Have you ever wondered how the greats of tennis like Roger Federer, Pete Sampras,  John McEnroe and countless other pro tennis players of their time learned to hit exceptional volleys time and time again?

The irony is that most club, recreational and weekend warrior players struggle with the volley, because of poor tennis volley technique and lack of knowledge of the correct arm positions required for the volley. Many times, players are even afraid to approach the net because

Tennis Volley Techniques – Role of the Wrist

A common mistake made by club players is using the “wrist” to hit the volley, and done in this manner will always result in poor or weak depth and power on the volley. On contact, the wrist should be firm (but not possessing a death grip) at any point during the stroke. Often times, you will hear players referring to a player’s volley as “too wristy” because the wrist is either droopy or being manipulated at contact.

Watch Roger Federer’s volley, and you could see his wrist is firm while still staying relaxed at contact. There is no abrupt or jerky movement of the wrist or forearm. In fact, Federer keeps the arm and wrist “quiet” throughout with minimal superfluous movement.

Keeping the volley movement compact allows a player to hit driving volleys with good depth and penetration through the court. Often times, club players make the mistake of using too much racket movement in the volley – causing them to hit either late or weak volleys that allows their opponents to easily penetrate through them at net.

Less is More in Volley Techniques

Something to keep in mind with tennis volley techniques is that less is often more. Keeping the tennis volley compact is key. One thing players can practice is what is called “tucking in” the elbow. Here, a player ensures that the elbow stays tucked in and close to the body throughout the volley motion. A common mistake many players make is allowing the arm to “flail” away and the racket to swing wildly into the ball causing an elongated motion – whereas the pro tennis volley technique is often remarkable in it’s crisp appearance with almost no extraneous motion.

L-shaped hitting arm position – Key Tennis Volley Technique

The “L shaped” hitting arm, or double-bend is a super key hitting arm position, characterized by a bend at the elbow and a slight bend at the wrist – this position allows pros like Federer and Sampras to achieve maximum leverage and control on the ball without sacrificing accuracy. Think of a construction crane lifting a heavy object – the crane utilizes leverage to pick up the object. Here, the slight bend at the elbow and L shaped angle between elbow and forearm allow for the torque and leverage to occur.

Most club players lack this key position on their volley, which results in a weak volley. Or worse, they posses a straight-arm which will result in a player getting tennis elbow over time as there is no leverage and there will be excessive force on the grip.

Whether a player is hitting a forehand or backhand volley, the correct tennis volley technique involves the characteristic “L” shaped hitting arm position for leverage.

Pivot Sideways and Turn

Similar to the unit turn in tennis, the world class pro volley involves a player pivoting their foot sideways – which turns their body, shoulders and racket as one unit together. A common mistake is that some players will take their racket back for the volley, without turning their shoulders sideways – so essentially their torso is still facing the net, which will often cause a player to feel “jammed”

Racket Face in Front – Critical Tennis Volley Techniques

The other key position of note is the strings of the racket should always face the fence. The tennis volley technique involves a very simple, elegant and fluid motion. There is very little excess, virtually no “backswing” on the volley as short and sweet is the motto here.

A common mistake here is players hit either their forehand or backhand volley by taking their racket back way too far which results in them hitting “late” or getting “jammed” by the incoming ball on the tennis volley. Here, it will make it difficult for players to time the incoming shot accurately.

Keeping the strings of the racket facing the net at all times and minimizing any swing will allow a player to hit a compact but firm volley that has deep penetration in the court.

Watch Federer here for an example. 

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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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

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It is very important to work on specific tennis techniques for beginners in both the physical, mental and emotional approach to help beginners first learning the game. Tennis techniques for beginners are often rudimentary and watered down, for a simplified approach is necessary for beginners to learn the game of tennis.

It is very significant for tennis beginners to learn tennis techniques with the most accurate tennis instruction. Learning techniques wrong will be in your muscle memory and as such will be very hard to unlearn when you would like to learn the techniques the right way. So, to develop are more skilled game, beginners must work on technique focusing on the right way.

Fundamental Tennis Techniques for Beginners

Players first learning the game of tennis should possess a strong foundation as the first building block in developing any tennis player. The first aspect of tennis techniques for beginners should not begin until the proper footwork

Learning the Correct Tennis Footwork

Tennis footwork is an crucial part of playing tennis. You must learn to move correctly in order to cover the tennis court in the most efficient way possible. Learning the ready position is your first step. Your feet should be comfortably spread apart with your knees slightly bent while standing on the balls of your feet. From this position, it will be easy to move from side to side.

The next footwork move on the subject of tennis techniques for beginners is to learn the split step. The split step is done from the ready position where you take a slight jump and land on the balls of your feet. You want to time this just before your opponent connects with the ball. If the ball is close to you, you will step to the right with your right foot and move to the ball. If it is far away you will do what is called a gravity step. With practice these footwork moves among other tennis techniques for beginners will happen naturally.

Tennis Techniques for Beginners: Learning the Gravity Step

Okay, let’s talk about the gravity step. The gravity step is the next set of footwork moves needed to have a complete repertoire of tennis techniques of beginners. The gravity step is what you do when the ball is far away and you have to run to it. With the gravity step, your outside foot (right foot) comes closer to your inside foot (left foot) and you push off your inside foot giving you an extra enhance to get to the ball faster.

Once you are approaching the ball, you are going to have to do what is known as adjusting steps, which puts you in a balanced and in position to hit the ball. This tennis footwork pattern is of course among tennis techniques for beginners. Adjustment steps are not necessary on every single shot, but their use helps a player gain the proper balance.

There is more about adjusting steps, but I want to move on to some other tennis techniques for beginners. So lets move on to the swing. Whether you’re trying to hit the ball on your forehand or backhand side, you have to raise your racket over your head and bring the racket head down toward the ground and then toward your shoulder. Then you have to meet the ball at the right spot with a full arm extension.

Tennis Techniques for Beginners: Understanding the Stances in Tennis

4 different positions are used in the tennis today, these include the open, semi-open, neutral, and closed positions.

The combination of the semi-open and open position along with the semi-western and western grips, has allowed players to gain more racket power and speed, contributing to the fast pace and power of the game today.

Open Stance Position

Facts: The open stance is often best used when a player has little or no time to prepare for an oncoming ball, which in today’s game is fairly regularly. This is because a player has to step out, shift his or her body weight and load the hip and turn the trunk before a ball traveling 100mph reaches them.

The open stance is usually taught after the basic neutral stance is mastered, but is one of the essential tennis techniques for beginners.

This position allows players to load up on the hip and explode into the shot, producing forehand and backhand winners. Players start with the backswing, which consists of rotating the shoulders and hips together, to about 90 degrees (side on), to the right for right handed players.

The weight then needs to be shifted to the outside foot, (right for the right handed). The key is to remain balanced throughout the swing, follow through, and recovery.

