Learner's diet...

The Jump Two-Handed Backhand
In todays learners diet,we are going to see "jump two handed backhand." Former world No. 1 Marcelo Rios introduced this technique and Marat Safin and Sebastien Grosjean continue the tradition today. Instead of moving their feet to get into better position on a high backhand, they choose to compensate by jumping off the court to hit the stroke. The technical or strategic advantages are questionable, but you may find that you get more explosive power into the shot or create a better angle by raising your strike zone. Most coaches prefer a less lazy brand of footwork, but it’s flashy and, on some occasions, a necessity. When you’re on the move and the ball is going to be at your shoulders, jump off your front leg while raising your back one up. It’s virtually the same form you’d use to shoot a layup with your nondominant hand in basketball. You start your swing as you come off the court and make contact with the ball at the top of your jump. While still in the air, complete the stroke with full extension before you land back on the court and start to move for your next shot.

learner's diet...

In our last three of learner's diet we have seen three important strokes of tennis of five famous personalities.Today we shall see 'Backhand' of Mikhail Youzhny.lets have a look at him

Mikhail Youzhny's Slice Backhand

1. love the way Youzhny digs in with his feet. He has a lot of flex in his left knee and is pushing off on his toes (notice the space between the clay and his left heel). Many club players stand straight up when they run; Youzhny lowers himself like a soccer player and is determined to arrive in the best position possible. He has started to turn his upper body and take the racquet back, using his left hand to stabilize the frame at the throat. Youzhny holds the racquet with a Continental grip, which will allow him to create backspin. His racquet head is up, but not back all the way—he’s tracking the ball. Many players take the racquet back too far too soon, which results in an awkward, Zorro-like swing.

2. You can see that Youzhny is light on his feet as he continues to bend his knees and push forward with his toes. He’s not fl at-footed. Now that he has sized up the shot, he begins to cock the racquet and coil his shoulders more.

3. Youzhny brings his racquet behind his ear, not something I recommend for a club player. The technique is great, but diffi cult to execute. He needs more racquet-head speed here because he’s in a defensive position, so he’s increasing his range of motion to accelerate his swing. There’s the right amount of space between his hitting arm and head, as well as between his right elbow and chest. Club players tend to keep their hitting elbows too close to their bodies, which causes the racquet to drop and the wrist to collapse on impact. Youzhny’s stroke is built from the ground up, as you can see by his knee bend and straight back. If you bend at the waist, your legs will straighten and you won’t rotate your hips properly.

4. In the previous pictures, Youzhny’s eyes were locked on the ball. Now that he has made contact, his head and eyes don’t jerk away. I get good results when I tell my students, “Look at the back of your strings after you hit the ball.” Youzhny’s right leg points diagonally away from the baseline, but he’s still hitting a forceful crosscourt shot. The racquet face is slightly open and the head remains above his wrist after contact. He swings his left arm back to balance the force of his right arm going forward. Too many club players allow their off arms to follow their hitting arms, which opens the shoulders and robs strokes of power.

5. This photo is a perfect teaching tool. The ball is gone, but Youzhny remains sideways and his left arm has moved farther back to keep him balanced. Notice that the slice is not a wristy shot. When Youzhny made contact, the racquet head was above his wrist. Only now, as he carves through the rest of his motion, is the racquet head pointing down. Still, his wrist remains fi rm.

6. Youzhny has knifed the ball from high to low while driving through it. Now his racquet is on the upswing. A good slice should trace the shape of an archer’s bow: down, through, and up. Emphasize “through,” or you’ll end up with a fl oater. Youzhny’s left arm moves back, a mirror image of his hitting arm. Soon his left foot will come around as he prepares for another stretch of running. Dig in again, Mikhail.

The main motto of this blog to spread the knowledge of sports in each and everyone of our readers who have got the passion to learn the sport.We will continue to update some interesting facts of sports,do stay with us,do learn with us,do excel with us.Bye guys!!!!

learner's diet

hey guys,
I our last two versions of learner's diet we have seen two important strokes of tennis of three famous personalities.Today we shall see 'the forehand' of two different personalities.It is so interesting to learn the their different techniques for a similar shot.lets have a look at them.

When Maria Sharapova stunned tennis fans by winning Wimbledon in 2004, her serve and backhand were her biggest assets. But in the last year, she has molded her forehand into a weapon as well. She’s more aggressive off that wing than ever before, and it’s the shot she relies on most to open up the court and construct points.

1. Sharapova uses her left hand to help take her racquet back and assist in her shoulder turn. See how her left shoulder comes up to her chin? I like that, because it indicates a full turn. Her balance is very good. She’s ready to move forward and take this shot just inside the baseline—clearly Sharapova is looking to attack. Her grip is almost a full Western.

2. Sharapova continues with her excellent shoulder turn. As she takes her racquet back, she’s making small adjustment steps that help put her in an ideal position. Sharapova’s racquet is back a little higher than I was taught to take mine—my backswing was more compact—but it helps her produce greater racquet-head speed, which means more power.

3. Sharapova’s left hand is starting to move out in front of her to track the ball. Doing this helps ensure that her point of contact is out in front of her body. Her head is down and her eyes are right on the ball. At this point, it appears she might be preparing to hit an open-stance forehand, but she’s not; she’s putting her left foot directly in front of her right as she moves to the ball.

4. This photo screams balance and power. Sharapova is getting ready to unleash into the shot. Her head has barely moved since the fi rst frame, and her racquet is looping down out of her high backswing. The only criticism I have at this point is that her right elbow is too far away from her body. I prefer it to be in closer, which gives you more control. It appears she’s decided to take a backswing that’s bigger than usual so she can really attack the ball.

5. Sharapova has pulled her elbow closer to her body. She’s dropped her racquet almost to its lowest point and she’ll bring it forward and up, hitting the ball from below and swinging up and through it. The racquet face is a bit closed, so she’ll generate some topspin. Sharapova’s upper body is already uncoiling, helping to move the racquet toward the contact point. Her weight is now on her front foot.

6. The point of contact is just where it should be—in front of the body. Sharapova has taken the ball early, hitting low to high, and her balance is excellent. Her eyes are locked on the ball and her weight is moving forward to the point where she’s come up on her right toe. It appears from her stance and the position of her shoulders that she’s going down the line with this attacking forehand.

7. I like that Sharapova is hitting through the ball and finishing by taking her racquet across her body. She could have extended the frame even more through the path of the ball, but I think the fact that she didn’t is probably because she’s added topspin to this shot. Her forward and upward momentum have brought both of her feet off the ground. Notice how her head remains down. Even though she’s hit the ball, she’s not yet looking to see where it’s going.

8. his is a wraparound follow-through. Sharapova has a tendency to follow through on her forehand over her right shoulder instead of her left, particularly when she’s hitting off her back foot. But on this one she’s done it in the traditional way. She didn’t pop up too fast, so she’s balanced and ready to get back to the middle for the next shot.

At the age of 20, Rafael Nadal, a two-time champion at Roland Garros, has already etched his name near the top of the list of the best clay-court players the game has ever seen. But thanks to his monster forehand, he’s a contender on all other surfaces as well. Here’s how he generates so much power and spin with it.



1. Nadal’s preparation for his forehand is outstanding. Here you can see that he’s loaded and ready to go. His racquet is back, his shoulders are fully turned, his back is pretty straight— which I really like—and his legs are low and spaced well, giving him a wide base from which to hit. He’s using a full Western grip, which is great for generating topspin.

2. Nadal’s racquet is in virtually the same place as in the first frame, but he’s still adjusting his feet, leading me to think he may have gotten a bad bounce. Normally, I like to see continuous momentum with the racquet throughout the swing. Here it looks as if he might have checked his swing slightly. Even so, he’s doing a good job of getting his back leg almost behind the ball.

3. His base is set and his left leg is planted. The racquet head is starting to drop and you can see that the face is completely closed. This is common in today’s game. Nadal’s right shoulder is just now starting to come through the contact zone. His legs and back are in perfect position, and
he’s low to the ball. I prefer to see a player get down with his legs like Nadal does rather than bend at the waist.

4. Nadal is pulling the right side of his body around first, and his left side is dragging behind. This helps him load up more power until he’s ready to let his swing rip. He’s beginning to come up with his legs, but, contrary to what you might expect, his weight is shifting toward his back foot rather than to his front, the way tennis players are traditionally taught.



5. Here you clearly see one of the more unusual aspects of Nadal’s forehand. Typically, players who use a Western grip make contact close to their bodies and with a pronounced elbow bend. But Nadal strikes the ball with his left arm almost fully extended. Plus, he’s hitting the ball completely off his back foot, but his right side has come through and his upper body is open.

6. In this frame we can see how today’s forehand differs from the typical forehand of the 1970s and ’80s. Nadal and most pros these days have what I call a “windshield wiper” swing. This means that after he makes contact, Nadal swings his racquet across his body and flips it over, using the same motion as a windshield wiper. In the past, players typically extended through the hitting zone before following through to the other side of their bodies.



7. Another difference between today’s forehand and the one used in my era is that we were taught to follow through high and in the direction of our target and catch the racquet with our opposing hand. That’s not the case here; Nadal’s racquet has gone past his right hand and continues to wrap around his midsection. His weight has finally started to move to his right foot.

8. Amazingly, Nadal’s racquet has finished completely around his body. Look at the position of his right shoulder in the first photo and notice his left shoulder in this one. He was looking over his right shoulder at the beginning and ended looking over his left. This rotation is a great checkpoint for everyone, regardless of the forehand you use. If you can go shoulder to shoulder, you’ll ensure a full stroke.

thats it for todays leaner's diet.see you all in the next interesting version of learner's diet.Remember,do stay with us,do learn with us,and do excel with us.

learner's diet...

hey guys,
we have seen the actual technique used to serve a tennis ball in our last version.similarly it would be fantastic to learn the powerful roger federer's backhand.

It isn’t just that Roger Federer can masterfully hit any shot in the book—and a few shots that aren’t—but that he makes it look ridiculously easy. One of the keys to Federer’s success, and the principle reason his strokes look so effortless, is his extraordinary balance. Whether he’s hitting his huge forehand or his impressive backhand, he keeps his head and upper body remarkably quiet throughout the stroke.

1. Judging from his knee bend, you can tell that Federer is preparing for a low ball, perhaps an approach shot from his opponent. Even though he’s reacting quickly, he looks completely under control. He’s already changed his grip to one that’s slightly farther over from a classic Eastern. Also, notice the position of his racquet as he’s moving. Many players think you should prepare by immediately taking the racquet all the way back, but that’s not an efficient way to run. And while Federer’s shoulders have begun to turn, he won’t rotate them more until he plants his right foot.

2. Cradling the racquet in his left hand to control his backswing, Federer starts to turn his shoulders in unison with his racquet take-back. I like how his head is right in the center of his body. Pay attention to how he’s pointing his shoulder at the oncoming ball. This ensures good upper-body rotation, which is something many beginners and intermediates don’t do well. A full shoulder turn, along with a sound backhand grip, will help you drive the ball as well as avoid elbow problems.

3. This is a striking example of Federer’s excellent balance; he’s in the optimal position for this low ball. Even though he’s dragging his toe, he’s still got a lot of his weight on his left foot. Many players would have moved most of their weight onto their front foot at this point, which would cause their momentum to continue to the side after striking the ball and result in a more difficult recovery. Federer’s racquet is all the way back at this point and his shoulder turn is full, about 45 degrees to the baseline. His head, though, has barely moved from the previous photo.





4. Federer has just struck the ball and his left knee is almost touching the ground. His upper body remains still and balanced. This shot reminds me of how great downhill skiers allow their legs to go up and down like pistons but their upper bodies remain relatively quiet and straight up. Federer’s legs are doing all of the work of getting low to the ball; he’s not bending at the waist. It takes great core and quad strength to do this, but the payoff is that there’s no stress on the back. The angle between his arm and his racquet shows that he’s using a strong grip that will resist impact well.

5. Federer’s non-playing hand is back and down to counter balance his racquet hand going forward and up. Also, when the left arm goes back like that, it keeps the shoulders from turning and accelerates the right arm, giving you more power. As you can see, Federer’s shoulders are still sideways to the baseline. One common problem that players have with the backhand is that they pull up and open their shoulders so they almost face the net, losing power and control. Here, Federer’s head has hardly moved at all, and he has finished with his body perpendicular to the target.

6. Federer is recoiling after the swing,and it’s only now that he has started to look up and watch his shot. His body is still balanced, and because of that he won’t have to take an extra recovery step. If he were leaning over on such a wide shot, he would have to take one more step. One of the big differences between a good player and a great player is recovery, and you can’t recover well unless you have excellent balance. This is one reason Federer gets to so many balls.

The main motto of this blog to spread the knowledge of sports in each and everyone of our readers who have got the passion to learn the sport.We will continue to update some interesting facts of sports,do stay with us,do learn with us,do excel with us.Bye guys!!!!

