A New Teaching System: Serve: Swing Keys

[John Yandell]

HS,

There is the potential technologically to do complete 3D recreations of pro play meaning correlating the strokes with the speeds, spins, trajectories, court positions, movement distances and speeds, etc. And to create the visuals that depict all those the numbers. That can all be done in live play without the suit that Brian and others use/can devise. And yeah the potential is there for both men and women with more change on the women's side--possibly.

The ATP is becoming more not less restrictive. They control the TV of even the women. The other bottle neck is the agents. No one can access the players without going through the money door. The fragmentation of the sport works against big picture thinking. And yeah enough money would get the attention but the cost would not return on investment.

No one knows the future however.

[hockeyscout]

HS,

Again--thank you! There are some people out there doing valuable work, but yes especially with the rise of aggressive internet marketing there is a lot of hype, arrogance and pretense.

I have a non-profit research foundation that has funded some of the early work you see here. $5,000,000 would be enough to create the entire new paradigm since you raise the money question.

And know there is no private information. Everything we develop eventually is presented on Tennisplayer.

Yes I know what you mean about the hype, arrogance and pretense, we've chosen to separate ourselves from that chaos, and it's been a great decision on so many levels.

Few questions:

1.

If you had say $20,000,000 funding right here, and right now, what would be at the top of your list for getting sorted out once and for all?

2.

Test subjects:

The big issue in tennis is simple, the big boys (Roger, Venus, Grigor etc) would never in a million years let you attach sensors to them to study them! Every other top athlete in every other sport has been dissected and prodded by scientists (and are willing to do it), however, it's never happened in tennis. It's surely left some gaping holes. It amazes me Doctor Brian Gordon said in his article here on tennis player.net he hasn't thrown a world number one through his system, however, I can see why no player would want to do it in tennis. How would you get past that obstacle?

You know John, their is so much growth potential in this sport, especially in the woman's game.

[John Yandell]

HS,

Again--thank you! There are some people out there doing valuable work, but yes especially with the rise of aggressive internet marketing there is a lot of hype, arrogance and pretense.

I have a non-profit research foundation that has funded some of the early work you see here. $5,000,000 would be enough to create the entire new paradigm since you raise the money question.

And know there is no private information. Everything we develop eventually is presented on Tennisplayer.

[hockeyscout]

Part of the death of serve and volley has been the dominance of the two handed back hand. Many players fight with their mind second and their body first. The automation of deadly ground strokes is the goal of many coaches. Those who win with smarts without power are considered magicians (Radwanska, Santoro) but the most prominent of those was Brad Gilbert, reaching #4 without weapons other than foot speed and a flat forehand used sparingly.

There will be no atp IV fh. This site has an over abundance of pieces on technique, and few about using your mind first. The mind determines how much fear you feel during pressure. How much confidence you experience as well. How much you are willing to change to improve. How much you are willing to sacrifice and work at sequences that will expose weaknesses, your own as well as your opponents.

How much you are willing to hope. Without hope and faith, there is no lasting mind game.

If you are willing to lose 30 times in a row to develop a top serve and volley game, or a one handed back hand, (etc.), and still feel confidence and belief in your program, that is fighting with your mind first and body second.

When the body becomes the ego, losses cannot be tolerated for a long term gain. When the mind retains control over the ego, loss does not feel any different than victory any more.

Very few have the mental cash to cover the painful cost.

The few that do play better under pressure, not worst. They have paid for another gear and are able to write the checks that don't bounce.

So you can study technique and strokes and video and foot work and speed all your life and if you don't master the mind first, it's all a waste. You will lose to lessor players who don't have as much fire power nor talent, but who can make fewer errors.

Nice post as usual Geoff. Could not agree with you more on the mental aspect of it. It's a tough road. Its hit home to us the last year with whats happening in my daughters homeland of Ukraine. So many people here have paid a great price for freedom and liberty. Its been a great life learning lesson for my daughter.

[gzhpcu]

Kyle,
You are one lucky guy having gotten to know Vic Braden, a really nice guy. Guess birds of a feather flock together...

[GeoffWilliams]

Part of the death of serve and volley has been the dominance of the two handed back hand. Many players fight with their mind second and their body first. The automation of deadly ground strokes is the goal of many coaches. Those who win with smarts without power are considered magicians (Radwanska, Santoro) but the most prominent of those was Brad Gilbert, reaching #4 without weapons other than foot speed and a flat forehand used sparingly.

