Technical Flaws in Pro Two Handers: John Isner

[John Yandell]

Wiz,
Yes hard to believe, yet true. It's the culture of lack of information.

[Shawanda]

Yes, I agree with you expert advice totally! It's definitely due to lack of infor!

[stotty]

So great to be back to this website and forum. I've stayed away from this great analysis for too long!! What I don't understand is how, when I, without considering myself to be a "high performance" coach, that I have naturally arrived at a much better grip configuration than what Isner has come up with. How, with the many "great" coaches that he's obviously been exposed to, allowed for this to continue? It's had to be obvious throughout his training and college career that his backhand wasn't up to the rest of his game, and was even a liability. It's beyond my comprehension really. Is there a culture out there that I'm just ignorant of?

Wiz,
Yes hard to believe, yet true. It's the culture of lack of information.

tntenniswhiz, this is something that has flummoxed forum members for years now. Something as fundamental as grips sometimes don't get addressed. You could look at the Williams sisters in particularly and see so many things that might have been technically better...mindboggling.

You come to the conclusion that some players have managed to become significant players in spite of coaching rather than because of it.

The problem is you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

[John Yandell]

Or when it's a pony you give it the wrong water.

[don_budge]

Or when it's a pony you give it the wrong water.

Anything will drink if it is thirsty. And paradoxically...an alcoholic cannot resist a drink and thirst has nothing to do with it. But tennis students are a whole different animal. Species.

The whole two handed game for men is a false paradigm. An illusion. Lack of information? Or rather indoctrination. The coaching was hijacked in the 1980's. Juniors ceased to transition to the men's game. Junior backhand grips don't make the necessary adjustments because adjustments might mean taking one step back to go two forwards. That one step backwards is a strange one. One can never be sure of returning to the original line. It's a leap of faith you know. Know your history or be doomed to repeat it. Tennis metaphoring life...as usual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWEZPkbznQ

[don_budge]

It's a philosophical flaw.

[arturohernandez]

There is one other thing we haven't considered.

Does anyone at his heigh hit a good two-handed backhand?

I mean maybe there are physical constraints that don't allow him to hit like everyone else.

Karlovic just slices everything, right?

[John Yandell]

I think Isner could have had a great one-hander.

[arturohernandez]

I am sure that he could develop one.

Obviously, he is working really hard to correct and improve. It is literally money in his pocket.

We could write a book on Sharapova's serve. It is as if she is fighting her own body.

I get the same feeling with Isner's backhand.

It looks like a battle with himself.