My brother Jason Frausto produced this amazing video of Roger Federer. Notice how Federer hits with the bottom edge of his racquet on his topspin ground strokes. Oscar Wegner has been preaching this for years. The proof is in the pudding. The song is “Ordinary” by Train. Enjoy!!!
Topspin Tennis.Com Quick Tip: Here are 3 quick ways to improve your shots down the line.
1) If you are not in an offensive position, hit a “rolling” looper down the line with good topspin. Hitting with more margin of error takes the risk out of shot. The slower, looping shot will also give you time to recover for your opponents next shot.
2) On the backhand side, hit a slice. Once again, the fact that you are putting “slice” on the ball gives you more control. Many times on the backhand slice, players will hit “across” the ball putting a side spin on it. The ball can move as much as 2-3 feet, giving them more margin of error. The slower speed also gives them time to recover.
3) Finally, attack short balls down the line. Doing this takes your opponents angles away ensuring you will be in good position for their next shot!
This takes tennis training to another level….don’t slip!
Rick Vetter and the USPTA demonstrate some simple yet effective tactics and drills for better tennis….enjoy!!!
http://www.tennisresources.com/index.cfm?area=video_detail&vidid=3519&rv=1
Roger Federer won his first French Open title in convincing fashion on Sunday. With the victory, he matched Peter Sampras’ Grand Slam record of 14 titles and is only one of five men to have ever won the career grand slam. The last player to accomplish this feat was Andre Agassi back in 1999 won he won his first French Open title. In fact, Roger and Andre have both won a Career Golden Slam by winning all four grand slams and winning Olympic gold. Andre won the Men’s Singles at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and Roger won the gold in doubles at the 2008 Beijing games.
Records aside, here is why I think Roger won his first French Open title.
1) He served better that Soderling. Roger’s first serve percentage was 66%. When his first serve went in, he won 85% of the points. That is an impressive stat. He got ahead in the point early and never looked back. Soderling first serve percentage averaged 60% but he only managed to win 64% of those points.
2) Roger returned better. Soderling does not have a bad serve….he averaged 197 kmh (122 mph) on his first serve. Roger was able to knife backhand slice returns and forehand drives deep into the court and dictate play immediatley from there on out. Federer converted 4 of 6 break point opportunities to Soderling’s 0 of 2 chances.
3) Roger dictated play with his forehand and feet. Any chance Roger had to hit a forehand he did it. I had thought that he lost a half step but he proved me wrong on Sunday. Soderling was able to dictate play and force his opponents into making errors in his previous six matches, but Federer changed that by playing spectacular defense and using his feet to get another ball in play. Federer did have two more unforced errors than Soderling but he also had 17 more winners. He was by far the more aggresive player and when he had an opportunity to hit his forehand, he did with a vengeance.
4) Roger had the Grand Slam edge. Here is a stat that blows my mind; Roger has reached a record 19 Grand Slam finals tying him with the great Ivan Lendl. Having those numbers in your corner are priceless. I like to compare it to professional sports teams that bring a veteran player on their squad because he or she has playoff experience. You can’t put a price on that experience. The same holds true in this case.
5) He had the fans in his corner. Even though Roger is Swiss, he had the fans in on his side. It was like playing a home game in the NBA finals. The cheering and the chants can only help elevate your game!
John Frausto
USPTA Professional-1
MTM Master Professional
Owner/President
Topspin Tennis.Com
Phillip Kohlschreiber has one of the most fluid and explosive backhands on the tour. When I saw him on the practice courts in Cincinatti this past summer, I was amazed how much power he could produce. He stands at 5′10″ tall and weighs in at 150 lbs. Here are eight keys to this great stroke!
1) He has great shoulder turn. I like to tell my students to show “their right shoulder blade” to the ball. This ensures great preparation and solid power. A good way to teach this is to touch your chin to your shoulder on your racquet take back.
2) He shows the butt cap to the ball. In second 6 of this 19 second clip, notice how you can see the butt cap pointing to the ball. What this does is get the wrist, racquet and arm into an optimal position for making contact with the ball. This is a signature step in the one hand backhand and a key point in the Oscar Wegner Method.
3) He finds the ball out in front. In second 9, notice how Philipp has full extension with his hitting arm. Players with weak backhands usually don’t extend their hitting arm and struggle to “find” the ball properly out in front. They also have a tendency to use their wrist’s to much which can cause the stroke to breakdown.
4) He keeps his eyes on the contact point well after the ball is gone. Federer, Gasquet and Blake do this as well. Watch how he keeps his chin down and keeps his head steady from contact until the ball is off of the screen.
5) He hits with the bottom part of his racquet head. I have always been told that the sweet spot is located just above “center” of the racquet head. A player like Philipp who hits with extreme velocity and spin actually hits just below the sweet spot. Watch in second 9 of the clip how his racquet head “closes” upon impact. Why does this happen? It happens because he is extremely relaxed, his face is slightyl closed and he hits with the bottom part of this racquet face. By doing this, he can accelerate up and through the ball and not worry about it sailing on him.
