each individual to rise from within themselves and the environment. It also gives them experience that is similar to and can prepare them for the environment of the professional tour. Sometimes with such an environment can reveal new aspects and abilities from within. Sometimes individuals need other specific environments to develop their best in addition of instead. Nick has good perception that individuals need individual methods, means, treatment, unique and specific to each one. He mentioned he knew the way to speak to Monica was very different to the way to speak with Andre. :-)
Actually, have looked at quite a number of videos here and am signed up to receive videos from two such people. Because of my background and knowledge in science, math, physics, physiology, sports and others, my ability to discern from the many who have good clarity, perspective and perception. From Your videos, You seem like a nice young man, who is concerned about giving other what he has learned the aided Your development and could aid others too. So, You have good intentions and some good knowledge too. However, though You have some good success with what You have achieved and maybe are still continuing to grow and not leveled off in a plateau, it is clear to me, from actual experts You could use some guidance if You want to continue Your improvement to be Your best. A little tidbit, my friend, and teacher told me (several decades ago, but remains with me like the present, constantly). He remember seeing Brian Gottfriend come to the tennis camp to get personal instruction and guidance from "Dr." Mayer to improve his back hand. Brian was World #2 when he came there. What does this say about Us? And Who do We ask advice, council, guidance and instruction and to Whom do we profess Our own of these (or from others)?? [When i do, it is from others, who know more, and from those who are among the experts] In conclusion, have found many more who make videos, and attempt to teach others, than those who actually know what it takes and how to disseminate it. There only a few. Not every video that i have seen from IMG, contains all of the necessary information, but when combining them together, the necessary parts do come together. A limited few others have some simple, yet important aspects for the beginner, to intermediate and beyond. From one, led me to another few from a coach, who was a fine professional and Davis Cup player. He bring simple, essential aspects that are easily missed, misconstrued, misconceived, and misunderstood and brings them into clarity, proper conception, understanding, action, motion and production. With these important essentials, we can properly analyse our own stokes and game, and lead us to grow and perform better, hopefully to achieve our best. Interestingly, with this also, when watching the professionals, can detect each one's strengths, weaknesses, and errors. When the shot is made or missed it becomes more noticeable why and how. Can see young developing players who have very solid aspects to their strokes and game, which when used consistently with consistency will lead to high level play, achievement and results. Can see a champion in the making. There are some exciting young 'Next Gen' on the ATP, 18-21 years old that have these qualities. There are some in the middle ranges that may still achieve it, and are struggling but also growing and striving. There are others who indicate they will continue to struggle, but not clear if they will achieve greatness or championship. If You want, can give Your the names and links of some of the videos that are clearly of experts.[Also saw some videos of Annabel in the UK with Venus Williams and Boris Becker who give some very good, essential points and help]. You might develop a broader, better perspective and perception through it. This might lead to You reaching higher levels and achievement in Your game too. :-) All The Best
With all do respect I still disagree with advocating a longer stroke style, on this topic (see video title). I've seen videos of bollettieri himself telling players to shorten up their backstrokes so I disagree with your conclusion, again in consideration of this topic. Could you forward me these videos since you cite them? Also send me any videos you'd like me to see. I'm always open minded to learning more perspectives and improving what I can share on this platform. I appreciate your thoughtful response. Anything you'd like to share with me directly or have a better response with me feel free to shoot me an email. If you noticed this video is a few years old. Due to health issues, I've been slow to return to videos, but this is a conservative and useful video. From my analysis of local club players, to other rec players I've played with it's directly useful to many players. I think there is more than enough room for differing opinion, and each player may find different ways to "skin the cat" so to speak. I'd be happy to include more variations. For making power, there's no reason to discount a longer stroke path. And I understand the advantages. But in general, with a heavier racquet the needs for power aren't as great on the rec level. Becoming more consistent with timing/shorter mechanics is more pertinent to the players I've worked with, to achieving a substantial performance increase. Specifically to the topic outlined in the video title "stop taking the ball late with a heavy racquet", this is by far the most proficient solution. So although again I appreciate your careful evaluation, I think you're missing the specific intent. You claim to be a studios person, so maybe you can take a step back and recognize that.
I'm having a hard time reading through your response, if you could be a bit shorter it would be very helpful. And I find your conclusion that delpo's forehand is more powerful from mechanics alone incredibly invalid. You can't make the direct comparison between delpo's forehand for several reasons. Ignoring the differences is a huge oversight. One he's got much longer wingspan. So he will inherently have longer lever's to work with. With your claims of physics and mathematics understanding, you should instantly recognize that. Not addressing this makes your counterpoints borderline dismiss-able. Next, weight differences. In the past, delpo was using 360~ swing weight. That's a noticeable tick higher than Fed, and a margin above nadal, however in comparison to nadal, he's using a much livelier string bed. Together with more weight, greater levers, he is able to produce more mechanical acceleration, through the increased arc length, and acceleration multiplier through to his core. The longer loop adds more time for acceleration, and the smoother motion means more initial potential energy can be converted into velocity. He also includes a much flatter strike path on the ball. All together, its easy to see how he produces more power. That to me does not constitute it as a better mechanic. Because there are many other players on tour, with incredibly similar forehand technique and again they lack the results that fed and nadal do. And we look at players who went from a longer backstroke forehand, to the pat the dog style like Wawrinka, and we can see their forehands become much more dependable. The issue between the two techniques is that the pat the dog style is easier to time, and shorter distance. Together that makes for more consistency and dependability under pressure and over time. Where as the dp forehand allows for more peak RHS. So if you want to make the case that more power makes a technique better, then I will agree with you. The DP is "superior" in that way. But I think the results speak for themselves. We have a majority of players in the top 10 over the years using pat the dog style mechanics. Most tournaments won in the last 10+ years are won on the atp tour at the top, using pat the dog style mechanics. Delpo doesn't have a lot of titles. And I recognize he's had injury issues, but even when healthy the results aren't so staggering. It's just simply more difficult to pull off that mechanic over time. When we talk about recreational players, consistency and dependability is usually one of the first issues that hinders performance. And that's what wins most recreational matches. At the end of the day, that's why I give the nod to the pat the dog mechanic.
I'm coming back. Been absolutely MIA, health, annoyed with the online community (not you guys ofc, you all have been overwhelmingly great), trying to do work/school, and also trying to get better at making videos. I'd really like to grow this channel alot in the next year so I'm going to give a good effort to make that happen
Good video, but thats an advanced modern forehand technique you are showing. It all makes sense to me and i agree with everything with what you say, however it might not be the easiest thing for an average player to execute.
That's a fair point! It might not be as well. I think learning pat the dog actually may be easier than learning other forehand techniques, it just takes a lot of specific repetition. That being said, it's really hard to break down old habits (I know first hand because this was a major flaw in my forehand). But, it's definitely impossible for someone to learn something they don't know exists! Thanks for your feedback. I want to do some more videos on this, so maybe we can come up with a process for people to learn this in a way that's approachable!?
Yeah but Gasquet and Verdasco are like 5ft, put their forehands on a 7ft golem that moves like a 6th and slap an average slice on the backhand side and you got the GOAT
Finally I see what you look like. Not a bad looking guy at all. If you made videos everyday, I would watch them. Again, thank you for all the videos that you made explaining the finer details of why racquets behave the way they do when you add lead tape.
