Bending the Arm

Hi

I coach some new players in South Africa.

I have difficulty in getting the person to bend his arm i.e. he basically plays with a straight arm.

How do I get him to bend his arm?

Second Issue

An old player has 2 grips which are very different - he has been playing competively for 25 years and now wants to try to use one grip - however this change is not working for him as his wrist just seems to go loose and he therefore strikes the ball at the bottom of the bat because of the grip.

Any ideas on how to rectify this?

Look forward to your response

Regards

Sharad

Hi Sharad,

To get a player to bend their arm I use the finish position.  If you get them to touch their bat to their eyebrow, they have to bend their arm.  This will get them to do it more naturally in time and with a bit of practice.

To rectify the grip, get his to stay with the one grip and then get him to ficus on where the ball is hitting on his racket.  Do a lot of slow hitting with his focus just on this.  It will take time but the more hits he does with the new grip the better feel he will get for the ball.

Good luck with your coaching.  Hope these help.