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.

Many professional players are already using this tennis forehand stroke. As a result many amateur and tennis beginners want to learn it as well. This forehand stroke is popular because of the heavy topspin it creates in addition to power. The heavy topspin (which is normally absent with the classic forehand) produces a deeper shot and higher ball bounce. As a result, this shot is hard to return.

In fact, many professional players use the windshield wiper forehand stroke if they want to hit a winner. In addition, it also gives the ball a high net clearance, decreasing your margin of error. Lastly, this tennis forehand shot also allows you to hit tighter angled shots.

Some professional tennis players are well known for their Windshield Wiper forehand shot. These players include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick. This article discusses the step by step guide on how to hit this tennis forehand stroke. It also includes some tips for beginners on how to check if their technique is right.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Grip

Since a Windshield forehand shot and a classic forehand shot do not differ in terms of their general mechanics (except for the swing and follow-through), the forehand grip employed for the classic forehand stroke can be used in a Windshield wiper forehand shot as well. The Eastern forehand grip is the easiest to use for the forehand shot and is ideal by beginners. However, this tennis grip has been replaced by the Semi-Western grip that most professional players in modern tennis are using.

For beginners, they can start to learn to hit a Windshield Wiper forehand shot by holding the racket at the topmost part of the handle. Others call this as ‘choking up’ way of holding the racket. This grip can be very useful for beginners attempting to master the windshield wiper forehand stroke.

Ready Position

Same as the classic forehand, the ready position for the Windshield Wiper forehand shot always starts with your body and feet facing the net. Your right hand (if you are a right handed player but left hand if you are a left-handed player) is holding the racket handle with the grip mentioned above. You non-racket hand or your left hand must be supporting the racket at its throat.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Preparation

The Windshield Wiper forehand shot preparation does not vary from that of a classic forehand shot preparation. Your preparation starts with a timely split step. A timely split step means that you have to execute the step as your opponent is about to start his or her forward swing. To do this step allows you to move quickly and easily wherever your opponent hits his or her shot.

Then the second step starts by pivoting your outside foot (right foot if you are a right-handed player), at the same time transferring you weight to that foot (your weight at ready position was distributed between your two feet). When you pivot your right foot, the heel of your inside foot or left foot should be lifted from the ground.

This motion allows you to open your hips and make the process of turning your shoulder sideways and bring your racket back easy. You have to remember that you should not bring your racket back with the use of your arms.

Completion of Preparation Phase

After the shoulder turn, the next step is to complete the body turn. You body turn is facilitated by stepping your left foot forward. As result, you should be facing sideways with your racket pointing towards the back fence but the focus stays with the ball.

This position (racket pointing towards the back fence) is essential for the proper execution of this forehand shot. It’s because when your swing your racket, your body also rotate at the same time. Thus you need to move your body and your racket simultaneously. If you remain facing the net, you won’t be able to execute the Windshield Wiper forehand shot correctly.

Timing the Windshield Wiper Forehand Stroke

Remember to extend your non-racket arm or left arm (for right handed players) at shoulder level and it must be parallel with the baseline or the net. This will help to keep your balance for you to judge correctly the right position of your opponent’s oncoming ball.

For a timely preparation, the above should be done before your opponent’s ball bounces on your court. And if the ball is a bit far from your reach, do series of small steps towards the ball but maintain your sideways position.

The Windshield Wiper Forehand Swing

The racket swing can be considered as the first step in the Windshield Wiper forehand stroke. It is very important to execute the right Windshield Wiper forehand swing to execute the shot correctly.

The swing path of a Windshield Wiper forehand differs from the classic forehand in such a way that the swing path of the Windshield Wiper shot towards the tennis ball is more vertical compared to the forehand classic swing path.

With the Windshield Wiper forehand shot, you execute your swing in a swinging “up” manner while in the classic forehand you do it in a swinging “through” manner. The swinging “up” motion creates more topspin than the swinging “through” path. Thus, more topspin is created with the Windshield Wiper forehand shot than the classic forehand shot

The Windshield Wiper forehand swing can be difficult to perfect especially for beginners. There are several ways to practice this forehand shot swing. One way is to do it in front of a wall. Position yourself from the wall at a distance where you hit the wall with your racket if you swing your racket using the classic forehand swing.

Then use the Windshield Wiper racket swing (as described above) and if you don’t hit the fence with your racket during your follow-through, it means your technique is right. If you use the classic forehand swing, you will hit the fence but not with the windshield wiper forehand swing.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Follow through

The windshield wiper forehand follow through is just an after effect of your swing before and during contact. The reason for a Windshield Wiper like follow through is due of the manner you swing up your racket to hit the ball. Thus the follow-through starts with your racket moving in an upward direction (the upward motion is much more than in classic forehand follow-though). In addition, your racket face or stringbed faces towards the net all throughout your follow-through because you did not expend too much force on your forward swing.

As a result, you will able to see through if you look through the stringbed when you stop in the middle of your follow-through or when the racket face is in front of your face. The end of follow-through is when your racket turns over the other side and ends down low (below you waist level).

Correcting your Windshield Wiper Forehand Stroke

For players initially learning the windshield wiper forehand, there are ways to check if your technique is correct. One way is to check that the end point of your racket handle releases into the side of you forearm. The handle should not hit your forearm in your follow-through. Another way to check is if you are able to form a box like shape between your arm and you body at the point when you bring your racket to the other side or when you are about to finish you follow through.

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 Windshield Wiper Forehand – The Modern Tennis Forehand Shot appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

One example of this professional player is Roger Federer. Federer’s remarkable topspin forehand gave him his first ever French open title (among the rest of his titles) as he won his matches point by point with his dominating topspin forehand. In combination with his forehand approach shot, he earned many of his professional titles. Other professional players who are also using the topspin forehand as their main “go to” shot are Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal. These players have also won several titles in their professional tennis career.

With a conscious developmental process, you can make the tennis topspin forehand as your dominant and powerful shot in defeating your opponents. Below is a step by step analysis on how to execute this tennis stoke in terms of its footwork, grip, stance, backswing, forward swing, contact and follow-through.

Topspin Forehand Footwork

Just like all the other tennis ground strokes, the tennis topspin forehand footwork starts with your feet facing the net. After the initial split step, they should be straightly aligned and spread from each other at your comfort. Other players spread their two feet at a wider distance than some other players. This will depend on how comfortable you are.

While you are holding your racket, keep moving and don’t let your heels touch the ground. You can practice good footwork by bouncing on your toes to keep them active and ready for movement once you return the ball.

An important point to note is always keep your eyes on the ball during and after the split step. Seconds before your opponent makes contact with the ball, increase the height of your split step and try to synchronize your split step motion with the incoming ball.

As your opponent hits the ball to your forehand side, your right foot (right handed players) should be very quick to initiate the shoulder turn. If your right foot is quick enough, you will be on time to hit the ball. In case the ball is too wide to your forehand side, then you have to be ready to run for the ball using the drop step or gravity step.

