Lessons from Isaac Newton

A split-step keeps you in continuous motion during a rally. You may have done your best to forget high school physics class, but perhaps you remember one of the key physicists, Isaac Newton, and the three laws that were named after him. What do they have to do with your tennis game, you ask? Everything. When it comes to mastering important concepts and understanding your coach’s advice, many players grasp them better once they know the science behind it. So for the more cerebral players out there, this one’s for you. BEGINNER OBJECTIVE 1: Perform a split-step Newton’s first law states that objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. So if you’re flatfooted on court—an object at rest—it takes more effort and time to get moving and into position to return the shot. If, on the other hand, you perform a split-step (a small hop where you land on the balls of both feet) as your opponent makes contact with the ball, you’re an object in motion. This means you’ve already overcome your inertia and therefore can move to the ball faster. That’s why you always see good players do a split-step right before their opponentsmake contact with the ball. OBJECTIVE 2: Strengthen your leg muscles Stopping and changing direction— overcoming the inertia of your body in motion— takes a tremendous amount of leg strength, and the more powerful your legs are, the more agile you’ll be. Plus, you’re less likely to get injured if your leg muscles are strong enough to withstand the stress that tennis places upon them. So make time to train your leg muscles. Squats and lunges are particularly good exercises to make you explosive around the court. A smooth low-to-high swing enables you to hit hard and keep the ball in the court. INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE 1: Get the right racquet for your game As your game becomes more developed, make sure your equipment matches your style of play. Newton’s second law states that force equals mass times acceleration. In other words, you’ll hit the ball harder (with more force) if you increase either the weight or celeration of your racquet, or both. If you can swing one racquet at the same speed as a lighter one, the force will increase. This is a positive with ground strokes but a negative on volleys because heftier frames are less mobile. Racquets are also balanced differently, so keep in mind that some frames will be more head heavy than others. Additionally, we all know that playing tennis is not just about hitting the ball hard. In fact, accuracy is an even more important element in a successful game. The key is to have a racquet that’s right for your style, so seek help from an expert. If you have a chance, playtest a frame before purchasing it. And remember, a more expensive racquet is not always better. OBJECTIVE 2: Improve your swing pattern A technically sound swing pattern will allow you to generate racquet-head speed, and swinging from low to high on your ground strokes will help you generate topspin. This, in turn, helps keep your shots in even though you’re accelerating the racquet. Depending on the situation, you can fl atten out your strokes, such as on down-the-line passing shots, or add more topspin to hit the little dipper (a short crosscourt shot). Whatever shot you hit, the key is to accelerate the racquet through contact and not to hold up on your swing by shortening your follow-through. A coach can help you understand the best swing pattern for each situation. Bending your knees on your serve helps get your hitting shoulder higher. ADVANCED OBJECTIVE 1: Use your legs when serving Although on the surface it looks as if the arm does all the work while you’re serving, advanced players know how to use their entire bodies, including their legs, in their serves. Newton’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you push against the ground, the ground pushes back. This drives your racquet shoulder up and helps place the racquet in the proper position behind your back. At the same time, it stretches your muscles and stores energy like a pulled rubber band. In essence, pushing off the ground allows you to generate a more powerful serve. There are two major benefi ts to using your legs this way. One, you call upon the strongest muscle groups, your leg and upper-body muscles—instead of just your arm—to generate force. Second, you’re less likely to get injured because the stresses are being shared by these large muscle groups. Estimate how much you use your legs by noting how much your knees bend during the serve. Research has shown that most top players have an average knee bend of approximately 70 degrees. OBJECTIVE 2: Use both arms for a one-handed backhand We all know that using both arms is critical for a successful two-handed backhand. But did you know that the nondominant arm is also very important for a one-handed backhand? The next time you watch Justine Henin-Hardenne or Roger Federer hit one of their beautiful one-handers, pay attention to what their opposite arms do. Typically, the nondominant arm mimics what the dominant arm does but in the opposite direction. This equal and opposite motion not only helps them generate more power, it also allows them to stay balanced.

Rafel Nadal's Forehand

At the age of 20, Rafael Nadal, a two-time champion at Roland Garros, has already etched his name near the top of the list of the best clay-court players the game has ever seen. But thanks to his monster forehand, he’s a contender on all other surfaces as well. Here’s how he generates so much power and spin with it.