There will be no atp IV fh. This site has an over abundance of pieces on technique, and few about using your mind first. The mind determines how much fear you feel during pressure. How much confidence you experience as well. How much you are willing to change to improve. How much you are willing to sacrifice and work at sequences that will expose weaknesses, your own as well as your opponents.

How much you are willing to hope. Without hope and faith, there is no lasting mind game.

If you are willing to lose 30 times in a row to develop a top serve and volley game, or a one handed back hand, (etc.), and still feel confidence and belief in your program, that is fighting with your mind first and body second.

When the body becomes the ego, losses cannot be tolerated for a long term gain. When the mind retains control over the ego, loss does not feel any different than victory any more.

Very few have the mental cash to cover the painful cost.

The few that do play better under pressure, not worst. They have paid for another gear and are able to write the checks that don't bounce.

So you can study technique and strokes and video and foot work and speed all your life and if you don't master the mind first, it's all a waste. You will lose to lessor players who don't have as much fire power nor talent, but who can make fewer errors.

[hockeyscout]

Kyle and John:

Anyways, Kyle, and John, respect. You guys are providing a lot of value. So many young kids are being scammed by these sites, coaches, associations and camps.

John, just so you know, I subscribed to a few other sites. They are literally almost copying, pasting and stealing work from tennisplayer.net

I come into this sport looking for quality information, and so much of what’s being said isn’t being backed up by any sort of legitimate science whatsoever.

Like WTF is this gravity step? Who invented it? What is the science behind it? Research? Studies? One coach trying to sell it to me, and it is a joke because I know he does not know the first thing about athletic setup and movement. Quiet literally, guys are making shit up as they go along, and customers buy it hook, line and sinker.

John, god, I'd love to give you $50,000,000, 100 employees and resource backing of universities like the major sports have and let you blow all this stupid tennis dogma right out of the water once and for all because its so ridiculous. It would be great if you had an NFL budget. The biggest issue facing the sport right now is NO ONE wants to give tennis people hundreds of millions of dollars for research and development. This sport has so much room for growth. Its almost like the money MONEY BALL x about 50!

John, if you were in hockey, or any other major sport, this site would have BEEN CLOSED DOWN! A team or association would have hired you and that would have been that! It’s flipping insane you are still in business posting what you are posting for $19.99 a month. Never, in a million years would that happen in any sport. It's just crazy some of the "NEXT's" you've figured out here without any sort of funding.

$19.99 - insane. I'd say it is the best value in sports.

Top of the line job. Really enjoy the archives, and we're discussing and dissecting everything you write on this site.

Its giving us a great insight into how everyone plays the game of tennis, and what we have to do to play - win, against that style of a "traditional classic tennis game." I guess the challenge on every coaches end is to get to the new AT4 setup, and blow version 3 out of the water!

I gotta ask seriously, is their stuff you are holding back John for private clients?

[klacr]

Hockeyscout,

This site has endless advantages and I speak for many coaches including myself when I say that it inspires and invigorates my teaching desires and purpose. A breath of fresh air in the world of the internet, coaching and the dangerous rabbit hole that is Internet tennis coaching. Tennisplayer.net has been imitated by many but duplicated by no one else. 2014 has been a groundbreaking year for the site and I have a feeeling 2015 will get even better for the subscribers and the entire tennis community

Many coaches want to learn the ins and outs of tennis. But many are unwilling to take the time and do the research. Tennis is a long term development sport if you are a player. Unfortunately, it's the same as a coach. It takes many years and lots of personal time. And just when you think you are beginning to understand and get it, you realize there is so much more to go and often a new player will come by that makes you reassess and question what you once thought was not possible. It's a great sport and has provided me endless opportunities in my life. One thing to understand is we will never, ever know it all. That's what makes it fun. It's the relentless pursuit of perfection and knowledge and never the actual catch that makes it worthwhile. The growth you experience as a player, coach and person from this site makes it a must have for those that care about the tennis education process.

During a car ride I experienced with the late Vic Braden over a decade ago, We arrived at entrance of his hotel and while the purposefully extended car ride was full of his answers to my wide range of questions. In an attempt to calm my rabid and insatiable quest for all knowledge, facts and answers to everything, Mr. Braden grabbed me by the right hand that was resting on the console of my SUV I was driving (my left hand on wheel) he gave a dramatic pause to gain my attention and said...