Here are some tips for you to use the correct footwork in executing the tennis topspin forehand and to recover yourself after the contact.

1) When you are going to hit a ball that is placed widely, the best footwork to use is a drop step or gravity step with the right foot.

2) When you are recovering after you return the ball, the crossover step is the best to use. This will allow you to observe the next move of your opponent since you are facing towards him or her.

3) When you hit the ball in the sidelines, use the full shuffle step to recover to the center baseline.

4) If you are forced to hit a ball in the far double’s corner and return a forehand cross-court ball, use cross steps or carioca steps then the last two steps can be shuffle steps as you arrive to the recovery spot (which will vary depending on your shot selection.) To be in the middle between the sideline and the center line is enough.

5) In the same situation but instead of a cross-court, you hit the ball down the line, the recovery steps you have to do is the same (cross steps or carioca steps) but you need to use additional shuffle steps to recover to the proper position to cover your opponents next shot as a result of your down the line shot selection.

Forehand Grip

While there are acceptable variations to hit the forehand, the Semi-Western forehand grip is the best tennis grip that enables players to produce a topspin forehand. The amount of topspin with this grip is greater than other more conservative tennis grips like the eastern forehand grip. This is because in the semi-western tennis grip, the ball is ideally hit at shoulder level. Therefore more brushing effect is made since the racket is dropped at first before the contact between the ball and the racket face.

Then as the player swings in upward motion, the racket will go from a low position and hit up to the ball at shoulder level. This will mean that the ball is hit from further beneath the ball, creating more topspin. This shows that the grip itself won’t really affect the amount of topspin created but the point of contact. The higher the point of contact the more topspin is produced.

This forehand grip is used in many professional players such as Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, and Venus Williams. This versatile tennis grip is ideal if you choose to drive a flatter ball and at the same time want to be able to produce topspin.

Forehand Preparation

When you are in the ready position (you are waiting for the ball and ready to hit it) you should have your racket always ready by supporting your racket with your left hand (right handed player) by resting your left hand on the throat of the racket (part of the racket between the main handle and the base of the racket head).

Once your opponent makes contact with the ball (ball touches the racket face,) immediately bring your racket to your side and at the same time coil the upper part of your body. Remember that at this stage both hands are holding the racket. This position should be maintained until you turn your body sideways. This position will allow you to have a good rotation of your upper body hence providing your stroke power even if you are only executing a short backswing. In this case, you also have a very good control of you racket.

If you are right handed player, It can be helpful to visualize that your elbow is pointing to your back (back fence) and your racket is angled at 45 degrees with the sky with your racket face facing the ground. At the same time your weight should be concentrated on your right foot.

Swing and contact

In a tennis topspin forehand, you do not need to take a large backswing but rather you can execute a compact backswing. One such variation allows you to form a C-loop in the air as you do the backswing. After forming a C-loop, you then drop the racket in such a manner that the racket is positioned under the ball.

At this stage, your hips and your body is already uncoiling as you start swinging your racket. To maintain your balance, move your left arm across your body. The weight of your body then is transferred to you left foot. Keep your eyes locked to the ball.

Contact between the racket face and the ball normally happens in the front side of your body and at shoulder height. This is the ideal situation or the ideal point of contact when you are using a semi-western tennis grip. The point of contact may vary depending what grip you are using. The point of contact can be at waistline level with an eastern tennis grip as well

To create the topspin forehand, the head of the racket should be positioned first under the ball before the contact. Positioning the racket head under the ball creates the brushing effect between the ball and the racket face hence producing the powerful topspin tennis forehand.

Follow-through and recovery

The Tennis topspin forehand should finish with your elbow in front. The elbow should be pointing towards the ball you just hit. The racket should be on your left shoulder if you were successful in producing enough topspin in you forehand. The follow through can be in your left elbow or it can be in your left hip.

Immediately after the follow through, you have to be ready for the next ball by doing a split step. This will give your body the proper balance. If possible, move back quickly to the center baseline.

When to use the tennis topspin forehand?

In modern tennis, the tennis topspin forehand is normally executed during a baseline rally and approach shots. You can also apply this technique in passing shots. For most professional players, the topspin forehand is their main shot of choice in today’s high paced game. A topspin forehand is the best of both worlds, because a player can hit the tennis ball with extreme power and topspin while still being able to keep the ball in play.

A simple law of physics applies to the topspin forehand. The greater the amount of rotation applied to the tennis ball, the more the ball will be spinning in a forward direction. Hence, the vortex and forces of the rotation pulling against the air combined with gravity will increase the chances of the ball dropping sooner. This translates to a higher margin of error, as the ball will drop quicker and then bounce higher and away from the opponent.

That being said, it’s an obvious choice why the tennis topspin forehand is the shot of choice of top professional players on tour. Give this shot a try in your own tennis game, and you might realize that your forehand will be less likely to break down under pressure of a tennis match.

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 Tennis Topspin Forehand – Keys of the Topspin Forehand in Tennis appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Professional players and champions of the past utilized the tennis forehand wrist position in a static manner, with the wrist hardly moving throughout the forehand swing. In today’s modern tennis forehand that has changed. Pro players today use the tennis forehand wrist position to accentuate the movement of a “whip.” This type of swing is utilized by modern tennis players such as Federer, Nadal, Justine Henin and the majority of the top pro tennis players in the game today.

Back in the day of wooden rackets when grass courts ruled and most professional players used eastern forehand grips or even continental grips, it was unheard of to be taught that you should “use” your wrist during the forehand swing, with good reason. It was strenuous on the wrist to try to whip a 14 ounce wooden stick.

Role of the Wrist in the Forehand: In the Past

The way to hit a proper forehand back then was to take the racket back with a relaxed but relatively straight arm and only a slightly laid back wrist. As the ball approached, the player swung at it maintaining this position of the arm and wrist but firming up the grip at impact and hitting through the ball.

The follow through was straight forward in the direction of the ball then wrapping slightly around the front past midpoint but not totally all the way over the shoulder or torso. It seemed that in order to hit a proper tennis forehand, the wrist had to be firm and stable.

Role of the Wrist in the Forehand: In the Modern Tennis Forehand

Fast forward to the late 70’s and early 80’s when wood started giving way to graphite and the majority of courts started changing from slick grass to higher bouncing asphalt and slow clay, players began adapting by moving to stronger eastern and semi-western grips.

Bjorn Borg, who would win five consecutive Wimbledon titles, revolutionized tennis by using a western grip to produce heavy but still fast topspin forehand drives. But he was considered a genius and a natural so his style wasn’t widely accepted as something that could be taught to the new generation of players.

Even so, as graphite rackets became more mainstream, players started to adapt strokes that were loopier and featured more of a whipping action. Because the rackets had become bigger and lighter with stabilizing and vibration-reducing technologies, hitting heavier topspin became possible without greatly compromising ball speed.

Using the Tennis Forehand Wrist Position as a Lever to the Stroke

It was during this period when players were first taught to develop a swing that incorporates the tennis forehand wrist position to create a “whipping” heavy topspin effect. Players were still able to position themselves take the ball early and step into the shot. It was preferred that they use a semi-western grip and prepare with a looped backswing and a laid back wrist.