@@RacquetTalk do you want me to get killed? :D :D :D Anyway having heavy small racquet like federer means you have to move like federer too? Like how he stretch his arm? when I do single back hand like federer it feels great and less strain. Should I continue this way? Thanks
@@LiquidSnake1988 Just don't get hit :^) (big brain) How you move exactly... well it's always better to move better! Movement is all about anticipating/understanding what your opponent can and cannot do with the shot you hit, based off the spin/pace/depth, and the angle of the court the shot is moving at. When it comes to swinging/stretching, this is a topic I am planning a series of videos about. I've seen a lot of videos here on youtube not explaining anything correctly. But I can give you a short answer. Smooth is fast. This is a little cliche saying that comes from car racing. Basically the more efficient and smooth the strokes are, the easier it is to swing quickly. When you add weight to the racquet this becomes even more critical. One of the beauties of a heavier racquet is that you will struggle to get a lot of racquet head speed if you're doing it wrong. And once you get it right, it becomes a lot easier.
"why is roger so sucessfull on grass??" "Thats because its a fast surface and roger hits the ball hard" Nope!! By that logic, players like delpo, berych and isner would dominte. But what happens is , taking federer as an example (Djoko and other players try to do it too), its the ---anticipation---, its understanding the game so well that you will 90% of the times know where the ball is going and be ready for it. Also, he has the most amazing footwork, wich helps him to not loose any time to reach the ball. Roger likes to play inside the lines, and be more agressive and sucessfull with a 130km forehand , inside the court aproach than a guy who hit an 160km forehand wayyy behind the lines
Right! Tennis IQ is so important, so is foot work, and so is shot choice! The technique is then the last "domino" in the whole series that creates a great shot!
cool vid mate looking forward to exploring this topic further. I've been trying to make my forehand more compact but when I play competitively the old habits come back, still it's always a work in progress.
Yeah it can be a tough cycle to break! Have you upped your swing weight? To me it makes it a bit easier, because with the higher SW, the old way really makes good timing hard to pull off. I'll try to come back to this, but the key is doing hundreds of ghost swings before you step out on court. Even thousands. So that you have some muscle memory to work with. Otherwise, trying to time the ball, while learning the new stroke is just double hard.
This guy needed to keep this channel alive. The info that he provides is impeccable
I appreciate that Hammad. I'm still around and I still talk to people when they need. Reddit is probably the best way to get ahold of me. Once I get my health sorted a bit better, I'll be back. I have a lot more I want to do with this channel, and these videos really only scratched the surface. Not only that, they're all so poorly done LOL so I'm looking forward to making all kinds of stuff.
Racquet Tech I messaged you on Reddit too. The info that you provided in these videos really hit home with me and my game. Hope your health gets sorted soon. You are turbospin on Reddit right?
Definitely me
@@RacquetTalkyou still alive brah? Hope so.
Any idea when/if new videos will be made? Thanks!
Might be the best video I’ve ever seen.
Yes, the advantage of the ATP Fh set up there is it allows for the ability to have a near instantaneous move towards contact when needed. The racket will pivot around or Flip as some call it, and start lag to drag to near contact. Imo most rec players are constantly working the outside of the ball to draw it back crosscourt and this method doesn't allow you to drag as far as quickly, so they end up a bit late very often when receiving faster balls. Learning to work more on the inside of the ball, like on an inside/out, will let the player drag longer and faster to contact. The timing has to be adjusted for each of these 2 type Fhs.
Here it is March 2017 and I haven't seen a new posting since this one in August. Hope you are ok and planning more.
I'm a new subscriber, just found your series about a month and a half ago, and it has focused my racquet mods.
I'm a 79-year-old 3.5 to 4.0 player (depending on the state of my knees on any given day), and I've been swinging a racquet since I was about 4. Your comment about everyone using heavy (13oz+) instruments back in the day fits my experience: Jack Kramer Autograph as a preteen/teen, Slazenger (not sure what model, but I thought it looked like a 2 x 4 with a head--HEAVY), Dunlop Maxply Fort for years, then using the Fort until I began to tire and then switching to a Wilson T2000! I used a Wilson Hammer for a few years, then discovered the Wilson 6.1 95 Tour and have used both the 16/19 and the 18/20 (which I prefer).
I modified my K-Factor and my BLX from stock (330gr Stat Wt, TW says, 320 Sw Wt, 12 pts hl, 10.9 Tw Wt &167Recoil Wt) to: BLX: 385.5 Stat Wt (14gr lead at 27", 10gr lead on grip under leather, 8gr titanium on trapdoor); 391 Swing wt; 31cm Bal Pt (10 pts hl); haven't figured Recoil Wt or Twist Wt yet.
K-Factor: 384.5 Stat Wt (same setup, different stock setup); 393 wing Wt; 31.5cm Bal Pt (8? pts hl); as above.
Both racquets are clubs! but they play like a dream. I've played almost two hours at a time with each, and my arm and shoulder don't show any sign of unusual stress. My flat serve seems to have gained a few mph, my kicker is faster and higher than before, and my slice serve leaves the receiver watching in awe! Thanks for your instruction, and thanks for recommending the TW leather grip and the Wilson overgrip. Added them to my sticks, and they are great.
Keep the good stuff coming!
Before I forget: I'm a ohbher with a western bh grip and a modified Eastern fh grip.
DUDE, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE TO?
Dude, please come back! the internet needs you!
cool vid mate looking forward to exploring this topic further. I've been trying to make my forehand more compact but when I play competitively the old habits come back, still it's always a work in progress.
hey, what's up man? where are you?
come back! you're videos are awesome
Hey Racquet Tech. Can you explain how you customize your own racquet? How much it should weigh and where the balance point should be? and etc.
I hope u come back with more videos. Will be interesting share with u my customization experiences and know what u think about it.
Any new videos coming out soon?
hey man, ive watched all your videos love the work youve done in explaining twist weight.
correct me if im wrong but the conclusion ive drawn is to use a racket with the higheset swing weight that you can personally handle, along with a twist weight that you believe to suit your game.
IF this is correct, i should therefore purchase a racket with a low stock twist weight and a head light balance to alter the specs with lead tape (after all you can weight up but not weight down).
I was wondering, i if i were to want to increase swing weight, by putting lead tape at 12 oclock, if i were to also put lead at 3 and 9, to increase twist weight, would there be anything wrong about doing this? perhaps a counteracting effect?
Thank you so much!
everything good man? havent seen any activity in a while
He's dead. :-P
oh, I hope not....
@@HyperHorse Stupid joke considering he was severely sick
I'm so glad I happen to be up at 2am to watch your new video!
I agree with you that technique is important but your channel is unique because it offers a very scientific approach to tennis physics often overlooked and incorrectly used (:
p.s. tennis warehouse says the lower twist weight of the new RF pro-staff autograph is actually a "variance".... scary thought there
Yeah it is just a variance. If you add weight at the 26 inch location, the 5 grams that racquet specifically was under weight compared to the last "generation" you get the same swing weight, and the same twist weight, of 338sw and 14.9tw. So basically if you just add weight at the tip in one layer, to match SW you'd get the same high twist weight. I'm pretty sure with the pro staff line, wilson just puts foam inside the tip of the racquet. And on the ps97 that foam extends down the sides a bit.
