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Messages - ctphelps

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General Discussion / Unconscionable Errors (Doofus Syndrome)
« on: May 31, 2019, 08:33:57 am »
Whoa!  I think ... I hope ... I have found the fix for one the most pernicious and embarrassing tennis bugs out there:  the tendency we all have to make random, inexplicable, improbable errors.  I am talking about dumping the sitter into the net, whiffing the forehand (with feet to spare), thwacking the volley over the back fence,  shanking the serve, lofting the drop shot, and  feeding the net man a juicy six-foot lob he can use to massacre your doubles partner. To be an unconscionable error the shot has to be a complete gimme and you must miss it spectacularly. 

The solution is both trivial and nearly impossible: it is tracking the ball - from your opponent's sweet spot to yours.  It is predicting exactly where, in spacetime, your racket face will encounter the ball beginning the instant the ball leaves their racket  and updating that estimate every few milliseconds right up to the moment of contact (MOC).  It is beginning to prepare for the MOC before the report of your opponent's strike reaches your ear.    It is NOT, I repeat, NOT passively 'watching the ball', which is what most players do most of the time and even the great ones do occasionally.  If you can will yourself to track the ball, the results are amazing: better footwork, fewer miss-hits, fewer errors, better handling of bad bounces, more solid contact, more spin, more pace, more fun!  The hard part is remembering to do it every time.  Tracking can improve with practice and training but I don't believe it is ever automatic - the slightest distraction, either external or internal, and 'poof', it is gone. 

Anyway look for a major revision of the Unconscionable Errors (Doofus Syndrome) section of the site and try it out for yourself.  Let me know what you experience!

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General Discussion / It Works!!!
« on: May 11, 2019, 09:33:06 am »
OK, I am not usually one for tooting my own horn, but DAMN!  I just played the best game of my life!  Fifty years I have wrestled with this crazy game;  I have slunk from slump to slump, discovered then disconfirmed 'The Ultimate Secret of Tennis' a thousand times, and come so close to my coveted A-game so many times that I could tase its sweet and salty goodness!  Yesterday I became it. 

Still much to do.  Refinements, revisions, deeper dives into the psychophysics of it all.  It is not about a destination, it is about finding and walking the right path.   I now know I am on it...just need to keep walking.  Come along with me...its a blast!

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General Discussion / Re: 2 handed backhand Review
« on: May 11, 2019, 09:02:43 am »
Wow!  Your backhand is fantastic!  Your footwork is excellent - solid dynamic balance, great power wave generation.  You are getting a good snap in the load phase so you should be generating plenty of control and spin, and you always seem to find the sweet spot of the racket face.  So, stroke good! I am presuming you are holding the racket with nice soft hands (no death grips allowed!)
As for tweaks you could play with:
  • for a little more power you could experiment with delaying the moment of contact few milliseconds longer to take the ball a little less in front
  • again for power experiment with a  more open stance especially when hitting crosscourt
  • for control and spin a tiny bit more counterrotation just before the load (drive) phase to set your forearm muscles (back then forth)
 
If none of these helps MARKEDLY then don't change a thing.  There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the physics of your stroke - Nadal would be proud!

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General Discussion / Re: Welcome!
« on: September 18, 2018, 07:35:56 pm »
Many thanks!  Glad you like it!  :D

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General Discussion / Welcome!
« on: July 21, 2018, 03:45:35 pm »
Welcome all, to the Tennis Without Talent community forum.  Our hope is that this forum can serve as a place for lively and probing discussion of the challenge of enjoying the game of tennis without the benefit of having been born athletically gifted.  Please feel free to weigh in, ask and answer questions and share your discoveries.   My guess is that we are all a bit touchy on this subject, so please try to be gentle, and if you can't be gentle, at least be polite.  Many thanks!




www.tenniswithouttalent.com 

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