Indeed, when their shots were analyzed through slow motion video, it would seem that the wrist was indeed straightening out at contact and rolling over the ball for topspin or whipping through it for power. The tennis forehand was now a shot dictated by snappy wrist action.

The Effect of the New Strings on the Modern Forehand

Then, in the late 90’s, a young and charming Brazilian player named Gustavo Kuerten shocked the world by coming out of nowhere and winning the French Open. He was using a new kind of string made of polyester, instead of the traditional natural gut. Natural gut provided power, control and feel but it broke easily as players started to swing harder and harder.

Polyester strings were more durable and it allowed Kuerten to stroke the ball with as much racket head speed as he could possibly generate. This resulted in unprecedented spin and pace. The balls that were coming off his racket were fast and heavy like never before. His swing style on the forehand featured a western grip and a follow through that ended by wrapping way past his left side so that his right shoulder was pointing toward the net with the racket head behind him.

Windshield Wiper Forehand Follow through & The Tennis Forehand Wrist Position

Other players started using polyester strings and hit with this style. The windshield-wiper follow through was now a common thing and this particular tennis forehand appeared as if it required a perfectly-timed wrist snap at contact.

Additionally, players could now also commonly afford to hit off the back foot or from wide open stances when rushed and still create shots that were heavy and penetrating. They did this by whipping the racket steeply upward and way over the head using a very fast action of the shoulder, arm and wrist. Once again, it looked as if there was a precisely timed snap of the wrist for this kind of tennis forehand.

Evolution of the Modern Tennis Forehand & The Wrist Position

Coaches felt that these new forehand stroking styles were just a continuation of the evolution of the stroke from the 80’s. A lot of junior players were taught to snap the wrist through the ball at contact because that was the way to produce maximum racket head speed. These players nonetheless evidently thrived with this instruction. Ultra-heavy topspin drivers like Rafael Nadal as well as flatter power hitters like Novak Djokovic took the tennis world by storm.

In truth, there had been numerous video analyses done during this period of the “new” modern tennis forehand. These studies utilized even more precise slow motion captures and biomechanical correlations. It was being revealed that the wrist wasn’t at all moving at contact.

Instead, the wrist stayed in the exact same laid back position at impact and beyond. As the ball left the racket, only then did the wrist start straightening out and the forearm start pronating. The modern forehand was now proven to be almost like the classic forehand. The role of the wrist was non-existent at impact.

The Impact of the Forehand Wrist Position in Tennis

How could that be? Players were taught to use the windshield wiper forehand with the wrist brushing the ball at contact and they were getting results. Balls hit off these forehands were faster and more heavily spun than ever before. The coaches’ instructions had to be correct. But why were the videos showing otherwise?

Tennis had become such a fast sport that the human eye, and indeed the brain, couldn’t keep up. The racket head moved so quickly to hit the ball which was then launched too rapidly for the eye to see and the mind to feel and know exactly what was going on. Anyone who has ever hit a tennis ball using modern equipment and techniques will tell you that it feels like the wrist is snapping through the ball or rolling over it at contact.

This is because the milliseconds when the ball contacts and launches off the string bed and the milliseconds when the wrist does finally does start straightening out are seen and felt like it is all happening at the same instant. These things are happening too fast for the eye and the mind to process accurately.

Tennis Forehand Wrist: Feeling Vs. Actuality

Therefore, in a way, the coaches are correct to teach such a technique. If it sounds right and feels right and produces the right result, why say that it is wrong just because something that would otherwise never be seen is really happening?

Another essential thing to consider is that the motion of the wrist and forearm after impact is actually part of the follow through. A student is never taught to stop his racket at impact because the ball has already left and any extra motion of his racket is useless, even though in purely physical terms there is truth to this statement.

Forehand Wrist Position Leading Up to the Follow Through

On the other hand, from a biomechanical standpoint, the follow through is just as important a part of the entire swing all the other parts. In order to build up maximum racket head speed at contact, it has to be moving continuously even after contact

It is part of the momentum of the swing that takes the racket to the completion of the follow through. It is in this sense that brushing the tennis ball from low to high via the windshield wiper forehand and pronating the forearm became an integral part of the tennis forehand. But as proven by video analysis, this is not part of the hit or contact and it is not strictly the reason why so much spin and ball speed can be produced by the pros.

Rather, it is primarily an essential aspect of the follow through. In the end, the role of the wrist on the tennis forehand was there all the while, but for a long time, it was just attributed to the wrong part of the swing!

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 The Tennis Forehand And The Role Of The Wrist appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

A professional tennis forehand swing is never rigid or tense. Rather, a proper tennis forehand swing is always where the racket is swung naturally with a loose and relaxed arm. The technicalities behind a proper tennis forehand swing are those that allow the arm and body to swing freely with optimal usage of the kinetic chain during the stroke.

The Professional Tennis Forehand Swing

The top tennis pros all have outstanding strokes. Their best shots can be described as simply perfect in all aspects. These are strokes that they can hit with great power and control in any situation, no matter how much pressure they are under. Their weakest shots, meanwhile, aren’t really weak in the sense that they can’t produce power. Rather, these strokes are the ones that, when the pressure is on and they are feeling less than completely secure, tend to break down more easily than their other shots.

Tennis Forehand Swing: An Explosive Shot

For many pros, the forehand is the most explosive shot. At the same time, it is also the shot that can let a lot of players down when the pressure is great or when they are simply not playing well. A lot of pros live and die by their forehands. For these players, tiny little flaws in their tennis forehand swing path become magnified and result in errant or weak shots. These imperfections may occur at any point in the swing, from the take back to the hit and to the follow through.

No two players are exactly the same and even if they were taught by the same coach, there are differences in their stroke production. The serve is usually the shot with the most idiosyncrasies. But there are also differences in other shots from player to player like the tennis forehand swing. In order to appreciate and analyse the flaws that even some pros develop in their forehands, it would be great to review the technique of pros who count their forehands as their weapons, in particular, the great Roger Federer.

Roger Federer’s Tennis Forehand Swing

Federer’s forehand is hit with a grip that is between eastern and semi-western, though it is a little closer to eastern. Because he is long-limbed, flexible and explosive, he can use this grip to produce a very heavily spun shot or a relatively flatter and faster ball. He has all the options. He also doesn’t grip the racket too tightly, so he can easily shift to a more continental grip at the last moment and junk up the rally by hitting a short slice or drop shot.

Federer holds the racket in his forehand grip with his right hand while the left hand is holding on to the throat of the racket. Once he sees that the ball is coming over to this wing, he immediately turns his shoulders and takes the racket back. His legs are bent and spaced comfortably, usually in a semi-open stance, but he can also hit with all the other stances.

Common Problems Encountered in the Tennis Forehand Swing

The take back is not too high or low. The racket head is about level with his head and his left hand remains at the throat, ensuring full shoulder turn. The wrist is already cocked at this point resulting in a smooth, circular and very consistent take back.

