What is tennis forehand technique?

Tennis technique is the way a person swings to hit the tennis ball. It consists of the swing style, the hitting style, stances and tennis footwork. It’s one of the most important areas a tennis player would want to focus on if he or she desires to improve their tennis.

Tennis forehand technique has evolved over the years, and many players have vastly different backswings and hitting styles. One thing in common in tennis technique of the pros, is that they all share basic fundamental commonalities in their forehand technique even though each player may have different backswings.

New Versus Old

Tennis forehand technique has evolved. Tennis players are now basing their tennis games around playing a powerful baseline game. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer are trademarks of the modern game of tennis. Powerful tennis forehands, with overwhelming topspin and accuracy are parts ot the echelons of the game.

What are the commonalities of tennis technique?

The forehand tennis technique of top professional players have basic fundamental components that all advanced tennis players share, even though the backswing style or shape may vary slightly from one another.

The first commonality is the basic unit turn. The unit turn is the set-up of the preparation of the tennis forehand. It is where the body turns sideways away from the net as one “unit.” This means that the lower body helps initiate the preparation, and the racket is the last part to move.

The second reference point is having a deep and complete shoulder turn. Once the tennis player sees the point of the bounce, they make sure to load the hitting stance while keeping a full and complete shoulder turn on their tennis forehand technique. Whatever the swing shape or style may be, the tennis player must focus on having a complete shoulder turn, where the non dominant arm stretches across the baseline. This is key in the forehand tennis technique, having a solid turn or “loading.”

The third point is making sure to properly set up the stance and load the power in the core.

The fifth point is rotating through the shot properly and intiating the forward swing with the hips.

The sixth point in the modern tennis forehand is completing the followthrough, in some cases called the windshield wiper forehand.

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The changes in the modern tennis forehand technique is the primary reason for the dramatic increase of power and topspin used by today’s top tennis players.

Advancement of the Modern Tennis Forehand

Much has been said and written about the evolution of tennis. The classic game has frequently been compared to the modern game.

The main change is the switch from wooden rackets to graphite rackets. Specific to this change has been the evolution of larger head sizes as well as lighter weights.

Another significant change as a result of advancements in racket technology is the shift in the kind of strings being used. From natural gut, many of today’s players now use a hybrid of natural gut and polyester strings. There are even some players who use polyester strings exclusively.

While the rules of the game have not changed since the sport was institutionalized, the predominant type of court surface used on tour has definitely changed. Before the mid 1970’s, three of the four grand slam events were played on grass.

Today, two of the four are played on hard courts. This is now the predominant surface. In general, surfaces have also been slowed down, especially in the new millennium. There are only about 4 weeks of grass court tennis in a whole year and even these courts have been slowed down. Also, there are hardly any indoor events played on carpet or supreme surfaces.

Professional Players Today in the Modern Forehand

Athletes today are also emphasizing fitness and speed more than ever. Hard scrambling baseline rallies are commonly played by the top players, who all now seem to be able to go from defence to offense with just one shot. Their ability to hit clean winners from the baseline has made volleying at the net much more difficult, hence the demise of the pure serve and volley player.

The result of all these changes in the tennis landscape is the development of the modern game, which, briefly described, is an aggressive baseline game featuring all out power hitting with heavy topspin.

The Modern Tennis Forehand is the New Cornerstone of Tennis

The bread and butter shot for most players remains to be the forehand. Increasingly, though, players are now becoming equally strong, if not stronger, from the backhand. The modern forehand is one shot that has seen a number of changes compared to the classic version played during the earlier years.

Modern Forehand Technique: The Modern forehand today is based on a rotational element, rather than a traditional straight back linear forehand backswing of the past

The modern forehand is now the main point-ending shot for most players. This shot is a lot more powerful and has a lot more topspin than the classic forehand, which was usually flatter. Certainly, on fast surfaces, more relatively flat forehands used to be hit.

