By Beth McCaskill
This morning, I awoke to find the Nadal/Fish match being replayed on USA, after I stayed up 'til 2:15 AM to watch it. I decided to check over on The Tennis Channel, as if I'm not getting enough tennis lately, and they were showing the finals of the Mexican Open, between Chela and Horna, 2 South Americans. They looked quite at home on clay. Flipping back and forth between the 2 channels made it clear how different the games are. On clay, from right up on the baseline in the middle of the court, a player can hit a very sharp angle, to just behind the service line on the sideline, and not have an outright winner.
At the US Open, Fish was hitting winners from the baseline, middle, by hitting much less angle, deep near the corners, against Nadal, maybe the best defender on the tour. That is why the aggressive player must get up on the baseline against a great topspinner like Nadal. Fish really did it in the first set. I didn't count, but he hit lots of outright winners because he was standing up at the baseline. Standing up at the baseline has another big advantage, which Fish also made clear. You are that much closer whenever Nadal hit short, which he does quite often because of his spin. There is tremendous advantage to being closer to short balls.
When you get in to a short ball faster, you get to hit bigger angles. On a surface like the US Open, those are winners. Second, if you are hitting an approach shot you usually catch the ball higher and have many more options. There is another important reason to get to a short ball before it falls below the net: you avoid telegraphing your approach. If you are forced to hit an approach shot off a low ball, while you are running forward, you must prepare for your backswing by moving your feet out of the way, so your opponent knows 2 steps earlier, where you are aiming.
Watch a Roddick match. If he approaches from his usual spot, many feet behind the baseline, he catches the ball very low. Watch his opponent. He is already running into position before Roddick strikes the ball. In today's game, giving away your approach is fatal. Watch an early Federer match (HINT: Roger, you are playing deeper now!). When he hits a short ball, he closes fast, reaches it up high, and freezes his opponent by not revealing his approach. Then, half the time, his opponent guesses wrong or moves early and Roger just hits a winner. The rest of the time, because he has caught the ball up high, he drives it with pace, and gets an easy volley back. Off course, all this is contingent upon your willingness to stand at the baseline and be willing to hit many more balls on the rise. It takes guts. It takes confidence. On clay it is more difficult because of the uneven bounces, and frankly it isn't even worth it. At the US Open, on a hard court, against someone like Nadal, that is where the advantage lies.
Contact: Beth McCaskill
Phone: 678-622-3708
Email: BethMcCaskill@TennisPlayersNetwork.com
URL: http://www.TennisPlayersNetwork.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beth_McCaskill
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Baseline---Revisited&id=1471128
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Andy Murray Backhand Stroke - Analyzed!
By John Key
Following his amazing efforts at the 2008 US Open, Andy Murray has truly arrived and is a force to be reckoned with on the men's tennis tour - and so has his two-handed backhand. Andy's backhand really is a classy stroke and a great example of the two-hander for junior and adult players to copy.
So Why is it So Good?
There are so many good points about Andy Murray's backhand that it is difficult to know where to start.
The Movement
His movement, compared to a couple of years back is like the difference between chalk and cheese. His general court coverage and his ability to chase balls down is awesome. His tuning around the ball (those small sharp steps around the ball) is also vastly improved. It has now become extremely difficult to get the ball past Andy.
The Drive
It's scary how many options Andy has open to him on his backhand drive! His racket-head control is full of snap and his timing is perfect. He really makes this shot tell in a rally, partly due to the way he positions himself up the court striking the ball very early after the bounce. Andy's constant smothering of the ball is very tiring for the opponent to play against as they are given very little time between shots.
One minute he winds up with a full blown shot, the next he abbreviates, blocks or floats the shot. He has an uncanny ability to mix the pace, stopping his opponent from settling into a comfortable rhythm.
Andy has a straight right arm on take-back and flexes his arms slightly on impact. Lovely! Many of Andy's drives around the baseline are played with an open stance and with excellent weight transference. He has superb balance, very rarely collapsing when making contact with the ball (a common mistake when social players get too close to the ball).
The tremendous racket-head speed Andy generates has got to be my favourite part of his drive. The tip of the racket overtakes the grip with ferocious speed on the Murray drive. As a result, his arms and racket are wrapped over his shoulder on completion of the shot.