"Mr. LaCroix, I appreciate your passion and hunger. But take time to enjoy what you know, as it will never be everything and you don't want it to be

Great coaches never say they're great. Good coaches will think they are great. Bad coaches know they are bad.

Enjoy the process of your learning. It should never end.

Thanks for the ride Kyle. I appreciate it. You are a good kid. See you at dinner in a few hours. We will have much to discuss over the course of your career. Pace yourself."

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[John Yandell]

HS,

That is fantastic to hear! And I happen to agree with you on the value proposition...

The big issue is coaches have to say something. The assumption is that they "should know" and actually "do know." But what they are talking about happens too fast for them to see accurately--so some things they say are correct and others are fabricated to fill the holes.

One of my hopes is that more and more coaches will use the resources here to test their theories, correct themselves, and maybe upcoming guys will see some things that I haven't.

[hockeyscout]

Thanks all for your thoughts! The forehand series starts in a couple of months!

John, we're all here (coaches and players) watching this serving video. You're a hell of a coach. We like it so much. Their are so many bullshitters in this industry who don't know squat ripping off parents its sad. I tell you, for 19.99 a month this is the best deal in the industry. Hats off to you. Nice job on this here.

[John Yandell]

Thanks all for your thoughts! The forehand series starts in a couple of months!

[stroke]

John, I think your presentations are right on track, no changes.

[stotty]

Tennis Oxygen has been suspended for breaching something or other. All I can say is some YouTube channels infringe just about everything. It's become impossible to police content except for the content of officially recognised websites, who try to do their level best not to infringe anything but unwittingly get caught out...seems unfair.

I am going to be honest. It's the best way.

The Tennis Oxgen owner is way too verbose and repeats himself over and over again to stretch out the clips. (I do like him, though, and his website.) So I cannot relate to what this anonymous poster is saying here. John has a slower delivery (a little too slow perhaps) but he isn't verbose and there is never unnecessary junk in his presentations. We aren't stupid, members would see through it if there were.

I think John's shooting sequences are great and VERY easy to follow...at least from the standpoint of a coach they are. John is out on his own when it comes to shooting positions and alignments. He has the best eye for it in the business.

John, speed up your delivery just slightly and you would be perfect...but then others may think differently. It's impossible to please everyone all of the time.

[bottle]

More Informality and Bar Room Visits in Advanced Tennis Instruction

I'm working on a different style of serve at least in what the lower body and chest and human head do, but think the critic here has an overly left brain view of what advanced instruction should be. (Should I also say I have a "media background?" Probably not. Too many commentatoes over there.)

If one is teaching tennis to a complete beginner, there almost has to be a step one, step two etc. maybe up to 10 if not 300 .

But then, fellows, get over that, please. The best coaches in every sport do all kinds of spontaneous stuff and don't parse every little thing as they hold forth and more important, interact. This new informality may be essential to eliciting fresh perceptions from all sides.

Skip Prosser, the late basketball coach at Wake Forest University, had two Lithuanians on his team. And insisted on learning a new Lithuanian phrase every day.

What did this surprising conviction of Skip's have to do with clodhopping sequence in one of his training programs for hitting free shots? Nothing.

[klacr]

thoughts

John,

In regards to the comment,

I too enjoy the text with the videos embedded but your series on the serve is your own and therefore in your own and preferred style. I can still follow along and if anything the video with voiceover gives me a clearer and more detailed picture. If I did miss something, either conceptually or visually, I can always scroll back to rewind.

I don't mind the talking head idea for the first 30 seconds or so. I feel it humanizes the article and its sends the message that you are showing yourself, thereby standing behind your ideas and your beliefs. Putting a face with an idea condones confidence and pride.

As for this other website that was mentioned....tennisoxygen.com? NEVER HEARD OF IT. But to be fair, I gave it a chance and gave the site a little visit. Sadly, not much to be seen since the website has been "temporarily suspended" due to some copyright issues with their footage of tour players.
Once again, tennisplayer.net , often imitated, never duplicated.

If you are pondering a change John, you may want to provide the audio transcript and embedded video option along with the straight video and voiceover. It may be extra work but you would have both options covered. Either way, I'm supportive of the adaptation if necessary

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton