Tennis Flat Serve

Tennis Flat Serve

1.    Grip

a.     Use Continental Grip (2) loosely (with just the ring and pinkie fingers to allow for the snap).

b.    Use Boris Becker's grip (2.5) for more slice

c.     The index finger must be separated to enable pronation

2.    Initial Stance

a.     Stand a few inches behind the baseline, 3 feet from the center stripe (separating ad and deuce portions of the court)

b.    Left foot is pointing at the rightmost net post (a few inches behind the baseline) to allow for an easier rotation

c.     Right foot is behind the heel of left foot, shoulder-width apart (heel-to-toe alignment), to allow shoulders to load up

d.    Feet are shoulder-width apart (to enable easy weight transfer from rear to front foot) but relatively close, with the toe of the right foot at the heel of the left foot

e.     Hold the tennis ball with 2 fingers (thumb, middle), like an ice cream cone, to minimize ball spin during the ball toss.

f.     Lean forward until all of the weight is on your left foot (the right foot's toe should come up slightly)

g.    The racket is placed in front of your body with the ball right at the throat of the racket

h.    Turn your head and look to where the ball will be when tossed (this will prevent additional head movement during the serve). Do not move your head for the whole duration of the serve

3.    First Move - Turn away from the target

a.     With the weight on the left leg and the tossing arm and racket together, start turning your shoulders clockwise and separate the arms (as soon as the back ankle hits the ground on the back foot).

b.    The left tossing arm is straight and releases the ball when it reaches eyeball height. You are placing the ball on the spot where you expect it to land (if not hit). The tossing arm should move smoothly and not too fast. Only the shoulder is used, and the arm must not be bent. The left arm follows the ball as if it never left (pretend they are magnetically attracted to each other).

c.     The thumb of the left arm turns downward as the serve progresses

d.    All your weight is transferred from the front foot to the back foot. (The heel of your left foot should come up)

e.     Your head should not turn during the ball toss

f.     Your right arm moves slowly down

4.    Ball Toss

a.     The left arm releases the ball when it reaches eyeball height, intending to place it at 12:30 (12 o'clock being your head) for a 1^st serve or 12:00 for a 2^nd serve. Once the ball is released, the left arm continues to track the ball.

b.    The left arm keeps pointing straight up at the ball with the palm facing the tossed ball. Spread the fingers on the tossing hand!

c.     Keep your face pointing at the ball (the chin should be close to the left arm), and the body should not jerk during the toss.

d.    Look at where the ball is going to be released, then switch focus to the ball

5.    Trophy Pose

a.     The body should be leaning backward (tilting) with the knees bent, the left shoulder way above the right shoulder, and the left arm pointing straight at the tossed ball.

b.    The right arm moves slowly back (straight, palm down, without any elbow bend) until it reaches shoulder height, at which point the elbow starts to bend.

c.     Your body should be tilting left slightly

6.    Serve Stroke

a.     When the ball reaches maximum height, you push off with your right foot and drive with your hips while also uncoiling your shoulder

b.    Bend your right elbow to move the right arm from right to left, behind your head, with the left edge of the racket gently touching your scalp.

c.     When the elbow is pointing at the ball and the racket, the butt cap is pointing at the sky (behind your right shoulder), release the right arm

d.    The right arm never stops moving to ensure a smooth and powerful stroke

e.     Point with your right arm's index finger to the target! (to help pronation)

f.     When hitting the ball, the right arm pronates (rotates counterclockwise) to hit the ball flat (while the lungs breathe out). The thumb edge of the racket should be pointing down (for correct pronation)

7.    Contact

a.     You should try to hit the ball at its peak (this is when the ball is moving slowest) above your head (on the inside)

b.    The right arm should be fully extended (not bent) during contact

c.     After contact, the right arm bends immediately

d.    The right arm lands on the left side of the body, and then the left arm catches the racket

e.     Your head should stay still, pointing at the ball (not where it's going)

8.    Completion

a.     After the serve, you should land on your left foot a few feet inside the baseline

b.    Your right arm should have your thumb down (for full pronation)

9.    Refinement

a.     To hit a topspin serve (2^nd serve), toss the ball to 12 o'clock. Your body should finish more on the right side.

