Running Forehands

[FrisbeeFool]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

this shot is not too difficult for E grip, not easy for SW grip, and almost impossible for W grip. one of the few current top pros using SW who executes this shot reliably is djokovic.

one of the effective tactics playing against SW and W players is to pull them wide on their fh precisely because this shot is difficult for them.

Wow, 100 percent wrong. Most pros use some variant of a semiwestern forehand grip. Most hit this shot with deadly precision. Ever heard of a guy named Rafa Nadal? He has an extreme grip and is one of the most deadly guys on tour with this type of shot.

Claycourters with semiwestern and western forehand grips live for this type of shot. If you're pulling them out wide to their forehand, you better be doing it with a very aggressive shot, otherwise they will have a lot of options.

[Netspirit]

Djokovic is using W.

[boramiNYC]

Originally Posted by FrisbeeFool

Wow, 100 percent wrong. Most pros use some variant of a semiwestern forehand grip. Most hit this shot with deadly precision. Ever heard of a guy named Rafa Nadal? He has an extreme grip and is one of the most deadly guys on tour with this type of shot.

not a single other pro using SW have a swing that is even close to nadal. agree he does this shot extremely well and so does Djok. they are special and not representative of the norm even for the pros. they also do other very difficult things well. not most other pros do. bring a better example if wanna claim someone is 100% wrong. you should be saying you don't agree, which I have no problem with, capish?

[FrisbeeFool]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

not a single other pro using SW have a swing that is even close to nadal. agree he does this shot extremely well and so does Djok. they are special and not representative of the norm even for the pros. they also do other very difficult things well. not most other pros do. bring a better example if wanna claim someone is 100% wrong. you should be saying you don't agree, which I have no problem with, capish?

Single example? I figured Nadal was good enough. Ok let's try 25 examples. Look at current the ATP top 25. Most hit forehands with a variant of what we would call a semi-western grip. Most have deadly running forehands. A player like Edberg can hit this shot with a grip closer to continental. A player like Wawrinka can do it with a grip closer to western.

[FrisbeeFool]

I thought of a great example of a player with an extreme forehand grip that excels at this running forehand shot. Francesca Schiavonne. It's one of the weapons that helped her win the French Open.

Why are we even having this discussion? Countless players with semiwestern and western grips hit the running forehand very well. Go to your local club and watch the junior players.

With more extreme grips the problem shows up more when they want to flatten the ball out more and hit through the ball, or maybe take the ball early. Running forehands are no problem for those type of grips. Go look at the list of men's and women's players that have won Roland Garros. You will see a lot of players with semiwestern or even more extreme grips and great running forehands.

You will also see players like Michael Stich and Stephan Edberg with less extreme grips that won wimbledon, with great running forehands. You can hit a running forehand with anything from a continental or australian grip to semiwestern or extreme western.

Even at the local level, you see players will all types of grips hitting this shot well.

[5263]

Part of it comes from contact being later in the stroke where acceleration can
be strong.

[hurtmesoul]

Ok guys so I'm just going add my opinion on how to hit a buggy whip running forehand for a righty step by step:
1. Obviously, split step then go into the unit turn.

2. Start running towards the ball with your shoulders turned. It is important to keep your non hitting hand on the racquet for stability. You do not want your racquet arm to be bobbing all over while moving to the ball.

3. When you feel like your close enough to the ball, use you left hand to release the racquet are start your swing.

4. Now this is the key step where I see a lot of differences in explanation by posters. You want to do these three things almost simultaneously: a. Contact the ball with your swing b. Do a cross step(its actually more like a hop) with your LEFT leg, when you land all your weight is going to be transferred on the left, while this happens you... c. KICK your RIGHT leg upward.

5. With the kicking motion of the right leg, you can then bring that leg around, plant the right foot, and then push off with that right foot to recover.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMytlMS-Ip8
This video is the perfect example I want to emphasize for steps 4 and 5. Watch Azarenka's feet, step 4 is basically one smooth motion. At 0:25 she takes her last step with her left foot, as she steps she kicks the back leg. At 0:32 starts step 5 where the right leg comes around and plants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COZWb...eature=related
Here is another video of a running forehand. Pause at 0:22, notice how his right leg is kicked up and by 0:23 he is ready to push off with his right to go back in to the court.

Keep in mind that 4 and 5 happens basically in one step and the motion takes a lot of practice to get use to.
Sorry if my explanation might be a little complicated to understand. Please watch the youtube videos, it is exactly the type of technique I had in mind. I see many of the pros use this especially Nadal, Sharapova, Azarenka.

[defrule]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0djaUG-6ijc#t=1m20s

[FrisbeeFool]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8UqUBkmWBg

Here is Gustavo Kuerten hitting a running/buggy whip forehand off of a sampras first serve. He's uses an extreme grip. He has a great running forehand.

I think the running forehand is one of the easiest shots to learn. Most people I know that have good ones, just learned the shot on their own without formal instruction. A lot of situations where you are late to the ball, or you are trying to hit an extreme angle, just kind of force you to learn how to hit a running forehand.

The way I think of it is: I'm using my opponent's pace that's already on the ball. I don't have to hit through the ball quite as much. I'm redirecting it. I'm going low to high really fast to get that topspin to bring the ball up and down quickly. Often I hit this shot because I'm late to the ball, so my contact point is behind where it would be on a forehand drive. However I also hit a buggy whip forehand on putaway shots sometimes, where I can make contact a little earlier, but I still using that drastic low to high brushing action, which results in the so-called "reverse" finish.

I'm no expert, but to me the shot seems a little wristier than a normal forehand, I feel like I'm a little late to the ball, and I'm using a little more wrist action to control the ball and compensate.

Players like Nadal and Federer that have really good running forehands still try to contact the ball somewhat in front, and hit through it somewhat while also getting all that brushing action. A player like Sharapova, doesn't have quite as a good a running forehand because she often lets the ball get too far behind her. Then again her movement is an issue so that could be part of her problem.

If you try to contact the outside of that ball more you'll get that sidespin that hooks the ball back into the court.

I think it's a pretty simple shot. No need to make it too complicated.

Edit: Another great situation for this shot is when you're hitting a passing shot. If their approach has any pace on it, you can use the buggy whip forehand to bring the ball down quickly and put it at their feet, and also to hit a more extreme angle.