The Buggy Whip Forehand

[johnyandell]

Let's discuss John Craig's latest article, "The Buggy Whip Forehand"!

[stotty]

As a good friend of mine on the forum often says: "There is nothing new under the sun". Here we get, I think, Nicola Pierangeli hitting a buggy whipped forehand at 1:10 on this clip. I think the year is 1961.

He's slightly late on the ball...and voila!

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

Nice article, John. Smoothly delivered as always.

Stotty

[klacr]

Solid, straightforward and clears up all the misnomers about the buggy whip/ reverse/ whatever you need to call it forehand.

So many players, especially and frighteningly the number of juniors that attempt this shot when they simply don't need to. Trying to emulate their favorite players without realizing the true reasoning and purpose behind it.

Another good video Mr. Craig.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[cms56]

I think Mr. Craig gets only partway in explaining how the stroke came to be. I can't take issue with his observation that the stroke is typically employed when the player is late to the ball and/or reaching out wide, but the question is whether those conditions necessitate the buggy whip and whether it arises "naturally" out of those conditions or whether the more conventional "wrap" could still be employed. And here's where a little imaging of the kind Mr. Yandell so eloquently described in the new issue comes in handy. Try to imagine finishing with a standard wrap when reaching wide out. It's immediately obvious that you'd be off balance and might even be turned backwards relative to the direction you're continuing to travel. Not a good situation. IMHO, when players are going to impart anything in the way of topspin even to balls hit when reaching out wide, the buggy whip is employed as a counterbalance, to prevent excess torso rotation, and thereby to maintain a more effective position in the court. The reverse wrap forehand is simply a more extreme version, employed quite literally to put the brakes on the torso rotation. Even though the dominant arm is light in relation to the rest of the body, it is thrown into impact with considerable force, and allowing it to wrap in a standard manner when hitting wide out will pull the body around. In a RH player, the wrap is counterclockwise. Muscularly directing the arm up and out of the counterclockwise path permits the player to use the arm as a kind of brake to resist unwanted excess torso rotation. The final racket "flick" in completely the opposite direction is also quite telling.

Summarily: it's a counterbalancing technique, employed "naturally" only insofar as it is driven by the expedients of hitting topspin shots and having to maintain balance in a position suited to get back to the center of the court as fast as possible. Watch how little Nadal and Federer each turn significantly less when hitting while running.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/roger_federer_09/rf_forehand/rf_fh_running/rf_fh_running.html?RFFHRunningRear.mov

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/strokearchive/pro_men/rafael_nadal/rn_forehand/rn_fh_center/rn_fh_center.html?RNFHCenterSide8.mov

Nadal's overuse of the reverse wrap forehand has always been something of a mystery. Perhaps someone might conjecture a bit on what that's all about.

[johncraig]

Excellent contribution on the subject of the Reverse / Buggy whip / Variation forehand! It certainly makes sense that the swing itself is a component of balance and recovery, and will vary naturally to aid in the process. Thanks!

[johnyandell]

Brett Hobdon has a good take on this calling it the Bender--see the last part of his article:

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/famouscoach/brett_hobden/seven_modern_topspin_forehands/seven_modern_topspin_forehands.html

[cms56]

John Craig's gracious reply to my earlier (prolix) post improves dramatically on it. The "swing itself is a component of balance and recovery, and will vary naturally to aid in the process." Nicely put. Hope you don't mind if I use that.