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Thread: Ahhh!!!

  1. #1
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    Ahhh!!!

    So today I went hitting on the ball machine, and I realized that unconsiously or not, I've started snapping my wrist...

    Ahh!!!!

    This is the one thing that is keeping me from consistency, and I don't know how to correct it...

    I've recently been trying to just shadow my swing like a billion times, but that doesn't seem to be working.

    I've added pronation to my forehand, and it'd be pretty solid- I can control direction, but this just messes me up.
    I hit with a relaxed wrist, I've been trying to like use more of the men's technique-whipping the torso to hit a heavier ball.
    But whenever I feed a ball to myself, I've started using my wrist!

    I think this has been going on for a while now, and i haven't noticed because I haven't been able to play for a while due to midterms/tests.
    I didn't really notice, until my hand started hurting, and same with my forearm.

    Any help/suggestions/advice?

    Thanks!
    Last edited by 03White; 02-14-2010 at 09:52 PM.

  2. #2
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    Hey 03. thanks for sharing - i'm always eager to hear and love to help if i can. if i remember correctly, you said something about this briefly in another post. now it seems you have discovered you are pronating your arm/wrist. inconsistency is no fun, so it's good you would rather take a little umph off your shot for consistency.

    now what to do about it: a few people here are going to talk to you about the wrist-assist and similar devices. they certainly could rid you of this unwanted habit, but so could plain training. if you can take video of yourself, do it. consciously make an effort to keep your wrist back and somewhat down. don't worry if the shot goes in or out. after a dozen or so forehands, review your video. see if you did what you told yourself to. go back and do it again. maybe hit a couple dozen forehands this time. you will start to see improvement every session.

    the last suggestion i have for you worked for me with the same problem. i kind of figured this out on my own too all you need to do is stay closed on your shot a little longer. why this works?.. the reason i was snapping (pronating) my arm/wrist was to compensate for my body being ahead of my swing. i now consciously start the swing with my arm and follow with the body. it's amazing the difference this made. it's a natural way to stop forehand pronation. try this first if you will and let us know how things went. happy valentine's day!

  3. #3
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    First of all I'd do what LT said and try to really concentrate on keeping the wrist back. Secondly, even if you're not into strength training you should probably do some forearm exercises to prevent injury. Personally I recommend these two:
    http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...WristCurl.html
    http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...verseCurl.html
    I'm living proof that good all around fitness can protect you from injuries caused by lousy technique.

  4. #4
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    Forearm pronation actually is alright, many people do it. I purposely incorporated it into my forehand, it generates natural topspin. (Many pro's do it, and some coach told me its good to start earlier).

    What I mean by snapping my wrist, is that instead of using my arm for the shot, I'm using my wrist. Like instead of swinging with my arm, I'm using my wrist...
    Maybe snapping my wrist is the wrong term then..

    I think you might've misunderstood me because of that..

    Clock, thanks for the suggestions, I'm a girl, so I don't really want to bulk up much, but some strength training is a good idea. Thanks also to LT.

    I don't know what the word is for swinging with the wrist..

    Edit:
    So at practice, I just tried not having a backswing and swinging from contact for a while, and gripping my racquet at the beam..
    Got some strange looks, but it worked.

    Someone also told me that you should leave the last finger off the racquet, so if you don't hit cleanly, it won't go in because you won't be able to use any wrist.
    Last edited by 03White; 02-15-2010 at 01:38 AM.

  5. #5
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    If your follow through with this wrist snap is more in front of your body than I know exactly what you mean now, I was doing that for a long time. I fixed it by trying to hit the ball as far in front of me as possible and using traditional forehand technique for awhile. Bulking up is definitely not great for tennis, I'd only do those exercises 3 sets with a pretty low weight once a week. It's more preventative than for strength.

  6. #6
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    Hmm. you're snapping the wrist and pronating. that is a toughy. it would be hard for me to tell whether you're making any progress, as you would probably slowly work out the snap part. here's what i think would work best for you. get rid of both the snap and pronation, then, when you feel confident with a stationary wristed forehand, begin to use pronation by itself. i really don't see any other way. it would just be too hard to eliminate the snap without effecting the pronation in a negative way.

  7. #7
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    I will try to help with this one, but it is tougher when I am unable to actually show you. Okay, pronation is the actual turning of the wrist and forearm to where they are facing the ground. On the forehand, the only time the hand, wrist, and forearm are pointed to the ground are on the take back and beginning of the forward movement of the racquet. In all actuallity, the wrist will be laid back through these early phases of the swing, but the wrist will snap from a laid back position to a more neutral position as it passes through the ball. At the same time, the arm begins turning over and the racquet and arm finish around the shoulder and neck area. Watch this video of how Federer's wrist is fairly neutral at first and then snaps back as he brings it forward into the ball. As he makes contact, his wrist naturally snaps upward and back into the neutral position as it rolls over. This should help......