Inconsistencies in the backswing can lead to erratic stroke production. There are players who tend to take a bigger backswing when under pressure, unconsciously thinking that this is the way for them to produce the extra power they need to hit an outright winner. Examples of pros that have this tendency are Fernando Gonzalez and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Unsurprisingly, these two have had very erratic results in their careers.

Tennis Forehand Swing: The Forward Swing

The next part of the tennis forehand swing is the forward swing before the hit. In Federer’s case, this is the time when the ball is fast approaching and he has calculated and adjusted his position correctly already. His racket begins to drop below the level of the ball with the elbow still bent and the forearm pronated.

At this point, he is building up racket head speed which will be unleashed at contact. It is also at this point when Roger’s eyes lock completely on to the ball – and his head freezes until well after contact. There are still no hitches in the swing.

Tennis Forehand Swing: Swing Pattern

Other players will exaggerate the low-to-high trace of their tennis forehand swings because they want to play safe during those important points. These result in shots that, while having a considerable margin for error, frequently land short and do not penetrate and are therefore easy to attack or put away. Rafael Nadal used to be, and is still sometimes guilty of this, as is current top ranked woman Caroline Wozniacki.

When the ball is already in striking range, Federer proceeds to hit it a good and comfortable distance in front of his body. His arm extends out and his wrist keeps the racket face laid back as it slams through the ball at maximum speed.

Right after the hit, the arm continues on extending way out in front as the wrist whips and the forearm pronates. The racket head then comes back over to the left side of his body in a windshield wiper type of finish. He has stayed low and balanced. He has also not looked up too soon to see where his shot is going. These are parts of the swing that also can go wrong for other players.

Tennis Forehand Swing: Common Technique Issues on the Follow Through

Lesser players will change the way they follow through on an important point, thinking that this is the way for them to more accurately place the ball. They’ll decelerate the racket head and find instead that their shots fly way out of bounds.

Daniela Hantuchova is an example of a player with this tendency. Others may maintain the racket head speed but shorten the follow through resulting in a shot that will land meekly halfway up the net. Andy Murray and Dinara Safina have been seen doing this in all their desultory grand slam finals appearances. They did not extend first before wrapping up the swing, especially when they were feeling as tight as they were in those finals.

Tennis Forehand Swing: The Head and Eyes Steady on Impact

Staying low and keeping the head motionless are also very important in producing a consistent tennis forehand swing path. Venus Williams owns one of the strongest forehands ever seen on the women’s tour. But she has a tendency to look up or stand up too soon when she isn’t playing well. This explains a lot of the matches wherein she seems to just spray the ball everywhere.

Novak Djokovic’s Forehand Swing

The correct tennis forehand swing path is smooth and continuous, from the backswing to the hit to the follow through as is the case with Federer. Ideally, there should be no hitches or jerky motions at any point in the swing path. Smoothening out the swing path is one of the keys to the recent run of unparalleled success for new world number one Novak Djokovic. In the past, his forehand swing was frequently described as “complicated.”

It seemed to be made up of a lot of little motions that, by themselves, weren’t really wrong or anything but when taken along with every other part of his swing, resulted in a stroke arc that looked a little disjointed. Today, he has smoothened out the entire swing and it is now as reliable as his deadly double handed backhand. The first glimpse of this technical improvement came in the semi-finals of the 2010 US Open. Down match point twice to no less than Federer himself, Djokovic hit two outrageous forehand winners to recover and win.

Improving the Tennis Forehand Swing

Juan Martin Del Potro is another player who improved parts of his forehand to achieve grand slam success. Before he won the 2009 US Open, his forehand was already a devastatingly powerful shot. But he had a strange-looking way of flicking the racket head on the take back.

This resulted in inconsistent timing which, as expected, led to errors. When he eliminated this and smoothened out his take back, every part of his tennis forehand swing path became perfect now. To date, he remains the only player who has beaten both Roger Federer and Nadal on the way to winning a grand slam title.

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The post Developing a Professional Tennis Forehand Swing With Proper Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

And, though it might not be as engaging to watch as, for instance, a single-handed backhand, it’s definitely effective. It’s the favorite and most powerful stroke for many of the biggest hitters in tennis — and, a great way to compensate for a weak backhand.

Forehand Grips

There are four main grips for executing the tennis forehand: the Western, the semi-Western, the Eastern, and the Continental. The Eastern forehand grip is the preferred grip for tennis players first learning the basic tennis forehand. (Many advanced players also use the Eastern forehand grip for their tennis forehand.)

Eastern Forehand Grip

To achieve this grip for your tennis forehand shots, place your hand flat on the racket strings, and then slide your hand down to the handle. Wrap your fingers around the racket. Your first finger should be forward slightly as if you were holding the trigger of a gun. Keep all tensions out of your fingers. The eastern forehand grip is often called the “shake hands” grip — in essence, you are shaking hands with the racket.

Use the Eastern forehand grip for your tennis forehand drive and the majority of your shots. Its benefits are many: it allows for stroke variation, as well as the development of flat power and pinpoint accuracy. It’s also easy to change grips from the Eastern grip, quickly moving from your tennis forehand to another stroke.

Once you’ve assumed the proper grip, the next key element for beginners in learning a basic tennis forehand is achieving eye contact with the oncoming ball. Concentrating on the ball ensures that your tennis forehand will include consistent, solid contact between the racket and the ball. So, with the tennis forehand, you watch the approaching ball from the moment it springs from your opponent’s racket.

Head Position

With your eyes following the ball, maintaining continuous eye contact, you will be able to approximate the ball’s direction, its speed, and its angle of approach; thus, you are best able to take actions which allow you to return the ball squarely. For instance, step forward if the ball appears like it will be landing short; step backwards if the ball appears like it will be landing long.

Concentrating on the ball — as discussed — will assist you in adding more power to your tennis forehand swings by helping you strike that ball in the center of your racket; that is, in its “sweet spot”.

Proper Forehand Footwork

Proper footwork is also crucial in achieving a basic tennis forehand. The success of your tennis forehand truly depends upon how you incorporate footwork into your game; in other words, footwork is the foundation for making better tennis forehand strokes. Firstly, your position in relation to the ball when you make your tennis forehand swing is of paramount importance.

The importance of anticipation

You gain an immediate advantage over your opponent if you develop the ability to anticipate the ball, and consequently get to the ball faster, and get in correct position faster. If the ball is too close or too far away from your body, then the power from your swing will be compromised. Ideally, with the tennis forehand, you will make contact with the ball when it’s two to three feet to the side of your body, and six to twelve inches in front of your body. Hitting the ball when it’s behind you or too far in front of you will negatively affect your swing; it will lose power and direction will be altered.

So — the ball has left the opponent’s racket and you’ve move into position, recognizing that the ball is going to your tennis forehand side. Now comes the tennis forehand swing. Release your non-dominant hand from the racket and hold it in front of you, thus strengthening balance. Your dominant hand and elbow should now move back and lower, the racket pointing away from the intended target. Your dominant arm should be held straightly, but not locked; and your racket should be at waist level. Your shoulders and hips should be, in essence, winding back. Keep in mind that in hitting a powerful tennis forehand, your entire body must be involved.