b.    To hit a flat serve, toss the ball to 1 o'clock. The body should finish facing forward (the net)

c.     To hit a slice serve, toss the ball to 2 o'clock (low and to the right)

10. Pro Tips

a.     Make sure your head does not turn to look at where the ball is headed; always look at where the ball will be tossed, and do not move it.

b.    The secret to the serve is to imagine it as a ball throw shifted upwards. The throwing arm and shoulder should all be in a line.

c.     The serve swinging motion should be continuous without any stops

d.    Think of a serve as a baseball throw.

e.     The wrist should be very loose (for training, hold the racket with just three fingers)

f.     Imagine a window above the net that you're trying to hit and aim for it

g.    Say the word "Yes" after the serve (positive feedback)

h.    When nervous, we have a tendency to rush. Pause after bouncing the ball and before serving.

Tennis Serve with Florian Meyer

1.    Toss the ball with the arm (not the wrist)

a.     Lift the entire tossing arm

b.    When the arm reaches eye level, release the ball with your fingertips

2.    Turn and Toss

a.     Turn the upper body away from the target (pre-stretch)

b.    Toss the ball (slightly right to left)

c.     Right arm is palm down during its motion

d.    The ball should be at 12:30 (12:00 straight above your head)

3.    Fluid motion in the serve

a.     Do not stop in the trophy pose

b.    Drill #1: Right to left over your head

4.    2^nd Serve

a.     Toss a little further to the left (12 o'clock)

b.    Increase the upward angle of your swing (more topspin)

c.     Drill #2: Hold the racket halfway, toss it above your head, and the racket brushes the ball

Practice Suggestions

1.    Divide the court into 6 zones: 3 for the left (ad court), 3 for the right (deuce court). Practice serving into each zone. Only move to the next zone after a successful service to the current zone. For right-handers, zones 3 and 6 are best. For left-handers, zones 1 and 4 are best.

2.    Toss Practice

a.     Toss the ball and trap it with the racket against a fence

Feeling Tennis Tips

1.    The Stance

o   Left foot is pointing at the right net post. 

o   Right foot is parallel to the baseline

o   Heel of the left foot is aligned with the toe of the right foot

2.    The Grip

o   Use Continental grip(2)

3.    Bounce the racket up and down to loosen up your arm and initiate the swing up from a Dynamic state and not a static position

4.    Backswing & Toss

a.     Toss the ball with the other straight arm (hold the ball with the thumb)

b.    The racket during the backswing should end up being close to your head

c.     Finding the trophy position

5.    Serve in two parts

a.     Toss the ball and get into trophy position

b.    Make sure to keep raising the tossing arm and pointing at the ball

6.    The Power move

a.     When the racket starts to drop behind the head, the body must begin to turn

b.    Drive with your hips moving forward at the same time as the racket starts to drop

c.     Make sure to rotate the wrist (as if opening a door) 

d.    You should be hitting the ball

7.    Put it all together

a.     When the racket hits the ball, the wrist pronates

b.    The serving arm should feel rotating - all the power comes from rotation.

c.     Serena Williams' serve video

Topspin vs. Flat vs. Slice Serve

1.    In a topspin serve, the racket brushes the ball from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock. The ball topspin helps the ball to come down earlier in the service box. 

o   To hit a topspin serve, hit the ball at 12 o'clock.

2.    In a flat serve, the racket hits the ball straight on. 

o   To hit a flat serve, hit the ball at 1 o'clock

3.    In a slice serve, the racket brushes the ball from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock. 

o   To hit a slice serve, hit the ball at 2 o'clock

o   Since a slice serve does not have topspin, the shot may go long (need to adjust)

Read More

Santa Clara Paintball

It's been many years since I played Paintball (last time in Sacramento), and I was eager to try it again in San Jose. I remember how much fun it was (but painful when getting hit by paintballs).

LivingSocial offered an enticing proposition for Santa Clara Paintball ($17 admission for up to 4 players; paintballs are extra).

As Alex was eager to try Paintball, we decided to head there around noon. Since it rained the day before, I hoped the Santa Clara facility would be drier by noon.

