POWER, POWER, POWER!!!

Speaking of power, I was playing with my friend Rufus yesterday and he had a new racquet. It was a RAMBO XF15 THUNDERBAT which is (surprise!) a stiff, powerful racquet. Rufus from the first point hit hard penetrating baseline shots, a noticeable uptick in power and depth from his normal game.

For the first 3-4 games I was breathing hard, chasing deep shots into both corners. My goose was cooked – tennis wise. Then something interesting happened. On shots that were mid court to him, he came in and hit it long (out) more often than not. What had been a wonderful racquet 5 seconds earlier was now an unwieldy cannon.

Power is only good on a tennis court if you can harness it and direct it. From the baseline he was a monster but for the mid court stuff, the monster lost its bite and the racquet became a one trick pony.

So this is just a reminder that while power might be the most intoxicating of all the tennis weapons, it is also the most overrated. The other tennis P’s... placement, position and pa-variety are all equally or more important armaments in an effective tennis arsenal.

Searching for the Holy Grail

There are people out there, okay men out there, that are at Frys or Best Buy right now trying to decide between the 48” Plasma 720 HDTV or the 52” LCD1080Q HDTV. It’s a big decision, for them. In either case they are convinced that their quality of life, er… TV life, will be enhanced such that they will reach TV or DVD nirvana. And it will work for them, for about 6 months. Six months from now they will read an article or see an ad for the new DIGITAL FP2000 with a Zerna 12XKF Controller that promises to make all other TV’s obsolete. And now they have to have "the new one".

The Holy Grail. A mythical object that promises eternal life, fresher breath, a flatter stomach, well behaved children and more! Just 4 E-Z payments of $29.99, Visa-Mastercard accepted! Call now, operators are standing by. Sounds ridiculous huh?

If you read a tennis magazine and look at the racquet ads you see phrases like areo modular, woofer, smart grip, aerogel, magnetic speed, flexpoint, metallix, speed port, morph beam, n-code, v-engine, and a whole lot more!

-- for a dizzying array of tennis tech, click on this>

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/technologies.html

Each promises that the feature will translate into better shots. What they don’t mention is that losing 10 lbs, taking some lessons, and going for more reasonable shots will actually improve your tennis a lot more than all those things combined. However, we don’t want to think about that, we want the quick cure—for our double faults, slice onthe golf course, weight loss, baldness, etc.

Instead of searching for the Holy Grail, be the Holy Grail. Could Tiger Woods win the Master’s with clubs bought at K-Mart? Probably. Could Nadal pick up a used racquet from a Salvation Army and beat most of us 0 and 0? Probably.

I am not saying that certain strings and racquets can’t lead to improvement, but the best gut and racquet will not make up for bad technique or being out of position, etc.

So if you’re looking for that one magic racquet (or string) okay, but remember it’s a slippery slope. One player I know has switched racquets (and brands) more than 5 times in 2 years. Don’t look for the next "big thing" as far as equipment goes, work on your game the old fashioned way; with lessons, improved technique, improved conditioning and better on court decision making.

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"Um, like what if I'm the 6th or 7th person to "Follow this blog"? Do I get anything? -signed Lonely in Los Feliz

Dear Lonely,

Yes, of course we have something for you. You will get valuable tennis information and insight from an old guy by reading this blog!!! Oh, I can see from your face you are massively disappointed. Well, maybe for you I can find an overwrap or a dampener then.

Andy's Busy, Now What?

Knee Bend or Wrist Snap?
A secret I have found to more powerful serves is have Andy Roddick hit them for me. However, there are so many times when he is not available I am forced to serve on my own. I guess it's time consuming being engaged to a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Bummer.

In the reader questions area of TENNIS magazine about two years ago someone asked what had a bigger impact on service speed; wrist snap or knee bend/jump? When watching the pros it's easier to identify the knee bend and jump into the court, they all do it. But watching the wrist snap is harder to see.

To answer this question, TENNIS magazine referenced a study about wheelchair tennis players. Since there is obviously no knee bend, all the service speed can be attributed to arm and wrist motion. They found that wrist snap is responsible for more service speed than an able bodied player bending their knees and jumping.

Personally, there are so many moving parts on me when I serve I often forget about this last necessary step but if you can coordinate many things at once, try BOTH the wrist snap and a knee bend that will propel you into the court after you hit the ball.

Keep in mind that service speed is probably overrated. Consider these stats from Roddick and Federer from the Australian Open, semi-finals: SERVING STATS

.................... Roddick .....Federer

Avg Speed -1st .....128 ........117

Avg Speed - 2nd ....107 ........97

First serve % .........65 .........66

Aces ....................8 .........16

Dbl Faults ..............2 ..........0

Looks like the bigger server should have won, but of course Fed prevailed 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. And despite serving slower than Roddick, he had twice as many aces. Placement of serves and varying your serve, especially at the high school level will yield many more service return errors than the big 100 mph heater up the middle, or into the body.

Singles vs. Doubles...Who's the Better Player?

Playing singles is generally the marquee spot in a tennis line-up or at a tournament. However, at the pro level with 4 players at the net, (less so in high school), it can be very fast and exciting compared to long rallies in singles, or a power serve-missed return that is common in men's tennis.

There is a bias toward singles assuming that they are the better athletes, more skilled etc. Let's examine this bias. When returning in singles, a deep return anywhere is good. In doubles, unless the return is cross-court with pace, it can and should be intercepted - point lost. In singles you know who is going to get the ball when it comes toward you-- there's uh... you and no one else, you take every ball. In doubles, there is communication or else no one takes the ball or CRASH, both go for the same ball and hit racquets, or worse, hit heads or head to racquet.

When I serve in singles, I have only a few things to think about, and I am fairly relaxed since it is common for me to have 10 (or so) service games in two sets and have 0-2 double faults. However, when I serve in doubles, all the normal things to consider come into play-- wind direction, the returners ability on FH and BH sides, where did I serve last time, etc.-- but now an additional consideration or pressure comes up. I don't want to let my partner down. If I double fault in singles, yeah, it's a drag but you move on. In doubles, a double fault gives me guilt because I have let my partner down. Furthermore, with my partner at the net if I serve too soft, especially a 2nd serve to avoid a double, then some teams will whack their return with the ferocity of an Ova (take your pick) right at the head of my partner at the net.

In football, who's a better player, a cornerback or safety? In baseball, a centerfielder or a 3rd baseman? In those sports as in tennis, there are similiar skill sets required at different positions but there are also unique qualities and skills required. So one is not better than another, they are just different.

Swinging It In Your Favor

Momentum Boy

There is something more powerful in tennis than an Andy Roddick serve. In fact this power is not found just in tennis. It occurs in most sports including basketball, hockey, baseball and football among others. This fearsome power in sport is called momentum.

In tennis it produces some surprising results. When the box score reads 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 people are left scratching their heads and thinking ‘what happened there?’ Sometimes tennis commentators will announce things like ‘Nadal has just won 11 of the last 13 points’. If his opponent can’t find a way to derail Nadal’s momentum, it will be a short afternoon. Though I don’t completely understand this complex phenomenon myself, as it encompasses the fields of sports psychology, strategy, and unknown intangibles, I have noticed some things to change momentum and swing it in the opposite direction.

When I am coaching a high school boy and he is underperforming and nothing seems to be working for him, I tell him he needs to change something (because obviously the path he is on is working. Change something. Personally, I have changed momentum in changing racquets (especially when they might be different or just strung different), changing sunglasses (or just taking them off), changing tactics (attacking the net more, less/more pace, etc. When I suggest a tactic change to a player or doubles team, I will tell them “stick with it, even if it doesn’t work the first few times”. Too often they see the first failed attempt at a changed tactic as “well that didn’t work” so they just go back to what wasn’t working originally. Not smart psychology, not smart tennis.

