Friday, December 28, 2012

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- Core Strength

If you want your core and back to get as strong as a donkeykong, first learn how to properly do a back squat. Then, build up to a working set of 20 (twenty) back squats where your quadriceps are parallel to the floor (minimum) at the bottom of the movement AND your heels are on the ground. Now, the kicker is to be able to squat 1.25X (times)your BODYWEIGHT twenty times in perfect form. lgwp

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- Double Hop Approach

When attacking a short low ball to transition to the net learn to use the double hop method as a component to keep your body momentum moving forward. The double hop method is when you step into the ball with your front foot whilst still on balance but after you hit the ball you hop or skip forward on your front foot (same foot) then continue moving into the service box area to do the split step. The two things you must do well to make this method work are balance when stepping into the ball and staying turned with your shoulders when contacting the ball. Also, this transition method will probably be done only on low balls. afdd

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- Modern Forehand

In general, if you want to get more power out of your forehand remember to reach back and away from your body with your racquet hand when turning in the preparation phase. More specifically, the distance from your back hip to your hand or racquet handle could be in excess of 24 - 30 inches*^. That is a great distance. Tip to remember, try not to reach straight back behind your hip/body, reach more away from your body and that distance may be over 14 - 18 inches*. So, just turning your body will not necessary guarantee you to be totally prepared, you must remember reach back and away with the racquet as well. *limb length will vary. ^excludes the full western donkey grip. afdd

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Doc's Double Header Tip of the Evening -- Overhead/Smash

If you truly want a sensational Smash or Overhead, practice hitting overhead smashes without moving your feet. You must obviously get into position first with your feet and establish balance. When hitting the Smash, you are only allowed to rotate your shoulders at contact. You mustn't fall or lose your balance even AFTER the ball crosses the net. Remember to turn your shoulders and position your feet parallel to the center line on the court. Hint: Hold your weight on the back leg and keep the non dominant arm straight up. Also, contact the side of ball like you would a slice serve. The greatest overdonkey I have ever seen was Richard Stockton's. He would practice hitting smashes exactly as described above. civs

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- BH Volley

Whether you are learning or trying to improve the backhand volley, put the non dominant arm BEHIND your back and practice hitting the shot. Remember to turn both feet parallel to the center line and reach across your body with the racquet and hand in front of the hip. Keep your feet still and wait for the ball to come to your racquet. Make sure you have an extended (locked wrist) and the bottom edge of the racquet face open. ajkyd

Friday, July 20, 2012

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- BH

If you have a two handed backhand, always practice hitting forehands with your non dominant hand. This is especially important when you are in the learning stages as well as the developmental stage too. The two handed backhand is predominately a non dominate dominated shot, so you must practice hitting forehands to develop the spin and power. The grip should be close to a semi western grip when practicing these forehands. bkd

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Doc's Tip of the Day -- Body Balance

If you are having difficulty controlling your groundstrokes, try keeping your body and feet completely still when practicing a few shots. Literally, keep both feet on the ground and turn your body and take the racquet back then swing at a slow to medium pace. A large number of players do not keep their body quiet or still when hitting their groundstrokes. I mean they are falling forward or backwards, jumping or leaning doing everything but staying still when hitting the ball. Try putting your hand on your hip or head when hitting a ground stroke and see if it helps. afdd

Sunday, May 20, 2012

DOC'S TIP OF THE EVENING -- MOVEMENT

When moving back to hit a tennis ball always turn your body first then use the crossover step as your first move! For example, when preparing to hit an overhead on a deep lob, you would first turn your shoulders then use the crossover step to move backwards. If you are at the baseline, and you need to move diagonally backwards to get behind a deep ball, you must first TURN your BODY, then start the crossover step by using the opposite foot from which side the ball is coming to. afdd

Sunday, April 22, 2012

DOC'S TIP OF THE DAY -- FLEXIBILITY TRAINING

Remember to do as much flexibility training as possible. Flexibility training is directly related to strength and muscle power. It is a fact that muscle stretching under tension is a critical part of stroke mechanics. The ability to increase range of motion at a body joint results in better storage of elastic energy, HENCE a greater degree of racquet displacement which helps move the racquet faster which improves power. An example of this training would be simple shoulder internal rotations with a stretch cord or a light dumbbell. Another would be core training. add

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Doc's Tip of the Day -- Tossing Motion on the Serve

One of the most important parts of the Serve is of course the toss. What appears to be a routine or automatic move is in fact not that easy at all. I will discuss these points:

1. how you hold the ball in your tossing hand.
2. the length of travel of the arm.
3. the speed of the arm.
4. the turn of the front shoulder during the ascent of the tossing arm.
5. the release of the ball out of the hand.

First, when holding the ball in your hand, the ball should not be held with your fingers. You want to cradle the ball at the base of your fingers and the very top part of your palm. The ball should lay in your hand, try not to grab ball.

Secondly, know if your arm descends first or if it ascends from the start point. IF your arm descends, make sure your tossing hand (knuckle) touches the inside of your leg, before ascending. After releasing the ball, continue moving your arm straight up to an angle of 180 degrees to your front leg.

Thirdly, the speed of the arm is constant. It does not accelerate to release the ball. The motion speed is relatively slow and controlled because momentum is built up due to the length of arm travel.

Fourth, because of the turn of the front shoulder when the arm is ascending, the arm ascends at a slight angle to the front leg. This angle is approximately 83+/-2 degrees. This is because you want to toss the ball in front of your body or at approximately 12 o'clock to your front foot.

And lastly, when you release the toss out of your hand do not flick or move the WRIST. This is very important. The ball should have very minimal spin or none at all after tossed. afdd

Doc's Tip of the Day -- Return of Serve

When returning serve, these actions are extremely important.
1. Have a slightly angled stance towards the server or into the court. (Your outside foot will be closer to net)
2. Split step forward when landing. (your split should be at least 1 inch vertically)
3. Your first move as you come down from your split step is a unit body turn.
4. Start immediately adjusting your feet to get into position for proper contact distance.
5. Establish balance, by holding your weight and do not lean or try to go forward to hit the return.
5. It is satisfactory to wait for the ball the come to you so you can maintain your balance.

* on faster serves, you may only have time to turn or pivot after split stepping.
* on serves spinning fast away from you, you must take multiple steps after split stepping to get to the ball. afdd

Monday, February 13, 2012

FOREHAND -- POWER

Pertaining to the closed or semi open stance when hitting a forehand there is NO current study or research to substantiate that in the semi open stance one can hit the forehand harder or with more pace. All standing research shows that stepping into forehand can generate more power because of transfer of body weight into the shot. fdd