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhvKafCYsk

  8. #8
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    TK! it's about time you get a pic up there. was that from when you were in college?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lawn Tennis View Post
    TK! it's about time you get a pic up there. was that from when you were in college?
    That's a Lake Tahoe picture. Just before they took all of the money out of my wallet at the blackjack table. Lol! Last time I gambled too. Whew! It was like being beat 6-0, 6-0. Gambling is one thing I stink at and I am not afraid to admit it......
    Last edited by tennisking1; 02-15-2010 at 09:28 PM.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by tennisking1 View Post
    That's a Lake Tahoe picture. Just before they took all of the money out of my wallet at the blackjack table. Lol! Last time I gambled too. Whew! It was like being beat 6-0, 6-0. Gambling is one thing I stink at and I am not afraid to admit it......
    Lol

    Now how would you know what it's like to get beat 6-0, 6-0? I've been beat 6-0, 6-1, so i just don't know what you're talking about

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lawn Tennis View Post
    Lol

    Now how would you know what it's like to get beat 6-0, 6-0? I've been beat 6-0, 6-1, so i just don't know what you're talking about
    The third satellite tournament I ever played in, I played some guy that absolutely played out of his mind. He would have murdered Federer that day. It was crazy. I got a 6-1, 6-1 drubbing. On extremely fast hard courts that never bounced over armpit high, even on the heaviest shots I hit. This guy teed off on everything. Even he was shaking his head and laughing. I had a couple of days like that as well. The tennis ball looked like a basketball and was in super slow motion. I was wherever the ball was going way before it ever got there. I was deep in the Zone. So, no worries. I have taken a true butt kicking in my time. It happens to the best of us.

  12. #12
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    ^Lol, there are always ups and downs in life...

    Thanks for everyone for their advice.

    I found, that after I started doing that crazy wrist snap thing, I've pulled my entire upper arms muscles.

    TK, your post was very helpful, but I am wondering if you have any ideas to how I can grove in the correct stroke. (Or anyone else)

    I'm finally meeting with a decent coach, so hopefully he can straighten things out..

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by tennisking1 View Post
    The third satellite tournament I ever played in, I played some guy that absolutely played out of his mind. He would have murdered Federer that day. It was crazy. I got a 6-1, 6-1 drubbing. On extremely fast hard courts that never bounced over armpit high, even on the heaviest shots I hit. This guy teed off on everything. Even he was shaking his head and laughing. I had a couple of days like that as well. The tennis ball looked like a basketball and was in super slow motion. I was wherever the ball was going way before it ever got there. I was deep in the Zone. So, no worries. I have taken a true butt kicking in my time. It happens to the best of us.
    i would expect your first satellite match would've been toughest rather than the third. but hey i know exactly what you're talking about. i actually had an 'in the zone' set. one shot sticks out in particular - my opponent hit a solid and well-angled inside-out fh to my bh. he charged the net; i barely got to the ball and sliced it dtl. it dropped in the corner with the precision of a laser. that was just to top off some crazy shots i had hit earlier in the set. like i said, i've been on the other side too, but they're not as fun to talk about

    Quote Originally Posted by 03White View Post
    ^Lol, there are always ups and downs in life...

    Thanks for everyone for their advice.

    I found, that after I started doing that crazy wrist snap thing, I've pulled my entire upper arms muscles.

    TK, your post was very helpful, but I am wondering if you have any ideas to how I can grove in the correct stroke. (Or anyone else)

    I'm finally meeting with a decent coach, so hopefully he can straighten things out..
    so you can't play tennis for a bit probably, right? a pulled muscle in the upper body would hurt when playing tennis.

    so now we're getting picky over coaches.. must be nice

  14. #14
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    Not picky exactly, I actually just got up the nerve to talk to him, and so now I'll probably have 1 lesson a month or something with him. I've seen him teach before, and he seems like he's pretty good at it, though he can be very picky. I guess I don't really care, I just want someone to teach me stuff properly.

    The place I went to before, it was terrible (as I'm sure you've heard before), and thats probably where I picked up the snap your wrist thing..

    Rewiring yourself is harder than getting wired the first time.. =(

    Well actually for about not being able to play, I hit against a wall with a sponge ball, and it was easy on my arm, and I could practice early preparation on 1 hand backhands..
    You need to prepare a lot earlier and take stuff on the rise.

    ^ Must've been a good shot..

    Edit: My wrist problems aside, I'm having trouble with hiting with spin and pace.
    I'm not physically very strong, so do I have to start conditioning a lot?
    Last edited by 03White; 02-16-2010 at 02:23 PM.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by 03White View Post
    Not picky exactly, I actually just got up the nerve to talk to him, and so now I'll probably have 1 lesson a month or something with him. I've seen him teach before, and he seems like he's pretty good at it, though he can be very picky. I guess I don't really care, I just want someone to teach me stuff properly.

    The place I went to before, it was terrible (as I'm sure you've heard before), and thats probably where I picked up the snap your wrist thing..

    Rewiring yourself is harder than getting wired the first time.. =(

    Well actually for about not being able to play, I hit against a wall with a sponge ball, and it was easy on my arm, and I could practice early preparation on 1 hand backhands..
    You need to prepare a lot earlier and take stuff on the rise.

    ^ Must've been a good shot..

    Edit: My wrist problems aside, I'm having trouble with hiting with spin and pace.
    I'm not physically very strong, so do I have to start conditioning a lot?
    Yes. The conditioning is very important. It is the way to become stronger and hit harder without trying to do so by adding unneeded movement in your swing. Your quest for extra power may be what got you into fishtailing (flapping) your racquet with your wrist. Relax and shadow stroke a bit. Then just add the ball into the equation. The swing should happen and the ball comes along and meets the swing. Make sense? Another way of looking at it is: Do not try to hit the ball, just produce the correct swing and the ball just so happens to meet the swing. That should take out the hitch in your swing.......

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