Today, a player like Rafael Nadal, who hits with the most amount of topspin on his forehand, has been able to win Wimbledon twice and make the final on three other occasions. On clay courts, there were already a lot of topspin forehands but they were a lot slower than they are today.

Bjorn Borg’s Evolution of the Modern Forehand

The technique of the modern forehand is thought to have started out with the great Swedish player Bjorn Borg. Although he still played with wooden rackets, he used a more western grip and put a lot of topspin on the ball. He met the ball with a slightly bent arm and a laid back wrist. He hit through the ball, producing power as well as topspin. And lastly, he had a longer follow-through that ended up with the racket head wrapping past the left shoulder.

Borg used natural gut strings as everyone else did during his time, but he strung his rackets with an unheard of tension of 80 lbs/in2. For him, this provided control even when he was swinging as hard as he could and generating very fast racket head speeds.

Today’s players use polyester strings which are stiffer, more durable and less elastic than natural gut. This probably simulates the playing characteristics of tightly strung natural gut, without being too easily broken. However, because the physical properties of polyester and natural gut are different, some players have discovered that stringing polyester at very low tensions (i.e. 25-35 lbs) can be equally beneficial for playing the modern game.

Implementing Different Styles of Backswings on the Modern Forehand

The truth is that whether you talk about the classic forehand or the modern forehand, each player has a different way of hitting the ball. Players who grew up on hard courts usually hit their forehands flatter than those who grew up training predominantly on clay. In the past, when grass was a more widespread surface, there was a bigger difference among the various ways that players hit their forehands. In general, what is usually designated as the classic forehand is the flat, eastern grip forehand.

Continental Forehand Grip: A classic forehand

The continental forehand is also considered classic. This stroking style makes use of the closed stance. The racket was taken straight back or only with a slight loop with body weight being loaded on the back foot.

The forward swing was fast and flat through the ball as the weight was transferred to the front foot which was used as a pivot for the stroke. At contact, the arm was either straight or only slightly bent at the elbow. The wrist was somewhat laid back. The follow through was straight forward in the direction of the ball and rarely finished over the opposite shoulder.

Tennis Stance: The modern tennis forehand is most often hit with either a open/semi-open or neutral stance. Today, the most commonly used stance is the: open stance, semi-open stance and neutral stance

The Classic Old School Forehand

Semi-western and western grip forehands existed in the classic era, but were rare. The mechanics were generally the same as the eastern forehand, except that after the backswing, the player dropped the racket head lower than the path of the incoming ball. At contact, the player brushed up the back of the ball and through it.

The follow through was forward in the direction of the ball but more steeply upward. As a precursor to the modern forehand, the racket head could also finish over the opposite shoulder. The main difference is that the shot produced, while having topspin, wasn’t a fast shot compared to the modern forehand.

While almost all classic forehands were hit with a closed stance, today’s forehand can be hit from any stance as long as there is proper balance and weight transfer. The grip can be eastern, semi-western or western but never continental, unless the player wants to slice. The continental grip is never used to hit flat shots anymore. Most of the time, the racket is held with a variation of the semi-western or western grip.

Modern Tennis Forehand Mechanics

The take back of the modern forehand is more looped or circular in order to generate greater racket head speed. The elbow is relaxed or bent and may remain so throughout the stroke, although some players straighten out their arm at contact. The wrist is laid back. The hips and shoulders turn completely and the weight is loaded on the back foot. The forward swing sees the hips and shoulders uncoil as the racket head drops down below the level of the ball. At contact, the torso usually faces the net.

Rafael Nadal’s Forehand: A world class forehand utilizing modern tennis forehand technique with a fluid backswing and an aggressive low to high swinging pattern

The racket hits the ball squarely behind while going through it and lifting it up for topspin. Advancements in racket and string technology allow the ball to linger on the string bed a fraction of a second longer than before, allowing more topspin to be created by the upward motion of the racket head.

