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I've been experimenting today with the straight-back preparation on the forehand. What I've noticed is that in order for the straight-back preparation to work, you need to be very mindful of the sequencing of the preparation. I had a tendency to start my turn, take the racquet straight back, then finish my full turn. This seemed to be the kiss of death as it made my backswing huge and kept the racquet from approaching the ball in an in-line fashion; I was coming from too far inside the ball and putting as much, if not more, side-spin on the ball than topspin. After checking my preparation in the mirror and seeing this mistake, I really focused on my sequencing: start of the turn, full turn, then just putting my arm and racquet in the hitting arm position. This seemed to work. I also made it a priority to keep my non-hitting hand on the racquet for as long as possible in order to keep my hitting and racquet from getting behind me. Has anybody else had the problem I did? If so, check the sequencing in your preparation. Happy hitting!
