Interactive Forum March 2018: Jimmy Arias Forehand

[johnyandell]

Jimmy Arias Forehand

How revolutionary was Jimmy Arias's forehand? When he arrived at Bolettieri's in the late 1960s he changed the way Nick taught it. This was a forehand Jimmy developed with his dad, an electrical engineer who took up tennis as an adult. Notice a few things - the compact outside backswing similar actually to Federer, with the racket tip pointed slightly toward the opponent. His dad wanted him to have more of what we now call the flip when the arm rotates back from that position.

Notice his semi-open stance. The launch upward into the ball. The comfort with the high contact point. The massive body rotation, the extension toward the target, and the free flowing wrap. Pretty good for a guy who is 53.

[tommyhorton]

i think this is the dream John Yandell forehand: full extension with left arm on the preperation, and great extension on the follow thru. Jimmy Arias is the God father of big forehands.He changed how bolleterri coached his players. Looks more like an Agassi forehand than Federer. Doesnt close the face of the racket as much as rodger or get that extreme elastic flip before contact.His grip seems to be a mild semi western. He has a wide athletic stance for an old guy! i like how he lands on his split step tilted to the forehand. i havent seen him play since the 80s. I would love to see him play again

[arturohernandez]

It's funny but with this forehand I really can see the arc of his finish. He hits the ball with an almost straight arm and then comes around for his finish. It almost feels like he is going to lose his footing by throwing himself around the ball.

I never thought of the forehand as going around that much.

[ten1050]

"I never thought of the forehand as going around that much." This is a brilliant observation that describes the essence of a great groundstroke. Rotation is the key to understanding a great forehand or backhand. The legs, hips, and torso go into a short forceful spin that sends the relaxed arm into a full rotation that produces a devastating forehand. Little Jimmy Arias did this at the age of 6, and his engineer father would not let anyone change it. A youngster tends to spin in a non-linear approach to the game, adults unfortunately have a more linear approach.

Norman Ashbrooke

[jeffreycounts]

I was watching a clip where James Blake talks about his "signature shot" forehand. He said the only thing he thinks about is "sit and lift". I really see that sit and lift motion in Jimmy's forehand. He sinks down with his legs and then on contact his feet are in the air! You can see how the instruction to "step forward into the ball" would have ruined the uncorking action he is getting with his legs and torso rotation.

These clips are just fantastic.

[stotty]

It's a good one. It wouldn't look too much out of place today.

It's a shame the shot isn't shown in real time as well as in slow motion. A real time clip would show Jimmy's racket speed and explosion better. I watched Jimmy play when he was young and he could really belt his forehand. What set him apart was the way his right shoulder finished pointing at the other end of the court, and sometimes beyond, every time. In his era players didn't always do that. Vilas certainly didn't, nor McEnroe. Jimmy really hurled himself into the ball lock, stock and two smoking barrels.

[johnyandell]

Stotty download it and speed it up in qt

[stotty]

Stotty download it and speed it up in qt

That's cool. I didn't know you could do that.

[johnyandell]

If you have QT Pro

[stotty]

If you have QT Pro

I do....sorted.

[arturohernandez]

Isn't Landsdorp famous for saying that Tennis instruction has to occur between individuals?

An Engineer, a boxer who made a ball machine, a father who made a small court for his daughter at home, a dad who played games with his two sons on the tennis court, a mother who trained his two sons to play in the middle of nowhere, an uncle who would train a player on a court with holes and crevices to make the ball bounce ugly.

Novelty never comes from the establishment.

Just ask Bill Gates...

[dipperhitter]

If so modern why no wiper?

[jeffreycounts]

Definitely a wiper forehand. He just finishes with a very high elbow - maybe that's what you are seeing?

[dipperhitter]

I see what you mean. It's not as soon as other players that reach a wiper more near the extension point. I wonder if that's because of his wood racquet when he was playing in his earlier stage.

[alexander28]

I think its great!