Slow motion comparison: Borg - Federer Forehand

[stotty]

Del Potro

Click repeatedly on the scroll bar right above the M in Martin and you will see the stroke from the point his hands separate. Beautiful video. Brian Gordon may be endorsing a slightly more outside starting position for the racket head, but it seems to be right in line with Gordon model to me.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Juan_DelPotro_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Forehand/JD_FH_Center&stroke=FH%20Center%20NeutralStance%20Front%20240fps.mp4

don

stroke, tennis_chiro

I agree with tennis_chiro about the preparation. I have often wondered about Del Potro's forehand and where it stands with regard to the Brian Gordon model. Style-wise it looks far removed from it...yet I don't think it is...not really.

I agree with stroke that Del Potro's forehand is unusual. I find it gangly and ugly. But once you get past the looks...the high, long backswing...he pretty much hits all the positions, doesn't he?

Thoughts....?

[stroke]

Click repeatedly on the scroll bar right above the M in Martin and you will see the stroke from the point his hands separate. Beautiful video. Brian Gordon may be endorsing a slightly more outside starting position for the racket head, but it seems to be right in line with Gordon model to me.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/high_speed_archive/phantom/Juan_DelPotro_HD_HS/index.html?dir=Forehand/JD_FH_Center&stroke=FH%20Center%20NeutralStance%20Front%20240fps.mp4

don

I agree that Del Potro is in line with the Gordon model. My thinking is that he has somewhat simplified the type 3 forehand in his preparation by just straightening his arm out to the side?

[10splayer]

10splayer, I've got one more question for you. What do you make of Del Potro's forehand? He seems to bypass the Macci endorsed method forehand preparation. It looks to me like he just kind of straightens his arm out high and to his right side. That is pretty much his preparation for his huge straight arm forehand. It looks very unusual to me.

Never really looked at it closely, but yeah, it has a very strange look to it.

To answer your question, yes, I think he finds a nice position at the bottom of the loop...He just has a very contrived, probably inefficient way of getting there.

As you mentioned, he straightens his arm and supinates his forearm which opens the face. Strange move. He recovers well though as he brings the racquet back to him. He closes the face and finds a nice "inside" position to pull. The basic elements are there, albeit with a HUGE lateral move. Probably not ideal, but obviously doable for him..


The difference (as i see it) between him and a guy like Fed is when the elbow straightens. Fed's is still bent as the hands break and remains bent until he starts to pronate which will tend to straighten the arm and find the "outside" position. As a result his backswing is much more compact.

Actually watching a little delpo, I'm amazed at the amount of lateral movement. Wow.