[tennisbiz] Re: Advice requested on the two-handed FOREHAND

The problem with two handed groundstrokes is that they're a waste of good
talent for inmediate results. When a student struggles at first with a
stroke you can use a two handed stroke as a drill for them to understand and
feel the stroke better, but the problem with using two hands is that you
have to really be a quick player to get to the balls with two hands, plus
you lack the variety of a one handed stroke player which can use diferent
spins and has more reach. The advantage of the two hands is power, but this
is was killing the game now. Now that we have these power hitters you don't
see a dominant figure in tennis, all you see is players winning in streaks
and then dissapearing, (unlike Agassi which uses smarts rather than power).
Also an important fact is that two hands in any stroke lead to a lot of back
problems if not taught properly.

If never the less your student wants a two handed stroke, the way to teached
is that the hand with the palm foward is the one that makes the hit. Let's
say your student is right handed then in a two handed forehand the right
hand is doing the hitting and on the back-hand the left hand is doing the
hitting.

My suggestion is that you teach your student how to prepare the racquet with
the opposite hand, like Agassi, Sampras, Kuerten, and even Lendl use to do.
This way she has a better chance of preparing the racquet earlier and she
has a better chance of emergencie adjustments to her racquet's face and
grip, and if you teach her to put the index finger in her strings this would
give her a better sence of where should the racquet face be for contact.
Also by using the opposite hand she can relax her hitting hand in between
shots.

Jut my 0.02 cents,

Miguel


Miguel A. Hernandez Zapata
PBI Tennis Professional
Westin Rio Mar Beach Resort & Ocean Villas
P.O. Box 2888 Palmer, Puerto Rico 00721
tel. (787) 888-7066 / fax /(787) 888-7075
Cell (787) 593-4509
e-mail: mhernande_at_yahoo.com

 
Received on Mon May 13 2002 - 08:25:04 CDT