The difference is that because foam is less dense than lead, you can get a higher swing weight, with lower twist weight by adding lead.
I'm just not sure if my Prof Staff 97 (basically 12 ounces after the over grip and dampener) is too heavy for me. I'm 5'6 and pretty skinny. The contact feels great and I can easily play with it for a good 2 hours if I'm in a good condition. In rally and volley, I'm ok with the racquet, it's stable and the contact feels great. I like how firm and steady it is and I can feel the swing too. But if the ball is very fast, or it's a cross court, down the line, on the line, something like that, in which you have to run for it and need to move your racquet real quick, it's a bit hard to get those. But I'm not sure if it's because I am bad at footwork(I think I'm pretty fast on the course so I don't think there is anything to do with my speed) or it's actually because of the racquet maneuverability. Need your comment on this. Also, since you have Yonex, is Yonex VCORE Duel G 100 more like Wilson Pro Staff 97 or Babolat PureDIRVE Team (which is 100 square inches)? I don't like the feel of Pure Drive. It's not steady enough and feels too soft at the contact, which might be contributed by the large string bed. I checked Tennis Oxygen's videos. Those are top notch techniques. I need those to perfect my skills. Thanks for mentioning that in the video.
I believe both technique and racquet maneuverability involve in late reaction. I struggled as same as you. So I tried to improve my footwork and technique and testing new racquets (I like testing haha).
I tested the PS97 and it has pretty high twist weight for me (14.52 according to Tennis Warehouse site). My preferred twist weight is around 12.3 or below. I struggled a lot with this PS97 and previous high twist weight racquets in defense especially on backhand side. Slice and defensive slice are not good. Volley isn't better either. After knowing about twist weight, I recognised that I preferred low twist weight.
It's hard to say if the racquet is too heavy for you (once again, stroke mechanics and racquets relate). I'm as tall as you and my Yonex Vcore Tour F 93 (about 12.3 twist weight) at 350gr strung is great. I even want to weight it up after trying the wooden racquet (th-cam.com/video/v7FWEZgpBC4/w-d-xo.html ). I suggest you test some low twist weight racquets (find some old models) and see how you feel. If you still love the stability of the PS97, you might not like low twist weight racquets and try to improve your stroke mechanics instead :)
Love to see a new vid! Question: What would be your ideal spec for the Pure Aero?
I think I would go to mid 340's on swing weight, and just add the overgrip. Maybe add a few grams to the bottom of the handle later depending on how it feels. Then I would probably pick lux 4g with it. I've seen those things chew up string real fast, and would want something a bit more durable/stiffer for control
Thanks! I'll try it out.
Yeah, the string is going to be a bit unique to everyone, that's just what I would pick. The 340 swing weight would make the racquet a bit easier to use because of that high twist weight.
Good Stuff for a huge RF forehand fan. I have a compact forehand stroke. I know someone, who is very tall, always raises his racquet way over his head before he hits.
Like delpo? Don't be fooled though! Delpo and all the other ATP players still pat the dog. The only top pro's that I've seen that reach behind them and don't "pat the dog" are on the WTA...
There are many emerging youtube videos that compare the ATP vs WTA forehands. Justine Henin is one of the few women that have a good compact forehand and hence able to trade blows with the top players who "muscle" it with a large take back
if that's the case. you can have a full(vs compact) swing and "pat the dog" at the same time.
I'm not quite sure I follow you on that last one! But, yes justine henin i've been preaching for a while as one of the few women (in her time) to use that ATP style technique.
jack sock, verdasco, djokovic, wawrinka, kyrgios, dimitrov, murray, berdych, etc etc all do that abbreviated take back where the racquet is perpendicular to the body rather than reaching back behind them parallel to the body.
Sorry, when I meant "large take back", I was referring to how WTA players don't do "pat the dog" and allow the racquet head to go behind their body.
It doesn't matter what sort of crazy take back people have as long as they "pat the dog" before unloading the forehand, it will allow a much more "compact" stroke (bio-mechanic wise)
Even Fernando Gonzalez who arguably has the craziest hard hitting forehand with "large take back" pats the dog :D
I will watch center of mass more now. I got a high swing weight racket (pro staff 97) moving from a babolat pure drive gt, and it's been killing me (being late). It's a good point you make, when stuff stops working (timing, direction), you have to figure out how to make everything more compact so less can go wrong.
Exactly! It's a small adjustment. If you derive your power from your core rotation, you won't lose any racquet head speed, and you'll just cut the distance the racquet has to go, making the forehand that much quicker.
If you say so, some days it works :) - unit turn, leg load, leg, hip, core power, and making sure contact is in front. I find it worst when it is windy and you are hitting into the wind.
Hey, Is it possible to figure out swing weight at home? Just with scale and balance point. Or do I need special machine for that. I find your articles fascinating and even though I know it's me who is missing tennis balls, I'd like to try heavier racket and add a bit more science to my tennis obsession. Thank you.
Awesome videos. Thank you. I'm looking fwd for many more.
Thanks for the video. Looking forward to more!
You got it man! Hopefully the next ones will be interesting too.
Hi racket tech,
So ive customized a racket with your teachings thanks very much.
I bought a head microgel radical MP cuz of its light stock weight.
I put around 5 grams total at the tip, (layered 4 inch length), and around 16 grams in the handle near the buttcap using bluetack and lead weight..
strung it up with lux alu power rough at 53. However, i feel like im not getting enough power from my racket even though the swing weight should be around 330-340.
what is the problem?
What is your end balance point? When you add a lot of weight to the handle, it doesn't change your swing weight, but it can lower where the sweet spot of the frame is. For some people this can make the racquet feel like it doesn't have power. It's a whole topic I want to get into when I talk about federer/nadal and their racquets soon
hmm i suppose that happened.Is there any fix to this?
thanks!
Brandon Law Two things:
Remove some weight from the handle
Add weight to the tip
That's pretty much it. There's a trade off for everything, so maybe remove a few grams, and add a gram or two to the tip would be a good blend. It's just a bit of tinkering until it feels good.
hi there man, loving your videos so far looking forward to more content from your channel. thinking of customizing tour g 330.already got leather grip installed but wishing had more comfort .ya think bumping up swingweight with lead at 3 and 9 is a good idea?
Would it be fair to say that a racquet's balance point (center of mass) that's closer to the axis of rotation, would yield a more consistent stroke? I'm just visualizing the opposite (e.g. the balance point up in the hoop area) and that each individual stroke, subjected to various factors like moving to a shot etc, would create a lot of variance in the stroke production. I imagine having the "compact stroke" is designed to do the same thing... shorten that runway so there's less to remember in your "muscle memory", per se.
Well the axes of rotation should be defined about the center of mass (provided you're holding the racquet at the handle), regardless where it is so you're definitely on the right track. The idea behind the compact stroke is to let that racquets inertia cause the lag back, rather than rolling the racquet back, so it keeps the racquet closer to the contact point.