Learner's diet...

hey guys,

Each and everyone of us have a passion to learn and to excel as the the day progresses.so its time to learn some interesting concepts of sports.today it is a fine day and not a bad idea to learn The Serves of John Isner and Goran Ivanisevic.

John Isner

1. TOSSING ARM
Today you see most pros lift their tossing arms fi rst rather than both arms together. That’s a big change from the past and something club players should experiment with. Your hitting arm has to catch up to the ball eventually, so when your tossing arm goes up fi rst, it forces you to swing faster through the “back scratch” phase of the motion. Notice the extension on Isner’s tossing arm—it’s straight. He hasn’t fl icked the ball into the air with his wrist. In fact, this isn’t a “toss” at all. I tell my students to “place” the ball or “lay it up there” with no spin, just the way Isner has done here.

2. HEAD
Isner’s eyes are on the target and his head is still, but what I see most—and this is the key to a great serve—is calmness. It looks like he’s just moseying along, but we know what’s coming. The best serves are rhythmic and relaxed; the server just lets it happen. It’s like water fl owing out of a fountain—I call it liquid power.

3. SHOULDERS
Isner’s shoulders and hips are going to rotate away from the net a bit more than you see in this picture, which captures him at a slightly earlier point in his delivery than Ivanisevic in the opposite photo.

4. RACQUET ARM
Isner’s strings are tilted slightly downward, toward the court, as he begins his take-back. With some players, this is even more pronounced. If the palm of your hitting hand points down, you can take the racquet back more naturally. Remember to use a Continental grip so it’s easier to produce spin and pronate your arm.

5. STANCE
We’ve seen enough good servers to know that a lot of different stances can succeed. But whether you keep both feet in place or move your back foot up to meet your front one, there are some basic elements to every good stance. Isner’s right foot is a little behind his left foot, which points diagonally toward the net post. This almost-sideways position allows him to coil more and get his racquet moving faster. Club players tend to face the net too soon; when your body opens up early, you lose energy and power.

Goran Ivanisevic

1. TOSSING ARM
vanisevic was the perfect example of “liquid power.” He fl owed up and into a serve faster than anyone in the game in the last 20 years. Not only was his serve hard, it was on you in a blink and was very tough to read. It was deceptive because of Ivanisevic’s low toss—he hit the ball just before it reached its peak. To get to a ball that quickly, you have to be rhythmic, loose, and fast. The tossing arm leads the way.

2. HEAD
Ivanisevic’s eyes, like Isner’s, are on the ball, though his head doesn’t look as relaxed because he’s closer to making con-tact and getting ready to exhale. His head doesn’t jerk or twist, because he’s placed the ball well out in front of him.

3. SHOULDERS
Ivanisevic’s left shoulder is rotated far behind him. He’s also leaning into the court. There’s going to be some serious uncoiling here, and that translates into racquet-head speed. Here’s something club players need to remember when working on their shoulder turns: Don’t force it. You don’t want to make your shoulder turn; you have to learn to let it turn. Forcing things creates tension, and tension kills your serve. Try taking your racquet back without tossing a ball to get a feel for the motion.

4. RACQUET ARM
You’ve probably been told quite often to “get your elbow up” when you serve. Then what should we make of the fact that you can’t see Ivanisevic’s hitting elbow in this picture because it’s dropped so low? The most important thing is that you lift your elbow up when you lower your racquet head and begin to accelerate into the ball. It’s OK to drop your arm when you start your motion, as long as your movement is fl uid and you pass through the “elbow up” phase without staying there for a long time.

5. STANCE
Stances are little more than idiosyncrasies. They don’t have a lot to do with the moment of truth, but it’s sometimes good to try different stances because it might help you solve some other, more important problem.

First day of Blogging!!!

Hey guys,
Welcome to the world of sports blogging. Everyone of us are interested in one sport or the other. Be it tennis,football or even cricket. We all like watching and playing games. Not a single has passed in our lives without remembering our sporting legends. All of us love watching Tendulkar or Brian Lara for the sheer passion of the sport. We all love sports don't we? Well if you love sports and need to know the latest news in the sporting world then this is the destination for you. We will cover all the big and small sporting events from EURO to the champions League and wimbledon. We will constantly update our news and you will be the first to know the latest in the world of sports. Enjoy this site!!! and keep watching this site for the latest updates.