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Coaches Corner - tip of the month

MAY, 2012:

THE IMPOSSIBLE:  Accelerating and Decelerating Simultaneously

That’s wrong. Sure it’s possible. Players do it all the time. People do it in life too.

Jak Beardsworth TennisCan you drive your car with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake at the same time. Yes. Sure. Ever get in a NYC taxi? Ever drive behind the proverbial little old lady in a 40 mph zone and she’s going 20 with the brake lights on. Lots of brake jobs in the making, and over worked engines as well. It’s often the same observing well intentioned, trying hard club players who do the very same thing with their strokes – accelerating to the ball while decelerating, holding back the racket, simultaneously, and then stopping the follow through as soon as possible. Tennis elbow anyone? Not to mention lots of chronically tired arms and perceived weak wrists. (See the sudden stroke deceleration in accompanying image.)

So where should your follow-through stop? It doesn’t! It decelerates through the full range of your follow-through and silkily drops back into the ready position with the greatest of ease.

While on topic, understand that rackets and strings by themselves do not give you tennis elbow. You do. Of course, both the racket and string choice and the string tension have to match your game and physical prowess. That’s a given, or you’re asking for trouble. A bad fit will cause you to alter your previously injury free strokes from your norm. This is what does the damage. Talk to your pro who knows your game better than you do. Consult with your stringer and/or pro shop. Get on the “right” page for you. And don’t be switching rackets every :10 because there’s a sale, or company 'x' has a new model out and you’ve fallen for the marketing hype –always the latest blend of perfect control and power featuring the new 'y' technology.

Find a racket you like, strung with a string you like, at a tension you like that performs well for you, and doesn’t cause any change in your hard earned technique, and then stick with it. You’ll always be able to find string. And you’ll find discontinued models as well if you really want to. And you can experiment in tension changes typically in 2-3 pound increments. My stringer just found a brand new example of my 10-year old technology racket that over the years has become hardwired to my strokes and my game.

And if you’re not a particularly clean, smooth ball striker – and you should be aware of that – then find and experienced pro who can get you to both technically understand and kinesthetically feel the difference in striking a powerful shot cleanly with effortless control.    

Questions and comments are welcome at anytime for all tips present and past via email.

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Tips Archive

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