Well I was thinking in terms more of the double-pendulum concept where the axis of rotation for the entire forhand stroke as the player's z-axis during trunk rotation. As the last "part" of the kinetic chain, the racquet's center of mass being closer to the trunk, should produce a more reliable reaction (e.g. swing-path) by the racquet.
+anacap007 thanks for this comment, going to try this the next couple of times I play
ok. just found this channel and have been watching your vids and i can see my house from the intro????? crazy
SLO! It's a small world
Great content from a different perspective than most tennis instructors, keep it up! Having you actually in the video makes it more engaging.
I'll be sure to check out Rick Macci as well.
@racquet tech . Watched all your video's. Wish I could retain your services to help me find the right type of customization for my game. Been stuck around 5.0 for 2 years now. Using the RF 97 A factory specs. Need help increasing swing speed . Technique, I've been told by a few people is good so now I'm guessing a racket tweak is needed.
Great video
Thanks for checking it out
Prince TeXtreme Tour 100 P or Yonex Ezone DR 100?
Very interesting, thanks!
hey hey another question is my racket tend to travel forward faster than my swing,making it sometime leaving my hand when my sweaty palm kick in after half an hr. making me tend to hit out uncontrollably cus the racket angle is wrong
Is it cus the handle lack weight? how do i go around it :( i have some lead tape but not foam as its not sold in my country.
dun wan to beef up my racket so much cus i am not that wellcondition with around 178 cm tall.
If the racquet is traveling faster than you want it to, adding a few grams at the tip will definitely slow it down. But that kind of "tuning" is rather difficult to do. Try 3g at 27" and see how that changes things. There might be another problem all together, could be technique, but if the racquet feels like it's coming around too fast, then increasing swing weight could help.
It also could be that you are pronating into contact, as in flicking your wrist into the ball. That's something you want to not do.
Hey Hey thks so much, you are a genius man :D I fixed it after watching the video and reading up on recoil weight at ur forums. Added 3 g in the handle instead and another 1.5 on top of the 3g at the tip. I think there is too little weight at the handle area so the momentum of the swing causes the tip to travel faster and pronate, another partial reason is my inner replacement grip sort of shrink due to long period compression. ._."
Another question just wan to know is that I realised when i was practicing my groundies swing, I realised especially for my one handed backhand the racket is like shaking/wobbling after my swing reaches chest height at the follow through motion is it normal? D:
I asked my friends they just say cus it might be I swing with very fast acceleration without any ball on contact to slow it down cus its just a swing, but I dun really buy it.
GodGod KB If you're not finding the center-line axis of the frame then the frame will shake a lot more. You can try a bit of weight at 3/9 to see if you pick up some power. Having a lot of shake isn't necessarily a bad thing in terms of the racquet, it just means you didn't quite find the centerline. A lot of youtube videos at one point were saying fed and nadal "cover" the ball and that's just the frame twisting as they made contact outside the center line. It isn't a problem unless you're doing it all the time. If you're doing it frequently, that's when I would consider upping twist weight, with weight at 3/9. It will reduce some of that frame shake and put more of your swing power into the ball, while adding hitting weight/swing weight to the racquet.
And I can't go on the forums any more. Looks like TW pulled some black magic, because for the last week or whatever I can't load their page on any of my computers, browsers, or phone. So I won't be posting on there anymore.
I dun really think its twist weight, cus on impact its good just umm i dunno it feel weird if i accelerate fast,just a matter of feel maybe its the polarise setup of weight at the handle and the tip and not much weight on the throat. Not really sure abt it 😂😂 will try what u taught me nxt week after my competition 😅😅
Meanwhile I am looking towards the Yonex sv 100 and sv 100s, planning to do some customise to it as an upgrade for tour 97 for better power and easier swing(aerodynamic & less resistance). For the 100s rightie it is mentioned on the yonex sites as 26.5 inches,I am still confused is it bad to use a half inch shorter racket but tuned it to have a high sw,polarise setup and low tension string? 😂😂
I dun really think its twist weight, cus on impact its good just umm i dunno it feel weird if i accelerate fast,just a matter of feel maybe its the polarise setup of weight at the handle and the tip and not much weight on the throat. Not really sure abt it 😂😂 will try what u taught me nxt week after my competition 😅😅
Meanwhile I am looking towards the Yonex sv 100 and sv 100s, planning to do some customise to it as an upgrade for tour 97 for better power and easier swing(aerodynamic & less resistance). For the 100s rightie it is mentioned on the yonex sites as 26.5 inches,I am still confused is it bad to use a half inch shorter racket but tuned it to have a high sw,polarise setup and low tension string? 😂😂
can you share with us your racket's specs? thanks
Yeah! I'm usually between about a 350sw and 360sw. I feel like 330 and 340 are enough of the difficulty of swinging the 350 but just don't have the same power, so I don't feel like I'm getting all that I'm putting into swinging the racquet. High 340's are ok with a more powerful string bed in my experience, but if I'm using a tighter bed (all poly on my yonex's) I really enjoy closer to 360sw. Otherwise in terms of balance I try to be near 32.5 balance, and static weight right now I'm experimenting in the 350-360g range. I've used 390g racquets, 370, 380 etc with 360sw and they feel great, just over a few hours the extra mass feels cumbersome.
That being said, I'll play with just about anything. I just don't like lower swing weights now that I'm used to high ones; the way the racquet naturally lags back with higher sw's feels more natural to me. When I've tried 320~ sw more recently, it really just threw me off. I also like/setup racquets that are close to 330g and 360~SW, and really enjoyed that as well. Swing weight is probably the main thing I care about in my specs. I've enjoyed crazy high twist weights, just like I've enjoyed very low twist weights. I can't say I've picked a spec yet, because I still want to experiment and figure out what I play the best with.
thank you for ur detailed reply, looking forward to more vids from u, super useful!
Phan Anh No problem man, I'm glad they could help! I need to get some videos done, I'm drastically behind! :O
Yaeh you sure are...
No more videos? That's a shame.
Yeah, I've been pretty sick with auto immune disease so the last thing on priority list was more youtube stuff. Haven't even been able to play in a long time. Don't worry though we'll have a lot of content coming out once I'm a bit better
I'm sorry to hear that, man. Hope you get better soon.
Thanks man. I'm headed back to my doc this week for the millionth time and will be starting some new stuff so hopefully soon. A lot of paperwork and testing before I can get the meds, but once I start it should be smooth sailing. So fingers crossed
think I get your point: a compact motion helps in being more consistently on time with the stroke, when using a heavier racket. this makes sense. but still there are a number of players out there, that have all but a compact motion, and are still doing pretty well with their forehand (del potro above all). but the real point (for me) is another one: the backhand, especially the one handed backhand. what i found out in using heavier rackets, is that forehands are not that difficult to adjust (I suppose because they are a quite "natural" stroke for most of the players). but ohbh are very different. and the real challenge in adjusting to a heavier racket is this stroke (at least for me). I don't see how you can change your swing on the ohbh, because it's a complex motion. and if I look at those pro's with a great ohbh (wawrinka, gasquet, and my personal favourite mahut), they seem to still have a wide motion. when you start practicing the ohbh with a heavier racket, you'll see that in the beginning you're going to hit some fantastic shots, with unprecedent pace. but soon your arm gets tired, and the trouble begins: you start hitting late with no chance to adjust. here you need much more training (arm, shoulder, and especially trunk) to handle the heavier racket properly.
