Barry Gaines' forehand

[tennismaverick]

In all but the last video Barry's hitting elbow is very close to his body compared to Henman's hitting elbow. In the last video it has moved a little further away but is still close to his body comparatively speaking. Is this a problem or just an idiosyncrasy? I don't see many pros hitting with their elbow tucked in so tightly to their side.

[jhm36]

Good question. Any general rules about how far to extend the arm when hitting a forehand? My elbow is closer to my body than most people I play against, but when I try to extend it for greater reach and power I start mishitting more balls. I know we can't get the ideal elbow positioning down to the half-inch, but I am curious to here what the instructors on the page would say on the issue.

[johnyandell]

I think there are probably a few things he could do to improve the actual swing pattern and we'll be looking at them with Barry over time. Not sure the distance of his hitting arm to the body would be near the top of my list.

One problem I think in coaching is trying to solve all issues at once. What I see often is that if you work from fundamental stuff--or what seems most off in the stroke--then sometimes other issues self correct.

Another thing to keep in mind is the camera angles are different. Tim is probably somewhat further out with his arm, but not sure Barry is really cramped. As I said, you take it step by step and see what the player does. You have to give the organic process some room.

I think in terms of the model the feeling is comfortably flexed. Model the contact with the double bend and work back a bit from there.

[tennismaverick]

I understand and his stroke looks a lot better in the last video than in the first. I am still confused about how close to his body his elbow should be. I hear different pros and books state different things yet they don't justify their statements. Some say keep the elbow in close and others say the opposite which is away from your body as much as possible. It seems like most pros have their hitting elbow comfortably away from their body depending on their grip. So it doesn't look cramped or pressed against their side but it isn't flying away from their body either. I was wondering the reasoning behind having your elbow close to your body or away from your body. Are their advantages and disadvantages to either position?