Video Tip Transcription
Hi, Brent Abel
here, WebTennis.net, and Happy New Year. Here we are early part of
January, 2007. We've got a beautiful day out here in northern
California. It is a little bit cold, but we've got lots of
sunshine, and I really want to help you kind of get back into it.
One of the things
I want to do is to make sure that in your ready position, when you
are back on the baseline, is that you are not creeping too far over
towards a semi-western, or even worse case. a full western grip in
your ready position.
We talk a lot
about classic strokes and sort of the fundamental type of tennis,
and we want to make sure that you can play this sport for the rest
of your life, and you know that I'm really specific on grips, I'm
really specific on swing shapes, but I don't have a problem if you
get a specific ball, a certain ball, during a rally or during a
point, where, if you want to slide over and go a little semi-western
to get a hair more top spin on that forehand, I don't have a problem
with it.
In fact, from
time to time, I do that myself, but the thing I want to make sure
that you don't get into is that you don't start using that
semi-western, four-hand grip in your ready position, and the reasons
are obvious.
I mean, what I
see so often is I see players in the ready position. They kind of
lay the racquet down, rather than having it on the verticals.
They lay the
racquet down and their hand naturally starts to kind of get around
into more of a closed racquet-face position and contact.
And the problem
with this, unless you get that certain ball that kind of lands nice
out in front of you where it's got a little time to bounce up and
get in your "strike zone", if you're always setting up with this
forehand grip and you get a deep ball, it is so tough with this
closed racquet face to naturally be able to sort of go down and pick
up that really tough ball that lands deep from your opponent, maybe
even has some pace, and that's a ball that you want to do more what
I call, which is sort of receive the ball.
Receiving the
ball is more about being able to provide the ball bounce with your
racket face.
Right after the
ball bounces, let that ball have sort of a nice little stable
surface to come in and rebound out off. If you've always set up
with a closed racquet face because you've got that semi or full
western forehand grip, this is so tough to be able to handle that
shot.
The other thing
too is lots of times you get a short ball, and if you're already
locked into a semi-western grip, if you go running up to the service
line or even up in the front of that close to the net and you've got
a closed racquet face, you've got a real problem. You really need
to be set up in your ready position here back on the baseline,
either in a continental grip or an eastern forehand grip.
All right? So, I
hope this has helped. Again, Happy New Year to you and to your
family. And any questions be sure to send an e-mail,
Brent@WebTennis.net .
Thanks very much. |