Well I think we disagree. Del Potro has a large take back from ready position to pre power position, but he doesn't take the racquet behind him. He still hits the pat the dog position. It's funny you say that, because I was literally just watching his USO 2016 practice, and looking for the pat the dog technique.
Like I said the take back isn't as critical usually, simply because you can still get to the right position ("pat the dog" without it). I would still say the super direct compact take back is the best, because it saves you time, but sometimes a player has to use what works. Like when we watch federer and nadal step around the backhand at easy and crank a forehand, that's largely to do with how compact that stroke is. A longer stroke would likely be taking a fair number of those shots late. A lot of pros hit 70+mph (the guys playing nadal and federer), so even with good footwork, a long take back will be late on a ball moving that fast. The only other solution then, is to start the swing before the ball bounces, which is really difficult to stay consistent with.
In fact, out of hundreds of slow motion videos I've seen (I usually watch a few a day, and have been for a while now), the only players I've seen that don't use the "pat the dog" are on the WTA. Players like Serena etc. Where they reach the racquet not pointed perpendicular from their body, but closer to parallel. Tennis oxygen does a great video comparing the ATP to WTA forehands, and points out this trend of having the racquet pointed out to the side of the body, rather than back behind.
As for the backhand, it's similar to the forehand where you really need to learn to use your hip to drive the shot. That's something I'd like to talk about more, and give exercises to help people build their hip flexors up, because with open and semi open stances a like, you can get a huge boost in easy, reliable power, with strong hips and good hip rotation. This timing can be difficult to learn, but it's a great tool to focus on.
Check out this video, I think it will help with your backhand. It's really critical to also lag on the backhand and emphasize letting the hips drive the racquet. Even in the examples that aren't wawrinka, there is plenty of hip drive.
th-cam.com/video/mxgE-n9G7XU/w-d-xo.html
I don't want to enter too much into technicalities, because what I defintely do agree with, is the fact that one has to use what works. to the untrained eye there may seem major differences, but the underlying mechanics are pretty much the same. at the end we are talking about racquet head accelleration, and in this specific case, if a shorter motion allows you to reach the same racquet head speed and brings more consistency with it (to which I agree, even if I suspect that the grip and whipping motion have some role in this, given that nadal tends to frame forehands more often than federer). still - and after watching some footage of del potro - I don't see much of this pet-the-dog position in his racquet (by which I suppose you mean racquet face flat down, just like putting the racquet on the floor).
what is absolutely true is, that men and women have very different types of forehands. guess this is mainly because of different body mechanics, as you can see even more clearly in the serve motion. which seems to be quite "unnatural" for women as opposed to men.
yeah, nowadays everybody wants to copy wawrinkas bh. but apart from a muscular aspect (which you absolutely need if you want to copy wawrinka), in my opinion timing is even more crucial (and harder to get). he has such an outstanding timing, that allows him to accellerate the body unwinding (and consequently the racquet head) and still hit the ball clean and controlled. this is simply out of reach for all of us. hence I advocate a more conservative ohbh (like Federer's), because it is more approachable for the average player, provides more consistency and still offers a lot of power potential if executed correctly.
Wich dean guitar did you have?
It's a Dean Stealth Floyd Rose in Translucent Black
Racquet Tech lets make a video together haha I'm from Argentina, and seriusly thinkig in translate your videos to spanish...
I gotta get back into making videos first! But once I'm back I'll be happy to help you anyway I can
Music videos in the future? Haha I'm a passionate guitar player too...
Haha I put some music I make in all the videos but probably not much in the way of guitar
Hey man! Umm. So. I have been playing tennis for 6-8 months and I hate my racket. The head of it is 110sq inch. I first looked at stock rackets then came to your videos. I'm a kid so like 60 bucks is my maximum but I was just wondering if you know a good base rocket for me to then modify. There is a used rf97 (not autograph) in my area. Would it be good after modifying it? Idk please give me your opinion
RF97a is not a bad racquet, but it's pretty heavy stock. So you're not going to have too much room to really add weight outside of adjusting the swing weight or using a lighter stock grip. Looking for a racquet that is 11oz range stock would probably be a better choice, so that you can have more options for the long term. If you want that 97 racquet you can look for a ps97 used on ebay maybe you can get a deal on, that would be a better option giving you more flexibility in the specs you can achieve. Or you could even try a chinese 97 knock off. I need to get back into hitting but so far mine has held up well.
Racquet Tech ok thanks will look into that ps97
Good video very informative. Subbed
Thanks. You are a new well of tennis knowledge.
You got it man. I'm just connecting the dots of what I've found to work!
What happened to you.. No new videos? Are you alright?
Eventually! Still alive, took a break, coming back, hopefully bigger and better
Happy to hear that bro :D
All the best... Excited for new videos
what are your racket specs?
I am working on a 370sw 37xg 30.5cm balance setup. But I haven't been able to play enough to really pick one setup. As I play more I will make videos and just include what I'm using/why.
Come back bro!
Soon... soon...
Racquet Tech awesome, now the rumours about your "premature demise" will cease! 👏
please tell us how the aliexpress racquet is working
All of the pros bring the racquet/racket head up not planer. Roger does move his frame from the raised position in his loop through the frame face/palm down position then twisting back upward. Perhaps this is how he increases frame head speed. JM PD does not do this, thus a simpler motion, and less prone to error, also more effective. Suggest looking at the videos and analysis of the two in comparison. By the way, a look into the past of Bjorn Borg, who was known to have the best forehand [and backhand] in tennis, has the 'modern' strokes, and yes using his heavy wooden frame [which was steel re-enforced to handle the high tensions of gut strings, known to be 85 lbs.] (the high pitch, tone is easily noticed, each time the ball is hit) (And Pete Sampras also used a heavy PS 6.0, over 14 oz. with high tension gut too, ~75 lbs.). [John McEnroe's strokes and specifics are quite different, though weights were high, the tension of the gut strings @45 lbs., fitting his playing style (like You commented in other videos)]
However, the exact form and method is better described by some other experts. You could learn from them, as i have. My start in tennis was in the wooden racquet/racket era, as some modern frames were coming out with new materials, sizes, shapes etc., but were all still solid, until the next generation of hollow frames, and then stiffer and more to the point of harmful. My strokes went from a simple bio-mechanical to more recently developing the more modern approach that we saw with Bjorn Borg, Guillermo Villas, then Boris Becker, Stephan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Aaron Krickstein, Jim Currier, Michael Chang, etc. (to name a few). It is important, if not vital to get the form correct. Now using more motion, looping, bending of the joints [wrist, elbow], shoulder uses, pronation [forearm twist] and such these body part are more prone to damage. If done wrong, even a little bit, the joints are more susceptible to damage and injury. Add to this the hollow frames [with multiple vibrations frequencies], stiffer frame materials, layup and strings. This mixture, even with top form still leads to serious injuries from damage to the joints. Have You noticed the amount of serious injuries and often resulting in surgery with long comeback time. At the time of Your video, We did not know yet Novak Djokovic was suffering from pain, injury, damage in his right elbow, which took two years with surgery in the middle, now at Wimbledon he rose up again and won. JM PD has had serious injury, damage to his left wrist, and on his third comeback, each time had surgery. Jim Currier had right wrist problems, which led him to retire early. Andy Murray is recovering from serious injury and surgery to his hip, and just now returning to the tour. Look at the many times Rafael Nadal has had serious injuries to many joints and has come back each time. Maria Sharapova has had surgery twice to her right shoulder. Stanis Warwinka, Milos Raonic, Kevin Anderson are additions to these. Serena Williams with her injuries, has come back each time [now after having given birth (which her coach said is more difficult than any other she has experienced)]. Viktoria Azeranka, both injuries and birth. Some of the videos of IMG has a young rising female, named Maria Shishkina, who i've been following. Seems even with all the staff and experts she has there at IMG, she has had some injuries which have significantly affected her in the last two years. Hope she will be able to rise. In all of my years, have never had any tendinitis to any joint, wrist, elbow, shoulder. Only a hyper-extended knee tendons, once [with a sports medicine orthopedic doctor's advice, guidance and exercises (strengthening my quads) they healed without recurrence.
