I am a big John McEnroe fan…ok maybe I don’t like his yelling antics on court but you can’t argue with his brilliant tennis play.
He still can get it done even north of 50 years old.
I admire the unique way he plays tennis. Johnny Mac is a perfect example of a player who does it his way, but we can still take some things from his game and apply it to ours.
McEnroe is able to move effortlessly and efficiently around the court because he stays more upright. He uses his legs just the right amount and can gracefully make his way to each ball because he doesn’t bend his knees as much as most players.
There is an art to his movement and you can do it too.
Let me know what you think about Johnny Mac.
Do you think we can model him play better tennis?
Talk soon.
Jeff
Okay. Hey everybody, I got a great video post for you today. A couple days ago, I was watching Champion Series Event between Michael Chang and John McEnroe. I just happened to throw the Tennis Channel on and I’m getting excited for the Australian Open and they haven’t shown you the pre-warm-up tournaments yet.
But a few days ago, I was taking a look at that match and it just reminded me how amazing John McEnroe is. I mean the guy is over 50 years I believe and he still can play. And I actually practiced with John back in New York in Central Park. Actually it was the day after 9/11, so kind of a somber story. But I was really intrigued by John when I practiced with him, all the great things that he did — How early he took the ball, what great disguise he had on the serve, but I’ve always been very impressed with his movement and how upright he is.
Now, I’m a big believer at bending your knees on certain shots, especially open stance forehands and backhands as well and also on the volleys, I don’t think you need to be as upright as McEnroe. But the point that I want to make in today’s video is that McEnroe has had tons of success with his game and his movement by being upright when he hits the ball. And you don’t want to bend your knees too much especially when you’re stepping in at a ball. You want to be upright, relaxed, you can react kind of like a cat, you can react faster to the ball.
So, take a page out on John McEnroe’s book. Everybody says he’s so unique and so different and you can’t copy him. Well, Andre Agassi, he’s upright when he steps in on his forehands. He straightens that front leg out as he’s striking the ball on the forehand and the backhand side. So yes, McEnroe is unique but you can definitely take some of his principles and adopt it to your game and it can help you move around the court, using your hands better and staying more upright.
Please send me your comments. Let me know what you think of this — am I off base, am I totally wrong with what I’m talking about, or am I on to something here with Johnny Mac and some of the other great players that stay more upright when they play tennis.
Okay. Looking forward to talk to you guys soon in the next video. Take care.
Jeff Salzenstein
http://www.JeffSalzensteinTennis.com
Hi Jeff,
I’d say you bend the knees on almost every shot- to a greater or lesser extent.
Those who are looking to generate more of their own power might bend a lot, while those like McEnroe who absorb their opponent’s power and rely on touch and feel and maybe taking the ball early might bend less.
It might be that all players need to be made aware of situations when a deep knee bend could be an advantage and situations when it might be less so.
Anyway it got me thinking because we do hear over and over about loading and bending and this provides an interesting slant.
Cheers
John [Australia]
Cheers
John