At the Aussie open, a commentator can be heard pontificating on a missed, sitter volley by the World #1. Something about being tight!
Try approaching the net (you are now inside your service line and closing) and you get a 80/90 mph groundie ripped right at you. I don’t like your chances, anymore than I like the commentators’ chances that he was right about Djoko getting, “tight”.
Many if not most rec players NEVER grasp the pro level bio-mechanics. The positions and exertions understandably feel extreme and very uncomfortable. In general, these contortions are just not natural and in fact, the mind/body would naturally resist this sort of risk taking. Therein lies part of the dilemma as players attempt to transition to the pro model.
Safin’s shoulder plane is nearly perpendicular to the court, his back is arched (ouch) and he appears to be placing his head on a pillow (a good thought pattern to use)! Are you getting anywhere close to this posture?
If not, you are fighting the proverbial City Hall.
USUAL DISCLAIMER: Do NOT try anything discussed here that you might even remotely think could cause injury. These folks are unusual athletes with flexibility, range of motion, balance, etc. In addition, they train off court to build core strength in part to reduce the chance of injuries.
We wrote not too long ago that Djokovich would soon takeover the number 1 position in men’s tennis. The primary reasons were obvious to us and clearly seen.
What will the tennis “scientists” and gurus write about now. First it was the Federer “air forehand”. Juniors all over the country are now jumping in the air (AND grunting). At just about any junior tourney you can see a whole bunch of them that we affectionately call “power rangers”. 
Another generation of US juniors lost.
When Nadal pushed Federer aside, Fed’s technique all of sudden became passe and the “new, new thing” was the reverse forehand, and sleveless shirts.
Now that Djokovich is in charge, the so-called scientists and gurus are lost. Nothing to write about (and charge for!). Afterall, Djoko is not regarded to have the best of anything really — not the serve, forehand, or backhand. We can’t really remember if he even tries to volley. It didn’t take the cognescenti long though. The “new, new, new thing”? It’s mental, so they say. They tried this 20 years ago or so with Gallwey and Gilbert’s “Winning Ugly”. And, now it’s back.
As we have said many times in the past, don’t fall for this stuff.
Tennis is expensive! Especially if you play frequently. Lots of under $100 “stuff” – $5, $10, $20, $80, etc. Shoes, balls, strings, over-grips, court fees, travel mileage, etc.
One of our favorite strings for under ten bucks is Luxilon Big Banger XP 15L. Affordable, durable AND playable.
CAUTION: The self-improvement books and web sites are making the rounds again, and golf and tennis players seem to be especially vulnerable.
A common title is “Greatness is made”, or “Greatness is earned”, “Talent is a myth”, etc.
The idea, of course, is that THEY have unlocked the proverbial “secret”.
Don’t fall for it.
This is a very sensitive area where one could easily get their feelings hurt. Egos in golf and tennis (the “country club” sports) run big.
But, PLEASE, we implore you, do NOT listen to the traditional/classic instruction. It could be the teaching pro on the court next to you, a well-meaning father trying to help his kid, or the Golf or Tennis Channel. These sources are so often wrong, and worse, do more harm than good. Note the important distinction between a “teaching pro” and a touring pro that is now teaching. Why they are wrong and why they are allowed to persist is a matter for another discussion.
There is enough (free) slow motion video on the Internet of touring pros shirtless or sleeveless that clearly shows the proper exertions. Copy them. Shoot video of your own exertions and compare if necessary.
Also, we have said many times to tennis players: RUN, don’t walk to an Open level player or higher and ask them to hit with you. You might have to pay these folks a few bucks (maybe $20 to $30/hr) for a hitting session, but it will be money well spent. See for yourself what the receiving end of a heavy ball looks like. Return some big serves, or at least try, and then sit quietly and think about the mountain in front of you. You can climb it! How high you get all depends.
How do you know when you have it right? Sometimes it helps to know when you have it wrong. Here is a symptom: Every little thing seems to bother you. String tension, the overgrip, the balls are too soft, the court is too fast, too windy, and more. Sound familiar?
Since your mechanics are unsound, you don’t really trust them (consciously or unconsciously) and they are therefore difficult or near impossible to time. As a result, everything little thing seems to throw you off — or bother you.
Should come as no surprise, but in our focus groups, the serve continues to be one of, if not the weakest part of a club-level player’s game (basically defined as USTA 5.0/5.5 rated players on down). We charted a match the other day between two high ranked USTA men tournament players (details are not important, and not posted in an attempt to not hurt anyone’s feelings). Bottomline — we don’t remember either player getting a single first serve in! Truthfully, maybe 1 out of 10 or 20. Second serves though were quite reliable but were ”fluffed up” to avoid a double fault and most any high level competitor would have killed either 2nd serve with return winners. We note for the record that even at the highest WTA levels of play, the women don’t count on their serves as a weapon but often just try to get the point started and try not to get hurt by their serve.
Here’s a summary of the biomechanics from one scientist. How much each body part and exertion contributes to racquet head speed and power. Obviously, you also need to master, integrate, mesh, and time the various exertions. The torso/trunk and legs are used to support these exertions and to add range of motion and pre-stretching to increase overall power.
| Body part/exertion | % contribution |
| Shoulder | 10 |
| Horizontal Flexion | 15 |
| Internal Rotation | 40 |
| Forearm | |
| Extension | 0 |
| Pronation | 5 |
| Hand | |
| Flexion (palm) | 30 |
| Radial/ulnar flexion | 0 |
Without starting an argument, we can probably all agree that a sound throwing motion (like a baseball pitcher) is an important part of the serve. Within the overall throwing exertion, we can isolate the shoulder and bicep and the proverbial external/internal shoulder rotation. Many, if not most, club-level serves suffer from poor mechanics which can be traced to a fundamental lack of throwing mechanics. Of course, one of our themes at eSticks.com is, once you “get it”, you need to “trust it”. There are many info resources for sound throwing mechanics, exercises, and tips for injury prevention. We will add details on the site to save time hunting around if needed — let us know.
ATP player throwing a weighted ball.
How do I know if I have it right? This is a common question and one way to answer it is with what we call a dispersion study. Just chart your ball flight and where it landed. Out of 10 or 20 shots, how many landed in? Pretty simple, but ignored by almost ALL club level players.
In a recent focus group, a ranked junior was observed practicing serve. Over a 30 minute period, he made maybe a handful of first serves. We watched a low level pro at a recent pro tournament practice serve for about 45 minutes. We don’t think she missed one first serve the entire session, and they were cannons! By the way, if you ask the junior in question, he will tell you he is certain he will play the pro tour some day, and he has been serving this way for the last two years. Hmm …
Thought we would try it again. The shoes in the picture were returned within the 6-month window. Sole tread was worn bare and a hole had formed all the way through. The claim was denied. We hope Nike clarifies their warranty and their reason for denying this claim.