Do You have any videos about customization which absorbs the vibrations? Apparently, it is common if not all pro's have silicone injected into the hollow handle which absorbs vibrations significantly. My ideas and concepts led me to fill the entire frame hollow space, though silicone would add too much weight, unless starting with an extremely light weight. Silicone-RTV has a density of 1.04g/ml. Hollow space in the entire handle is ~ 60ml. Measured one of my hollow frames to be more than an additional 60ml, closer to 80-100ml depending upon the beam width of the hoop and shaft. If the frame was 200 g adding 120g, 140g or 160g is within a usable range. Then there will also be significant other weight distribution effects on SW, TW, Bal, etc. There are other options. Me personally, prefer the older solid frames with good materials like braided carbon, fiberglass, Kevlar/Aramid, Ceramic. Am experimenting with filling the handle with silicone/RTV and the remaning frame with Silicone/RTV foam whose density is 0.1g, 0.15g, 0.2g /ml. Am awaiting my first Donnay Xenecore frames in anticipation to testing their design. [Prefer their earlier releases, now many are lighter]. Also there are the new Snauwaert Xenecore [but the wide beams, light weight not for me].
Please do address both of these issues: Proper form [from the experts] and Saftey/Harms of the Modern Racquets/Rackets [look at Donnay's site for the links to the experts information and access to the class action suit of all manufacturers (it is not just marketing hype, probably the reverse, the big names have the hype)]
You are wright with a lighter racquet you can move it faster and effortless
Note: Look at Juan Martin Del Potro. His forehand is by many experts, the best. Roger Federer has commented that juniors should model their forehand to JM DP's forehand. There are videos from IMG showing their teaching their students and using the pro comparison for forehand to be JM DP! When You look at his forehand You will see a simpler, more effective, higher head speed, effective extension, and proper bio-mechanics.
This is Physics too.
"‘What I like about it, he doesn’t really hold back. He doesn’t care if he misfires a few times. He keeps doing it until he finds his range and his rhythm. ‘It seems like a huge takeback, so you always feel like he’s going to be late on it. At the end of the day he’s in position when he needs to be. ‘He drives through the ball perfectly. I think a lot of juniors actually should look at that forehand as a great forehand.’"
Yet in that same interview he ranks nadal's as a better forehand, as the greatest. Who has very very similar mechanics to his own on takeback style.
"‘I think Rafa’s for me is maybe number one,’ he said when asked if he ranked Del Potro’s forehand as the best in the world."
metro.co.uk/2017/09/05/roger-federer-perfectly-explains-what-makes-the-juan-martin-del-potro-forehand-so-fearsome-6905992/?ito=cbshare
I don't think delpo has a bad forehand. It's simple no doubt, but on the faster courts that most of the public deals with, I think it's a disadvantage. The extra length makes timing harder as you have to predict starting of the stroke earlier. That's something I especially found hard to do with higher weight racquets on faster courts, and against players who hit over 60-65mph it was a real problem on fast courts.
As for IMG... I'm personally not a fan of their work lately. Nishikori is their best player currently, and he does not use those mechanics. I'm a big nishikori fan, but I'm dissapointed with some of their other "alumni" like harrison.
Raquet Tech, You have some good points. However, Your analysis is slightly incomplete and slightly inaccurate.
Firstly, in results. JM DP's forehand overpowers RF and RN. Look at their matches this year, especially on hard courts. [JM DP vs RF Indian Wells 2018 F, JM DP vs RN Wimbledon 2018 QF]. Secondly, where exactly do You see JM DP'S "take back" - back swing is larger than either RF or ND?? Yes the racquet/racket face starts higher, but NOT further back. Seems quite similar to Bjorn Borg. Thirdly, the twisting of the forearm that RF uses and You noted You use, adds a complication to the stroke, that JM DP does not have. The added movement and twisting requires more timing and thus room for more error especially on faster, hard courts. If We look at the US Open 2017 SF RN vs JM DP, we will also see JM's power forehand shots were overpowering RN. RN's adjustment, which led to his victory, was hitting more to JM's backhand, which at that time was still significantly weaker than his capability in the past and now. RN's victory at Wimbledon was aided at the end of the fourth set and the fifth set by using the drop shot effectively. The match was late in the day, from high heat, and the court became slippery. JM slipped and fell a number of times, as did RN a couple near the end. Again, grass, which is fast, with less bounce, typically, and more unusual bounces requires adjustments and quick responses. JM was overpowering RN with his forehand. RN was able to win using other tactics, that allowed him to hit winners, especially through movement of JM that required him to move quickly on a more slippery surface. RN also slipped in his attempts, but less than the number he subjected JM to. We see the comradeship, respect each has for the other. JM with RF too. For me, see he has this with nearly if not all players, which is noticeable at the end of the match when they greet after the competition and battle.
As for Your perspective if IMG, me thinks You could see it from the greater, wider perspective and thus improved perception.