There are also times where you or you and your partner are riding a wave of momentum to apparent victory and then the 5-1 lead is lost and you are kicking yourself at the start of the tie breaker thinking “how in the heck did it come to this?”

A few suggestions. First, recognize when you have momentum in your favor and do everything you can to maintain it. Last week, two boys I coach in doubles had this score after two sets: 6-3, 2-6. With Sam and Marko serving to start the 3rd set, Sam held serve and then they broke their opponents quickly to take a 2-0 lead. And this was after losing the last set 2-6. I was sensing a big momentum swing in our favor as these two games had been won rapidly and then Marko served. Several missed first serves and two double faults later they were at deuce. In our no-ad league the next point wins so we were on the verge of losing the all-important momentum that had gained after losing the 2nd set. What led to Marko’s double faults and a very complicated serving game was unrestrained enthusiasm and adrenalin from the quick 2-0 start. His heart was in the right place but not his head.

Nothing leads to a loss of momentum faster than double faults and missing a lot of first serves. Momentum is sometimes a fleeting phenomenon and you have to do everything in your power to keep it on your side. Short of rushing, it is prudent to continue play quickly with momentum which in part doesn’t give the opponent time to think or analyze what’s going on. Getting first serves in, even if they are softer, more spin is the smarter bet than risk longer serving games with possible double faults that rob the server of his spirit while at the same time bolstering hope in his opponent.

More about pace of play when momentum is on your side. A few years ago when playing singles, I raced off to a 5-0 lead against an opponent I had never played. At the changeover, I told him I had run out of water and had to use the drinking fountain about 150 feet away. At the drinking fountain I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for a long time and it would have been awkward to just say “hi”. We ended up talking for a longish 4-5 minutes. I was very apologetic to my opponent when I returned and then he ran the next 6 straight games on me to take a 6-5 lead. Talk about momentum swings.

In life, as in tennis, the KISS method of doing your work often pays off. Keep It Simple Stupid is a reminder to us to get the serve in, or get the return in, and then go from there. Especially at the high school level with boys, testosterone runs high, and they think that “might makes right”. If hitting harder was always better than we would see Mr. Olympus types crowding us out for court time.

Momentum is the best thing you can have in sports. Next time you recognize it’s “present” in your match, do what you can to keep it, or if it’s running against you, do what you can to change it in your favor, short of gamesmanship.

Momentum, once lost, is hard to find again

Serving With a Purpose

Andre Agassi in the last year of his career was interviewed and in that interview said that tennis and life were similar, both involved problem solving. Isn’t that the truth?

In tennis against a worthy opponent, problem solving can make the difference between who goes on in the tournament and who goes home.

A frequent singles opponent of mine I’ll call Jason, attacks my second serve with a lot of pressure and a fair degree of success. That’s a problem for me so it led to me doing some problem solving before the match. We played today and in two sets, I had 9 service games. I served about 85% as hard as I usually do and it enabled me to get all but three first serves in. This meant I only had to face a very aggressive returner 3 times today. It’s also no coincidence that I held 7 of my 9 service games today.

I figured out that strategy before the match, but many times you have to problem solve during a match. Yesterday I played doubles and in my first service game I missed a first serve on the deuce court. My admittedly weaker second serve to the returner’s forehand was returned powerfully right at the head of my doubles partner at the net. Dylan fortunately blocked it so he didn’t get hit but we lost the point. Big problem. Immediately I decided for the rest of my serves to the deuce court that all of them would be to the deuce returner’s backhand side. Problem solved. My partner was protected and the returner was frustrated in playing the forehand return side but having to return all my serves from his backhand side.

In that same doubles match one of our opponents, Andy, was thinking like me. Every serve to me in the deuce court was to my backhand. While not a weakness for me, it’s generally not a serve I can hit with as much power as the forehand. Andy served with a purpose, which was not to put him or his partner in trouble right away from my return.