Body positioning

Now you’re ready to establish the final position for hitting the tennis forehand shot: keep space between your body and the ball; and, if necessary, move your body — bending your knees if required — so that you’ll be hitting the ball at waist level. (And, if you bend at the knees before you strike the ball, you can push up during contact to add more strength to your tennis forehand.)

With an open stance, you’ll now swing, contacting the ball when it is descending from its apex and is at waist level. When you make this tennis forehand swing, you’ll want to accelerate the racket towards the ball. Rotate your shoulders and hips toward the ball. Transfer your weight toward your opponent. Remember — at all times during this tennis forehand stroke, your vision should be directed on the ball.

The face of your racket should be square to the ball at contact. Continue to rotate your shoulders and hips through contact, finishing with shoulders and hips facing the net; this will allow you to keep your racket face moving in the direction of your intended target.

Forehand Follow through

The tennis forehand follow-through is also crucial; it ensures that your forehand shot lands in the desired location on your opponent’s side of the net. The proper follow-through for the tennis forehand stroke is an arcing motion that rises from the point of contact with the ball to just above your non-dominant shoulder.

During the follow through, there should be adequate shoulder rotation, with the chest facing towards your intended target. Your racket should finish near your opposite shoulder. In some cases, your racket will end up wrapped around your back. This is dependent on the force of your swing as well as the rotational energy and your flexibility. The smooth execution of this tennis forehand follow-through ensures a powerful shot.

Finally, a powerful, accurate, and consistent tennis forehand requires practice. Consider hitting a ball against a concrete wall, over and over again, until you’ve honed your tennis forehand. You’ll then find yourself using this reliable stroke to open up the court, hit sharp angles, and overpower your opponent.

Benefits of a Topspin Forehand

A FINAL TIP: With the use of a topspin forehand, you can strike your tennis forehand harder and increase your probability of hitting your desired spot across the net.  When you hit a tennis forehand with topspin, the topspin on the ball spins away from your opponent ; causing the ball to drop in the court quicker, even when contact is particularly forceful.  (Occasionally, for example, when hitting an approach shot, a player can opt to hit with backspin instead of topspin, which is called a slice.)

To add topspin to your tennis forehand, alter your swing so that your racket moves in a low to high manner, while keeping the racket face perpendicular to the ground. Practice your forehand with topspin and soon you’ll be building your main tennis strategies around your powerful tennis forehand.

Shots executions

Proper tennis technique is the most effective way to add power and to attain accuracy on your shots. Here is a guide on how to improve your shots in terms of power and accuracy.

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The post Tennis Forehand – Learn The Tennis Forehand Shot appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Overview of the Tennis Forehand Grips

Eastern Tennis Forehand Grip—

This is the classic grip that your first teacher passed on to you. Many advanced players still use it, but most top pros have turned to the Semi-Western grip. To adopt the Eastern grip, simply place the palm of your hand on the side plane of your handle, parallel to your racquet face.

The base knuckle of your index finger should be on this plane, producing a vertical racquet face. With a normal swing plane, this is the most natural and physically secure grip.

It is also the most versatile grip because you can easily tilt it for slice or keep the face vertical to brush the ball and produce topspin.

This is not a grip, however, that will give you maximum topspin or enable you to handle heavy topspin from your opponent. For that, you will need other options described below.

Semi-Western Tennis Forehand Grip—

Place your palm on the lower right slant bevel, the plane that is 45 degrees clockwise from the plane of your strings. This will give your racquet a downward tilt, so you will have to meet the ball slightly farther forward than you would with an Eastern grip. You will also need to swing upward more sharply with this grip, which will produce topspin more often. It is possible to hit a flat shot with this grip, but a shot with great topspin occurs more naturally. This grip is also a good one for handling high bounces that result from your opponent’s topspin shots. It is not a good grip for hitting slice or low balls. This is the preferred grip of many pros and has led to the changes in the game that feature tons of hard-hit topspin.

Western Tennis Forehand Grip—

Place your palm on the bottom plane of your handle, a full 90 degrees clockwise from the strings. Now, your racquet face tilts severely downward, thus you must meet the ball even farther forward than with a Semi-Western grip.

Consequently, the most natural swing plane is upward and very fast, which generates tremendous topspin (think Rafael Nadal). This grip handles high balls quite well but has a tough time with low shots. It is possible, but difficult, to hit flat with this grip, and slice, well, that is well nigh impossible with the Western grip. Once you hold the racquet with this grip, you’ll see why.

Continental Tennis Forehand Grip—

Place your palm on the upper right slant bevel, 45 degrees counterclockwise from the Eastern grip. Now, your racquet face tilts upward, naturally lending toward slice. You can hit flat with this grip, but your shot will be weaker than with the Eastern grip.

This grip has declined in popularity, as crushing the ball with maximum topspin has gained admirers and become standard operating procedure on the pro tour. Historically, this grip began to go out of vogue when fewer tournaments were played on grass after the early 1970s and hitting low bounces became a priority only at Wimbledon.

Hawaiian Tennis Forehand Grip—

Place your palm 135 degrees clockwise from the Eastern, or 45 degrees farther west than the Western grip. Another way to hold the racquet with this grip is to grab the racquet with a Continental grip, then twist your wrist and forearm 180 degrees clockwise so that your knuckles are facing forward. You will see that you are going to have to hit the ball far out in front of your body or extremely high for this grip to work well for you.

As a result, this grip is totally unsuitable for flat or slice shots. This grip got its name from being further west than Western, which got its name from being adopted first in California. West of Cali? That would be Hawaii. This grip is quite rare, but did gain a few days of fame when a player named Alberto Berasategui used it to reach the 1994 finals at Roland Garros.

Commonly Used Tennis Forehand Grips

As mentioned briefly when considering the different tennis forehand grips, the average position of forehand grips for the pros has evolved dramatically in the past 30 years, from somewhere between Eastern and Continental to fully Semi-Western. Ever wonder why tennis seems to now be simply a contest between two players trying to slug the ball as hard as they can from the baseline? Part of the answer lies in the grips that the players favor now.

This also explains why you see so little slice in today’s pro game and why players do so little with the low balls that they reach. If you can overpower players with your topspin, generated from a Semi-Western grip, then you might want to hold the racquet like most pros do. However, if you play people who hit a lot of short balls, or you enjoy serving up some slice in your game, you might want to stick with the Continental grip.

Classic Tennis Forehand Grips

The great Stan Smith used a grip halfway between Eastern and Continental like most of his late ‘60s peers, and films of those matches are fascinating to watch as the variety of shots are hit and many flat and slice strokes are used. Watch where Stan and others in the ‘60s met the ball, too. You will see that he made contact most of the time at waist level or lower.

