Dec
8, 2004
Common Errors—Stepping Through
In learning tennis, we are often reminded of techniques that we want to adopt or perfect. However, there are common errors that, while subtle in their execution, can contribute to poor form or prevent the acquisition of those techniques we want to emulate or master.
One such error seen among many players is the action of the back foot and leg when executing forehand and backhand groundstrokes, serves and volleys. Players often step through the stroke with their back foot on these shots at the wrong time. The cause of this is usually balance or a lack thereof! Players often reach for the ball too early within the stroke or they don’t set up on a balanced platform prior to the swing. These movements place the center of gravity of the player out over the front foot. The player is forced to step through during the shot to simply prevent from falling forward onto their face! Anytime the body swings around prematurely, the player must compensate if they hope to make the ball go where they want it to go. This compensation is usually done on a subconscious level. That is, the player’s body feels the early turn and consequently makes a change in the stroke to direct the ball differently, often without the player aware of the stroke change.
On the serve, the player usually has to flatten the ball out or push the serve in. On the volley, the player usually has to lay the racquet head back and, again, push the racquet in the intended direction instead of applying a firm stroke to the ball. On groundstrokes, the step-through also causes the ball to be hit early. In doubles, we see players end up hitting many balls down the line when faced with an inside-out forehand or backhand. (I talked about the “carioca” step in a previous newsletter when faced with a short ball in this situation.) In general, when the player faces the net prior to contact, (which is usually the result of stepping around too early), they are forced to push the ball away from their body. Such action is the most primitive of tennis strokes and least effective in both player progression and shot effectiveness.
In all these shots, groundstrokes, volleys, and serves, if the player makes this step a habit and does not learn to maintain the integrity of the body’s position through contact, the player will seldom advance to more effective strokes. This step-through problem, especially at the beginner and intermediate levels, contributes to players becoming ‘dinkers’. By having to redirect the stroke in a pushing modality, the player can seldom become comfortable with the proper mechanics of skilled strokes, topspin or slice. If you watch the pros, you will see subtle elements of this same concept, even as they certainly have developed strokes that can be called exceptions to every rule! Watch the pros as they either drag the toe as mentioned in this article, or they kick the back leg back momentarily during the critical contact point of the stroke. And, it is true that some pros can actually step through early—BUT, they have developed the proper upper body positions and hand controls to still execute the stroke in such a way that it can be hit properly and effectively, even if they are off-balanced or on the wrong foot!
Go through the many Video Clips found in the ProStrokes Gallery here at TennisOne, and I think you will see just how significant this footwork pattern is! Also, look for my upcoming series on “Common Mistakes in Tennis”…an in-depth look at many more of these problematic situations that prevent player progression. And, as always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email. Dave Smith, TennisOne Associate Editor (Click link to purchase Dave Smith's book, Tennis Mastery, at tenniswarehouse.com.
If you wish to be removed from our newsletter list, please send an email to newsletter-unsubscribe@tennisonenews.com and leave the subject line blank. A confirmation email will be sent to you, and you will be removed from our newsletter list once you reply to that confirmation.
|
| Forehand Groundstroke within the Advanced Foundation - Dave Smith ProStrokes: Sebastian Grosjean, Forehand BigScreen TV: Martina Hingis Sequence Note: TennisOne Classics Viewable through 1/1/05 To view ProStrokes and BigScreen TV you need QuickTime player. Click here to download free player.
Current Issue Cartwheeling - Jim McLennan Seven Drills for Developing Sound Doubles Tactics - David Brouwer QuickTip: The World Class Half Volley - David Wheaton
|