When beginning tennis players serve the goal is to just get the ball in play so you can play the point. However, as a player becomes an intermediate and can control the pace and location of most of his/her serves, they should serve more purposefully and thoughtfully. Considerations of wind direction, opponents returning ability, a rough percentage of your first serves going in, number of double faults, missed serves to which side and going deep or short, plus more, should help a person to make necessary adjustments to their serving games.

One of our intermediate high school boys (a 3.5- 4.0) nicknamed The Ball Magnet has a hard, flat first serve but he only gets it in maybe 20-25% of the time. His second serve makes him look like a 2.0 player and unfortunately he has to use it a lot unless I am there to remind him to “take a little off that first serve to get it in”. Something magical happens then, he serves over 50% and wins a lot more points.

Tennis is not just a physical game. It’s also emotional and mental. The mental part is continually analyzing what’s working and what isn’t and then making adjustments to your game. Problem solving helped Agassi have a lot of success on the court and it can help your game too.

Even Better Than Google?

Become a Student of the Game

I am not a heretic, really. But to suggest something might be better than chocolate, the early rounds of American Idol, Megan Fox, or Google, well, let’s just say this is almost on par with most of those magical things.

Here is the definitive list of places to go, resources of tennis information, version 1.5. Sure there is more, perhaps add your comments and sites/books and we will print an updated 2.0 list sometime.

INPO (in no particular order)

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ the Tennis Warehouse – Talk Tennis message boards. Page down and you will see a Miscellaneous category with Tennis Tips / Instruction but I have also learned a lot about Strings/Stringing in that self-named category.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/lcfrontpage.html this is the Tennis Warehouse Learning Center. I have learned a lot about racquets on this website though you can see there are many categories that look very appealing. Check it out, it’s new and improved with eye-catching icons!

http://www.tennisserver.com/ Tennis Server. Two particular links at this website are great--- 1) Turbo Tennis has fantastic articles/insights into the game, as in how to improve yours. 2) Pro Tennis Showcase has amazing photos of the top pros in action, check out some of their Australian Open pics—you won’t find better ones anywhere! Word.

http://www.racquetresearch.com/ is on Racquet Research. Even though much of the information seems to be from 2002, the LINK on that page to Is a Lightweight Racquet a Good Idea? is outstanding and if you heed it's advice, your throbbing forearm and elbow will thank you.

http://tennis.about.com/od/instruction/u/instruction.htm Believe it or not, ABOUT ‘s website has a section on tennis that is pretty darn good! They have a number of photo instruction lessons which don’t look very flashy at first but are solid, good information and easy to understand.

Jeff Cooper seems to have written most of this at the About site and to give you a taste of him, here is his BLOG from that website http://tennis.about.com/b/ - and an excellent excerpt from his latest post on the AO. -- Too much emotion can easily get in the way of executing your strokes, especially if your strokes require the precise execution that Roger's do. Rafa has much less to worry about in that regard, because he hits with so much topspin, he can just rip away at the ball and count on the spin to bring the ball down into the court. Under pressure, Rafa's shot selection and execution are simpler than Roger's, and his emotional makeup is probably much simpler, too. Rafa's dominant emotion seems to be a ferocious competitiveness, whereas Roger seems to carry a more complex mix of thoughts and feelings, one of which is a growing doubt about his ability to beat Nadal.

So the next time you get rained out from your game, right after you are done doing pushups, and crunches, go on-line and read about your favorite sport, then get out and try something you learned. That’s all for now. Now give Google a rest and click on a few of these links and start learning. Become a student of the game.

Ball kids at the Australian Open. When watching the pros, don't just be amazed by their power; watch for their variety of shots, movement, etc.

Is Your TENNIS Hard Drive Faulty?

I was in a round-robin tennis league a few years ago where you played everybody once, and if you wanted to play them more, you could count the score only if the outcome was different from the first time around. In other words, you couldn’t just keep playing the same (weaker) player to build up your standings.