Here is a GoPro Hero4 Silver video of my last paintball session:

When we arrived, we filled out all the forms on iPads and purchased two packs of 500 paintballs  (one pack for each of us). A pack of 500 paintballs was sold for $20 + tax. We picked up the marker (that's what the gun is called) and waited for the safety check.

Then, we went to try our luck at Field 1 (Box Maze).

Alex thought it would be easy and that he would not get tagged/splashed. He found out fairly quickly that it's not that easy to hit the opponent. A lot of crouching, crawling, and hiding is called to get into a good position. Being Rambo is a sure way to get shot.

We had huge teams, with over a dozen players per team. It was easy to get hit, and Alex and I splattered a few times. Alex got shot in the leg once and sat out one game.

We played for almost two hours; we started at around 2:00pm and finished at 4:00pm. The 500 rounds of paintballs lasted us nearly two hours!

We had a good time but didn't like the many puddles at the facility; the recent rains have made the paintball facility a bit muddy (and filthy in places). I would have preferred it to be cleaner.

Read More

Review: OdysseO Cavalia

I have recently had the pleasure of seeing the OdyseeO Cavalia show in San Francisco. This equestrian show is very similar to Cirque du Soleil productions. The horses and riders do various stunts throughout the show.

There are 60+ horses used in the show, ranging in age from 4 to 17. In addition to horsemanship, a few other stuntmen perform various acrobatic tricks.

I liked most of the acrobatic performances (I'd say even more than the equestrian ones).

We had a fun time at the show. It's certainly worth seeing.

Read More

Snowboarding Kirkwood

Kirkwood has always been one of my favorite Lake Tahoe ski resorts (from when I lived in Sacramento).

Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, I have not snowboarded or skied there (Kirkwood being too far away). Kirkwood is ideal for advanced/expert skiers and snowboarders and doesn't usually feel crowded like other resorts (like Sierra-at-Tahoe, Squaw, or Heavenly).

With the recent significant snowfall, I was eager to try out Kirkwood after 13 years of absence. What has changed? Is it still uncrowded? Is the food still lousy?

Driving from San Jose to Kirkwood can be a pain (4 hours), so I thought about taking the Bay Area Skibus. However, I was concerned by the many poor reviews of the ski bus on Yelp. One reviewer suggested that I try the NorCal Snowboarders meetup.

The idea behind the NorCal Snowboarders meetup is that many members get together to share a ride to the resort, with the driver paid $45 for transportation.

To prepare for the trip, I had my Ride 162 Berzerker snowboard freshly waxed at the local REI and purchased a new Smith Holt helmet from the nearby Any Mountain store. REI was out of large-sized helmets.

I had to wake up at 3:15am on Sunday, January 10, to arrive at the designated 4:15 am meetup spot in Milpitas. Thankfully, everyone was on time, and the drive to Kirkwood proved uneventful. There was snow on the road, so I was thankful that our Subaru had four-wheel drive.

We arrived around 8:00 am, a bit ahead of Kirkwood's opening time of 8:30 am. Since we were the first group of 4 to come, and the other snowboarders (68 in total) had not yet arrived, I went to get my official ticket at the ticket booth. I pre-purchased my ticket online for $89 (at $10 savings).

The weather was great - it was 28 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind. The sun was out most of the day with some patches of clouds. The snow was packed powder - not the fresh powder I sought, but it was still lovely. I hoped the promised 4" of fresh powder would be there for me, but the snowstorms did not cooperate.

I started out on Chairlift 6, "The Cornice Express," looking for patches of powder. I found powder mainly in the trees, but not on the groomed main runs. I snowboarded down "Zachary", "Monte Wolfe", and "Lost Cabin".

Here is a GoPro 4 Silver video I shot going down the first run in the morning:



These were all black diamond runs.

After a couple of runs down, I tried Chairlift 10, the "The Wall" lift, to the double-black-diamond runs. The Wall is a steep double black diamond run with lots of moguls. Riding on a snowboard is not too difficult, but it would be difficult on skis.

At around 11:30am, I met up with the NorCal snowboarding group for lunch at the pre-arranged 7800 Bar & Grill.

