What Is A World-Class Stroke?

My definition of a world-class stroke is very simple:

1. Efficient
2. Explosive
3. Adaptable

You need all three if you want your strokes to reach their full potential. Let's go through each one of them.

Efficiency

Simply put, an efficient stroke is one that works in harmony with the body in facilitating consistency and accuracy.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Setting as a unit
• Dropping both arms together for a bit from the set (forehand)
• Dropping inside
• Locking the head back and in (before the elbow pops through)
• Tracking out towards the target

When I say working in harmony with the body, I mean that you are not putting unnecessary strain on the body and that your swing neither lacks nor contains aspects to it that hamper your swings effectiveness.

If you're fortunate enough to work with a coach who understand efficiency, you need to be aware that they might not be able to take you all the way. In a world-class stroke, the efficient aspects of your swing need to serve as a foundation, not as a cage that limits power and adaptability.

Explosiveness

Obviously, a world-class swing is not just efficient. It's explosive. Whether it's a serve, forehand, or backhand you need to be able to be able to access gears that go beyond mere consistency and accuracy. There are, in the major strokes, specific elements that must occur for this to happen.

This includes but is not limited to:

• Initiating power from the lower body and unleashing it effectively
  
• Throwing the hip
• Leading with the elbow
• The very last element before ball contact

Adaptability

Like most players, you probably focus on your basic swing. On each of your ground strokes, however, you actually need four different swings. In addition to your basic swing, you need the adaptations for the following:

• High balls
• When you have less time to react
• When you have almost no set up time

Many players, at lower levels, try to use the one swing they practice for all of these situations, and that just doesn't work. You need to understand how to adjust your swing without losing the critical elements doing so. Your coach needs to help you master these adaptations, because most points require their use.

There you have it...

Now you know what it is I mean specifically when I say I teach world-class swings.

Efficiency
Explosiveness
Adaptability

To generate strokes of this nature you just need to know the ingredients and the recipe.