Anyhow, the first time I played “Malcolm” I played an all-court game and attacked the net fairly often. In the second set I was at the net and he couldn’t pass me so he hit the ball right at me – but not in a mean—trying to kill me way. I had less time to get out of my own way and I missed the volley. Four or five points later there I was at the net again and hey, here comes the ball, again, right at me. I lost the point. And just to confirm what we both already knew I lost one more point at the net in the same way. I played the rest of the match at the baseline unless it was an easy put-away. For the first 15 games we played I volleyed like a champ. I volleyed well on my forehand and backhand. Malcolm late into our 2nd set learned something about me – a weakness of mine and then used it when I was at the net.

Fast forward 3 weeks later and I am playing Malcolm again. I remember the lesson I learned from three weeks earlier but the funny thing was Malcolm apparently had forgotten. I nervously approached the net in this second match and found fairly easy volleys to handle everywhere but right into my body. It wasn’t just once or twice, it was all day. Did he not notice the first time we played a weakness I had? I sure remembered but apparently his hard drive (okay brain) didn’t think it was important to recall that advantage.

When I am playing a new opponent my brain is looking for weaknesses from the very first warm-up ball struck.

‘Hum, dumped my slice into the net, let’s try another and see what happens.’

‘He looked awkward on that high ball to his forehand, hum, wonder if he will do that in our match.’

And so on.

A favorite tennis statistic is something like 40-70% of the time it takes to play a tennis match is the time between points. We all have a lot of time to think about and process what is taking place during the points. So next time you play, pop some Omega 3 capsules and fire up that gray matter so you can pay attention. Being a keen observer of your opponent may make the difference on a few key points and in a close match, that’s all it takes. Pay attention on the court and in life – it won’t just help your tennis score, it might save your life.

Know Your Strike Zone

Swing Batta Batta Swing!

In baseball, the “strike zone” is the area where if the batter doesn’t swing, the umpire behind the plate is supposed to call a strike against the batter. A batter with a keen eye can get a free pass to first base in the form of a “walk” if the pitcher doesn’t have good control of the ball and doesn’t throw the ball over the plate and somewhere between the top of the players knee to just above the waist area. In baseball you don’t have to swing at any pitch if you don’t want to but in tennis all balls that would land “in” do have to be hit back.

As I work with beginner and intermediate high school players I see a lot of players wait for the ball to drop to around their knees and then try and get under it to hit it back. They do so with sporadic success. They are practicing hitting a ball from their preferred strike zone about two feet off the ground. More advanced players usually take the ball earlier and many like to try and hit the ball when it’s near or slightly below the waist area. An adult friend I play with occasionally likes to try and crush the ball when it’s at his shoulder area. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

It seems that many players have a preferred strike zone where they like really swing out when the ball meets their eye in a certain spot, at a certain speed in relation to where they are standing, etc.

Now as noted earlier, in tennis you have to hit every ball that you think is going to land “in”. But hit doesn’t mean pound the ball. Most balls that are coming toward you, you do want to try and attack, you just want to hit it safely back. This could be a ball around your knees, at your shoulders, above your head or even a ball that’s at your waist level but because you had to run 30 feet at a virtual sprint to get it, it’s not a ball to hit back hard.

Your strike zone in tennis where you can swing out a bit should be a ball that is probably near your waist area, at a pace that is comfortable for you, the balls spin is comfortable for you and the area of the court where you will make contact is inside the baseline.

One of my frequent tennis opponents hits a ball that is of moderate pace but much flatter than what most of today’s players hit with an eastern or semi-western forehand. For me, I have less time to set up because of the less spin he imparts on the ball. So even though this ball might be in my swing away strike zone (for me my waist area), I am cautious unless I have more time to set up.

Similarly, many players will see a ball land short in mid court, but with backspin, as a green light to attack. However, this backspin throws off their timing and many less careful players will get ahead of the ball and pull the ball off-court, or make contact too far out in front (because of the spin) and their shot falls into the net. That’s why you don’t see a lot of professional players attacking a ball that is sliced back to them. While this ball may meet other criteria for the strike zone (inside the baseline, lack of pace, at or near waist high), because of the spin it makes it deceptively hard to attack.