1. Nadal’s preparation for his forehand is outstanding. Here you can see that he’s loaded and ready to go. His racquet is back, his shoulders are fully turned, his back is pretty straight— which I really like—and his legs are low and spaced well, giving him a wide base from which to hit. He’s using a full Western grip, which is great for generating topspin.

2. Nadal’s racquet is in virtually the same place as in the first frame, but he’s still adjusting his feet, leading me to think he may have gotten a bad bounce. Normally, I like to see continuous momentum with the racquet throughout the swing. Here it looks as if he might have checked his swing slightly. Even so, he’s doing a good job of getting his back leg almost behind the ball.

3. His base is set and his left leg is planted. The racquet head is starting to drop and you can see that the face is completely closed. This is common in today’s game. Nadal’s right shoulder is just now starting to come through the contact zone. His legs and back are in perfect position, and

he’s low to the ball. I prefer to see a player get down with his legs like Nadal does rather than bend at the waist.

4. Nadal is pulling the right side of his body around first, and his left side is dragging behind. This helps him load up more power until he’s ready to let his swing rip. He’s beginning to come up with his legs, but, contrary to what you might expect, his weight is shifting toward his back foot rather than to his front, the way tennis players are traditionally taught.

5. Here you clearly see one of the more unusual aspects of Nadal’s forehand. Typically, players who use a Western grip make contact close to their bodies and with a pronounced elbow bend. But Nadal strikes the ball with his left arm almost fully extended. Plus, he’s hitting the ball completely off his back foot, but his right side has come through and his upper body is open.

6. In this frame we can see how today’s forehand differs from the typical forehand of the 1970s and ’80s. Nadal and most pros these days have what I call a “windshield wiper” swing. This means that after he makes contact, Nadal swings his racquet across his body and flips it over, using the same motion as a windshield wiper. In the past, players typically extended through the hitting zone before following through to the other side of their bodies.

7. Another difference between today’s forehand and the one used in my era is that we were taught to follow through high and in the direction of our target and catch the racquet with our opposing hand. That’s not the case here; Nadal’s racquet has gone past his right hand and continues to wrap around his midsection. His weight has finally started to move to his right foot.

8. Amazingly, Nadal’s racquet has finished completely around his body. Look at the position of his right shoulder in the first photo and notice his left shoulder in this one. He was looking over his right shoulder at the beginning and ended looking over his left. This rotation is a great checkpoint for everyone, regardless of the forehand you use. If you can go shoulder to shoulder, you’ll ensure a full stroke.

Use your weight for better ground strokes

One of the most common phrases used by instructors is the admonition for students to put their "weight into their ground strokes"—or, as it’s sometimes said, "step into the ball."

There’s no denying this is good advice, but many players appear to have a hard time getting the hang of it. To get a better feel for using your body weight to produce more solid baseline shots, imagine you’re at the beach and walking into the water. As you get waist-deep in the surf, you see a chest-high wave approaching. Anyone who’s been in this situation before immediately knows what they should do: widen their stance, brace themselves with their feet, bend their knees slightly and then move forward at the same time the wave strikes their body to counteract the force of the water.

This feeling is much the same as what you should experience when you properly step into your ground strokes. So the next time you go out to play, imagine the oncoming ball is a wave and your goal is to use your stance and weight to move into it to keep from getting knocked over.

By the Numbers: 10 amazing Roger stats

As the Mighty Fed heads into the 2007 season, here are some statistics that bear out his greatness. • Only player in the Open era to win 10 or more titles in three consecutive seasons (2004-2006). • His final point total last season in the ATP entry rankings was 8,370 points, 3,900 more than No. 2 Rafael Nadal. If Federer cloned himself and gave his clone his extra points, Federer #2 would have been a comfortable No. 3 in the world. • Reached 10 Grand Slam titles at the age of 25, the second-fastest ever. The only person to reach 10 faster? Bjorn Borg, who did it at 24. • Holds the record for prize money in a single season, with $8 million in 2006. The previous high was $6.5 million pocketed by Pete Sampras in 1997. • Has lost just 15 matches in the last three years. • In February, Federer will break Jimmy Connors' record of 160 consecutive weeks at No. 1. • He's had five win-streaks of at least 20 matches, and he's taking a 29-match win streak into the 2007 season. Since 1990, two other players have won 20 consecutive matches more than once: Pete Sampras (three times) and Stefan Edberg (twice). • In 2006, Federer reached 16 finals in 17 events played (his only loss before a final coming to Andy Murray in Cincinnati). He won 12 of those tournaments, which, in turn, makes him the first player since Thomas Muster in 1995 to win a dozen titles in a season. • Averaged just 1.2 double faults per match, which was best among ATP Top 50 in 2006.

Return the Kick Serve

When I was a kid (and some question whether I still am), I was a big fan of the SUPER BALL®. For those who don’t remember, it’s that plum-sized, brightly colored rubber ball, that takes crazy high-hops when you bounce it. It’s nearly impossible to tell which direction the ball will dart, and trying to catch one can make you look foolish and feel uncoordinated.

It’s a little like trying to return a heavy kick serve. If one of the toughest shots to learn in tennis is a kick, figuring out how to return one isn’t far behind. The ball jumps up and away from your strike zone, hindering you from taking a good crack at it. And if you’re trying to defend against an effective kick, it may feel like you need a stepladder to return it. Here are a couple of options when dealing with this potent weapon:

Let it spin out: If you’re not an aggressive player, you may want to move back well behind the baseline to allow the ball to reach its peak and start to drop down­many good clay-court players apply this tactic. A drawback with this strategy is that the kick serve pushes you wide of the court (out toward the doubles alley), but you will be able to take a big swing at the ball. And you’d better, otherwise your shot will land short and your opponent will gain control of the point. Another potential issue you may run into is if your opponent is capable of coming in behind his serve. Since you’re so deep, they’ll have plenty of time to get on top of the net and in excellent volleying position. That’s why I prefer to. . .

Move in and take the ball early: It’s always wise to mix up your return positions so your opponents don’t find you predictable. That being said, most of the time I find it best to move inside the baseline on a kick serve and make contact with the ball while it’s rising off the court. At this point the action on the ball hasn’t taken it out of the strike zone, and you don’t have to forfeit court position by moving back. It’s a trickier shot than letting the ball spin itself out, but it affords you the chance to be offensive with your return.

