WELCOME

Welcome to my Blog.......The best tips on net for tennis. Click here, if VISITING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Also dont forget to visit my new website WWW.BHARATVERMA.IN


Support Us

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Roger Federer's Forehand

Roger Federer’s forehand is the most beautiful, versatile, and powerful weapon in pro tennis. It may also be the most misunderstood. We’ll dissect four major elements of this superb stroke.

By John Yandell

1. GRIP
Many people think Roger Federer plays with a semi-Western grip, similar to Andy Roddick’s. In reality, his grip is closer to Pete Sampras’. Federer keeps part of his hand off the end of the grip, but most of it is still on the back of the handle, directly aligned with the face of the racquet. He shifts his index base knuckle slightly downward about half a bev
Gripel toward a semi-Western grip (to do this, stand the racquet on its end, as in the diagram below, and place your index base knuckle between bevels 3 and 4 if you’re right-handed or between 6 and 7 if you’re a lefty). This modifi ed Eastern grip is more conservative than that of most top players, who typically shift farther toward the Western grip and place part or most of their hands under the handle. This grip allows for the ideal contact height for a player who stands close to the baseline and plays the ball early, a key to Federer’s effectiveness.

2. STANCE & TORSO ROTATION
One might expect that with his grip, Federer would hit in the classical style—that he’d use a neutral stance, step directly into the line of a shot, and swing with less torso rotation. Players with traditional grips of old, like Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, typically rotated their torsos less and fi nished with their hitting shoulders almost parallel to the baseline. Federer can do this (see above), but usually he doesn’t. Instead, like the more extreme-grip players of today, he routinely hits from semi-open and open stances, rotates his torso radically, and finishes with his racquet shoulder facing his opponent.
Roger Federer Forehand

The semi-open and open stances allow Federer’s body to rotate fully without being blocked by his front leg. Yet his grip gives him versatility—the option to hit comfortably from a traditional stance with less rotation—that most extreme-grip players lack. Players with Western grips typically rotate their torsos much farther forward just to get the racquet head through the stroke. They would fi nd it awkward to step into the ball, because their front legs would block the forward swing.

Federer has synthesized elements of classical and modern technique. He fi nishes with as much body rotation on his forehand as players like Roddick and Rafael Nadal. Yet his grip makes him more comfortable than they are standing closer to the baseline and hitting the ball on the rise.

3. EXTENSIONRoger Federer
Many observers have noted how Federer finishes across his body, with his hitting arm and racquet wrapped around his torso at the end of the follow-through. What’s usually overlooked is how far out in front of his body he swings before bringing the racquet across. When Federer drives the ball, the length of his swing toward his target equals or exceeds that of virtually any player in the game. This is one source of his effortless power.

Federer’s extension happens so quickly that it’s difficult to see with the naked eye. In the photo below, Federer’s hand has reached about eye level, and his arm and racquet are almost completely straight, reaching out toward the target. Typically his hand is somewhere between shoulder and eye level. His hand and his torso are 2 feet apart, if not more. Federer reaches this point of maximum extension before the racquet starts to move downward and wrap around the side of his body. Most players who think they’re copying his motion use a wraparound follow-through but miss a critical element in not hitting completely through the ball first.

4. WIPER FINISH
Federer’s windshield wiper follow-through often confuses observers who associate this fi nish with more extreme grips. Federer turns his hand and racquet over during his follow-t
hrouRoger Federergh, fi nishing across his torso rather than over his left shoulder. The rotation in his arm can be as much as 180 degrees.

By combining a wiper fi nish and a classical grip, Federer can hit the ball hard and with a low trajectory over the net. But at the same time he can generate as much spin as almost anyone in tennis (see chart). There’s one more advantage to his use of the wiper fi nish: By varying how quickly he turns his hand over and the length of his extension, Federer creates a bewildering range of angles and spins, everything from crosscourt passes to precise topspin lobs. Because of his grip, he is able to do this while still hitting the ball early. Combining the extreme and classical components gives him a variety of options unequaled in the modern game.

LEARN FROM THE MASTER

How applicable are the elements of Federer’s forehand to the average player? In many ways, he’s a better model for club players than his rivals who play with all modern techniques. His grip is better suited to handle the majority of balls recreational players face. Club players aren’t forced to deal with the extreme high-bouncing shots you see in pro tennis. The natural contact point of most balls tends to be at around waist-level or a little higher, which is perfectly suited to an Eastern grip. This relatively conservative grip also alloRoger Federerws players to hit from numerous stances without the need for radical torso rotation.

