[tennisbiz] Re: Playing styles

Serve and volleying died due to tennis racquet upgrades from wood to steel to
fiberglass to boron, graphite, etc. Lighter, stronger, more powerful racquets
are the biggest change.
My old uncle Zeke can hit a 90 mile per hour serve today using his WILSON
TRIAD. In uncle Zeke's prime playing with a WILSON Kramer, he could only hit
a 50-65 mile per hour serve. Uncle Zeke also learned a one hand backhand,
flat and slice, very little talk of topspin. Today's topspinners keep folks
in the backcourt where when a short ball is hit, powerful equipment takes
over.
Coaches still teach the serve and volley, however, few of today's coaches
actually were serve and volleyers. Perhaps tennis teachers own lack of
knowledge, experience and skill as former weak serve and volleyers when
coupled with powerful equipment makes the chasm too wide to cross to ever
transition back.
Or perhaps we have never ever really had very many serve and volleyers and
todays excessive use of topspin and high tech racquets just highlights this
change.
Bill Thompson

President
Worldwide Intelligent Tennis Services
20220 13th Ave NW
Shoreline, WA 98177-2124
Phone: 206-542-2850
Email: fintenpro@ aol.com


 
Received on Wed Apr 02 2003 - 07:53:39 CST