An Effective Backhand Slice

An effective slice can add some much-needed variety to your game. In today's game, and you see it all the time at the professional leve, players are most comfortable when they’re in a routine of hammering balls back and forth. They like to exchange shots hit from their strike zones, which is between thigh and chest height, and use some degree of topspin on a majority of shots. You can be successful playing this style, but it makes your game pretty predictable. If you work a dependable slice into your repertoire, though, you’ll add some variety to your attack. A slice is effective for many reasons. If you’re stretched wide, the slice can be a safe, defensive shot that will get you back in the point. When hit as a rally ball, the backspin slows the pace of the shot and keeps the ball low and out of your opponent’s strike zone. And when you’re inside the court, you can be more aggressive with the slice by driving a deep, low, skidding shot that you can follow to net. It’s also the spin you need to be successful with volleys and drop shots. Here’s a quick lesson on the slice for all skill levels. BEGINNER OBJECTIVE: Learn the proper swing path and keep your wrist firm. When players first learn the slice, they sometimes start by drastically swinging down on the ball. Although the basic motion is from high to low (opposite of the low to high you’re first taught for your ground strokes) and back to high, it’s actually fairly subtle. If you hack down severely on the ball, you may put a great deal of underspin on it, but the resulting shot will float and have little pace, penetration, or consistency. You never want to lose that feeling of hitting through the ball. The other thing to stress is keeping your wrist firm. Many players snap or flip their wrists, trying to get pace and spin on the ball, and end up suffering the same problems as those who chop down when they swing. For a penetrating slice, use a swing that moves gradually from high to low and back to high. This way you hit through the ball instead of chopping at it. In fact, the swing path of the slice is almost parallel to the court. One way to think of the motion is to compare it to that of a karate chop. You start with your arm bent, and you straighten it out toward contact with a gradual reduction from high to low, keeping a slightly open racquet face. That way you’re still driving the racquet through contact. INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE: Incorporate your bigger muscles into the shot and learn to cup the ball. Players who use their whole bodies when they swing are generally more consistent with their strokes. Take the serve as an example: A player who gets good body rotation and uses his shoulders and legs is going to have a more effective serve than someone who just uses his arm. Using the big muscle groups will sustain consistency for the course of the match, whereas using only the smaller ones will cause fatigue (which will lead to inconsistency). With the slice, it’s no different. To better control the ball’s flight path and add pace to your slice, cup the outside edge of the ball. If you cup the inside, the ball will float with sidespin. At this point in your development, you understand the proper swing plane of the slice. You can repeatedly use good technique, but if you’re relying on your arm and hand to power the shot, your slice will never have adequate bite or penetration, and late in a match, when you get tired, it could break down. So stepping into the slice with your legs and stretching your arms out (with your hitting arm moving toward the contact point and your off arm behind you) will involve your quads, chest, and back—your best power sources. Besides using your whole body to hit the slice, you also need to have good feel and control. That’s where “cupping” the ball begins to become important. When you cup the ball, you cut under and around the outside edge of it. If you’re a right-hander, you’re trying to cup the left corner of the ball (the opposite corner for lefties). This helps control the flight path and adds zip to the shot. If you hit the inside part of the ball, that means your wrist is ahead of the racquet face, which will result in more sidespin than backspin on the shot. It takes great talent to control this type of slice because the ball has a tendency to sail. Cupping the outside of the ball is a much more reliable technique. ADVANCED OBJECTIVE: Develop your shot awareness and begin to use your slice as a weapon. As I’ve mentioned, slice affords a player variety because there are several different ways in which you can hit it. At this level, you can call upon all your options, and understanding your positioning and status in the point will help you determine which slice to use. For example, being on the dead run and far behind the baseline would call for a defensive slice. In an even backhand rally from the baseline, you may choose to use the slice as a change of pace to throw your opponent off. And inside the court, you can move forward and use your slice to attack. This is what I call shot awareness— having a clear grasp of what’s coming at you and what shot to use in response. From this perspective, you can use your slice to create openings by getting your opponent out of position. For example, if you’re in a backhand crosscourt rally and you get a ball that lands short, hit a deep, skidding slice down the line to open up the court. Or from the same position you can carve a short, sharp angle that forces your opponent up and wide into an uncomfortable position— almost like a drop shot, but with more pace and less arc. If your opponent has to attack off that, you’ll have a good look at a passing shot. And if he tries to retreat to the baseline, you’ll have an opening on his forehand side. Players with versatile slices, like Roger Federer and Tim Henman, often use this tactic against clay-courters who are leery of coming to net. During a backhand rally, a sharply angled slice can throw off your opponent’s rhythm by drawing him off the baseline and wide of the court.

Get More Depth on Your Forehand

Pushing with your dominant shoulder will give your stroke added pop and penetration. PROBLEM Your forehand lacks depth and power. A possible reason for this is that in an effort to increase racquet-head speed you prematurely whip open your front shoulder. This pulls your racquet toward the center of the court and away from the point of contact, compromising the power and control of the swing. Your shot can deteriorate further when you’re in a pressure situation. SOLUTION Instead of looking for more pace by swinging harder, focus on pushing your dominant shoulder toward the incoming ball. This action helps you lean your body into the shot while helping you retain stable posture throughout the stroke. Now the momentum of your swing is going in the direction of the target rather than off to the side. This gives your forehand added pace and penetration, two elements that will increase your chances of hitting an effective shot and taking control of the point.

Between the legs shot

This is the ultimate show-time shot. I don’t generally advocate it because you seldom win the point with it, but returning a lob from between your legs will please any crowd.

To familiarize yourself with the technique, practice it while standing still. Hold your racquet with a Continental or Eastern backhand grip to give your wrist ample snapping flexibility and to get more of the strings on the ball. Turn away from the net and bend your legs to get a wide base. Now drop a ball right between your legs. This will allow you to swing through contact without banging the racquet on the court or against your body.

When the ball is at shin level, snap the racquet down, squaring the face at impact. Depending on your objective, you can either bring the racquet through the hitting zone with a slight low-tohigh motion, which will be more of a drive shot, or you can snap up severely, which will produce a defensive lob.

After you get comfortable hitting from a stationary position, incorporate some movement by tossing the ball up and toward the baseline. Instead of running to the side of the ball, go straight at it. As you approach, make sure to overrun it a bit so you can take a full and, more important, safe swing.