ATP Forehand – Efficiency is Key 

By now, you should probably know that all top pro forehands on tour – share 3 key components in common (efficiency, adaptability and explosiveness) in order to generate high level results. However, in the ATP forehand players have learned to hit their forehands with explosive power but using the optimal amount of energy.

Technical Commonalities in the ATP Forehand

The reality is that all top pros on tour share unique commonalities in their technique that allows them to achieve more power, topspin & accuracy. Club and recreational players often lack these key technical commonalities in their technique which causes them to hit shots with lower power, topspin and accuracy than that of the pros. Poor stroke production leads to greater unforced errors and thus more lost matches. After studying the top pros in slow motion, I’ve been able to discover and break down these techniques so that players at all other levels of the game can learn the proper tennis techniques.

Key ATP Forehand Position – Racket Tip Pointed Towards Net

A key racket position notable in the ATP forehand is the racket position at the takeback of the forehand. Here, we can see how Federer points the tip of the racket slightly forwards towards the net – indicating he is leading the shot with the elbow.

Pete Sampras’s and Ivan Lendl’s forehand was notable in that these players led with the shoulder rather than the elbow.

Laid-Back Wrist Position – WTA Forehand

The ATP tennis forehand is differentiated from the WTA forehand in that women in the WTA tour use a “laid-back” wrist position at contact. This position involves supination of the wrist (often that starts after the unit turn) which puts the wrist past neutral and allows players to get into the critical “slot” during the forward swing into contact. No additional wrist movement is necessary here. The WTA tennis forehand is known for it’s elongated often exaggerated circular “C” shaped backswing where the hitting arm often goes behind the plane of the body.

Maria Sharapova’s forehand is one such example. Sharapova’s forehand is characterized by a “laid-wrist” wrist. Notice how her wrist is laid-back from the takeback. The position allows her to drive through the ball extensively, providing her with a flat ball, with much less topspin (RPM) than her male counterparts.

ATP Tennis Forehand – Pronated Wrist & Forearm

Another notable tennis technique of the ATP forehand is the unique “pronated forehand” most evident between the takeback and the set position. Notice how players like Federer, Nadal & Djokovic invert the racket so that the strings face the back fence at the height of the takeback. This move is perhaps the greatest contributor to the “rubber band” effect (biomechanically known as the stretch shortening cycle or “SSC”) where the racket then becomes like the crack of a whip allowing these players to generate the heavy ball  with ample power and topspin combined.

Done in this manner, this lethal combination makes it very difficult for their opponents to handle and is responsible for how these players can generate massive racket head speed and still maintain a good margin of safety over the net. This is how Federer produces seemingly effortless passing shots while on the dead run.

More Rotational, Less Linear

If we look at Maria Sharapova’s forehand, we can easily see how her forehand is characterized by a more classical “low to high” linear forehand with less rotational forces than her male ATP forehand counterparts on tour. Note, how Maria Sharapova really drives through the ball, which allows her to achieve high pace but a relatively flat ball with much less RPM and heavy topspin than what is known for players in the male ATP forehand style. This is mainly in part due to her greater use of linear momentum as opposed to the rotational momentum of today’s modern ATP forehand.

On the contrary, top ATP forehand players like Federer and Nadal use what is known as rotational momentum, aka the twisting and turning of the torso, trunk and hips (coil/uncoil) effect to produce more rotational energy associated with heavy topspin and power and agility. This is partially enabled by the greater use of open stances in the modern forehand which allows players to rotate more from right to left (or left to right for a lefty) as opposed to the more linear closed or neutral stance (back to front) momentum of weight transfer.

By utilizing rotational momentum, the kinetic chain energy is maximized and greater rotational forces will cause the ball to be imparted with more power and topspin in the ATP forehand.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Follow through

The ATP tennis forehand of the top pros is characterized by a follow through motion characterized by an arc-like rainbow motion where the arm motion resembles that of a windshield wiper. This motion essentially is the last key component of the ATP forehand which allows players to achieve the “heavy ball.”

Think of the windshield wiper blades in your car – and how on a rainy day the blades wipe off the rain from your windshield from low to high in a well defined arcing manner. This is the same motion required in the follow through to allow pro players to hit remarkable tennis forehands.

Contrary to tennis forehand of the past, these players do not finish “high” or above the shoulder. In some cases, in classical tennis – coaches have instructed students to “catch” the racket with the opposite hand in the follow through (this will only lead to a rapid deacceleration of the wrist & racket and a weaker and flatter shot with much less topspin).

Today’s modern tennis forehand is characterized by where players finish with their racket underneath the armpit level after the windshield wiper forehand – allowing for a full arcing motion and a rapid brushing of the ball from low to high in an intense manner.

Clearly, today’s forehand is far different than that of the tennis forehands of the past. In particular, the ATP forehand is notable for it’s emphasis on heavy topspin and lethal combination of power despite a minimal amount of unforced errors. Club players can learn these fundamentals of key pro tennis technique if they wish to learn the ATP forehand too.

