Another question

[Headshotterer]

In a topspin forehand, if you dont close the racket head and hit the ball, will the ball go high and deep with topspin?And if you close the racket head down, will the ball go lower and shorter?

Basic question is, what does racket head angle have to do with top spin

[Bagumbawalla]

If you open up your racket face and then "hit with topspin" it would be a lot like aiming the ball up into the sky- the way little kids do before they are taught proper strokes.

Though there is some minute room for variation, the basic topspin shot is hit by driving through the ball with a racket path that starts low and ends high.

If the angle of the low to high followthrough is small, then you have very little spin and more forward momentum so that the ball can be "aimed" just above the net and it will travel deep into the opposite court.

The more the angle increases (hitting mor steeply from low to high) the more spin is imparted to the ball and it loses some forward momentun. You will have to hit the ball much harder, or "aim" it higher over the net to achieve the same kind of depth.

So, to answer your question, topspin is not "controlled" by the racket head angle except in the sense that for a really high ball the racket head may be angled down slightly and in hitting a topspin lob you will angle the racket head up.

But for the majority of groundstrokes that you seem to be refering to, the racket head remains pretty much vertical--with, as I said, some slight variation depending on elements that might be termed, personal style.

For example, obviously, if you hit the ball very slowly, say 10 mph, then you will have to open up your racket face just to arc the ball over the net, because if you tried to "aim" it low over the net at that speed, it would just roll into the net.

But that would be a very abnormal situation. In a normal rally where you are grooving you stroke to control the spin of the ball, you would excercise that control by changing the high to low path that you drive your racket through the ball, and not by changing the angle of the racket face.

[drakulie]

Here is a slow motion shot of the Federer Forehand. His racquet is neither closed or open at contact. Topspin is produced by brushing from low to high. You racquet face should be perpendicular to the ground at contact. It could of course be closed a little, but for the most part you want to maintain it as close to perpendicular as possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhvKafCYsk

[Bungalo Bill]

In a topspin forehand, if you dont close the racket head and hit the ball, will the ball go high and deep with topspin?And if you close the racket head down, will the ball go lower and shorter?

Basic question is, what does racket head angle have to do with top spin

Forget the close racquet thing!!!!! Work on keeping a square racquet.

Topspin is created by simply brushing the strings up the ball. Hitting high or down is made by where on the ball you are hitting.

If you swing low to high and brush the ball, you will create lift and topspin. How you go through the ball and your swing speed (in very simple terms) will help dictate how far the ball goes to the other side.