Back to the shoulders and hips, after the backswing, players will start the forward motion along the same path with speed and try to make contact with the ball as far out in front of the body as possible to provide control and power to the stroke.

Points to remember: Try and keep the non-hitting hand pointing in the direction of the target, this should help with the height and depth on the ground strokes. Don’t shift the weight too early, this will more than likely cause the ball to fall short.

Semi-Open Stance Position

Facts: The semi open stance in tennis is a position that is not much different to the open position. Again it is mostly used when players lack time to prepare for the next shot.

The only real difference is that players open up the step slightly more to the left for a right handed player and load all their weight onto the outside hip (right). The semi open stance is also one of the main stances used by professional players, and one of many tennis techniques for beginners.

For a right handed forehand stroke, players must begin the backswing by rotating the shoulders, hips, and trunk at the same time.

The next phase is to step to the right with the right foot and shift the weight to this foot also. The key to this position is players stepping into the court with the left foot, which does not occur on the open position. This step with the left foot helps to maintain a solid foundation after striking the ball.

The weight should remain on the outside foot until the stroke is completed fully. Use opposite feet for left handed players.

Neutral Stance Position

Facts: The neutral stance in tennis is a basic position, which can be used for both forehand and backhand shots. This stance is also the starting point for all the other positions.

It allows beginners to learn about shifting weight and rotation of the body. This is usually the primary stance and one of the most important tennis techniques for beginners to learn.

The neutral stance position provides the best position to practice the follow through and recovery after shots, at least for easy returns. The neutral stance allows players to shift their weight towards the direction of the shot and for that reason is preferred when hitting either the one or two-handed backhand.

Again with this position rotation of the hips, shoulders and trunk is the start of the back swing. The tennis player must then step out with the right foot and shift the weight here as well.

Weight transfer in the neutral stance is the key to generating more energy into the shot, therefore a primary part of tennis techniques for beginners.

Players should then step forward with the left foot towards the net and shift the weight again onto the front foot before executing the forward motion of the swing. The weight should be kept on the front foot until the stroke has been completed through to the recovery.

To finish the execution the back foot (right) should be brought forward and around, helping to maintain strong and balanced. Remember for left handed players the opposite should occur.

Tennis – Closed Stance Position

Facts: The closed stance in tennis is a position that can be used on either the forehand or backhand shots, but is only recommended when a player is chasing down a ball on the run, or is forced wide.

This position closes the hips preventing them from rotating, and also requires extra recovery steps before any rotation from the shoulders or trunk can take place.

Limited control, power, options, and a slower recovery time are other drawbacks of this position.

It involves the left foot (for the right handed) stepping across and being the outside foot taking all of the weight, so the majority of the power has to be generated through the arms.

Proper Breathing for Tennis

One final tip on the topic of tennis techniques for beginners, the proper breathing during a shot. Breathing can also help with racket speed. Players should exhale as they start the forward motion as this can also reduce overall tightness. It is also one of the best ways to combat nerves so breathing through and between points is very important.

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 Techniques for Beginners – The Fundamental Basics of Tennis appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Tennis techniques of pro players

The reason why professional tennis players are able to hit better shots than amateur and club players is simple – Their tennis techniques are more efficient. Differences in tennis techniques is what separates the pros from the lower level players.

At the highest level of tennis; from professional to collegiate tennis, the tennis technique is virtually perfect and the differences among the tennis strokes are small. But often times, this is not so at the club level. The tennis techniques of players at the club level is usually less than ideal and players may have huge flaws in their tennis strokes preventing them from hitting the tennis ball with the same amount of precision the pros do.

Tennis techniques aren’t reserved for the pros

A big misconception is that developing tennis techniques is reserved for professional tennis players. The common thought is that amateur and club players cannot develop good tennis technique. It’s true that professional tennis players spend hours, months and years developing technically sound tennis strokes, but tennis techniques is not reserved for players at the pro level.

The difference is understanding the key elements of tennis techniques, and recognizing these elements that will allow a tennis player to incorporate some of the elements of the fundamental tennis technique into their repertoire. With ample practice time working on tennis strokes, the right tennis techniques may be in fact a element that can propel a tennis player allowing them to hit shots they never could with their old and inefficient tennis strokes. That means that all of the tennis strokes can be improved, the tennis forehand, backhand and serve are the three biggest tennis strokes in the modern game. All three tennis strokes are also incumbent upon having good tennis technique to make these tennis strokes work.

Tennis techniques Explained

The tennis techniques of the pros can be broken down into easy to understand elements. and can be described as powerful, efficient and natural. While the tennis techniques of the pros may vary from one tennis player to the next, there are fundamental components of tennis techniques that they all share.

I’ve spent years in attempts to understand tennis techniques and secrets that few people ever learn in tennis lessons. Most competitive junior tennis players have the privilege of time and money to develop and learn tennis techniques, but maybe you don’t. Tennis techniques are an important part for every tennis player and even small changes in tennis technique can result in big improvements.

Why Learn Tennis Techniques?

It’s simple, elegant and fluid when you have mastered some of the basic key elements shared amongst high level tennis players. Also, you will notice your level of play will increase. You will benefit from increased shot selection, increased power and spin and overall improvement in your entire tennis game. Due to some limitations of tennis techniques, most recreational and club tennis players are unable to fully enjoy the game of tennis. If you can’t sustain long rallies with a consistent shot, or you can’t start out your service games with confidence – your overall enjoyment of the game will be limited.

Fundamentals of Tennis Techniques

So why not take a stand and try to learn some of the key fundamentals of tennis techniques? I promise it’ll be a whole different world opened up to you when you finally grasp the basics of solid tennis technique and are able to incorporate these into your tennis strokes. It starts with a motivated attitude and the desire to learn tennis techniques.

Tennis Forehand Techniques

Tennis forehand techniques are essential for a player developing the forehand. The tennis forehand techniques involves adapting the key elements of a world class tennis forehand into easy to understand concepts. The technique on the forehand can be complex, but breaking down the tennis forehand into fundamental technique can simplify the tennis stroke.

Tennis techniques has adapted for every new generation of tennis players. Tennis forehand technique has evolved, from old school closed stances, to rotational angular momentum hitting styles.

Tennis Backhand Techniques

Backhand tennis techniques is important to have, as the tennis backhand is the second biggest shot in the groundstroke game. The tennis technique of the backhand must be solid, adaptable and efficient to allow a player to achieve maximum power and spin on this backhand shot. The backhand shot is often weaker for most tennis players, exploiting a key weakness in most players. The tennis backhand is a shot that can linger and worsen if the tennis techniques are not practiced and refined.

Tennis Serve Techniques

The tennis serve is one of the most important shots in tennis. The serve in tennis begins the point. A powerful and accurately placed tennis serve is a lethal combination that can only be achieved with the proper tennis serve techniques. Serve tennis techniques involves modeling critical key movements that technique must be perfected upon to reach maximum levels of power and efficiency.

