Forehand backswing

[princeO32433]

I used to have a loopy backswing on my forehand but my coach suggested that i just bring the racquet straight back for my backswing. i have my doubts about this backswing. does anybody use this kind of backswing?

[wihamilton]

straight back means you take the racket back along the same path that you swing forward... any other backswing creates a loop of some sort. is that what he suggests you do? i can't think of any pro player that does this.

why does he suggest you bring it straight back? is there something technically wrong w/your backswing to begin with?

[princeO32433]

my coach said to do this to keep my backswing more consistant and to get more topspin.

[boojay]

You can tell your volleyball coach that's not gonna create MORE topspin.

[burosky]

Perhaps this is a temporary thing your coach wants you to do to make sure you have a "full" back swing? If your coach is trying to do a progression to teach you a shot, this is possible. Otherwise, discuss your concern with your coach.

This type of back swing was very popular during the wood racket days. I believe it has something to do with the weight of the rackets. You may still see some players with "old school" techniques do this backswing but they are rare.

[wihamilton]

ya you can have a consistent backswing / get lots of topspin w/just about any backswing.

[Mountain Ghost]

Your coach is probably telling you to use a straight take-back because during your loop you are not getting your racquet head FULLY back and down to the correct position, or your elbow/arm may be getting away from you. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen video clips of forehands on this forum that have had that problem.

Just because you see the pros using loops doesn’t mean they all started out using one when they were young. Once you learn to find and to recognize the feeling of that point from which the forward swing should start, you can always bring the loop back into the process.

MG

[tricky]

Your coach is probably telling you to use a straight take-back because during your loop you are not getting your racquet head FULLY back and down to the correct position,Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Person takes a big up-and-down loop to bring the racquet back, but then he swings in a fairly level plane forward.

Ideally, a swing should look pretty symmetrical. If the swing has a big loop, it should also have a big down-to-up forward swing. When it doesn't, it usually suggests the racquet is not back and/or low enough.

That said, the initial key thing is to get a good shoulder turn with the backswing. Focusing on that is what the "take racquet straight back" advice comes from. From there, then you can work on adding a loop to the stroke, primarily from the shoulder. If you try to do it the other way, your backswing may not evolve.