Now, watch a modern player smack the ball. If you look closely, you will see that many of them have to hit the ball at chest level, due to the enormous topspin that has been generated by their opponents. That necessitates at least a Semi-Western grip.

In addition, as mentioned before, many more tournaments were held on grass in Smith’s era, thus more low balls skidded towards him and he wanted to use slice more often to accentuate that low bounce for his unlucky opponent. Such knee-bending retrieval of low bounces naturally leads to a grip closer to Continental than Western. By the way, this is why many players who do well on grass don’t fare so well on clay or even hard courts. It’s not simply a matter of style, it’s a matter of grip and strategy as well.

Higher Contact Points and Increased Topspin: A reason for today’s modern tennis forehand grips?

Finally, the quick brushing action that must be used to hit topspin is rendered much easier by today’s light-weight racquets with larger string beds. As it has become easier to swing up and brush balls with a larger racquet face, the Western grips have exploded in popularity. Perhaps you will want to change your tennis forehand grip to both keep up with the times and imitate the style of your favorite pro, who most likely crushes topspin at every opportunity.

Whatever tennis forehand grip you happen to choose, don’t stick with the Continental grip simply because it is what you always have used. Who knows?

A grip change might bring changes to your game that you have long sought, and you might end up feeling more comfortable (after much practice) with a new tennis forehand grip. Will the grip alone enable you to join the pro tour? Uh, doubtful, but it might lead to many more victories in whatever domain you play in.

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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.

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

The post Finding the Best Tennis Forehand Grip appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Players with mammoth forehands, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, have a weapon that can dismantle their opponents at any time. If you are able to develop a stinging forehand, you can even run around your backhand constantly to crush forehand winners while your opponent shakes his head and tries to think up a new strategy.

Most of the forehand strength comes from good technique: getting the racquet back, swinging through cleanly, turning the core a bit.

Some of the sheer strength of the forehand, however, comes from arm and shoulder strength. Is it actually possible to work out certain muscles of the body to increase your forehand power? Definitely, but in order to do that, you’ll need to tear down and build up muscle in several parts of your body.

Here are some recommended tennis forehand exercises to have you smashing the ball in no time. We begin with exercises for the arms and shoulders:

Many of the top players on the professional tour do not lift free weights because they can be tough to transport or it can be difficult to find a gym with them. They also do not use machines much, but prefer the stretch bands that baseball players use to strengthen the shoulder and rotator cuff. These bands are available at your gym or at a sporting goods store.

Using Stretch Bands – An Important Tennis Forehand Exercise

You simply tie them to a stationary piece of equipment and pull slowly and smoothly in different directions to stimulate the same muscles used in the forehand. That motion would involve holding the band out from your body, as if you are holding a racquet back in ready position for a forehand.

Pull the band slowly through in a sweeping motion as you would your racquet. You also want to hold the band in front of your body and pull it from your right side to your left side, a much shorter movement that you can increase the resistance on.

It will strengthen muscles needed for the forehand. Be sure to do all of these movements slowly and stop if you feel any pain. These simple movements are much harder on your shoulder and rotator cuff than you realize, especially for older players.

Your shoulder has already taken a beating if you have played a lot of tennis. Go very easy on these tennis forehand exercises and work your way up to more repetitions.

Another Good Tennis Forehand Exercise – Spider Push Up

Another interesting tennis forehand exercise that has been recommended is the spider push-up, a push-up that involves moving the lower half of your body as well as your arms. As you go down to touch your nose or chin to the floor, as with a regular push-up, you draw up the left leg even with your waist. During the next push-up, you draw your right leg up in a similar fashion.

This type of push-up will give you more of an all-body workout, strengthening your core as well.

Now, to strengthen your base, where most of your forehand power will come from, you need to work your legs and hips. Here are some tennis forehand exercises specifically designed to make your legs and hips more powerful:

Tennis Forehand Exercise #1: Squat—

find the power rack at your gym, put minimal weight on it to start and stand with your feet at shoulder’s width apart. Stand so that the bar will be balanced in the middle of your upper back.

Grip the bar with your hands slightly more wide than your shoulders. Now, do the squat by easing down very slowly while you maintain great form. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground, as if you were sitting in a chair.

Once in this position, begin to rise up again, pushing the weight only with your legs. Once you are again in a standing position, take a deep breath and re-descend to a sitting position. Do three sets of five for starters and see how you feel, taking a one-minute break between sets.

Tennis Forehand Exercise #2: Dead lift—

Begin with the bar on the floor and a minimal weight placed on it until you see how much you can do. Do not try to out-lift the guys who have been at the gym for years and years. Start light and work your way up.

You will be doing a few sets of these, so don’t put so much weight on the bar that you can only do one rep. Stand with the bar above the center of your feet. You stance should be a bit more narrow than shoulder width. Grab the bar overhand so that your arms are vertical to the floor, then bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar. Now, lift your chest with your head in line with the rest of your spine. Pull the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Do not lean. Lower the bar by pushing your hips back, then bend your knees once the bar reaches knee level. Again, start with three sets of five repetitions and work your way up.

Now that your legs are puffing up like a bodybuilder’s, it’s time to get those muscles in your core tight as a drum so that your forehand will shoot off the racquet. Here are a couple of exercises to strengthen that part of the body.

Tennis Forehand Exercise #3: Floor crunches—

Lay a mat down on the floor and place a flat bench at the end of the mat to form a “T.” Lie down on the mat and put your legs up on the bench so that your calves are resting on it.

Touch the side of your head with your fingertips. Lift your shoulder blades slightly off the mat to begin the exercise, then bring your elbows in towards your waist. Pause for one second at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your back down to the start position. Do not let your shoulder blades touch the mat during this exercise.

You can also pause at the top of the movement for extra intensity. This exercise will get your core tight and fit, ready to smash forehands.

Tennis Forehand Exercise #4: Medicine ball throw—

This is an old-fashioned exercise that is favored by many top players, including Rafael Nadal, who is shown flinging the ol’ ball around in one of his Internet training videos. Medicine balls have different weights.

You can use one at the gym or buy one to take home. You will, of course, need a partner.

To throw the ball back and forth with good form, turn your body to the right and hold the ball with two hands, exploding out of that posture as you turn to the left and fling the ball underhanded with both hands to your partner. As you catch his throw, be sure to turn to your left as you grasp the ball, allowing it to pull your arms back to the left and working the core even as you catch the ball.

Then, remaining turned to the left, fling the ball as you turn to your right.

You will work both sides of your core in a great way and the exercise is fun, too. This little pitch-and-catch does much more for your core strength than you realize.

You will feel its effects the next day. It won’t be long until you are using that same turning motion to whip forehands past your foes.

Using most or all of these tennis forehand exercises to strengthen your arms, shoulders, legs and core, you will gain additional power to attack the ball on the forehand side. As you feel stronger on the court, don’t get so excited that you forget all of your technique or rush your stroke, a common error for strong players. Remember to let the racquet do the work, but your speed will be greater and your resistance much stiffer as you hit forehands of all varieties with greater power as a result of these tennis forehand exercises.