Most important, Federer shows that by rotating the hand and racquet as a unit in the wiper motion, players can generate signifi cant spin and at the same time hit through the ball for depth and pace. Most club players should not use the wiper on every ball, but it can add spin, short angles, and versatility. It’s a paradox: At the pro level, few players have the timing necessary to make a synthesis of classical and modern elements work together. But in club play, where the ball is slower and lower, this combination is a realistic option. Federer’s forehand is both a stroke of genius and a stroke for the masses.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

4 Serve Rituals

enjoy ppl my first video tut (not mine but only posted here by me)

Do comment good or bad ...

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Put It on a Dime

By Nick Saviano
Photos By Lara Tomlin

In Line with Front ToeAll the speed and spin in the world won’t matter if you can’t place the serve where you want it. The ability to control the direction of the serve is a critical component to its overall success. Hitting an ace is great. But not everybody can consistently crank the speed needed to blow a ball by an opponent. What’s more important is to set up the point tactically. The advantage of being the server is that it gives you a chance to dictate the point from the start. With good control you can choose to do things such as serve your opponent out wide or play to his weaker side. Here are some things to keep in mind if you want to have total control over your serve.

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FRONT FOOT
To manipulate the placement of your serve, you must first have control over your balance. Many players blame a bad toss for problems with their service accuracy, but I think you should look at the feet first. If your front foot is moving around to accommodate an errant toss, you’re going to hit from an unstable base. It’s fine to drag your back foot up during your service motion, but that front foot, apart from turning slightly to assist your upper-body rotation, should stay where it is.

Do Not Let Your Foot WanderIn fact, most of the time your toss should be in line with your front big toe, give or take an inch or two. If you can consistently put the toss in that location, you’ll have a better opportunity to control your serve. The big mistake players make is changing the toss to help hit to a target. Obviously, if you’re hitting a kick serve, the toss will have to move more behind your head, but on your basic power first serve the toss needs to be more in line with your front foot, no matter what direction you’re aiming the ball in.

USE GOOD SHOULDER ROTATION
Not only does turning your shoulders add power to your shot, but it aids in accuracy as well. Too often recreational players simply face the net. This forces more of the power burden to fall on the serving arm, which can cause a loss of accuracy. The players who hit their locations most frequently generally have a healthy shoulder turn. This also provides good disguise during the preparation phase of the serve and will give your opponent trouble when he’s trying to
read where you’re aiming.Shoulder Rotation

PRACTICE HITTING TARGETS
There are three primary locations you are going to serve to—out wide, into your opponent’s body, and down the middle. While there are variations depending on the amount and type of spin you use, these are the crucial spots.

The best way to practice hitting these locations is to set up targets that cover a decent-sized area. Don’t limit yourself to a space the size of a tennis ball, because that’s unrealistic and would become too frustrating to try to hit. And avoid trying to crush the ball. Rather, focus on good rhythm, timing, toss, and location. Attempt to hit the same target no more than three to five times in a row. This will prevent you from altering your toss or service action in order to hit that spot. A fourth target to consider is a shorter angle on a wide slice serve. You can place it a couple of inches from the singles sideline and several feet up from the service line. This serve is great for pulling your opponent outside of the court and out of position.

Practice Hitting Targets
MOVE THE RETURNER AROUND
There are two locations to be concerned with on the serve—the spot where the ball lands, and, perhaps more important, where the opponent makes his return. For example, say you’re a right-handed player trying to hit the ball down the T in the deuce court. If you hit a serve with some slice (which curves from right to left), the ball may land near the T, but it will curve toward your opponent. It may still be a good shot, but a flatter serve that lands in the same spot will stay farther away from your opponent and potentially be a more difficult return.

On the other hand, if you’re a righty and serving from the deuce side, that same slice serve placed out wide will curve away from your opponent more than a flat serve hit to the same location will. So you have to experiment with your serves and spins to figure out the spots you need to hit to stretch or jam your opponents. Depending on the flight path of your serve you may have to start the ball directly at the target or slightly to one side to achieve the desired effect. That’s why placement and spin are just as important as pace when it comes to the success of your serve.

Move the Returner Around




PS : The shoes this girl is wearing in the pic is same as mine [:P]