6) He anchors well with his off arm. Notice how the off arm or non hitting arm moves back as his hitting arm extends out and upward. By doing this, he utilizes the large muscles in his back for power and he also stabalizes his body so he doesn’t get off balance.
7) He fully extends upward with this hitting arm. He obviously is very relaxed and has great flexibility. When teaching this movement, I tell players to “air out” their arm pit.
8 ) Last but not least, he uses his legs well. How can I tell? Watch the top of his head in the beginning of the clip and then watch his head at the end of the clip. Notice how his head begins below the ”e” in the word Money in the background and finishes close to the top of the “e”. He is obviously elevating through the shot generating power from the ground up.
For great tennis tips on the Modern Tennis Game, please register for my free newsletter at www.topspintennis.com
John Frausto
USPTA Professional-1
MTM Master Professional
Owner/President
Topspin Tennis.Com
In my latest article for Topspin Tennis.Com, I wrote about 5 ways to impose your game onto your opponents. Andy Murray is playing at the top of his game and has a great chance of winning his first grand slam of his career in Melbourne, Australia in 2009. In this video, I point out four reasons why his game is peaking.
1) He hits the majority of his shots with an open stance. With players constantly trying to pull you off of the court and getting you off balance, players must hit with an open stance. It requires less footwork, it’s more natural and you are able to open up and use your core on the shot.
2) Prepare off of the court in the gym and on the track. Andy Murray uses his legs and core very well. When you are grueling out 5 set matches over a 2 week period, it is essential to be in good physical shape. Visit Andy Murray.Com to see some of Andy’s training methods.
3) He buys himself time by playing from behind the baseline. Lets face it, the game has evolved and players are hitting with more pace, spin and depth. Andy Murray is just one example of players playing considerably beyond the baseline. He does this to buy time and get good looks at the tennis ball.
4) Great balance. I use the analogy of “Shooting a canon from a canoe” with my players when they are off balance. Andy Murray has great balance in this video and the results show. He has a great base and pulls everything to the left on his swing. He uses his “core” as well as anyone on the tour. He wouldn’t be able to do this if he wasn’t balanced.
For great tennis tips on the Modern Tennis Game, please register for my free newsletter at www.topspintennis.com
John Frausto
USPTA Professional-1
MTM Master Professional
Owner/President
Topspin Tennis.Com
What is are “dead ball drills?” Dead ball drills are often used in sports such as baseball and volleyball where a coach can toss balls at a low speed so players get high repititions with successful results? Dead ball drills in tennis can assist with stroke development, endurance and agility. I found three videos on YouTube that I absolutely love. I use them with my high performance players and they get great results. One of my students, Kyle Dunn recently defeated a Top 40 player in the Boy’s 12’s Singles in the US…..we attribute a lot of his success to these drills. The below are all used at the Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy.
The 1st dead ball drill is the Backward/Forward drill…..it is a great drill to work on footwork and to create space on balls that are hit deep. I have something similar to it on my 53 Drills for Better Tennis DVD. Jose Higueras (Coach of High Performance USA) commented in a recent USA Today article about USA players always being taught to step into the ball. What the top clay courters do well is defend and play from behind the baseline. Here is a link to the article: USA Today Tennis Article
The 2nd drill is the 5 Ball Drill. The player begins the drill with a serve and precedes to hit 4 more balls…..a backhand, forehand, backhand and insideout forehand. Great drill!!!
The 3rd and final drill is a killer…..the 55 Ball Drill with push-ups. Now you are incorporating movement, endurance, strokes and strength training. I love it!!!
John Frausto
USPTA Professional-1
MTM Master Professional
Owner/President
Topspin Tennis.Com
I found this shot on YouTube. Roger Federer left Tim Henman speechless. I was speechless after I saw the shot. I am interested in your comments and whether you know of any shots that match this one.
John Frausto
Are you an offensive, neutral or defensive player? Too many times players are on one end of the spectrum and can’t figure out why they are so inconsistent and can’t win. As a coach, I like my players to play all facets of the game. If they are one dimensional, they limit their opportunities to win.
I have researched videos on YouTube to write about on my Topspin Tennis.Com Blog. Nick Bolletieri (IMG Academies) has done a nice job on breaking down different styles of play and how each generates opportunities to win.
Have you ever played an opponent that you “think” is better than you and psych yourself out before the match even begins? This happens often and players don’t know how to deal with it. Have you ever played a player that everyone knows you should beat but end up losing. That was the case today at the US Open when Ana Ivanovic from Serbia lost to the No. 188 women in the world Julia Coin from France.
Nick also talks about “The Four Key Phases of a Point” and how builds upon the other. The four are:
The Start - serve or return of serve
The Setup - The rally to create the opportunity ball (video ends after this)
The Opportunity - will be covered in the next review
The Finish - will be covered in the next review
I hope you like the video and outline! I will do a follow-up on the 3rd and 4th phases next.
Thanks!
John Frausto
Owner/President
Topspin Tennis.Com