If players are mindful of what kind of ball they can hit hard with reasonable success, and conversely, hit a ball safely when it’s not in their strike zone, they will play better percentage tennis and can expect to cut down on unforced errors and win more points.

Another point to be mindful of is that your opponent also has an area that is their swing away strike zone. If you can keep the ball away from this area or put the ball into an awkward area for them, it will force them to either hit more safe shots to you or if they’re impatient, it may cause them to try and some hit balls hard that they should have better played safely. Just because you have to hit virtually all balls back in tennis doesn’t mean you have to hit them all aggressively. Pick and choose your opportunities you’re your patience should result in more points. The best baseball players that flirt with the magical .400 hitting percentage each year are coincidentally some of the people who also lead the lead in walks. They have learned when to swing (hard) and when not to. We as tennis players would be smart to follow their example.

Best of Both Worlds

Uh, What's Spanish for Topspin?

There was a little known tennis match the other day, between 2 journeyman named Nadal and Federer. Um, okay… maybe that was understated a bit. Their latest match, for the championship at the Australian Open was at least for tennis fans—The Day the Earth Stood Still, II. Though this was the 19th time they have played, Nadal had before the match won 12 of the 18 previous matches which should have made him the clear favorite. However, Federer has won more hardcourt titles and also giving him the edge was the way he went through the draw including a 2 hour semi-final against Roddick versus Nadal’s 5 hour, 385 point marathon against Verdasco.

So all the stars were in line for Federer to match Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam singles titles, or so it seemed. Federer was expected to win. To show how much emotion and pressure he felt he wept on the court when it was over. Can you imagine Tiger Woods losing the Masters in a playoff and then crying at the awards ceremony (well maybe if the win meant breaking Nicklaus’ record).

This blog is titled “best of both worlds”, because both Nadal and Federer do things that assure they will both be 1 and 2 in the world for well into the foreseeable future.

Nadal’s strengths include a new and improved serve. Two years ago a returner could be aggressive and put away his 90 mph second serves. Now his first and second serve are kicking, or flat, into the body, or out wide - it’s why the best baseball pitchers are paid so much, it keeps the person at the plate (or at the return line) guessing and it’s harder to hit well.

Groundstrokes. When you see Nadal play, especially in person or when the camera gods warrant a ground view, you can see the massive spin that Nadal imparts on the ball. Spin hit slowly is nothing. Spin hit with tremendous power is called a “heavy ball” and it takes strength and the sweet spot of your racquet to return the ball. If Nadal hit flat he would be sending spectators to the emergency room in the first and second rows. However, because of the topspin he can swing like Barry Bonds on vitamins and the ball always makes it back into the court. When I would coach players at the high school level and if the ball hit the net (or tape), or if the ball went long, my advice was always the same—MORE TOPSPIN. Check out these players pics on this page - right before impact – think they are hitting UP on the ball? Do teen girls like the mall?
Hey, let’s not forget about the sensitive guy from Switzerland who has had a pretty good career for himself who has Tiger Woods’ cell number. Federer is fun to watch play. He like Nadal both play AMAZING DEFENSE and can turn a point almost lost into just another one for the highlight reel when they come up with an amazing shot – and they both do it with regularity.

But aside from their great defensive games—which club players never seem to focus on, is Federer’s ability to TAKE THE BALL EARLY. When you can take the ball in the court- versus behind the baseline, you are giving yourself more angles which can easily end the point in your favor. Also, once you hit it, you are also giving your opponent less time to react and then get to your shot. Combining that with the flatter trajectory that Roger hits and that’s why he was #1 for over 200 weeks until late into 2008.

Best of both worlds—Nadal’s spin, and Roger’s ability to take the ball early. The PGA has a commercial with pro golfers making amazing shots, and says “these guys are good”. But watching Federer and Nadal for any 20 minute period in any match and it’s “these guys are not good, they’re damn good!” True that.