Torso Rotation in the Modern Forehand

The torso continues to rotate as the weight is transferred from back foot to front foot, frequently setting the player airborne. The follow through is long and may finish in one of four ways:

• As a quick whip steeply upward ending over the shoulder of the hitting arm. This is called the reverse forehand and is used when on the run, to create angles or to catch up to the ball when the player is late on his or her stroke.
• As a variation of the first follow through but with the racket finishing over the head in a lassoing motion as typically used by Rafael Nadal.
• Over the opposite shoulder, as is usually recommended by coaches.
• Past the opposite shoulder to the side of the body – the so-called windshield wiper follow through, which Roger Federer uses.All in all, the modern forehand is the shot that wins the most points for most players. Aside from the recent dominance of players like Nadal and Federer, the new top player Novak Djokovic and the latest grand slam women’s champions Petra Kvitova and Li Na have been able to break through by improving their forehands. It is the shot that any competitive player must master in order to get to the top of the sport.

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If you want to jumpstart your forehand and play like the PROS, check out my 70+ page Tennis Ebook that will immediately show you how you can take your forehand to the next level.

The Modern Forehand Domination Ebook is guaranteed to improve your tennis technique, and increase power, topspin and accuracy of your tennis forehand!

Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook
Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

The post Learning The Modern Tennis Forehand – Technique and Tips for the Modern Forehand appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Modern tennis is the new evolution of tennis players. With each new generation of tennis champions, big changes in the tennis technique, footwork and fitness of players are now adapting to the new fast paced game of tennis. The game of tennis is constantly changing as in all other facets of life.

Modern Tennis is a High Speed Game

Today, in modern tennis we see players hitting the tennis ball harder than ever before with tons of topspin. At the pro levels, top pros like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hit their tennis forehands with extreme topspin, along with incredible speeds. They are able to produce wicked topspin angle passes. These shots in modern tennis were never seen before in the past.

Evolution of Modern Tennis

One of the reasons why modern tennis has evolved so rapidly is because of the equipment. Tennis strings and tennis rackets are now made of different material than they were in the past. These advances in the equipment allow players to increase the racket head speed to maximum levels and still keep the ball in play.

In addition, the players themselves have made rapid advancements to tennis technique. The pros are now swinging the racket faster than ever before, producing greater racket head speed. These crushing new speeds were previously unmatched by the tennis champions that preceded them. The tennis technique of the pros have also changed in modern tennis.

Changes in the tennis technique of the forehand, backhand and serve technique. Clearly, the pros today are hitting the ball differently than they were in the past. This is partially due to advancements in the equipment such as the tennis rackets, tennis strings and even the tennis balls.

Modern Tennis Footwork

Nearly every high level tennis player today also has fast and explosive tennis footwork. Modern tennis footwork is also a high paced movement. On TV, we see the pros cover the court with amazing agility and precision. Even balls landing in the opposite corner of the court are covered well, and players are rapidly able to turn defence into offence in a blink of an eye. The modern tennis footwork is now made up of quick sprints and high speed movement.

In the past, the tennis footwork was not of vital importance. The champions of the past rarely played at the baseline, and most rallys ended up at the net. The person who was able to dictate the point at the net usually finished the point. Everything was predominantly serve and volley.

Modern tennis footwork today includes side to side baseline movement. Players today in modern tennis must be able to quickly move laterally as well as side to side. Quick recognition of the incoming ball and anticipation is key.

In today’s game, the modern tennis is based around having a solid all court game. Players should be adept in all areas of the game. We see top pros in modern tennis have few weaknesses in their game, but one or two strong weapons. In order to suceed at the highest levels of the game, modern tennis includes having a weapon. A weapon is simply a tennis stroke that is dependable and powerful – a tennis stroke that can finish most points quickly and reliably. Having a strength in today’s modern game is an essential and mandatory element for success in today’s powerful modern tennis game.

Footwork has now become a staple of modern tennis.

