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Myth and truth of the "wrap"
"Show me the butt of the racquet!". Visit almost any junior academy
and you’ll see dozens of eager younger players trying hard to whip the
racquet head up and over the shoulder and point the butt of the racquet at the
instructor, with many coaches trying to discourage it.
It’s becoming a mantra in junior coaching. The "wrap" follow-through is slowly beginning to be advocated as the magic key to "racquet head acceleration" in the modern topspin forehand.
All the top players have big "wrap" finishes, right? So shouldn’t other players copy them by trying to wrap the finish?
The answer is yes. The belief that the "wrap" finish creates racquet head acceleration is not a myth.
The wrap isn’t the effect of a good forehand, it’s the cause. By trying to wrap the finish, junior players are changing the fundamental shape of their swings in a way that has significant positive consequences.
Their forehands may appear similar to top pros. And they are, and video analysis shows there aren't any startling, critical differences.
Players such as Gustavo Kuerten, Marat Safin, and Lleyton Hewitt all have remarkable wrap across the ball through the contact zone.
By this I mean the racquet goes across the line of the shot, rather than forward, reaching a characteristic finish position with the wrap. The racquet has already moved to their left, rather than extending on the line of the ball.
The movement of the racquet along the line of the shot, although recommended by conventional coaches, weakens the contraction of the biceps and pectorals, which are the driving force in modern forehands. This is the critical factor in racquet head acceleration and ball speed.
Analysts usually forget that gravity is the biggest force we have to contend with on Planet Earth, and that to use it to your advantage you have to compensate in unusual (to an untrained observer) ways.
That is why very young players have their swing planes shorter and steeper. Often they generate a lot of topspin, and they tend to lack depth and pace. Their balls just don’t penetrate the court very much, despite what appears to be great effort in making the swing. But beware. They are just learning to tame the physical universe and at the same time feel powerful. They want to know that they are not holding back on force for fear of errors.
And they are developing strength. Like a weight lifter, they become stronger day by day.
Of all the things myths and misguided beliefs that I see in teaching and conventional coaching, I have to say to avoid the wrap is one of the most counter-productive. Sometimes players labor hard to straighten their swing, under the delusion that hitting straight will improve their game.
If you don't try to hit across the ball, the wrap will not occur naturally. This is the famous Statue of Liberty finish in which conventional tennis teaching thrived for years but which killed the sport.
So the mantra of junior tennis, "show me the butt of the racquet," is well-intentioned, and it will help develop the player. Ironically, the traditional emphasis on hitting through the ball, and extending the follow-through forward is probably still the key to the incredible failure to develop top juniors in the United States.
There are some wonderful young exceptions, like Andy Roddick and James Blake.
Both have exceptional wraps.
Preparing early: a myth that has had it's time
Most conventional tennis teachers, including coaches at a very high level, counsel
their students to take the racquet back early.
Amongst top players encouraged to do that, rather than stalking the ball longer, falls Pete Sampras, who for close to three years had a very difficult time winning, until finally hitting his stride again at this last U.S.Open.
Pete kept missing and missing, and couldn't figure out why. Neither did his coach.
The reason is two fold, but simple. At the height of his game Pete kept following the ball with his racquet for quite a long time (although apparently there are only a few hundredths of a second). He kept the racquet between the ball and his body, instead of taking it back early.
It seems like minimal time, but the player is aware of tracking the ball.
Pete was able to make minute adjustments after the bounce of the ball, following its flight, and then strike it as he wished. These adjustments were instinctive, perfected by endless practices. We all have this potential, even a beginner. And with play and practice, we further develop this instinct, although, if we rush, it gets complicated and not as perfected.
The second reason that explains countless errors pertains to the attention of the player, where it is focused. If you follow the ball without making a complete commitment as to your stroke, you'll observe it clearly until you make contact. I am sure that you won't forget to strike it, no matter how long you stalk the ball.
In other words, first you find it, then you make up your mind to stroke it.
If you do the opposite, preparing your stroke early, you have just made a mental image picture of where you expect the ball to arrive. What is unfortunate in this case is that not only you are imagining something that will occur in the future, but also that your attention gets dispersed towards your mental pictures. You stop observing the ball to quite an extent, and you are quite stuck into your pictures of the future, out of present time.
Lets make an analogy. You are going out on your first date and you are already playing and playing the dialogue that is going to occur. I bet you won't make a good impression. You won't sound natural at all. You may even be stuck inside your head, in what you are thinking, while your date feels probably out of sorts.
That's the way many people feel while they are playing tennis. Encouraged to prepare by their coaches, they are thinking, not looking. They feel no calmness at all.
Of course there seems to be no time in tennis. But beware, because time is measured in most persons against the speed of thought. So, while you think, you are monitoring time through your thoughts, and the game really seems faster than it is.
What happens when you stop thinking and you just plainly observe the ball?
You'll notice that you'll see the ball longer.
Sometimes, as the ball is getting close to you, it almost seems to come to a stop.
Many professionals talk about being "in the zone". Sampras said, after the final win against Agassi "I think I deserved to win. I was sometimes in the zone".
What is this "zone" phenomena? Only a calmness born from stalking it, from tracking the ball.
There is one drill that will convince you of this. Let's say you are at the baseline. Right at the bounce of the ball, count one, and continue on counting, striking at the count of five.
You could even try this at the net, here counting one when the other player strikes it, then volleying at five.
You may be a bit late a couple of times, or panicky. For sure your mind isn't used to this.
But if you persist, all of a sudden you are going to find that you adjust better to the flight of the ball and that there is a lot more time than you thought. Additionally, you'll feel the ball a lot more.
I could add some more explanations. But they could complicate matters.