Keys of Tennis Techniques

1. Tennis Grips

I’m a firm believer that tennis stroke production and overall tennis techniques has a play in tennis grips. We all know that as the game of tennis has evolved, the grips have changed. On the forehand, players are now using semi-western grips rather than the old eastern and continental grips. There are several inherent advantages to these slightly more extreme grips. When you combine modern tennis techniques with a grip closer to semi-western, you’ll notice you can swing harder with less effort and still keep the ball in play.

2. Unit Turn

The unit turn in tennis is one of the most important key aspects of tennis technique. Simply stated, the unit turn is where the body and racket turn sideways together as a “unit” to begin the preparation phase of the tennis stroke, whether its forehand or backhand strokes.

3. Swing Shape

The swing shape is very important as it relates to tennis techniques – this is how you position the racket and arm through the course of the takeback. Most lower level players make the mistake of having excess motion in their takeback, and others have various flaws throughout the takeback which limit their ability to generate power and spin.

4. Lowering and “Drop”

This is probably the least taught AND the most significant. Agassi, Nadal, Safin, Federer – with all of them, if you study their strokes, you will see that as ‘the racket’ head falls, it drops inside towards their legs first. This positions the racket head to facilitate optimum efficiency.

5. Kinetic Chain

The kinetic chain is a scientific term used in tennis technique to describe the linking and unlinking of the body parts. Top pros sync their body to flow with their tennis strokes, utlizing every inch of rotation and time the ball perfectly to their contact.

Learning Tennis Techniques Is a Learning Process

Tennis techniques does not come overnight, and rarely will a tennis player be able to fix their tennis strokes without having many ups and downs. Tennis technique can only come through proper refinement and practice and lots of dedication.

Tennis techniques and how to play tennis with proper tennis technique is not an overnight process, just as with any other good thing in life – it takes time, study and positive practice. The tennis technique is a learning process that must be given time to develop and fully grow.

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 Techniques – Forehand, Backhand and Serve Techniques appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Basic Tennis Technique Foundation

Tennis is a unique game and most tennis players have different looking tennis strokes. No one player hits their tennis forehand or backhand the exact same way nor should they aim to; however, when looking at the tennis technique of top professional players closer through slow motion video, some interesting discoveries about tennis technique can be observed.

There are similarities in fundamental components in tennis technique which are shared by professional players – and these elements are usually not present in players at the recreational, club tennis and sometimes junior levels.

Elements of Tennis Technique

So, what are the key elements of tennis technique that all top professional tennis players and high level tennis players share? What aspects of the forehand and backhand tennis stroke can be broken down, and what are the key fundamentals of world class tennis technique?

1. Efficient – The tennis technique or stroke must be efficient, meaning it should get the job done with as few moving parts as possible, while optimally executing the tennis stroke. No hitches, e.g (backswing unneccessarily large, abrupt or rushed takeback, non-fluid swing)
2. Adaptable – The tennis stroke, whether it be forehand, backhand or serve must be able to adjust to various conditions, (e.g. bad bounce, windy conditions, late recognition)
3. Explosiveness – The tennis technique must include elements in the swing (forehand, backhand or serve) that will deliver good racket head speed and acceleration at contact. Top pros all have very explosive swings, where the racket suddenly accelerates in a very short period of time resulting in phenomenal racket head speed.

How to teach tennis technique

Tennis is an individual sport where there are a variety of different playing styles. Unlike team sports, the development of a player comes down to a person’s own personal intricacies. This large variety in playing styles, tennis technique styles makes it difficult to teach and learn tennis technique.

Some particular tennis technique styles are not suitable for some tennis players, while other tennis players execute best with a certain tennis stroke. But one thing that is hardly ever emphasized at the club and recreational level is tennis technique. It is vital to focus on fundamentals of tennis technique in developing the forehand and backhand tennis strokes. While the player and coach should allow some room for the player’s own unique playing style to emerge, it is key to ingrain the basic fundamentals of tennis technique that will allow a player to improve and experience steady progress in his or her tennis game.

Different tennis strokes and playing styles but same fundamentals

So far we’ve determined that top professional tennis players, college tennis players and high level players all share commonalities in tennis technique. Can we break down these key fundamentals in layman’s terms? The question is, “how can tennis technique be taught without it being confusing or overwhelming?”

The tennis instruction itself must be simple and concise. Great tennis players play in a fluid and natural way, and they are not doing anything overly complicated. They have just learned to develop tennis strokes that are biomechanically efficient which allows them to produce the effortless and powerful forehands and backhands in tennis.

Tennis players that struggle with their tennis strokes often have inefficient swings and unneccessary movement within the motion.

Fundamentals of Forehand Tennis Technique

The forehand can be one of the most complex tennis strokes. There are many key phases in the stroke which make the stroke one of the hardest to master, but mastery of the forehand in tennis is neccessary in today’s baseline game. The game of tennis has evolved into a power game and less finesse as it was in the past. Today, having a good forehand means being able to hit the ball hard with topspin.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to have a one dimensional game in today’s game of tennis. Improving the forehand tennis technique is one area you want to prioritize. Close observation of professional tennis players in slow motion video reveal stunning discoveries about tennis technique.

First, all top forehands in tennis have a “coil” element. Notice how the body is turned sideways, torso is turned and the left arm is straight, somewhat parallel to an imaginary baseline.

Two very different looking forehands, two very different playing styles but startling similar appearance at this critical “set” position.

Second, no matter what tennis technique or tennis stroke style a player has, they manage to deliver the arm and racket slightly in front of the body at contact with the racket face perpendicular. The arm may be slightly bent and the wrist is laid back at contact. The non-dominant hand has rotated to the opposite side as before. Torso position is facing to some degree to the net.

Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal have completely different looking forehands, yet they both manage to get into the important critical positions at contact, which accounts for why they both have world class tennis forehands.

These types of “key position” similarities are universal in tennis technique where top professional tennis players share these “commonalities” at certain critical positions. These happen so fast, that they are usually missed when observed by the naked eye.

How Does your Forehand Tennis Technique compare?

Now it’s time to take a moment to reflect on your own tennis forehand. How does your forehand tennis technique compare to the pros? Do any of your tennis strokes match the key critical positions highlighted above?

The only way to tell is to have someone video your tennis technique and then review the video to make the comparisons. Or in the rare case, you may have a tennis coach who has a great eye and can see any potential flaws in your own tennis strokes, but seeing yourself on video for the first time can be a humbling experience. You’ll see errors and likely quite visible technical flaws in your tennis technique that can be corrected without even seeking a tennis coach.

Tennis Technique of the Backhand Stroke

So, we’ve seen the tennis forehand stroke and the remarkable characteristics and similarities that world class tennis forehands all share in common. Now, does those same principles of matching “key” critical components apply to the backhand tennis technique and stroke in tennis?

The answer is a resounding Yes. Though the forehand and backhand in tennis are completely different tennis strokes, the concepts behind the fact that all high level tennis players share commonalities in tennis technique still hold true.

Tennis Technique & Preparation Phase of the backhand

Interestingly enough, the backhand tennis technique for both the one-handed backhand and the two-handed backhand both share similar elements particularly in the preparation and (coil) phases. Let’s examine the two-handed backhand first.

As we can see here, Andre Agassi and David Nalbandian have concluded their preparation in this sequence. They do not hit their two handed backhands the exact same way, but the tennis technique is very similar. Notice how the shoulders are turned, center of gravity is low and the deep bend in the knee. The left shoulder is slightly above the right shoulder. It is as if both players are looking down at the ball from their chin. Both Nalbandian and Agassi’s chin is touching their top of their right shoulder indicating a full and complete body turn and coil. Both players are hitting from a closed stance for this particular ball.

Tennis Technique of the One-Handed Backhand Stroke

Let’s take a look at the preparation phase of the one handed backhand stroke. As you will soon see, the tennis technique is quite similar.

Here we have two tennis players, Justine Henin Hardenne and Roger Federer. Both players are in the completion phase of the preparation of their one handed backhand tennis stroke. Again, the tennis technique is very similar. Notice the coil of the body. Shoulders are turned sideways and the upper body coil. Just like the two handed backhand, the technique is similar. Both players have their chin touching their right shoulder indicating a proper turn. Justine Henin’s footwork is also similar to Federer’s. Notice the feet in the closed stance.

The racket position is also similar and the grip is some version of an eastern backhand tennis grip which is the ideal grip to execute the one handed backhand tennis stroke.

Learn more about Tennis Technique

Tennis Technique is a complicated aspect of tennis, but also rewarding when mastery of tennis strokes are achieved. Hopefully you learned a thing or two on this online tennis instructional on the fundamentals of forehand and backhand tennis technique of the top tennis pros.

I cover a lot more in depth detail about the tennis technique and proper tennis strokes & footwork in my tennis ebook, a 60 plus page online tennis instructional ebook in PDF format viewable in Adobe Acrobat. There’s a lot more to learn about tennis technique, hope to see you there!

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 Fundamentals of Forehand and Backhand Tennis Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Professional tennis players on the other hand have tennis technique that is virtually flawless

This allows them to maximize their power, spin and accuracy potential. The important point to understand is that each tennis player will have their own hitting style, tennis strategy and tennis strokes, but they all adhere to distinct commonalities of tennis technique. These basic fundamentals of tennis technique are shared by high level tennis players, college tennis players and professional tennis players.

In Tennis Technique, I have broken the secrets of world class tennis technique down into three main qualities.

These foundational qualities make up tennis technique and which a player should strive to achieve.

Explosive

Explosive tennis technique is the first foundational quality necessary to play at a high level of tennis. Explosive tennis technique means that the tennis stroke, whether it’s your forehand, backhand or serve should have an element of explosiveness. Explosiveness can be seen in the tennis technique of the top professional players, particularly on the ATP tour. It’s easy to see how much racket head speed top pros achieve in all of their tennis strokes. Explosiveness in the ground strokes is accomplished through unique biomechanical elements.

Efficient

Efficient tennis technique is defined by smooth, effortless yet powerful tennis strokes that are able to achieve maximum racket head speed and topspin with the least amount of energy. Overly large backswings, hitches or unnecessary movement will hinder tennis technique. You’ll notice how top pros like Federer, Nadal, Safin, Roddick all have tennis strokes that are efficient. They are able to get the job done without wasting energy.

Watching professional tennis players practice can be a very eye opening experience. When you watch pros play, it’s easy to see how they are able to hit massive shots time and time again; while at the same time it appears like only a portion of their total strength. They are simply getting a lot more efficiency with a lot less work.

Inefficient or improper tennis technique can also result in injury. This is why the most common injury of club players is tennis elbow. Having poor tennis strokes and incorrect tennis technique, they will frequently be unable to maximize the power on their shots. Instead, they may be forced to muscle the ball and over time, this puts additional strain on the arm, eventually causing the condition known as tennis elbow.

The club players themselves may blame the tennis racket or the grips, or the tennis strings – but in actuality they have never seen themselves practice. While a head heavy, or oversize racket may be to blame, it is frequently a result of having faulty tennis technique.

At the pro levels, it is extremely rare to encounter tennis elbow. They may have other various injuries, but these injuries are normally a result of overtraining rather than faulty tennis technique.

Adaptable

The ability to adjust to adverse conditions and still being able to execute the shot is what constitutes adaptable tennis technique. There is always a day where the wind blows the tennis ball further than one would expect, or a day where the tennis balls don’t bounce the way they normally do on a warm day. This is where having adaptable tennis technique comes in. The ability to make fine adjustments without drastically altering the tennis technique makes up the key foundational aspects of adaptable tennis technique. Having flaws in tennis technique will prevent a tennis player from fully capitalizing on their maximum ability on the court. It may become difficult to adapt to certain conditions if there are foundational problems in the tennis swing shape itself. These problems usually come out during match play – – Which is why so many tennis players complain of playing “much worse” in matches than they do in practice. The weaknesses are exploited in matchplay, and they really come out to haunt you in key moments in the match – where your body may be tighter than normal.

Tennis Technique: Why It’s Important

Tennis Technique is one of the main areas to focus on if a tennis player desires to improve. Just as in Golf, players analyze their golf swing, Baseball players record their pitches, Quarterbacks work on their throwing mechanics, Bowlers fix their bowling technique – It’s the same for tennis. Tennis players (particularly at the club level) have the tendency to neglect working on their tennis strokes. The emphasis is by most mainstream tennis instruction is getting tennis players to learn the game and play the game, but rarely do these sources mention the exact methods of tennis technique.

While there are variations among professional tennis players and their tennis technique, there are striking basic commonalities that high level tennis players share. These commonalities seperate the elite from the amateurs, and why they are able to maximize power, topspin and accuracy. The irony here though, is that these commonalities often go unrecognized and very rarely taught to tennis players in traditional tennis lessons.

Tennis Technique can be taught and developed

So we all know that professional tennis players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi seem to have that special talent in tennis that makes them stand out from their opponents. Does that mean that the average tennis player has no chance of developing technically sound tennis strokes? Is having a powerful, consistent forehand out of the question for the ordinary player? Is developing an astute tennis serve reserved just for big strong giants like John Isner’s serve, or Ivo Karlovic?

The good news is that having technically sound tennis technique is not impossible, nor does it require that a tennis player be born with a special “gift.”

The key to having sound tennis technique is recognizing what the key elements of proper and efficient tennis strokes are, and reproducing them with positive repetition.

Learn Tennis Technique

Learning and understanding the fundamental key elements of tennis technique can make the difference between staying at the same level, or drastically taking a climb in terms of power and topspin potential. The reason most tennis player stay at the same level for months and years is simply because they are reproducing the exact same flaws over and over by swinging away with incorrect tennis technique

By swinging the tennis racket over and over with the flawed technique, all the tennis player is doing is burning the exact same muscle memory – the brain’s taking in the same stimuli resulting in the same poor results day in and day out

The Key to Improve Tennis Technique

The only way to improve tennis technique is to first recognize the tennis stroke that needs to be fixed. The brain is a very complicated organ, and the only way to improve is to feed it correct information through visualizing the ideal tennis technique or tennis stroke that needs to be mastered. Hitting thousands of tennis balls, playing tons of competitive matches and traditional tennis lessons alone may not be enough to reinforce the positive repetitions needed to really fix a tennis stroke. Improving tennis technique is a time consuming process, and the flaws in tennis strokes usually do not go away on it’s own without the proper work ethic and attention to the stroke that needs to be fixed

The Tennis Technique of Great Tennis Players

High performance tennis technique is a result of hours of studying and working hard. Having a good solid foundation is the only way to progress to a higher level. At the club level, we may see a tennis player with inferior strokes beat a tennis player with better tennis technique but the tennis player is still limited at the end of the day as to who he can defeat. That same club tennis player is unlikely able to defeat a college tennis player, or a junior tennis player with refined tennis strokes.

Development of Tennis Technique

Frequently, commentators on TV and in tennis magazines convince the audience that professional tennis players and having great tennis technique is something a person must be born with.

But in reality, it is a product of hours of refinement and practice. I was inspired by an older tennis documentary that revealed some of America’s Top Juniors. In that video, Andy Roddick was quoted for saying, “There is alot more training that is involved, because you’re still learning and building your strokes and technique – – That’s when the work is put in.”

Tennis Technique: A reality

It may be too much to expect that everyone can develop and produce world class tennis strokes even with the necessary refinement; however, even a slight adjustment can result in big improvements to one’s tennis game. The tennis technique involved may require a higher degree of athleticism that what you may be accustomed to, but a prerequisite to play better tennis.

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 Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Tennis Stances and Stylistic Differences Between Each Player

Tennis is an individual sport and each individual has his own way of hitting each particular shot. No two bodies are the same and therefore no two players can have the exact same strokes as each other. Even if some players seem to hit the ball very similarly, there are subtle differences in their strokes. There are multitudes of ways that a tennis ball can be hit. There are different grips and stances that can be used, especially for the ground strokes. The modern game has been marked by an increase in the speed and pace of the ball during rallies.

The emphasis on power has also forced players to use longer swings. But longer swings take more time to execute. Players have to somehow be able to hit the ball using proper techniques while at the same time being able to deal with the fast pace of the game. Adaptability, flexibility and improvisation have therefore become more and more useful. One of the ways to respond and adapt to the different situations a player finds himself in on the court is to learn how and when to use the different stances.

There are three basic tennis stances: closed, open and semi-open.

The closed stance has the feet and body turned sideways to the net. It is sometimes also referred to as the classic stance. This is because during the wooden racket days when people played more matches on grass and more commonly used the eastern and continental grips, the closed stance was the way to hit almost all ground strokes.

Problems with Closed Stance Hitting in Modern Tennis

The main advantage of this stance is that in ensures complete and proper shoulder and body turn. However, there are some situations where it is not always possible because of lack of time. Also, on some strokes, the positioning of the feet on the closed stance limits the uncoiling of the body into the shot since the front leg gets in the way of completing the follow through.

In the older days, the follow through usually ended forward from the body in the direction of the ball so this wasn’t much of a problem as it is now for the more modern style.

Also, In today’s game, shoulder turn is only one element of the full body turn needed to hit a world class forehand. Today, players are learning to develop a full body coil in addition to the sideways turn of the shoulder. More on this technique & mechanics are available in the Modern Forehand Unlocked Ebook

Tennis Stances: Today’s Open Stance in Modern Tennis

Today, the follow through usually ends on the opposite side from where the stroke originated. For a right handed forehand, that would be the left shoulder or left side of the body. To adapt, people who use the closed stance pivot their front feet to face the net as they uncoil.

Alternatively, they may already point the foot forward as they set up for the shot just as they would on an open or semi-open stance. This is done by Maria Sharapova. The stroke is finished with the back leg often coming up off the ground as the weight is transferred completely to the front foot.

Benefits of using the Open Stance

The open stance features the feet aligned parallel to the net. The toes may point forward or to the side, as long as they are in this alignment. The trunk and shoulders are still turned sideways on the backswing when using this tennis stance.

The most major advantage of this stance is that it facilitates a full follow through and a complete uncoiling of the torso. Also, less time can be taken to set up for the shot. The main disadvantage of this stance is that it sometimes doesn’t allow for proper weight transfer and maintenance of balance.

Sharapova is a good example of a player whose technique can be broken down in this way. When she is rushed, she tends to hit from an open stance without getting her feet to balance her stroke properly, especially her forehand.

Fortunately for her, she is quite a powerful hitter so she is usually the one forcing the other player into rushing. The open stance is most commonly used for topspin ground strokes, especially the western or semi-western forehand. Double handed backhands can also be effectively hit from this stance.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Stances

Top players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer can hit their forehands very effectively with any stance including this one. By properly loading the back foot, coiling the torso and turning the shoulders, the can really unleash their forehands. On the forward swing, their weight gets shifted to the front foot, which really is only slightly ahead of their back foot. However, the sheer torque they produce can sometimes carry them off the ground as they throw their body weight into the shot.

At contact, their torsos are completely facing forward to the net. Both players have long follow throughs and finish with the feet parallel and facing forward for a quick recovery back to the ready position.

Semi Open Stance in Tennis

The semi-open tennis stance is a stance in between closed and open. The feet are diagonal relative to the net. Like the open stance, the toes may point forward, to the side or obliquely. This stance offers some of the advantages of both the closed and open stance. You can turn your shoulders and coil your trunk completely while at the same time ensure that you have a clear path to uncoil and perform a long complete follow through.

This is also a commonly used stance in today’s game. Topspin western and semi western forehands and two-fisted backhands can be hit from this stance. Andre Agassi frequently used this stance on both his forehand and backhand ground strokes.

Tennis Stances: Learning the Neutral Stance

There is actually a fourth tennis stance known as the sideways or neutral stance. This stance features the feet also being diagonal to the net like the semi-open stance. However, the legs are reversed.

For example, for a right handed player hitting a forehand, he would have his left foot ahead of his right foot on a semi-open stance while it would be his right foot ahead of his left foot on a sideways stance. This limits the amount of shoulder and trunk turn unless you are very flexible. The advantage of this stance is that the player can run through the shot.

Using the Tennis Stance (Neutral) on Short Balls

Andre Agassi sometimes used this on his forehand drive approach. When he got a short ball, he ran forward to it and arrived at this stance to hit the ball deep into his opponent’s court. Because he had a lot of flexibility, he could coil his trunk just as he normally would. Without having to pause too much to hit the ball, he could continue running forward as he hit the shot and end up sooner at the net where he can finish the point with volley.

The neutral stance, however, cannot be used for backhand shots, especially single-handed ones. This stance is also seen on volleys and half volleys, especially those that require the player to run for the ball. Because things happen much more quickly when you are up at net, you cannot think about how to position your feet properly for each particular shot. You just volley the ball any which way it arrives, as long as you are balanced and have the upper body and the racket in proper position.

Keys of Using the Correct Tennis Stance

The main keys to maintaining proper stroke production regardless of the tennis stance used is to have proper footwork and balance. To improve this, footwork drills, speed drills and agility drills are all imperative. Moving properly to the ball should become so ingrained that it becomes second nature.

It must not be something you actively think about when playing. Instead, it should be automatic and unconscious or instinctive. The technique of the stroke – the racket work – should also be kept as consistent as possible.

Off Court Training to Improve Your Tennis

Strength training with weights and medicine ball throwing exercises will help ensure proper power-producing stroke mechanics regardless of what stance you use. Aside from strength, flexibility needs to be developed. The most important area would be the trunk or core. Trunk twisting stretches, hip and groin stretches and shoulder stretches should be performed.

With these in mind, it becomes clear why the pros can play using the different tennis stances. Because these players train and work out properly, they can completely focus on the ball and think only about their strategies and tactics instead of having to spend any energy pondering about how to move their feet in order to arrive at the ball in a particular stance.

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 Main Tennis Stances for Hitting Groundstrokes appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

The game of tennis has evolved greatly since the early beginnings of the game. The tennis forehand has been a part of tennis for a long time, but great changes have been made to the tennis stroke itself. The tennis technique of the forehand is now comprised of a powerful, heavy and accurate tennis shot that must be mastered with the adequate attention and focus to the tennis technique.

A reason for the evolution of the tennis forehand technique is the equipment as well as the transition to a faster and higher paced world. Today, tennis rackets are built with oversized head sizes, with strings that allow a tennis player to hit the tennis ball harder than ever before with any kind of tennis technique. The tennis rackets are no longer made out of wood, making the tennis rackets much more capable of producing harder hit tennis forehands.

Today, we see professional tennis players like Roger Federer’s forehand, dish it out in a grueling five set matches with Rafael Nadal. The audience is shocked in awe as they watch the two pro players smack tennis balls with velocities never seen before, with heavy topspin that fly off the baseline and accuracy that stuns the entire stadium.

Tennis forehand technique has now become a critical component. The tennis technique on the forehand is one of the main areas in tennis that every player should focus on if her or she wishes to improve.

Tennis forehand technique follows the same criteria of tennis technique: Explosive, Efficient and Adaptable.

Explosive: Today, at the pro tour we see professional tennis players hit the tennis forehand harder than ever, with heavy topspin and deadly placements. The tennis forehand has evolved into powerful tennis stroke, a necessity that is required to play at a high level of tennis. Tennis forehand technique has become the hallmark of the groundstroke game.

Efficient: The best tennis forehands in the world consist of the most biomechanical efficient tennis strokes possible. A world class tennis forehand is not possible without efficient tennis technique. This means that the body must be synced together in unison, and the tennis forehand shot itself must be extremely fluid. The tennis forehand is a stroke that must perform the desired action with the least excessive hitches or additional movement. The cleaner the tennis forehand swing is, the better chance that it will hold up under tight match situations – under which the body and arm is usually tense and even small differences in contact and reaction time can result in different results.

Adaptable: On the tennis forehand, it’s vitally important to have adaptable tennis technique. This means that the forehand tennis technique must be able to make last minute adjustments without drastically altering the tennis technique. A windy day, a bad bounce or loose strings can be examples of less than ideal situations. Adaptable tennis technique means the tennis forehand must be capable of making slight changes and be able to maintain it’s integrity under pressure. A good tennis forehand technique should not go away on a whim, but instead it should be a dependable tennis stroke that will be solid even under duress.

The tennis forehand has changed with every new generation of players, and no two backswings look alike. A new tennis technique on the forehand is now being often by pros in the modern game. It’s role is to increase the rotation and angular momentum in the tennis forehand shot, allowing the players to crank up the power and spin more than ever.

A new Tennis forehand technique is called load and explode, which is initiated by what I called is “Set the power base” The power base is the foundation to which the forehand tennis technique is began, linking the kinetic chain of the body to produce maximum power, efficiency and accuracy.

In tennis forehand technique, setting the power base using the entire body is essential in the tennis technique. The tennis forehand is based on rotation.

The tennis forehand technique involves setting up the body in ideal balance in relation to the incoming tennis ball, and then imparting rotational forces to create the powerful tennis forehand we see on the touring pros. The ideal set up position is with the feet spread approximately a shoulder width and a half apart (or greater) and about 60 percent of the weight on the right leg. Too little weight on the right leg will make it difficult to initiate the rotation, and too much weight will cause balance problems.

Tennis forehand technique happens so fast, it is often missed by the human eye on TV. Pro players are using their entire body to hit the tennis ball in the modern game.

Justine Henin Hardenne demonstrates the tennis forehand technique, loading the power base and exploding into the court.

Justine Henin Hardenne’s Tennis Forehand Technique

Notice on Justine Henin Hardenne’s tennis forehand technique, she makes sure to take small adjustment steps to get into the perfect balance. Once Justine Henin’s tennis forehand is set and loaded, she then explodes forward and upwards into the court, creating a powerful and heavy tennis forehand. This tennis forehand technique is a new concept which top professional tennis players share on their tennis forehand technique. The tennis forehand technique is best executed with an open stance, which allows the tennis technique to fully rotate the lower and upper body with the angular momentum. It would be difficult to create the same explosion effect with a closed or neutral stance.

The tennis forehand technique has evolved over the years, but the basic principles of the tennis technique has not changed. Great champions who possess a good tennis forehand have the exact commonalities which allow them to produce the effortless and perfect results on every tennis forehand shot. Every tennis player should strive to ingrain the proper tennis forehand technique into their repertoire to help them increase the potential of their tennis technique to provide the results that they are striving to achieve on court.

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 Forehand Technique appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

Tennis Backhand Technique and Tips

Since the tennis backhand is the one of the least practiced tennis strokes, it is often weaker than the forehand. The technique on the tennis backhand must be improved through positive repetition and ample practice time. The proper tennis backhand technique will allow a player to improve their power, accuracy and ability to generate topspin. While most tennis player rely on the forehand as their main weapon, it is just as important to hone the skills of the tennis backhand technique so that the backhand shot can be a dependable under pressure in match situations.

The backhand technique is one of the main areas of focus in tennis. The backhand shot is used in baseline rallies and in approach shots. There are two different strokes in the backhand, one is the two handed backhand and the other on is the one handed backhand. Each backhand technique is described below.