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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!

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

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Most coaches and players recommend the use of the double bend hitting arm position as a means of achieving clean contact with the tennis ball and is often associated with proper stroke mechanics.

Today, however players such as Federer, Nadal, Verdasco and even Mardy Fish utilize a different hitting arm position, which has been termed as the “straight hitting arm position.” This variation in the forehand hitting arm position is present in a few of today’s top ATP tour players, but it is also an advanced forehand technique. This article will discuss the intricacies of the straight arm forehand in tennis.

The Straight Arm Forehand: Style or Stipulation?

One of the great things about the sport of tennis is that it can be played with different styles and different techniques. The styles and strategies that a player brings to the court often reflect his or her personality while the techniques compliment his or her physical make-up. A tall and long-limbed player might make use of more sweeping-shaped strokes while a more stocky-built player uses a more compact style. There are also many examples where the opposite of this applies.

We know that the forehand can be hit in a variety of ways. There are different grips, stances, backswings and follow-throughs. One of the key aspects of the swing is the position of the arm and wrist at the point of contact. There are two mains kinds: the straight arm forehand and the double-bend forehand.

Mechanics Behind the Straight Arm Forehand in Tennis

The straight arm forehand means that the arm is literally straight. The elbow is extended and the ball is met at arm’s distance from the body. Only the wrist is laid back at contact. The double-bend forehand is seen when the arm is bent at the elbow with the wrist cocked back as well. That these two joints are bent gives this technique its name. Both forehand techniques have been used by some of the best players in the world throughout the history of the sport. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the best recent examples of players who used the straight-arm forehand. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams both use the double-bend forehand.

The Tennis Forehand: It’s History and Differences

Traditionally, the classic linear “over the shoulder” forehand used to be more common. This was especially true especially for American and Australian players back in the days of wooden rackets with grass being the dominant surface. Before the mid 1970’s, three of the four grand slam events were played on grass. Balls bounced lower and faster. But since players were playing with far less powerful rackets than what is commonly used today, they had to make use of a swing that provided as great leverage as possible.

At the same time, the wooden rackets were heavier than today’s graphite rackets so they couldn’t really use a whippy stroke because that would cause injuries. Therefore, the mechanics of the stroke had to be simpler and more efficient. A more stable and slower moving racket swing resulted in less power and very little topspin when compared to players in modern tennis.

Players commonly used the eastern forehand grip and took the racket straight back. Some of them took it back already with a straight arm, but there were a few who used a led with the elbow on the take back. On the forward swing, they straightened out the elbow and laid back the wrist all the way to the contact point and beyond.

The follow through usually went in the direction of the shot. It would sometimes continue on over the left shoulder, but this was far less pronounced than what many pros execute now. Some players who were already using the semi-western and western grip still straightened out their arms on contact.

The Double Bend Forehand Technique

The double-bend forehand keeps the racket closer to the body on contact. The idea behind this technique is that you can control the ball better if it is closer to your body without necessarily cramping your stroke. This technique gained popularity when the game started evolving more in the direction of powerful baseline exchanges. Bjorn Borg is usually credited for inventing the modern forehand.

Although there have been other players before him, he was indeed the first high-profile player who was able to win a multitude of grand slam titles using what looks like the same technique that many players use today. Borg still used wooden rackets but the players he eventually influenced were all graphite era users.

Bjorn Borg: The Evolution of the Modern Forehand Technique?

Borg’s technique saw him take back the racket high in a circular loop and sweep it downward below the level of the ball. As one of the pioneers of the topspin heavy baseline game, he would then swing upward and forward through the ball before finishing with a windshield-wiper follow through. On his point of contact, his elbow was bent. But it was not as severely bent as many modern players do. Many of today’s players really tuck their elbows close to their bodies on contact.

The player that immediately succeeded Borg, John McEnroe, used a classic “straight back” forehand, as did another American rival, Jimmy Connors. John used a continental grip and had a very keen sense of timing. He would just feed off the pace of his opponent’s shot. Additionally, he was a serve and volley player and didn’t rely on his forehand to do the damage. Rather, he won almost all of his points by volleying.

The compact forehand, along with his continental grip, had a lot more in common with his volleying technique. The two top women of that time, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova also used this type of forehand.

Straight Arm Forehand and the Progression of the Modern Forehand

The next great forehand was Ivan Lendl’s and he used the double-bend forehand. Lendl was the first player who could really play the modern power-baseline game dominated by the forehand. He did not just use the shot to out rally other players and construct points carefully. He used it to literally blow the other guy off the court.

He could do this because he was already using a graphite racket. He took the racket back with the elbow leading and then unleashed his forward swing, hitting through the ball with a bent arm. Again, it was not as severely bent as some modern players do.

Additionally, when he had to run for a wide forehand, he could still hit effectively with the arm straightened out. Pete Sampras adapted Lendl’s stroking style on the forehand. His usual forehand was also of the double-bend kind but he was actually best known for his ability to hit winners on the run, which means that he hit the ball stretched out.

The adaptability of Sampras and Lendl to hit the straight arm forehand made them absolutely lethal from that wing. On the women’s side, Steffi Graf was fashioning out arguably the greatest career ever by hitting countless winners off her forehand to win title after title. Her technique was very unique because she prepared late and seemed to hit the ball off her hip. She had a rather cramped stroke so her elbow and wrist were really bent when she hit the ball. If there was one thing she didn’t do so well off her forehand side, it was to hit it dead on the run. However, since she had nonpareil athleticism and court coverage, she was very rarely caught out of position.

As the game moved forward, players were more athletic than ever and the reliance on powerful ground strokes became virtually mandatory. The main emphasis was power and topspin. Courts were also getting slower at the same time as rackets and strings becoming more and more advanced. The new rackets featured vibration dampening technologies and the strings changed from natural gut to predominantly polyester and hybrid set ups.

The Straight Arm Forehand Vs. Double Bend Forehand Technique

While these changes provided players with ever more power, control still needed to be maintained. The double-bend technique provided this better for many players. Today, the top women including Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters use this technique. However, on the men’s tour, two men brought back to the spotlight the straight arm forehand. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal established a rivalry that dominated the tennis world. Both players straightened their arm on their forehand but they combine elements of today’s stroking style as well.

Straight Arm Forehand: The Pinnacle of ATP Tennis

They both prepare with a looped backswing and follow through extensively. Federer uses the windshield-wiper while Nadal frequently lassoes the racket over his head. It is only at contact that their arms straighten out. This technique is difficult to time and requires a very good sense of keeping the proper distance from the ball on contact. Both men are blessed with unbelievable foot speed, coordination and foot work so this style works well for them. Also, one simply cannot argue with their success.

This year, however, both Nadal and Federer have been passed by Novak Djokovic, who uses the double-bend forehand. Another recent grand slam winner, Juan Martin Del Potro also uses this technique. But Federer and Nadal remain the most popular players so it will be interesting to see if their techniques will be copied by the next generation. We may yet see more straight arm forehands in the future.

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.