I would rather ask you to forward to us via e-mail your comments on what you experienced after a practice like that. I can truly recommend this type practice. I have tried this counting with beginners, intermediates, advanced players, top juniors and touring pros. Most were skeptical at first, but later in awe of their success.
One time, with Jimmy Arias, a former Top Tenner, we hit the ball back and forth
without missing, over 400 times. And he missed first!
The Jim Courier forehand
Jim Courier had the strongest forehand of his time. It was a combination of
power and topspin that took him to No. 1 in the world in 1992. He won 2 Australian
Opens (1992-93) and 2 French Opens (1991-92).
The particular aspect that made his forehand such a strong but simple shot was his racquet position in regards to the ball. He would follow it as if he was going to stop it in front of his face with the palm of his right hand.
From there, it was easy. As soon as he felt the ball was within his grasp, he would release the strongest swing possible, across to his left.
Even his body would shift to the left, aiding this huge punch.
His trademark was his confidence in this relentless attack. He would hammer mercilessly every forehand ball.
A particular drill that would help you understand this type stroke would be to have someone feed you slow, high balls to your forehand side. Meanwhile you keep your hand and racquet pointing up and in front when the ball starts coming to you, and you look at the incoming ball through the strings, as if you would be looking at the back of your hand, not your palm.
This is an exaggerated drill. Don't take it as if you would have to look at the ball through the strings in a match.
After the bounce, just find the ball well, preferably near shoulder height, and hit it quite hard, as naturally as you can, with topspin and sidespin, going to your left (for a right hander).
You'll notice your wrist will get used to this cocked position, giving you plenty of power, but also maximizing control.
Do not force your wrist nor tighten up too much on your grip, which is one of the causes of tennis elbow. This stroke may be helpful, but if it causes you any physical trouble, it may not be for you.
Let me know your results with this drill, so I can share it with others through
this weekly newsletter.
The Power of Simplicity
Bjorn Borg used to say: Tennis is a simple game. Just hit the ball over the
net one more time than your opponent.
That is the essence. Yet for all its grace and simplicity, too often the game and the mind are cluttered with a myriad of extraneous thoughts that only confuse and restrict the flow.
Most teaching pros try to instill a series of ideas into the conscious mind i.e., take the racquet back early, bend your knees, etc., these well meaning concepts only serve to make a simple sport very difficult.
To learn to play tennis well, I ask only that you empty your mind and, using a simple, uncomplicated technique, focus on the feel and sound of the ball on the racquet.
To clarify this concept, perhaps I need to get into the philosophical aspect.
To best understand the causal relationship between mind and body, ask yourself the question: who is the operator, the source of the decisions of the action? The operator of the body-mind-thinking process is the being, the center of awareness, the spirit, or the consciousness center.
A simple test reveals who is in command. Close your eyes and picture a cat, or a dog in your mind. Clearly see the picture you created. Move it a bit from side to side. Now ask yourself the question, who is looking? Who created the picture? Who is in control? The answer is you, the soul, the actual source of your decisions and your existence.
So what is the mind? You just looked at it in the previous test. It is the complete collection of mental image pictures, including all perceptions, a record of all the experiences of life. It is a tool the being uses to decide present and future actions, even those that operate below the level of awareness.
How does this work in tennis? What would be the most practical way to operate?
Tennis is a sport for the being, rather than the mind. The being thrives on feeling, on aesthetics, on beautiful coordinated moves; while the mind thrives on pictures, perfect poses, right-wrong computations.
The best tennis pros are artists who operate at the higher harmonics of aesthetics flows, with little thought involved, just like concert pianists at their best and you too can learn to play this way. This level of optimum performance is sometimes called the zone.
Instinct and Feel
To handle something well you need to put your attention on it. You can place your attention on many things at once or focus on just one thing at the time.
What is most interesting about tennis is that while you are focusing your attention on one thing almost exclusively, everything else gets aligned with that instinctively.
Especially when you operate by feel!
Playing tennis on a conscious level which operates by using several mental image pictures of consecutive body positions, is too mechanical and slow and therefore inadequate.
Pro tennis players operate on an instinctual level, avoiding as much as possible thinking about the task at hand. They remember a stroke by what it feels like, not how it looks. They dont look into their mind to recall its mechanics. They play by feel, and consciously slow their mind down.
Breathing or walking are things you do on an instinctive level ; hence they are smooth and effortless. Unlike say, balancing your checkbook, which requires great mental effort.
When playing tennis, it is the ideal to operate on instinct and feel. Follow the ball attentively. Trust your instincts. It either feels good or it doesnt. You be the judge.
Try different techniques, but beware of falling into anything purely mechanical. Choose the one that gives you more ease and a better and longer feel of the ball.
Judge your strokes by these simple criteria. Does it feel natural? Does it get the ball in the court? Do I mildly resemble my favorite pro? (Who has obviously mastered the stroke).
By copying your favorite pro you are actually using all the years of practice he or she needed to perfect his/her feel, or technique. If it doesnt work well for you, emulate the stroke of another pro. You may learn in a few days by copying what it took the pro years to find.
The simpler you make your task, the easier it will be to know what to practice, what to put your attention on, and what not. Again, you need to trust and develop feel. Do not strike the ball head on. It wont stay on your strings much and the feel is too short. Brushing it up with topspin, for example, makes the ball stay on your strings much longer.
Starting and prolonging this contact on the strings below the center of the racquet helps you feel the ball even more.
Focus on repeating that which feels best. Improve it, again by feel, practicing to get certainty and confidence. Practice until it works.
Find the ball first and then let your "finish" occupy your mind.
BEGINNER COURSE ... INTERMEDIATE COURSE ... ADVANCED COURSE ... TEACHER/COACH