Keys of The Tennis Backhand Technique

Key 1: Fluidity

Developing a fluid, continuous tennis backhand is one of the keys of the tennis backhand. A rigid backhand shot will limit the ability of the player to generate power as well as inhibit the necessary rotation needed to hit a powerful and heavy tennis backhand.

Key 2: Letting the Tennis Backhand Come Along for the Ride

The second key is letting the tennis backhand come along for the ride. This is one of the most important points. The body should help initiate the backswing on the backhand, and the hands and racket should do minimal work in taking the racket back. The only role of the hands and arm is to guide the racket back in a compact and simple motion.

The feet turning sideways on the preparation, helping to begin the coil on the tennis backhand should do most of the necessary work in taking the racket back.

Marat Safin’s tennis backhand technique.

The tennis backhand technique of Marat Safin is very clean, minimal and compact. He allows the racket to come back as a result of the overall body turn and coil. The racket itself is doing very little, and there is almost no swinging on the tennis backhand. Instead, Marat Safin focuses on coiling as much as possible in order to release that energy on contact. This is why Nalbandian’s tennis backhand technique is flawless and allows him the ability to hit the tennis ball with perfect tennis technique.

Key 3: Third Key of the Tennis Backhand Technique

The third and final key of the tennis backhand technique is to make clean contact and extend outwards with the arm and racket towards the intended direction of the ball. This is part of the follow through phase on the tennis backhand. The full extension of the arm and racket is key in order to maximize the line of the shot and create a full and fluid tennis backhand.

This extension happens quickly, but without good extension on the tennis backhand it will be difficult to maximize the depth and spin on the tennis backhand. All pro players with great tennis backhand technique will always have great extension in the follow through. It’s something that happens so fast on TV or in real-time that the human eye misses most of the smaller components of the tennis backhand technique.

Typically, lower level players who have in proper tennis backhand technique will fail to get the same full extension in the follow through of the tennis backhand before wrapping around the right shoulder (for a right handed tennis player) or the left shoulder (for a left handed tennis player) This is due to the swing itself, or an overly active wrist (e.g snapping the wrist at contact, rather than driving through with the backhand)

The Same is true for the one handed tennis backhand technique. Even with one hand on the racket, there needs to be full extension before finishing the tennis backhand.

Two handed backhand

One example of tennis backhand technique is the two handed backhand tennis stroke. This tennis stroke is popularly used by many players from beginners to professionals. It is one of the tennis strokes that are used by many tennis players as their winning weapon in tennis matches they play.

Grip

Players use different types of tennis grips when they execute the tennis backhand technique. If you are a right handed player, the most common grip to use in the two handed backhand are the Eastern forehand grip for your left hand (if you are right handed), while the continental grip is used for the right hand.

The initial body turn

At this stage, your body is facing the net with your feet doing the same (toes should be pointing towards the net). Then hold your racket with both hands. Grip can vary based on the player’s choice.

Backswing

In two handed backhand technique, professional players use either the compact backswing or a loop backswing. From the initial split step position, you have to bring the racket back, and then turn sideways and be prepared to step forward with your left foot.

Down Swing

After the height of the backswing, it’s critical to bring the racket down at about 1 foot below the ball. This movement causes the racket face to brush off the ball producing topspin. You body weight at this stage should be transferring to your front leg.

Point of Contact for the Two Handed Backhand

Less than a second before the point of contact, your racket should still be below the ball at around 8 inches. This is an important aspect of backhand technique to produce topspin. When the ball is short, ideally it is best to make contact with the ball a few inches in front of your knee. However if the ball is high, the contact point can be a bit farther back. When you make contact, make sure that your racket is positioned parallel to the ground, your body is facing sideways and your eyes glued to the ball.

One handed backhand technique

The other tennis backhand technique is the one handed backhand. Although in recent years, the one handed backhand is not popularly used by many players, some players still use this as one of their powerful strokes. Roger Federer’s one handed backhand, for example is one of his main weapons in winning matches.

Grip

In the one handed backhand technique, the tennis grip to be used depends on the execution you want to achieve. The eastern backhand is the ideal grip for generating topspin on the one handed backhand.

The initial body turn

At this stage, your body is facing the net with your feet doing the same (toes should be pointing towards the net). Then hold your racket with both hands. Grip can vary based on the player’s choice.

Backswing

From the ready position, your feet should be facing the net. Ideally, you should step forward using your right foot (remember this instruction is for right handed players) and try to meet the ball early for proper backhand execution. The movement of the foot in a forward direction allows you to generate pace and at the same time keep you in a sideways position. This allows you to move in a forward and upward direction with the use of your legs as you swing your racket.

Forward Swing

The one handed backhand technique, power is generating from the speed and velocity of the forward and upward movements of your arms, legs and body. At this stage of the stroke it is very important that that your eyes are focused where the ball is. If you see that the ball is coming towards you, quickly take out your left hand from supporting the racket and then swing forward your racket. If the return of your opponent is a short ball, you need to bend more to position your racket below the ball. This is to create the brushing effect as you hit the ball. The brushing movement produces the topspin you need. In addition to topspin, you can also add more power in your hit by exerting forward momentum as you swing your racket forward.

Seconds before contact

Before the point of contact (ball comes in contact with the racket face or racket strings), drop more the racket as low as your right knee (right handed player) if the ball is very low. However if the ball is high you don’t need to drop the ball, but still see to it that the brushing effect is still executed perfectly so as not to lose the topspin effect. As mentioned above, whether the ball is low or high, position the racket head as low as I foot below the ball. This gap should be enough to produce enough topspin.

Point of contact

At this stage of the one handed backhand technique, your eyes should be of total focus with the ball. In the one handed backhand, the point of contact differs depending on the grip you use. If you want to create topspin, do not use the continental grip unless you want to hit a slice backhand. If you are using the eastern backhand grip, you have to hit the ball in front of your body.
There are indications if your backhand technique was done correctly. For a topspin backhand, you will know if you were successful by the way your racket moves after you hit the ball. If you executed hit the backhand with the correct technique, your racket should move up at about 1 foot from the point of contact.

Backhand Follow-through

In this instance of the one handed backhand execution, you should have lifted your shoulder and straightened your right foot (if you are right handed). This movement will drive your body in an upward motion. At the same time, your left foot should slide forward.

Backhand technique and all the aspects concerning the tennis backhand is a time consuming process that a player must dedicate practice time to perfect the small components which make up the tennis technique. Although no two tennis backhand technique will be exactly a like, there are fundamental commonalities in the backhand tennis technique of the pros that can serve as great models for tennis players at all levels of the game.

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 Backhand Technique – Tips for the Backhand Tennis Shot appeared first on Tennis Instruction.

In the tennis backhand, tennis players should focus on the most fundamental commonalities which the top pro players share in their own tennis backhand. By learning to model the tennis strokes of the pros, particularly the backhand shot – a tennis player can have a better grasp of the proper tennis technique.