Let us look at ALL of the players that have used Nick and IMG. Firstly, the two proteges from the same time, Andre Agassi and Monica Seles. Both amazing players who are champions. What do You say about Venus and Serena Williams? There are rare if any who reach their level. Serena especially. Many including her present coach, say about Serena, when she is playing her best, she is on a different level than the rest. No wonder she has equaled the best and still going still shy of 37. Venus at 38 + keeps on going and is a formidable opponent for anyone including her sister Serena. Their father brought them to Nick and IMG when they were young girls. Maria Sharapova, arrived at IMG probably just after the Williams sisters left and turned pro. She developed into a champion also. Yes, there are many pros who have not achieved the great levels of others that trained with Nick and IMG, but this is true for all players coming from any training or with anyone. There are many aspects to consider. One is, not everyone will be a champion. Another is, not everyone will reach the levels of multiple championships or the numbers of the great and greatest. The coaches and those who develop them, are doing their best if they can help the individual to achieve their best. Kei Nishikori is a very good example. He utilizes his tools and weapons to achieve his results. When he is doing his best. he competes well with the top players. Yes, often their talent combines with their effective use of it to win. Kei has a similar property to Michael Chang that played every point to the end, chasing every ball he could. He may not have had the level of talent of his competitors, but his perseverance was often greater, and allowed him to defeat the best and achieve GS's and a World No. 2 ranking. Jimmy Conners also may not have had the talent others had, but his mental strength, determination, and perseverance was of the highest level. He played every point like it was important. He had very good timing and would hit the ball on the rise. Arthur Ashe used this to aid him to defeat Jimmy in their 1975 Wimbledon Final, by giving him slower pace, varying the shots, placement etc. Kei has had injuries often during his carrier, which he is rising again from. He played often with injuries and was victorious also. Not long ago, in a tournament on clay in a final with RN, Kei won the first set, was winning about half way through the second set, and had to retire. Ryan Harrison has not shown much though Transworld had made a video about he and his brother. Actually noticed recently he has been playing better. He has shown is biggest vulnerability is his mental aspects, and through lack of self control. This has improved as has his success. What will be his ultimate success? Unknown. Look at John Isner at 33 is having his best year and last year was not too shabby either. Kevin Anderson is 32 and his performance over the last year has been to what we saw in spurts and even better now, with more confidence and consistency.
As for the discussion of palm down or not, we can actually look at all of the top players and see how they do it.
My first "real training" and teaching came from a fellow who became my best friend. He had significant training, teaching and to be a teacher from a well know former professional and Davis Cup player known as "Dr." Mayer. If You know tennis from decades ago, You may have heard of him, or his two sons Sandy and Gene Mayer. Sandy is Jimmy Conner's year along with a few other greats like Elliot Telscher, Brian Gottfried, all born in 1952. Gene close in age, a bit younger. They were one of the best doubles teams. Gene reached World #4 and Sandy not too far behind him. My friend taught me what was called simple, biomechanically efficient strokes. They allowed me and others to be efficient and effective with the use of the body, and with allowances for variances in surface, bounce, including the unusual, and timing. John McEnroe has about the smallest back swing of any player, especially GS winners. John has quickness with his hands, feet and mind. He utilizes these along with spin and placement. He had many matches with a high ace service count, not from power, but spin and placement along with disguise which he used at the net and for passing too. Now Bjorn Borg is a master with his ground strokes. My friend told me they asked "Dr." Mayer why we don't teach people Bjorn Borg's forehand? Bjorn had the BEST forehand in tennis. The reply they got was, most people cannot duplicate Bjorn's forehand, so we'll teach them one they can duplicate. Such it was. But, there were many who did manage to learn it, and became top professional too. And as we see in the modern game, who does not have such strokes?
Also, i have learned to adjust my stroke production patterns, which are not easy for many to actually change. John McEnroe, did not change though he did change his racquet/racket [from wood to graphite (small mid to larger mid) to wider beam and Midplus (98 sq in)]. Bjorn has switched his frame to modern, but have only seen a Midsize in his hands. Jimmy had switched a couple of times after the change from wood to the steel, then graphite mid and finally an early wider beam MP, but the strokes were always the same. For me, am a person of change, so it fits who i am, but with some classical mixed in. Prefer the simple to the complex. Timing is easier to handle with the more simple, hence prefer the JM DP forehand. The palm down in the middle adds a seemingly unnecessary complication, but do see its use to adding speed. So, even the great RF will have huge errors and mishits from this. Perhaps this is a reason or basis why he recommends juniors to learn from JM. Can You or know someone who can ask RF to clarify?
Back to the point. A place like IMG and Nick's training camp is a place for individuals to develop their best. What more can be expected? It also offers an environment with other who have similar goals, commitment and desire along with competition that can allow each individual to rise from within themselves and the environment. It also gives them experience that is similar to and can prepare them for the environment of the professional tour. Sometimes with such an environment can reveal new aspects and abilities from within. Sometimes individuals need other specific environments to develop their best in addition of instead. Nick has good perception that individuals need individual methods, means, treatment, unique and specific to each one. He mentioned he knew the way to speak to Monica was very different to the way to speak with Andre.
:-)
Actually, have looked at quite a number of videos here and am signed up to receive videos from two such people. Because of my background and knowledge in science, math, physics, physiology, sports and others, my ability to discern from the many who have good clarity, perspective and perception.
From Your videos, You seem like a nice young man, who is concerned about giving other what he has learned the aided Your development and could aid others too. So, You have good intentions and some good knowledge too.
However, though You have some good success with what You have achieved and maybe are still continuing to grow and not leveled off in a plateau, it is clear to me, from actual experts You could use some guidance if You want to continue Your improvement to be Your best.
A little tidbit, my friend, and teacher told me (several decades ago, but remains with me like the present, constantly). He remember seeing Brian Gottfriend come to the tennis camp to get personal instruction and guidance from "Dr." Mayer to improve his back hand. Brian was World #2 when he came there. What does this say about Us? And Who do We ask advice, council, guidance and instruction and to Whom do we profess Our own of these (or from others)?? [When i do, it is from others, who know more, and from those who are among the experts]
In conclusion, have found many more who make videos, and attempt to teach others, than those who actually know what it takes and how to disseminate it. There only a few. Not every video that i have seen from IMG, contains all of the necessary information, but when combining them together, the necessary parts do come together.
A limited few others have some simple, yet important aspects for the beginner, to intermediate and beyond. From one, led me to another few from a coach, who was a fine professional and Davis Cup player. He bring simple, essential aspects that are easily missed, misconstrued, misconceived, and misunderstood and brings them into clarity, proper conception, understanding, action, motion and production. With these important essentials, we can properly analyse our own stokes and game, and lead us to grow and perform better, hopefully to achieve our best. Interestingly, with this also, when watching the professionals, can detect each one's strengths, weaknesses, and errors. When the shot is made or missed it becomes more noticeable why and how. Can see young developing players who have very solid aspects to their strokes and game, which when used consistently with consistency will lead to high level play, achievement and results. Can see a champion in the making. There are some exciting young 'Next Gen' on the ATP, 18-21 years old that have these qualities. There are some in the middle ranges that may still achieve it, and are struggling but also growing and striving. There are others who indicate they will continue to struggle, but not clear if they will achieve greatness or championship. If You want, can give Your the names and links of some of the videos that are clearly of experts.[Also saw some videos of Annabel in the UK with Venus Williams and Boris Becker who give some very good, essential points and help]. You might develop a broader, better perspective and perception through it. This might lead to You reaching higher levels and achievement in Your game too.
:-)
All The Best
With all do respect I still disagree with advocating a longer stroke style, on this topic (see video title). I've seen videos of bollettieri himself telling players to shorten up their backstrokes so I disagree with your conclusion, again in consideration of this topic. Could you forward me these videos since you cite them?
Also send me any videos you'd like me to see. I'm always open minded to learning more perspectives and improving what I can share on this platform.