The 7800 Bar & Grill was fully packed, and ordering and receiving food took a while. I had a "Tower Burger" with fries and hot chocolate. The Angus beef burger tasted good but was expensive.

After lunch, I went back to skiing in the trees more (to get more access to powder). I snowboarded non-stop until 3:10 pm when I got tired and stopped by the lodge to eat my snack.

I recorded many of my runs on the GoPro 4 Silver helmet cam. Editing all recorded videos into a coherent movie will take me a while.

Kirkwood's long runs are mostly black diamond, so the mountain is geared toward intermediate to expert riders. Most of the green runs are very short.

Around 4:00 pm, we decided to return home (as everyone was exhausted). The drive home was much slower due to all of the returning traffic.

Read More

Best of the Best 2015

At the end of 2015, I would like to take an inventory of things I consider to be the best in their class:

Restaurants: 

1. Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
2. Manresa, Los Gatos 
3. The Plumed Horse, Saratoga 
4. Solbar, Calistoga 
5. Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
6. Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
7. Humuhumunukunuku'apua, Maui Hawaii 
8. La Foret, San Jose 

Dishes: 

• Apple Strudel: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Bread: "Country Bread," Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, CA 
• Cakes: Cafe Demel, Vienna, Austria 
• Croissants: "Pistachio Croissants", Les Comptoirs Richard, Metz, France 
• Flammkuchen: Weinstube Baldreit, Baden-Baden, Germany 
• Gelato: Bella Gelateria, Vancouver, BC 
• Gnocchi: Osteria Nonna Gina, Siena, Italy 
• Opah, Mama's Fish House, Maui, Hawaii 
• Pancakes: "Lemon Ricotta Pancakes," Solbar, Calistoga 
• Pâtisserie: Gérard Mulot Pâtisserie, Paris, France 
• Sandwiches: Small World Sandwich Shop, Amsterdam 
• Tafelspitz: Plachutta, Vienna, Austria 
• Tapas: El Pinton, Seville, Spain 

Spas

1. Friedrichsbad Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
2. Caracalla Therme, Baden-Baden, Germany 
3. Solage, Calistoga 

Rock Concerts

1. Elton John's Made in England Tour, Tacoma Dome, Washington, on 9/9/1995 
2. Leonard Cohen, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 11/7/2012. 
3. The History of the Eagles, HP Pavilion, San Jose, 1/29/2013 
4. Postmodern Jukebox, The Warfield, San Francisco, 12/13/2015 
5. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Harrah's Hotel and Casino, 5/30/2015 
6. The Gipsy Kings, Mountain Winery, 8/27/2014. 

Rock Albums (2015)

1. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Selfies on Kodachrome" 
2. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, "Top Hat On Fleek" 
3. Adele, "25" 
4. Sam Smith, "In the Lonely Hour" 
5. Of Monsters and Men, "Beneath the Skin" 
6. Don Henley, "Cass County" 
7. George Strait, "Cold Beer Conversation" 
8. Joe Bonamassa, "Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks" 
9. Mumford & Sons, "Wilder Mind" 
10. Lana Del Rey, "Honeymoon" 

Musicals 

1. Chicago, Albemarle of London, London, UK, 6/1/2000 
2. Cabaret
3. Anything Goes
4. Grease 
5. Monty Python's Spamalot
6. Saturday Night Fever 
7. Showboat, San Francisco, 6/13/2014 
8. Mathilda, Orpheum, San Francisco, 7/23/2015. 
9. Phantom of the Opera, Orpheum, San Francisco, 8/21/2015 
10. The Book of Mormon, San Francisco, 1/7/2014 

Theater

1. Emma, TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, 12/4/2015. 
2. Disgraced, Berkeley Rep 
3. Cyrano, TheatreWorks, Mountain View 

Read More

Dirt Biking Metcalf

After purchasing my 2013 Honda CRF250R off-road motorcycle (and having it repaired), I finally found some time today to ride it at the nearby Metcalf Motorcycle Park.

This was my first time at Metcalf and on my new-to-me dirt bike.

My past motorcycles were street-oriented, so this was a bit different. (outside my comfort zone). This Honda has a kickstart and no electric start, so it took me a while to get it started. The bike is very tall, so kickstarting it is a challenge.

