Forehand clinic 2.0

[Ryoma]

Hi guys,

As a follow up to the Forehand clinic thread. This is the video of my upgraded forehand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rPWIvfV9rg. It contains elements learnt from hi-techtennis website. Please give me some comments. I have much more control, more pace, more spin, better shoulder rotation. It feels so nice. The missing element seems to be that I am leaning back in a lot of the shots. Any trick that can help me time the ball better and lift the ball with the body weight moving foreword. I know I should "step into the ball" more. But "Stepping into the ball" doesn't seems to be intuitive enough somehow.

[ramseszerg]

Even I know: too much arm. Try to finish with your body facing to your left, perpendicular to the net with your elbow pointing toward the net.

[JCo872]

Hi guys,

As a follow up to the Forehand clinic thread. This is the video of my upgraded forehand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rPWIvfV9rg. It contains elements learnt from hi-techtennis website. Please give me some comments. I have much more control, more pace, more spin, better shoulder rotation. It feels so nice. The missing element seems to be that I am leaning back in a lot of the shots. Any trick that can help me time the ball better and lift the ball with the body weight moving foreword. I know I should "step into the ball" more. But "Stepping into the ball" doesn't seems to be intuitive enough somehow.

Hey Ryoma. Do you have this video in Quicktime or .avi? That way I could go through frame by frame. If you can upload to google video that works too.

[MTChong]

Well one little thing that has worked for me... is the use of your non-dominant arm. Try keeping it pointed at the ball longer and then swing, then that arm will move out of the way forcing more upper body rotation; and preference, really, but you can try catching your racquet with your other hand, too, at the end of the follow through.

[JCo872]

Well one little thing that has worked for me... is the use of your non-dominant arm. Try keeping it pointed at the ball longer and then swing, then that arm will move out of the way forcing more upper body rotation; and preference, really, but you can try catching your racquet with your other hand, too, at the end of the follow through.

I was going to say the same thing about the non-dominant arm. Actually keep it pointed across your body for longer. It will keep your body coiled for longer. Check out Guga here:

http://www.hi-techtennis.com/forehand/takeback/gugatakeback.cfm

[Mountainman]

I had seen your video before. There were definitely some improvements. The shoulder turn needs to be more extreme, from left shoulder pointing forward to right shoulder pointing forward. Use these videos to compare with yours.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezhlKPW5tq4
http://www.tennisencoach.nl/video-analyses/video-analyses/forehand_remko_de_rijke

There was one awesome forehand from a girl but I couldn't find her video. Her racquet preparation was so early, her body was in coil for more than 1.5 seconds. Then she accelerated through the ball like "crazy." She had a clear view of a full forehand stroke.

[Ryoma]

I have uploaded the video to google http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4988696061660362106 No sure if you can do frame by frame though.
I haven't sort out a conversion software that works yet. The video I have is in mpg format and I can use quicktime to open it for frame by frame analysis. I just don't know where to put the file, it's about 68Mb. Any suggestion?

For some of the comments above, I checked the video using quicktime. Yes, several shots, I didn't rotation the trunk much and I was arming the ball, usually low and short balls. In most of the others, there are complete trunk rotation where my body is facing the left. Elbow not necessarily point to the net but to the direction of where I was asked to hit.

For the video of complete shoulder rotation, there are another video by the sample player for comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deyT_4Haxrs&search=bsports
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezhlKPW5tq4&search=bsports

I am working toward a rally stroke that's consistent enough that to grind with the opponents. Not hittnig winners yet. Hopefully in the next phase. The double bend structure, absorb and lift work like a charm. My coach is impressed with the improvement. Really appreciate you guys' advice. JCo872, there seems to be a missing piece for the complete forehand, it's seems like the upper body should be tilted slight foreward. I checked Nalbandian and Coria's forehand, there upper body seems to be tilted foreward about 70 degree from the waist up. In my video, I am leaning back in most of the shot... guess another area to work on.

[Jassy_B]

I feel sumtin weird.... is ur coAch.... andy roddick.... NO WAIT IS HE ADRIAN TAN?? LOL

[Bungalo Bill]

Hi guys,

The missing element seems to be that I am leaning back in a lot of the shots. Any trick that can help me time the ball better and lift the ball with the body weight moving foreword.

