Stronger Loops

Curtis Lewis Asked 14 years ago

Hey Alois and Jeff,

I have finally found that with the Touch/Vego Pro, I can finally settle into being an all-around looper/chopper.  I have recently found that my loops are more spinny than fast, even when the ball bounces up pretty high during long distance rallies. 

Are there any ways or tips you recommend on developing a more aggressive "instinct", because I usually fail to vary my loops, tending to stick with my "safe" spinny loops and not the faster loop drives (not sure if I worded that question very well, sorry).  

Alois Rosario Answered 14 years ago

Hi Curtis,

Glad you are finding the Touch to your liking. Jeff and I certainly do.

I think aggression comes from a state of mind of what you want to do in the rally.  If you have a firm game plan to attack the ball fast whenever you get the opportunity you will start to be able to hit the ball faster.

One of the other limiting factors is tension.  By you talking about your "safe" loop makes me think that this may be a factor here.  If you are tense your muscles will tighten.  This will make it more difficult for them to flow naturally and generate speed.  This occurs especially in the shoulder which restricts movement.   

When you are playing, especially during training sessions to start with, focus on the amount of tension you have in your shoulder.  Work on seeing if you can get that shoulder to remain more relaxed. One thing I sometimes tell players is to "Keep the stroke the same but see how little effort you can take to make the stroke".  Try this next time you are training. It is counter intuitive to relax when you are aiming to get the ball to travel faster.  Try it out and see what happens.