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

The post The Straight Arm And Double Bend Tennis Forehand Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

In today’s game, it’s important to recognize the reverse forehand and learn when to use this shot effectively even at the club level.

Learning the Reverse Forehand

In the 1990’s, Pete Sampras burst onto the tennis scene with his sizzling serve, super forehand and nonpareil athleticism. The Sampras serve has gone on to become perhaps the single most devastating shot in the history of the game. However, there was another shot that he hit with unusual aplomb that garnered plenty of attention: his running forehand.

Sampras basically modelled his forehand technique from Ivan Lendl, who was comfortable running around his backhand to hit big inside out forehands. Sampras had the ability to do the same but there was a disadvantage to this tactic. It left too much open court. Lendl could get away with this because he was so overpowering. Sampras had a lot of power on his forehand as well, but his rivals had also learned to hit very hard as well.

Learning from Pete Sampras’s Reverse Forehand

His main rival, Andre Agassi, was highly adept at hitting down the line backhands, which exposed his forehand corner. Another rival, Goran Ivanisevic, was left handed so he could also exploit this opening. Fortunately for Pete, he was blessed with unbelievable speed and he could run down these hard shots wide to his forehand. Still, the balls were flying by so fast that he had to modify his technique a little.

Sampras used an eastern forehand grip which enabled him to stretch out his arm and still have his wrist in a strong position relative to the handle of the racket. Dead on the run, with not a lot of time to waste, Sampras took his racket back then swung at the ball with a fully outstretched arm. The racket face hit the ball squarely from behind. But his momentum continued to take him to the right, and not forward into the ball.

Through instinct, he reversed his finish. Instead of following through forward and across his body, he whipped the racket over his head and finished over his right shoulder instead of his left. This steep and very quick upward flick of the racket imparted tremendous topspin on the ball, making it curve back into the court. He was also able to time this shot very well and use the pace of the incoming ball to produce his own pace. The result was a very accurate and deadly shot.

Later in his career, with more and more power players crowding the men’s tour, Sampras began using the reverse forehand with greater frequency. He also began using it not just for his running shot but also for some approach shots and angled shots.

Lindsay Davenport: Another example of the Reverse Forehand Follow through

Meanwhile, on the women’s tour, Sampras’ fellow Californian Lindsay Davenport was bringing a new level of power hitting. Like Pete, her strokes were smooth and powerful but unlike Pete, she was not a great athlete.

When she was forced to run for a ball, she was at the mercy of her opponent. While she worked hard to improve her speed, she also began adapting the reverse forehand technique on wide balls to her right side. She also used the eastern grip and had a similar technique to hit this type of shot and she smartly chose to go deep cross court most of the time. It enabled her to stay in the point and even turn it around in her favour.

Sharapova’s Stint with the Reverse Forehand Shot

At the 2004 Wimbledon semi-finals, Davenport came up against a 17 year old upstart with a powerful baseline game not unlike her own. Her name was Maria Sharapova. She went on to beat Davenport and, later in the final, Serena Williams to claim her first major title. Sharapova’s main difference from Lindsay, apart from her shrieking and her age, was that she held the racket with a western grip on her forehand. Because the grass made the ball skid and bounce fast and low.

Sharapova was frequently caught in seemingly awkward positions on the forehand side. Maria compensated by preparing quickly, hitting from an open stance and swinging steeply upward at the ball. Her racket head speed was so fast and the hit very well-timed that she produced great power, spin, depth or angle. Because of her steep upward swing, her follow through took the racket above her head and over her right shoulder. Sharapova had become another proponent of the reverse forehand.

However, she was also not blessed with great athletic ability. On some forehands, she looked like she was hitting off balance because of the way she transferred her weight from her open stance. She shifted her weight from her right foot (which was her back foot) to her left foot but seemed to tilt her torso to her left on the finish.

This partial loss of perfect balance made it difficult to recover for the next shot. But since she was so aggressive and dictating many of the points, she could cover up this weakness. In the ensuing years, players began to solve her style so she had to adapt and change her technique on her forehand.

She now uses the more conventional style of finishing over the left shoulder. Her stance isn’t quite as open as before so she is able to maintain her balance throughout the stroke while putting all of her weight into the shot.

Still, Maria Sharapova reverts to using a lot of reverse forehands especially when she is playing an equally powerful and aggressive player who can cut down her time. In her last two grand slam events, Li Na and Petra Kvitova forced her off balance by blasting their returns deep and fast to her forehand.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Use of the Reverse Forehand Follow through

As the men’s game evolved and players began using more of a baseline oriented game dominated by topspin shots, the forehand featuring the windshield-wiper finish became more and more common. Roger Federer was at the forefront of tennis throughout the 2000’s and he uses this technique.

Like his predecessor Sampras, Roger had unbelievable athletic ability. He is also one of the most versatile players ever. His adaptability to hit any kind of shot in any situation is a vital reason as to why he has been able to build what is widely considered the most impressive resume of any tennis player in history.

On wide and fast balls to his forehand, he also uses the reverse forehand. He sprints over and takes the same kind of looped backswing as on his regular forehand. With the racket held in a grip that is between eastern and semi-western, he hits the ball out in front, straightening his arm at contact, and keeping the wrist cocked back.

Federer hits through the ball and extends out forward to the target before sweeping the racket steeply upward over his head and finishing over his right shoulder. Alternatively, he will hit this shot from a relatively stationary position on his forehand corner to create a very acute angle. Another shot he can hit with this technique is the topspin lob.

Nadal’s Heavy Topspin Approach With the Reverse Forehand

Federer’s main rival Rafael Nadal has come to epitomize the topspin baseline oriented game even more. His grip is full western and the amount of spin he puts on the ball from his forehand results in a shot with unprecedented weight. Nadal was second to Federer through most of the mid 2000’s before finally taking over in 2008. He has been able to beat Roger in many occasions because his left handed forehand plays to Federer’s backhand which is less adept at handling high, heavy balls.

Windshield Wiper Follow Through Vs. the Reverse Forehand Follow through

Nadal can use either the windshield wiper follow through or the reverse forehand follow through to create extra topspin to produce higher and heavier balls. He hits from an open stance and takes the racket back in a looped backswing just as he normally would. He brings the racket head below the level of the ball and unleashes his forward swing by hitting the ball out in front.

Like Federer, he straightens out his arm at contact but keeps his wrist laid back. He shifts his weight from back foot (left foot) to front foot. He then sweeps the racket steeply upward over his head in a lassoing motion before finishing over his left shoulder. He has great strength, especially in his hitting arm so the racket head speed he can produce is totally out of this world.

Because the pros are so often copied, junior players and even club players are using reverse forehands as well. This works because it allows them to catch up to the ball when it is coming too fast for them to hit their regular forehands. However, the shot they produce isn’t the same because they can’t whip the racket head as fast for power and topspin. So if you want to hit the reverse forehand the same way as the pros do, you have to get stronger and fitter first.

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 Learning the Reverse Forehand in Modern Tennis appeared first on Tennis Instruction.