I would suggest a couple things to work on right now.

You have several different racquet paths and swings for pretty much the same ball. This inconsistency can hurt you.

I would like you to quit fanning the ball as you try to "turn your forearm". On some of the shots your elbow was higher then your swing after contact way too soon. This tells me you are forcing the racquet to turn over. This is causing you to wipe over the ball and sometimes downward intead of up and out as your racquet windshield wipes naturally. To do what you are doing will take extraordinary talent to do this on the run and under pressure. On one of the balls you mishit it badly. I believe this is because you breakout of your forward (Nike swoosh swing) too soon and torque the racquet in a windshield wiping manner too much.

Your non-dominant arm needs to stay in the shot longer, this will help lengthen your swing and the linear interval for clean contact more often.

The other thing I saw was an inconsistent backswing. I could see your racquet at times on the other side of your body when you brought it back. You do not want the racquet to really go past the line your back foot makes to the back fence. In other words, try to drop the racquet back keeping the head of the racquet on the same side of the body as much as possible, then pull forward and windshield wipe up the ball using the motion of the swing path.

Take a look and compare yourself to Haas.

http://www.uspta.com/html/e-lesson-Open%20stance%20forehand%202.swf

I know I should "step into the ball" more. But "Stepping into the ball" doesn't seems to be intuitive enough somehow.

Well you can keep the open stance if you want but you need to make a better effort in staying in your shot and extending through more. Load up on the back leg, keep the racquet on the same side of your body, then go forward and through. Notice Haas lets the racquet head swing out and around with very natural and relaxed motion.

[JCo872]

Ryoma,

Is that an extreme western grip you are using? Just curious.

[JCo872]

I have uploaded the video to google http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4988696061660362106 No sure if you can do frame by frame though.
I haven't sort out a conversion software that works yet. The video I have is in mpg format and I can use quicktime to open it for frame by frame analysis. I just don't know where to put the file, it's about 68Mb. Any suggestion?

For some of the comments above, I checked the video using quicktime. Yes, several shots, I didn't rotation the trunk much and I was arming the ball, usually low and short balls. In most of the others, there are complete trunk rotation where my body is facing the left. Elbow not necessarily point to the net but to the direction of where I was asked to hit.

For the video of complete shoulder rotation, there are another video by the sample player for comparison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deyT_4Haxrs&search=bsports
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezhlKPW5tq4&search=bsports

I am working toward a rally stroke that's consistent enough that to grind with the opponents. Not hittnig winners yet. Hopefully in the next phase. The double bend structure, absorb and lift work like a charm. My coach is impressed with the improvement. Really appreciate you guys' advice. JCo872, there seems to be a missing piece for the complete forehand, it's seems like the upper body should be tilted slight foreward. I checked Nalbandian and Coria's forehand, there upper body seems to be tilted foreward about 70 degree from the waist up. In my video, I am leaning back in most of the shot... guess another area to work on.

Great. Usually I can go frame by frame through google video. Let me see.

You are working very hard on this shot. Great job. To use the info you learn here with a good coach is the best way to progress.

[DragonFly]

IT looks good, but as mentioned earlier, you couwld benefit more from not "arming" the stroke too much.

I read a nice tip in Tennis MAgazine last month, you want to turn your body so that you are looking over your left shoulder, and you finish by looking over you right. The motion is shoulder to shoulder.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/aaronferrer/shoulder.png

Sorry for the bad quality, but I think you get the idea.

[JCo872]

IT looks good, but as mentioned earlier, you couwld benefit more from not "arming" the stroke too much.

I read a nice tip in Tennis MAgazine last month, you want to turn your body so that you are looking over your left shoulder, and you finish by looking over you right. The motion is shoulder to shoulder.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/aaronferrer/shoulder.png

Sorry for the bad quality, but I think you get the idea.

DragonFly. GREAT tip! Thanks for posting that. I think if Ryoma goes "shoulder to shoulder" it will fix what BB is seeing as well:

"I believe this is because you breakout of your forward (Nike swoosh swing) too soon and torque the racquet in a windshield wiping manner too much."