Modern Tennis: Where Are We Now? The Forehand Part 1

[dipperhitter]

I resubscribed to read this one. No disappointment. It's what they call a tour de force. It pulls together so much Tennisplayer research and makes the complexities seem almost simple--sort of matter of fact. I want to read part 2.
If every teaching pro read this the quality of forehands would go way way up worldwide. Too bad that they don't even know about it.

[johnyandell]

Thaniks Stotty. And basically I agree. When I put in the links I love the way so much of our material ties together.

[stotty]

A great walk-thru....loved it. 1997 to 2017...I make that 20 years not 30 years.

Very brave to be honest with Joe Public about what he can and should not try. I'm sure many don't want to hear, but, yes, comical they do look when they try hit like pro's. I teach old school with club players. Most accept it, it's just the odd one or two that don't.

A great tip there about looking for the grip structure in relation to the backswing.

I always think the 'racket tip pointing vertical' in the early backswing phase tends to tuck the elbow into the body too much. I like that elbow away from the torso when I teach kids. A vertical tip is great for Rafa but many can't pull that off. It's probably the greatest forehand in the game but not the best model.

We have been round the world and back with forehand technique on this website and forum. Rafa has used a handful of slightly different forehand shapes and all have been brilliant. You set the best positions you can with kids but it's innate ability that has the final say. Would Roger still have had a great forehand if he had elevated the right elbow and dipped the racket down like Sampras? We'll never know...but I bet you it would still have been one of the best forehand in the game whatever swing path he took.

Great article, John. I like all the links in there too. You forget past articles and it's great to have the cues to go back and have another read.

[klacr]

The more we learn, the more we realize how much we still need to learn.
So many amazing things have been uncovered through the use of high-speed video. I reference or teach something to my students that I discovered through this website and my own high speed video research every day. Where will the this "forehand" be in 10 years? What major aesthetic elements will change? Can it get even better? How is that even possible? I am anxious to see that day.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

Would love to get your thoughts on my latest article, "Modern Tennis: Where Are We Now? The Forehand Part 1"