'extreme fh takeback'?

[Ross K]

I came across something this morning whilst searching old fh threads that interests me...

It was basically saying that at the end of the takeback phase, with your racquet arm virtually fully extended back (or laid back) about as far behind right side of hip as you can possibly go and near-enough level with hip height, from there, you can iniate the forward swing. One or two posters were also extolling the virtues of this kind of extreme fh takeback - the distance being, I suppose, as far as is possible to go before the body shape breaks down; with one poster saying how much his fh improved once he started concentrating on getting this 'extreme takeback' in place. And furthermore, to illustrate, it was recommended that people take a look at the fh (and takeback) of the female player - Zvonareva. And having discovered some fh footage of her, I can confirm her takeback indeed appears, well, lengthy...

So, is this what everybody does? Only a few? What's the view to this out there? Is this desirable technique?

Cheers everybody...

 

[Ross K]

Don't know if it helps but here are the posts I was referring to...



"OK. I haven't taken my racquet for a ride after seing this, probably will right after writing this post. But for now, here's what I see: The new thing I notice is how far back the racquet is taken in these two examples you have. The racquet head comes from behind the player's butt, because of the wrist bend. The wrist is laid back as far as it can be at the beginning of the video. What I conclude: It is hard to compare this with my swing without seing myself on camera. I am also curious to see the full forehand sequence of Zvonareva you have there..."

Katastrof



"You see exactly what I see! All the pros do this. It helped my forehand so much when I started locking in behind my right hip. There is much more distance to travel if you pull from there. I was not getting that kind of pull before, and didn't realize it until I videotaped myself. The difference is amazing. And right on about the wrist. Completely laid back at the start of the swing and stays that way as you pull. It allows you to relax the wrist coming into the ball. The famed BB "wrist release". I have about 5 videos of Zvonareva in the members only section. I love her forehand..."

Jeff



Anyway, I find this a noteworthy topic, and not least because I find there's relatively little info out there regarding the fh takeback (or more specifically, the different fh takebacks.) The way the above is discussed it would also seem to something of a well-kept secret - or am I wrong and everyone actually does this? I would add that I probably do this technique from time to time, however, it hasn't been such a conscious thing. In practice I tend to focus on one aspect or another (say, left arm being parallel to net, or maybe it's maintaining the double-bend shape as I drive) but I confess the end of takeback is rarely something I've concentrated on, or certainly not enough.

Btw, hope it's okay to 'lift' ppl's posts like this? (Apologies/thanks to Katastrof and Jeff.)

 

[paulfreda]

This is one way to hit a forehand.
But not everyone does it this way.
Gisela Dulko does something like this and she has a very fine FH.
But it is not the same as Zvonareva.

I think the key to this technique is getting the frame set just below the incoming ball. This makes a gentle low to high drive thru the ball give lots of pace with top also to keep it in.

Many players prefer to hit more low to high and use more top to yield consistency. Its up to you.

I would suggest you perfect this technique if you like it but also have other ways to hit effectively.