I appreciate your thoughtful response. Anything you'd like to share with me directly or have a better response with me feel free to shoot me an email. If you noticed this video is a few years old. Due to health issues, I've been slow to return to videos, but this is a conservative and useful video. From my analysis of local club players, to other rec players I've played with it's directly useful to many players. I think there is more than enough room for differing opinion, and each player may find different ways to "skin the cat" so to speak. I'd be happy to include more variations. For making power, there's no reason to discount a longer stroke path. And I understand the advantages. But in general, with a heavier racquet the needs for power aren't as great on the rec level. Becoming more consistent with timing/shorter mechanics is more pertinent to the players I've worked with, to achieving a substantial performance increase. Specifically to the topic outlined in the video title "stop taking the ball late with a heavy racquet", this is by far the most proficient solution. So although again I appreciate your careful evaluation, I think you're missing the specific intent. You claim to be a studios person, so maybe you can take a step back and recognize that.
I'm having a hard time reading through your response, if you could be a bit shorter it would be very helpful. And I find your conclusion that delpo's forehand is more powerful from mechanics alone incredibly invalid. You can't make the direct comparison between delpo's forehand for several reasons. Ignoring the differences is a huge oversight.
One he's got much longer wingspan. So he will inherently have longer lever's to work with. With your claims of physics and mathematics understanding, you should instantly recognize that. Not addressing this makes your counterpoints borderline dismiss-able.
Next, weight differences. In the past, delpo was using 360~ swing weight. That's a noticeable tick higher than Fed, and a margin above nadal, however in comparison to nadal, he's using a much livelier string bed. Together with more weight, greater levers, he is able to produce more mechanical acceleration, through the increased arc length, and acceleration multiplier through to his core. The longer loop adds more time for acceleration, and the smoother motion means more initial potential energy can be converted into velocity. He also includes a much flatter strike path on the ball.
All together, its easy to see how he produces more power.
That to me does not constitute it as a better mechanic. Because there are many other players on tour, with incredibly similar forehand technique and again they lack the results that fed and nadal do. And we look at players who went from a longer backstroke forehand, to the pat the dog style like Wawrinka, and we can see their forehands become much more dependable.
The issue between the two techniques is that the pat the dog style is easier to time, and shorter distance. Together that makes for more consistency and dependability under pressure and over time. Where as the dp forehand allows for more peak RHS. So if you want to make the case that more power makes a technique better, then I will agree with you. The DP is "superior" in that way. But I think the results speak for themselves. We have a majority of players in the top 10 over the years using pat the dog style mechanics. Most tournaments won in the last 10+ years are won on the atp tour at the top, using pat the dog style mechanics. Delpo doesn't have a lot of titles. And I recognize he's had injury issues, but even when healthy the results aren't so staggering. It's just simply more difficult to pull off that mechanic over time.
When we talk about recreational players, consistency and dependability is usually one of the first issues that hinders performance. And that's what wins most recreational matches. At the end of the day, that's why I give the nod to the pat the dog mechanic.
u mean head heavy racket ?
You can have a high SW with a head light racket.
Hey has anyone heard from him recently ?? Really love these vids. Hope everything is ok. If so, let's hear more 🖒
I'm coming back. Been absolutely MIA, health, annoyed with the online community (not you guys ofc, you all have been overwhelmingly great), trying to do work/school, and also trying to get better at making videos. I'd really like to grow this channel alot in the next year so I'm going to give a good effort to make that happen
Good video, but thats an advanced modern forehand technique you are showing. It all makes sense to me and i agree with everything with what you say, however it might not be the easiest thing for an average player to execute.
That's a fair point! It might not be as well. I think learning pat the dog actually may be easier than learning other forehand techniques, it just takes a lot of specific repetition. That being said, it's really hard to break down old habits (I know first hand because this was a major flaw in my forehand). But, it's definitely impossible for someone to learn something they don't know exists! Thanks for your feedback. I want to do some more videos on this, so maybe we can come up with a process for people to learn this in a way that's approachable!?
Good studd
Yeah but Gasquet and Verdasco are like 5ft, put their forehands on a 7ft golem that moves like a 6th and slap an average slice on the backhand side and you got the GOAT
my goodness batman has revealed himself... to be an employee of nasa. nice to see you
ay lmao
Finally I see what you look like. Not a bad looking guy at all. If you made videos everyday, I would watch them. Again, thank you for all the videos that you made explaining the finer details of why racquets behave the way they do when you add lead tape.
Hyper Horse You got it man, and thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it
Now all you have to do is accept my Google Hangouts request...
Hyper Horse
I can't get on my google stuff, my chrome won't work so I'm using fire fox. I need to recover all my passwords then I'll do it
update new video plz, everyday morning first thing is open your channel
What is a heavy racquet? Björn Borg certainly played a heavy racquet.
Why does everyone even in my friends hate heavy racquet?
When federer moves is less strain on the body.
Tell them to get good :^)
@@RacquetTalk do you want me to get killed? :D :D :D
Anyway having heavy small racquet like federer means you have to move like federer too?
Like how he stretch his arm?
when I do single back hand like federer it feels great and less strain. Should I continue this way?
Thanks
@@LiquidSnake1988 Just don't get hit :^) (big brain)
How you move exactly... well it's always better to move better! Movement is all about anticipating/understanding what your opponent can and cannot do with the shot you hit, based off the spin/pace/depth, and the angle of the court the shot is moving at.
When it comes to swinging/stretching, this is a topic I am planning a series of videos about. I've seen a lot of videos here on youtube not explaining anything correctly. But I can give you a short answer. Smooth is fast. This is a little cliche saying that comes from car racing. Basically the more efficient and smooth the strokes are, the easier it is to swing quickly.
When you add weight to the racquet this becomes even more critical. One of the beauties of a heavier racquet is that you will struggle to get a lot of racquet head speed if you're doing it wrong. And once you get it right, it becomes a lot easier.
Rick Macci is literally the best coach...
I totally agree with you there
bro are you moon shot from tw forums btw :p. either way looking forward to new vids :)
"why is roger so sucessfull on grass??"
"Thats because its a fast surface and roger hits the ball hard"
Nope!!
By that logic, players like delpo, berych and isner would dominte.
But what happens is , taking federer as an example (Djoko and other players try to do it too), its the ---anticipation---, its understanding the game so well that you will 90% of the times know where the ball is going and be ready for it.
Also, he has the most amazing footwork, wich helps him to not loose any time to reach the ball.
Roger likes to play inside the lines, and be more agressive and sucessfull with a 130km forehand , inside the court aproach than a guy who hit an 160km forehand wayyy behind the lines
Roger is good on fast courts because he IS fast
Right! Tennis IQ is so important, so is foot work, and so is shot choice! The technique is then the last "domino" in the whole series that creates a great shot!
Hi Buddy, are you a pro actor for comedy ??!!:-) :-)
Hey what happened to you.
Busy sorta, coming back soon... ish hahaha. Going to try to grow the channel, sit tight.
The way you say correctly triggers me
Glad you found the video helpful
cool vid mate looking forward to exploring this topic further. I've been trying to make my forehand more compact but when I play competitively the old habits come back, still it's always a work in progress.
Yeah it can be a tough cycle to break! Have you upped your swing weight? To me it makes it a bit easier, because with the higher SW, the old way really makes good timing hard to pull off. I'll try to come back to this, but the key is doing hundreds of ghost swings before you step out on court. Even thousands. So that you have some muscle memory to work with. Otherwise, trying to time the ball, while learning the new stroke is just double hard.