Tennis backhand technique Explained

There are generally four strokes often seen in the game of tennis to start the game. The basic ones are the serve, the forehand shot, the backhand shot and the volley shot. The tennis backhand shot being the most difficult to be played and is of course difficult to learn. In the tennis backhand shot, there are the three distinct strokes to be played often: (1) the one-hand topspin stroke, (2) the two handed topspin stroke, and (3) the slice. As I already mentioned, the tennis backhand shot is the most difficult shot of this sport hence it requires intense intention, focus, concentration, hard work, and a lot of practice.

For most tennis players, the tennis backhand shot is an intimidating and the most difficult stroke to be played. For overcoming this difficulty, you have to be in perfect balance with a strong shoulder turn, the correct positioning of the racket and adequate time spent practicing the tennis backhand shot. There are some basic key points apply to all tennis shots that are as follows:

• Watch the ball with full concentration all the time.
• Always hit the ball using an attacking mentality by moving forward and making good forward momentum.
• Always try to hit the ball on the rise after being bounced, rather than late

Tennis Backhand Fundamentals

The first element of backhand tennis technique is the initial preparation. For recreational and club players, the preparation for the tennis backhand should start immediately. The preparation involves turning the body sideways as a unit. Typically, the hips will turn and the lower body will help intitiate the sideways turn of the body, therefore creating a coil. The racket should come along with the ride at this preparation stage.

The second element of the tennis backhand technique is to develop a fluid and efficient swing. Professional tennis players keep their tennis backhands simple, yet remarkably efficient. This means that throughout the backhand shot, there are absolutely no hitches, stoppages or extraneous motion.

The third element of backhand tennis technique is to have a full and complete shoulder turn. This allows for maximum power. The power must be loaded into the core (lower body) prior to hitting the shot, this will help to increase the potential of the weight transfer forward into the shot.

Can an average tennis player develop good tennis backhand technique?

How difficult is incorporating tennis backhand technique of the pros into your own tennis strokes? And why would a player even try to aspire to learn the tennis technique?

A recreational and club player most definately can develop good tennis backhand technique. Whether the tennis player uses a two handed backhand, or a one handed backhand the fundamentals behind the backhand shots remain the same. Hitting a powerful tennis backhand is not entirely based on athleticism, nor does it require that a tennis player be as strong as the pros.

Topspin Backhand Shot:

The topspin tennis backhand shot is becoming the most popular shot for every tennis player. The basics about this shot is very simple. This shot is played by bringing the racket close and brushing the ball from low to high upon hitting the ball. Then the shot will take an topspin effect, which brings the ball down quickly.

The position of sweeping the racket from low to high will tell about the trajectory of the ball. By getting in this position you are able to play any tennis shot whether it is the tennis forehand shot or the tennis backhand shot.

Tennis backhand Drill: Mini Tennis

One of my favorite backhand tennis drills is mini-tennis. In this drill, both players cooperatively rally back and forth to each hitting topspin backhands. The objective is to impart good topspin onto the tennis ball while keeping the tennis ball inside the service box. This backhand tennis drill tests the player’s ability to generate topspin as well as maintain good control while hitting the backhand shot. This backhand tennis drill requires both finesse and soft touch in order to keep the tennis ball within the service box.

This tennis backhand drill works on accuracy, precision, finesse as well as the ability to generate the correct topspin to keep the ball inside the service box.

Each player must hit only topspin tennis backhands to one another, teaching them to keep the tennis ball inside the boundaries of the opposite service box. The correct rotation and ball spin must be applied, and players who lack adequate topspin on the tennis backhand will experience difficulty with this drill.

Only proper tennis backhand technique will allow a player to keep the tennis ball inside the service box every time without missing. This will also expose other problems with tennis technique, such as the tennis footwork on the backhand or the balance and positioning of the player. Since mini-tennis simulates the full tennis court, the same fundamental flaws in tennis backhand technique will be exposed in this drill.

With this tennis backhand drill, a player cannot get away with slapping backhands or any flat wristy shots. Only a smooth, fluid and precise tennis backhand will suffice.

Positioning and Body Orientation:

Body orientation must be proper while getting into position, the weight of your full body must be your toes. Once you see the ball heading towards your backhand, you should take a split step and also adjust the grip of your racket to play the tennis backhand shot.

As soon as you get your grip on the racket for the backhand shot, you must bring the racket and your shoulders back so that the fingers of the other hand must be on non-dominant side of your racket.

Your shoulders should turn so that your upper body will slightly be away from the ball while playing the backhand shot and your toes must be pointing perpendicular to the direction of the ball. The foot that is closest to the ball while playing the backhand shot should be positioned slightly away from your body while the opposite foot turning back from your body helping to get you in a balanced position to play the tennis backhand shot.

The racket should be held slightly below the point of contact as mentioned earlier. Topspin on the tennis backhand is generated by following a strict swinging pattern (low-to-high). The face of the racket should always be perpendicular to the ground. If the racket face is tilted slightly, the chances to miss the shot increases which makes it difficult to get your body in the balanced position while playing the tennis backhand shot.

Maximize Leverage on the tennis backhand technique

The tennis backhand is about maximizing leverage to your advantage. Since the body becomes a series of links, or chains (hence the word kinetic chain), the idea of the backhand tennis technique is to synchronize and involve as many levers as you can to power behind the ball.

The tennis backhand technique is not relative to how fast you swing (as it is on the forehand) but more about making clean contact and maximizing the leverage and line of the shot.

The reason why most tennis players should try to model the top tennis backhands on tour is simple. It’s a tennis stroke that can make the difference between a mediocre backhand and a powerful backhand.

Contact Point

Your eyes should remain focused on the ball as you are getting into position to make contact with the ball. Full concentration is needed in order to attempt the tennis backhand shot efficiently.

While contacting the ball, your racket should be properly oriented. Your body and your footwork must be proper to get into the position while hitting the backhand shot. If your racket is tilted to some angle, then there are greater chances to miss the backhand shot.

Just prior to contact, many players just see the area where they want to play the shot. You mustn’t do this. You must watch the ball using full concentration and keep your eyes locked onto the contact point. In fact, the common mistake of pulling away from the shot too soon is being pointed out by many renowned coaches on different occasions.

Tennis Backhand Follow Through

Just like other sports, you must follow the ball through after you’ve struck the ball. Don’t stop right after hitting the backhand shot, because if you stop suddenly your body will lose its balance, giving an advantage to your opponent to strike at your backhand side. Hence you must maintain the balance of your body, and complete a full follow through. This in turn will help you to maintain your body in a balanced position.

These are some basic key points to learn about the tennis backhand shot. For more assistance you must watch different lessons and videos online to learn more about the tennis backhand shot. You must practice this shot more and more as this is the most difficult shot to be played by any tennis player.

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