Lesson 15: non-hitting hand and more

One of my friends took some photos while I was playing tennis and I noticed a serious problem of myself. He has a professional camera which looks like a canon and can take many pictures in one second. He is able to capture the exact moment the ball is hit.

Basically, my non-hitting hand is dangling like a "chicken wing". It is kind of extreme. I will not guess in a million years I am doing this. Here it is what is looks like. My right hand and left hand are going totally opposite directions. It looks so unnatural. I believe this happens because there is "no time" to rotate the body and I am just trying to get the ball back.

Apparently this problem is not unique to me. To fix this problem, I learned two tips. One is to hold your racket using the non-hitting hand after the hit. This we all knows, but not always doing it under pressure.

Another better tip is that the non-hitting hand should always higher than the hitting hand (and spread your fingers!, not sure why that helps, will try anyway). By doing that, the whole body is rotating as a unit. This sounds like something I can internalize and use.

My photos are all taken from the university (mostly Chinese) wide competition in Mission Hills Racquet and Swim Club, Fremont, CA. There are so many schools that we have to have a pre-game to get into the official game. I am glad my team is able to make it.

We are all playing under near 100F degree weather. My double partner is also sick and we still manage to get a win so it is not all bad. Here is a few better looking pictures.

And most importantly, my shining new shoes.

Enjoy the game, my friend!

References:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fxEhYf9Xkp0 Catch with your hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lopil_BOX-o Spread your fingers and non-hitting hand is always higher than the hitting hand