A New Teaching System: Forehand: The Forward Swing

[johnyandell]

Would love to get your thoughts on "A New Teaching System: Forehand: The Forward Swing"

[captnemo]

How does all this vary by grip????

[bdole]

Another fantastic video, John. Key points for me were:
-pulling to initiate the forward swing, then pushing forward & out for extension
-swinging in an arc, not through the line of the ball

As with just about every article/video on this site, the images teach a bonus lesson in addition to the narrator's instruction. Many new things to try.

Can you comment on the initiation of the swing...for example, in the initial pulling, which body segment is responsible for the greater contribution to get the racquet moving forward (arm, shoulders, hips, legs)?

[johnyandell]

Thanks! And I plan to go back once I get through and reintegrate how to use imagery and feeling to key the whole thing.

You raise a great question--the actual sequence and it's legs, hips shoulders and arm maybe in that sequence but all in a few fractions.

You hit the ball with the hand (and the racket which is the extension of your hand) so I always have felt even before I had high speed video that you set up the preparation and then key on the hand and the sequence just uncoils.

I've seen emphasis on the push with the legs and the rotation of the hips absolutely destroy this natural sequence. What I think you want to feel and imagine is the swing pattern itself and let the segments drive it!

[ClassicStrokes]

So is this a classic or a modern swing?

[ClassicStrokes]

Classic,

Both? Or just great? Or an element in most good forehands over history excerpted and stylized for teaching.

[don_budge]

What gives? ClassicStrokes?

So is this a classic or a modern swing?

Classic,

Both? Or just great? Or an element in most good forehands over history excerpted and stylized for teaching.

ClassicStrokes…are you dancing by yourself?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG1NrQYXjLU

[ralph]

Inverted swing

John,
Terrific presentation on the forward swing. Great check points for teaching. At the club where I do a few lessons to primarily older students two junior high players do some practicing. They get their instruction at another club. They play USTA events and have respectable rankings. Their forward swings seem to be more of the inverted type with great emphasis on the the windshield wiper. Is this forward swing commonly taught? Is this forward swing sound for baseline play?

Thanks,
Ralph

[johnyandell]

DB,

Apparently... Classic?

[johnyandell]

Ralph,

Good question. Extreme grips inherently require that. And in high level tennis you see some degree of wiper of almost every ball. I will be going into that in more detail next month.

The wiper though is combined with extension of good drives regardless of level. How much wiper and how fast and how far the racket comes across and the height of the finish is a function of the ball.

[jbsakag1]

Straight arm or bent arm at contact?

John, I see that Federer and Nadal have very straight arms up to and at contact. Many players, including my son (who is a ranked high school player with a pretty big forehand), have a bent arm at contact. On one hand, this would seem to increase acceleration (like a figure skater pulling arms in during a spin), but given the best forehand in the world is hit with a straight arm, I'm guessing there's good reason to do so. Your thoughts? Is it worth trying to get my son to hit with a straight arm at contact now that he's almost 18?

Also, would appreciate your thoughts on acceleration. Rick Macci talks about the "flip" in the key change-of-direction point in the backswing, but there is a lot of talk about lag in the racket (with a very laid-back wrist) at the beginning of the pull. My son has a tendency to get "slappy" with his forehand when he's trying to hit (or overhit) harder and flatter. Do you think there's a conscious point of acceleration at impact, or is it just the result of smooth, constant acceleration prior to and through contact? Thanks.

[johnyandell]

jb,

Intelligent and reasonable questions! Yes Fed and Rafa have straight arms as does Verdasco. Novak uses a double bend as does Andy Murray. Berdych is probably somewhere in between.

I'd be careful about analogies to other sports like figure skating though. If I understand Brian Gordon correctly the rotation of the upper arm in the shoulder is enhanced with the straight arm and this vastly outweighs any alleged increase in torso rotation with the double bend. Tennis players are spinning on ice with metal blades.

And for players feel not physics is what matters. There is no reason not to experiment with variations in hitting arm structure. This is assuming there aren't more fundamental flaws--which there usually are...

But what I find is that the arm configuration is something natural that players tend to find for themselves. For sure no one told Rafa hit with your arm straight and your internal shoulder rotation will give you that heavy topspin...

It's more or less the same on the "lag." I get annoyed because the masses of internet coaching gurus have picked up on this as a secret key. My own feeling and something I will address at the appropriate time in my series is that the lag is like the wrap. It's a consequence and tends to naturally happen. Almost always, trying to manipulate the wrist position in the forward swing is a recipe for disaster.

A final thought all of the above is really speculation regarding your son. Send us some decent high speed video. iphone 6 240 frames super slow mo or similar. Then I could say something accurate.