A well-respected tennis teacher once conducted a study and video-taped 100 students, motivated by the saying “seeing is believing.” He wasn’t worried about giving instructions to the students. His primary motivation was to see if they would be more open to corrections and instruction after seeing what they actually looked like when hitting a tennis ball. Recognizing a problem or that something can be improved is generally accepted as one of the key first steps in learning.
In fact, he relates that one male student watching himself on tape even denied it was him on the screen. It was apparently inconceivable to him that he was taking such a huge backswing when returning serve!
You see, it’s one thing to use video replay for instructional purposes, but most tennis teachers miss the major benefit. Namely, that most people are not aware of what they look like and therefore do not really believe what instructors tell them in lessons. This reality can make teaching very frustrating for coaches and improvement very slow for students.
The Good News:
Whether you are a parent or a coach, video taping equipment and replay gets more affordable and easier to use every day. Practically everyone has a camcorder, and plugging the camera into your home VCR [or DVD player] is generally no more complicated than one simple cord. In fact, on most cameras, the pop-out screens have such clear resolution, you can often watch what you just filmed within seconds of hitting the shots, making the effort most relevant and effective.
Quick Tips:
1. When filming, I usually go the “no-brainer” route and keep all systems on auto-pilot, namely, auto focus, auto light adjustment, and anything else that the camera will do without me thinking about it. These days you can often just “point and shoot.”
2. One of the biggest mistakes people make filming a player is to film the whole court. Zoom in on the player until the player pretty much fills the screen. If you are going to watch the footage on the small built-in screen of your camcorder, this is practically the only way to see anything.
3. There are two primary ways to review video tape of tennis. First is just to watch and enjoy. However, to use video replay as a learning and motivational tool, slow motion and freeze frame are essential, with frame-by-frame having additional benefits. These features are available on many digital camcorders, but not all. So be sure to check the specs on a camera if you decide to purchase one. The other option is to use the slow motion and freeze frame feature that is available on some VCRs. And, while many digital cameras can also record short movement clips, the quality is generally better when recording with a camcorder.
Creative Angles:
Some of you may remember the tennis camp video replay paradigm of the 1970s and 80s that consisted of someone filming a group of players, and then sitting them together in a room in front of a television screen for an hour with the camp director joking his way through player after player. Each player would hit a few forehands, backhands, volleys, and serves. Of course, seeing the basics is helpful. But, there are many more creative ways to take advantage of today’s technology. Here are several creative ideas to consider:
1. Behind the hitter – Film from behind the baseline hitter and capture the opponent and the ball in the film as well as the hitter himself. The purpose is to review the footwork readiness and balance of the hitter relative to the incoming ball, as well as the timing of the racquet preparation.
2. Sit down at the net – Sit down at the net on the same side of the server and film the server executing a serve-and volley combination. Zoom in on the lower half of the server’s body and evaluate their split step and balance, as well as first step towards the volley. Note: For safety, have the server hit their serve at ¾ speed with a good arc over the net. Or, optionally, have someone sit next to you with a racquet to block any stray serves that might hit your camera or you!
3. From alongside the server – This is one of the best angles to evaluate weight transfer and the position of the toss and contact. Stand to the side of the server along the baseline either facing or from behind. You will quickly see many unique angles that cannot be thoroughly viewed from any other position.
4. From the alley to the side of the volleyer – Another side view worth exploring is for the volley. We all know that the closer to the net we get to volley, the better. From this angle, you will be able to see just how much the player is closing in towards the net to hit this aggressive shot.
Final Thoughts:
I hope that after reading this article you are motivated to get your camcorder out of the closet and have some fun while trying to improve your tennis experience. Remember that with a ball machine and a tripod you don’t even need a partner. So, if you’re a little shy about someone else seeing your backhand in slow motion, just set up your camera, press record, turn on the ball machine and film everything you want in complete privacy.
Joe Dinoffer is a USPTA and PTR Master Professional. Visit his site, Oncourt Offcourt, at www.oncourtoffcourt.com.
Since its inception in 1994, Oncourt Offcourt has become the world’s leading source for hundreds of creative training aids, books and videos for the tennis industry.
To read more of Joe’s articles, please visit Tape Talk.
[...] from what they felt as they were playing. As professional tennis coach Joe Dinoffer explains here, tennis coaches realized years ago how much seeing yourself from another angle can help the [...]