Luckily, I had some friendly bikers to help me get it started. The trick is to sit on the bike (not stand up) and push down the kick starter until it stops. Then let it go back up and kick it hard.

After starting it up, I rode the beginner's oval track, followed by Trail 1 - the most accessible trail at Metcalf.

The trails were all very muddy (due to rain last week), but they were a lot of fun. I was taking it easy, this being my first day at Metcalf and on my Honda.

It was a lot of fun, but my bike and riding gear got very muddy. It took me 45 minutes to clean up the bike afterward.

Here is a GoPro Herio4 Silver video I recorded while riding on Trail 1:

It took me over an hour to clean the bike after the ride. It was so muddy!

Read More

Review: Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens

The first Star Wars movie I saw was "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" in the early 1980s in Shillington, Pennsylvania. This occurred before VCRs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and Netflix existed.

Back then, the only way to see a movie was to see it playing in the movie theater. That is until I discovered that my local Radio Shack had a laser disk player (these played large, LP-sized disks), and one day, I saw parts of Star Wars playing in the store. I was fascinated by the story but never saw the whole movie completely.

Since then, I have seen all of the other Star Wars movies, but for some inexplicable reason, "The Empire Strikes Back" remained my favorite.

I wondered what would happen when George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. With director J.J. Abrams, I was expecting something like his last Star Trek film - Into Darkness. His television series (Alias, Lost) and movies (Into Darkness) focus more on the action and less on dialogue.

Now that I have watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I have comments about the movie.

The script was an engaging copy of the original Star Wars. The similarities were obvious: Luke's original role (as the Jedi in training) is played by Rey; Luke, who will train Rey (will do the same role as Yoda). Darth Vader is replaced by the sinister Kylo Ren, who happens to be Han Solo's son. In place of the Deathstar, we now have the Starkiller base. In place of R2D2 and C3PO, the new rolling ball robot BB8 serves a similar purpose.

It is known that Darth Vader wore his black mask because of the injuries sustained from previous combat. However, why Kylo Ren wears a mask is not known. Is it a show of respect to Darth Vader, whom he idolizes?

It looks like Kylo Ren kills his father (Han Solo) in one scene (though perhaps Han Solo survives?)

I don't know what to make of the character Finn, who seems more of a sidekick.

The movie was certainly entertaining, with incredible special effects. However, it wasn't as good as the original Star Wars or The Empire Strikes Back.

Read More

Chubby Noodle in San Francisco

After the Potted Potter show, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. However, finding parking was a struggle, and I drove round and round. Eventually, we settled on Chubby Noodle at 2205 Lombard Street - a quirky little place that serves exciting dishes.

We ordered a "Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken" entree, "Korean Pork Tacos," a "Duck Wrap," and a "Green Papaya Salad."

We liked the "Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken," and Inna liked the Pork Tacos.

We liked Chubby Noodle and hope to eat there again (when we're in the neighborhood). Food is served family-style (for easy sharing). The entrees were well prepared and very reasonably priced.

After dinner, we decided to get dessert at Ghirardelli Square. The lines were very long, as usual, but we enjoyed our sundaes! Ghirardelli changed their menu, so we ordered some new sundaes.

Alex ordered a sundae with brownies, but the brownies were not the most appealing.

After our sugar fix, we headed back home.

Read More

Review: Potted Potter

Today, we went to see the performance of Potted Potter at San Francisco's Fine Art Museum.

Potted Potter is a parody by Daniel Clarkson (Dan) and Jefferson Turner (Jeff), taking on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into seventy amusing minutes.

Dan and Jeff try to cover one Harry Potter book in ten minutes. Jeff plays Harry Potter, and Dan plays all other roles. It's amusing at times.

I enjoyed the show, but I wouldn't call it a must-see.

The show's highlight was asking the audience to play Quidditch with the ball. It was amusing!

After the show, we decided to get dinner at a nearby restaurant. However, finding parking was a struggle, and I drove round and round. Eventually, we settled on Chubby Noodle at 2205 Lombard Street - a quirky little place that serves exciting dishes.

Read More