Today, players are isolating tennis footwork movement patterns by training exclusively on their movement. Every top pro on tour recognizes the importance of performing tennis footwork drills regularly as part of their training regimen. They are also incorporating the fitness training element which allows them to have the powerful and explosive modern tennis footwork we see in tennis today.

Top pros on tour almost always have personal trainers. These trainers specifically design the player’s training schedule. It often includes specific tennis footwork drills, plyometrics and even a comprehensive weight training program.

The modern tennis forehand

The biggest change in modern tennis undoubtly is in the tennis forehand technique. Top pros on tour in modern tennis have learned to incorporate tennis technique that allows them to maximize the power, topspin and accuracy of their forehand without jeopardizing any control. The pros today are not only hitting the ball harder, but they are even more accurate and penetrating then in the past.

Rotational Element

The pros on tour are combining the tennis forehand stroke with rotational element. In the past, players had very little upper body rotation and hence had much less topspin on their shots. In today’s modern tennis, players are rotating through their shots, and this rotation permits them to accentuate the racket head speed. The modern forehand is now a rotational “twist” movement with the upper body.

Increase Levers of the Stroke

Today’s tennis forehand technique is very explosive. Players are now increasing their racket head speed so much and introducing the maximum amount of levers in the stroke.

The kinetic chain of the forehand stroke involves utilizing the entire body to hit the stroke, and each “link” seamlessly flows into the next until the final course where the energy is transferred into the shot.

Watch Roger Federer’s Forehand in Slow Motion and Bjorn Borg. Although Bjorn Borg was a classical player, even he utilized modern tennis mechanics on rare occasion. However, the wooden rackets were stiff and modern tennis mechanics of hitting topspin were limited by the constraints of the grass courts along with the rackets themselves.

Notice how remarkably similar the tennis forehand technique is between Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg. In the old days, this was the exception and not the norm. Most of the old school players relied mostly on more traditional closed stance hitting.

Modern tennis technique could not be combined with wooden rackets.

During that era, if you were to hit the forehand with the same technique as many of the players today, it woud likely be impossible to make clean contact on every shot. I’d venture to say even the sweet spot of the rackets back then were smaller, hence you had to be more stable and precise with your racket. Therefore, a slower moving racket would be more stable and easier to manage, rather than the fast high paced racket speed of today’s modern tennis.

Modern Tennis Lessons

Many of the same old school traditional tennis lessons and technique are still being taught to tennis players today at the recreational and club levels. A tennis beginner should certainly learn the most basic elements of the forehand first, which may include learning the traditional “classical” methods first before they begin to experiment with the advanced tennis elements to which the pros today are using in modern tennis.

Modern tennis lessons should only be taught to a player once they have grasped the basic fundamentals of tennis technique on the strokes. Once they have mastered the basic principles of the technique, they may benefit from experimenting with some of modern tennis mechanics that top pros on tour are using.

By developing a solid foundation with good tennis technique before trying to learn modern tennis principles, allow a player to develop in the most suitable and ideal way before adding additional building blocks to their tennis game.

Modern Tennis: Coachable?

One of the biggest arguments in the tennis circle is whether modern tennis technique and the mechanics associated with the top pros and whether they are suitable for amateur and club tennis players.

The answer depends upon the individual player’s need. For a tennis beginner, the answer is a clear no. For a tennis player that has been playing for years, stuck at the same level with a strong desire to improve – the answer is maybe. Dependent upon the tennis player’s willingness to make changes to his or her game. In order to improve tennis technique, and modify the technique it will take many hours of practice.

Learn to Hit a Forehand Like Roger Federer

If you want to jumpstart your forehand and play like the PROS, check out my 70+ page Tennis Ebook that will immediately show you how you can take your forehand to the next level.

The Modern Forehand Domination Ebook is guaranteed to improve your tennis technique, and increase power, topspin and accuracy of your tennis forehand!

Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook
Learn How to Hit a Forehand Like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

The post Modern Tennis – The Evolution of Modern Tennis Technique and Footwork appeared first on Tennis Instruction.