Interactive Forum June 2014: Dominic Thiem Forehand

[tennis_chiro]

The Myth of Stepping Into the Shot

Well don, maybe I am old fashioned, but I always felt moving into the ball, getting your weight into it was also an important factor.

I agree with the points you brought up but you need to transfer the body weight forward to achieve a longer hitting zone and power IMHO.

Phil,

This is one of the great myths. At most, a step into a shot could only add a couple of miles per hour to a shot. Getting the weight forward does allow the player to set a better fulcum to rotate around, but the best shots are usually hit when the head is completely still and the linear motion of the front shoulder forward has actually been completed; in fact, because the axis of rotation is usually closer to the neck than the outside of that shoulder, the front shoulder is usually actually rotating backward away from the net as the ball is contacted. It's really important for the head to be completely still or as close to that as possible (not always possible); this characteristic is probably most notable on Federer.

But, let's go to the videotape:

Djokovic:
center, open:
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/novak-djokovic/

center, neutral:
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/novak-djokovic/

inside in, open:
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/novak-djokovic/

inside in, neutral:
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/novak-djokovic/

Del Potro:
center, neutral, side
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_play...tin-del-potro/

central, neutral, side, moving in (it supports Phil's argument)
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_play...tin-del-potro/

central, neutral, side, check the stability of the head; I think this is more representative
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_play...tin-del-potro/


Nadal:
center, neutral, side, moving in (it supports Phil's argument)
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/rafael-nadal/

center, neutral, side: check the stability of the right knee approaching contact
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/rafael-nadal/

inside in, (almost neutral,) side; check the movement of the head against the corner of the windscreen in the background
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/rafael-nadal/

Federer:
inside in, neutral (tough to find in high speed archive), check Roger's head against the umpire in the background
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/roger-federer/

center, open, side
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/roger-federer/

center, neutral, rear: appears to be moving in, but watch his head the last few clicks before contact
https://www.tennisplayer.net/tp_player/roger-federer/

don

[gzhpcu]

Well don, maybe I am old fashioned, but I always felt moving into the ball, getting your weight into it was also an important factor.

I agree with the points you brought up but you need to transfer the body weight forward to achieve a longer hitting zone and power IMHO.

[tennis_chiro]

Where is his axis of rotation?!

He seems not to be really getting his weight into the ball, his weight seems on his back foot, coming forward late...

I was looking at your post and trying to make sense of it and a little different way of thinking about it came to mind. I'm always trying to bring up the fact that the human body is working with pulleys and levers and angular forces to create movement. Dominic is actually rotating about an axis of rotation that is closer to his neck than his left shoulder and left hip and left foot. His maximum leverage would be to place the fulcrum solidly at his left foot and shoulder giving him the greatest lever arm to act on the ball and the greatest racket head velocity. His axis seems to be closer to the middle of his body and maybe on the right side of his head and neck. But given that placement of the axis of rotation, he is meeting the ball in front of that axis to give him power going perpendicular to the lever arm as the ball is contacted.

What do you think of that way of looking at it, Phil?

don

[vrc10s]

Can't view the clip. I'm just getting a blank, white square where the video should be. Anyone else having a problem?

Mine is fine

[stotty]

Can't view the clip. I'm just getting a blank, white square where the video should be. Anyone else having a problem?

[gzhpcu]

He seems not to be really getting his weight into the ball, his weight seems on his back foot, coming forward late...

[John Yandell]

Dominic Thiem Forehand

[John Yandell]

Dominic Thiem Forehand

We looked at Dominic's wonderful backhand previously. Since then he recorded a big time win over Stan Wawrinka and a big part of that was his forehand. It's a powerful, technically superb weapon. Interestingly, it's hit with a double bend hitting arm structure, like Novak Djokovic, though with a slightly less extreme grip. What else though? Your thoughts please!