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 Keys of the ATP Tennis Forehand Technique – Differentiating World Class Forehand Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Unit Turn Tennis Forehand Technique – Preparation

The unit turn gets it’s name from the way your body and racket turns as “one unit” during the preparation of the tennis forehand swing. Quite often, recreational players make the mistake of turning their shoulders, arm and racket back independent of each other causing a fundamental breakdown in the all too important kinetic chain.

The top pros like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and virtually every player on the top 100 ATP tour use a “unit” turn on their forehand takeback, which makes the unit turn a super key element of sound tennis forehand technique.

The reason for this, is because you want to incorporate your larger body parts (not just your racket, wrist or forearm) to contribute to overall power and racket head speed both in producing adequate power and topspin on your forehand. Larger muscle groups carry more mass and therefore allow you to incorporate more torque and power in your forehand.

Players that only use their racket, wrist or forearm tend to get injured often (via injuries like tennis elbow) and end up producing weak, poor forehand shots with very little to no topspin on their forehands. So, it’s important to incorporate rotational momentum and torque (via torso and upper body rotation in the forehand) and not just your wrist and racket in the shot.

It’s easy to see how top players like Federer, incorporates his entire body into the forehand shot. His tennis forehand technique is comprised with help from his entire body (ala the kinetic chain) and not just the arm (like most recreational players) and just like the spark that sets off the fireworks – a good unit turn on the tennis forehand is key to sound technique.

Tennis Forehand Technique – Backswing Style 

While looking at various forehand tennis techniques, particularly those on tour – it may seem like there are countless idiosyncrasies in their forehands and that it is impossible or even futile for players at all other levels to replicate or even learn the key elements behind these player’s forehands. But the reality is that this notion couldn’t be father from the truth.

All top pro players share unique commonalities in their forehands that separates them from all other players at lower levels of the game. These commonalities are rarely – if ever taught to club players – the reason being is that most club coaches find teaching high level technique too overwhelming or even fruitless to club players – or worse they are not aware of these techniques themselves (as you would have to slow down the stroke in 60 fps or more in slow motion to truly understand what these tennis forehand techniques are)

Luckily for you, I can say for a fact that all top pro forehand on tour share unique commonalities in their backswing style.

Same Side Backswing (ATP Tour)

There is a distinction between the ATP Tour forehand and what is commonly known as the “WTA” forehand in tennis – mostly attributed to the difference in backswing styles amongst these top players.

The biggest key position to know at the height of the takeback is the same side backswing tennis forehand technique. Here the racket doesn’t go behind the plane of the body, allowing a player to drop right into the slot and allows for the cleanest and most efficient backswing style in the modern forehand.

I discuss the same side backswing in greater detail in my Modern Tennis Forehand Ebook course, which is a 70+ comprehensive guide on the pro forehand.

Now in contrast, watch Naomi Osaka’s forehand, and clearly her “laid-back” wrist is demonstrated here where her racket goes far beyond the plane of her body

Gravity Drop

One key component of the modern tennis forehand technique of the pros is that they all have an aggressive low to high swing path, which starts by players dropping their rackets below the level of the incoming ball in order to rapidly accelerate both forwards and in an upwards tranjectory for maximum power and topspin

Pro Forehand Tennis Technique and the Role of Rotational Momentum

In players of the past, linear momentum was used to control the ball as wooden rackets with tiny frames and slick grass courts made control and finesse an upmost priority. Think about players like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl et. al (in my opinion one of tennis’s last great players of the old classical modern era of tennis)

Today’s modern game however, involves players using rotational forces especially through the use of a kinetic chain in tennis to generate maximum racket head speed. Looking at the aggressive tennis footwork and side to side movement of Rafael Nadal and his use of superior fitness to outlast his opponents, or Roger Federer’s keen ability to hit wicked passing shots out of what seems like the edge of the court by the stands are some hallmarks of the modern game of tennis and only made possible by utilizing modern forehand tennis techniques and the concept of rotational momentum

Here, players are using torque and their upper body to acelerate the racket like the tail-end of a whip to generate the heavy ball, and achieving speeds that were previously unimaginable just a few years ago.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Technique

Lastly, when looking at tennis forehand technique – one crucial element is the windshield wiper forehand. The windshield wiper forehand is the last piece of the puzzle in pro tennis technique and one that should not be forgotten. Here, the finish of the racket resembles that of the windshield wiper of your car where the strings of the racket point towards the net through the entire followthrough and finish of the forehand. Hence the name, “windshield wiper” because when done correctly, this tennis forehand technique allows players to generate the heavy ball with both power and topspin for a lethal killer forehand.

In the classic tennis forehand, players would finish in a more linear manner, often times with the opposite hand catching the racket and the racket extending towards the path of the incoming ball.

As mentioned, the modern tennis forehand combines both power and topspin in a way that allows players to hit the forehand with more power than ever before, while maintaining a safe margin of error through heavy use of topspin on their forehands.

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 Pro Tennis Forehand Technique – Learn the World Class Forehand appeared first on Tennis Instruction.