The Slice
Andy utilizes a text book take-back and follow-through and like so many two-handers, he plays his slice as a one-handed shot. Time after time he weaves this shot into his rallies for change of spin, change of pace and for approach shots. Sometimes he just floats his slice backhand to length without much pace and other times zaps it over the net fast and low. He also utilizes a cheeky short cut shot that fizzes low.
The Drop Shot
As Andy possesses a really natural slice backhand, the drop shot is a natural progression for him. Nowadays Andy is selecting when to play the drop shot with more care, resulting in a far more effective drop shot.
The Service Return
Week after week on the men's tour Andy can be seen hitting his returns early, constantly hitting to the feet of the incoming serve-volleyer. His natural ability to abbreviate and adapt his technique makes his return a real weapon. He moves forwards into the court and following a split step, pounces on the ball. His superb racket-head control means that the clipped shots and improvised flicks are a breeze.
If an opponent decides to stay back on the baseline, Andy will constantly nail his returns into the corners of the court. Intimidating to say the least!
Andy Murray has arrived and is here to stay!
As a coach, John Key has worked with all levels of tennis players from beginners to junior national champions, Davis Cup and Wimbledon. His tennis website Backhandworld.com offers lots of free coaching tips and advice for all standards.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Key
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Andy-Murray-Backhand-Stroke---Analyzed!&id=1481669
Following his amazing efforts at the 2008 US Open, Andy Murray has truly arrived and is a force to be reckoned with on the men's tennis tour - and so has his two-handed backhand. Andy's backhand really is a classy stroke and a great example of the two-hander for junior and adult players to copy.
So Why is it So Good?
There are so many good points about Andy Murray's backhand that it is difficult to know where to start.
The Movement
His movement, compared to a couple of years back is like the difference between chalk and cheese. His general court coverage and his ability to chase balls down is awesome. His tuning around the ball (those small sharp steps around the ball) is also vastly improved. It has now become extremely difficult to get the ball past Andy.
The Drive
It's scary how many options Andy has open to him on his backhand drive! His racket-head control is full of snap and his timing is perfect. He really makes this shot tell in a rally, partly due to the way he positions himself up the court striking the ball very early after the bounce. Andy's constant smothering of the ball is very tiring for the opponent to play against as they are given very little time between shots.
One minute he winds up with a full blown shot, the next he abbreviates, blocks or floats the shot. He has an uncanny ability to mix the pace, stopping his opponent from settling into a comfortable rhythm.
Andy has a straight right arm on take-back and flexes his arms slightly on impact. Lovely! Many of Andy's drives around the baseline are played with an open stance and with excellent weight transference. He has superb balance, very rarely collapsing when making contact with the ball (a common mistake when social players get too close to the ball).
The tremendous racket-head speed Andy generates has got to be my favourite part of his drive. The tip of the racket overtakes the grip with ferocious speed on the Murray drive. As a result, his arms and racket are wrapped over his shoulder on completion of the shot.
The Slice
Andy utilizes a text book take-back and follow-through and like so many two-handers, he plays his slice as a one-handed shot. Time after time he weaves this shot into his rallies for change of spin, change of pace and for approach shots. Sometimes he just floats his slice backhand to length without much pace and other times zaps it over the net fast and low. He also utilizes a cheeky short cut shot that fizzes low.
The Drop Shot
As Andy possesses a really natural slice backhand, the drop shot is a natural progression for him. Nowadays Andy is selecting when to play the drop shot with more care, resulting in a far more effective drop shot.
The Service Return
Week after week on the men's tour Andy can be seen hitting his returns early, constantly hitting to the feet of the incoming serve-volleyer. His natural ability to abbreviate and adapt his technique makes his return a real weapon. He moves forwards into the court and following a split step, pounces on the ball. His superb racket-head control means that the clipped shots and improvised flicks are a breeze.
If an opponent decides to stay back on the baseline, Andy will constantly nail his returns into the corners of the court. Intimidating to say the least!
Andy Murray has arrived and is here to stay!
As a coach, John Key has worked with all levels of tennis players from beginners to junior national champions, Davis Cup and Wimbledon. His tennis website Backhandworld.com offers lots of free coaching tips and advice for all standards.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Key
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Andy-Murray-Backhand-Stroke---Analyzed!&id=1481669
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)