mechanics of a flat trajectory, topspin forehand

[forehandbackhand21]

Hi guys,

I've been hitting a somewhat spinny forehand lately, one that doesn't get much pace or depth. Im seeing other tournament players like me hit really "heavy" balls, ones that dont clear the net more than 4 feet but are very consistent, and they rarely land inside the service line. They have lots of pace on them but lots of spin too... and they're not loopy at all.

How do I achieve this? Specifically, how do I keep my wrist before, during and after contact? Right now, my wrist is pretty loose before contact during the takeback, then it lays back as I do the unit turn. The problem with this is sometimes my wrist doesn't lay back right, and I hit a really weak ball. So should the wrist be laid back all through the swing and then release (pronate) right after contact? I'm really confused, and I think all my other mechanics are right but my wrist is the only thing that is holding me back from these flat, penetrating, topspin forehands.

Cheers

[Power Player]

I hit that shot. There is a lot that goes into it, and the wrist is probably the last element. You want to be turned to the side and prepped before the ball bounces. Get your weight shifting from your right to left foot on your stroke and use your offhand and hips to swing the racquet. That will take the wrist out of the equation.

Another thing i do to set my wrist is when i turn to prep the racquet, i make sure the tip is pointed up to the sky before i let go of the stick. I do this while stalking the ball and turning.

Other thing that helps is using an 18x20 pattern. It is not a must but it does lower the trajectory of the ball and allows you to really drive it deep with spin like you are describing.

[Cheetah]

I don't think suggesting to use the off hand to swing the racquet is advisable w/o telling him how/when to do that otherwise that would have the opposite of the desired effect.

[forehandbackhand21]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I hit that shot. There is a lot that goes into it, and the wrist is probably the last element. You want to be turned to the side and prepped before the ball bounces. Get your weight shifting from your right to left foot on your stroke and use your offhand and hips to swing the racquet. That will take the wrist out of the equation.

Another thing i do to set my wrist is when i turn to prep the racquet, i make sure the tip is pointed up to the sky before i let go of the stick. I do this while stalking the ball and turning.

Other thing that helps is using an 18x20 pattern. It is not a must but it does lower the trajectory of the ball and allows you to really drive it deep with spin like you are describing.

Ok, so you set your wrist before the swing starts, am I correct? Sounds good, I'm always debating whether to set it before the swing or let it lay back itself during the swing

[Power Player]

Well you can go ahead and take over then, i am just illustrating the main points i worked on that developed my forehand. Check out lock n roll tennis for more details and visuals. It is hard to cover this in detail since there are so many variables.

But yes, i set my wrist by making sure my racquet is pointing to the sky before i let go of it with my offhand. Really helps with consistent contact.

[forehandbackhand21]

I've got an 18x20 racquet haha, its the blx six one 95

[Cheetah]

loose wrist. loose arm.

[forehandbackhand21]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

loose wrist. loose arm.

wait, what, power player just said set your wrist before contact.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Well you can go ahead and take over then, i am just illustrating the main points i worked on that developed my forehand. Check out lock n roll tennis for more details and visuals. It is hard to cover this in detail since there are so many variables.

But yes, i set my wrist by making sure my racquet is pointing to the sky before i let go of it with my offhand. Really helps with consistent contact.

haha. sorry man. no, you go ahead. no prob.
actually i was addressing you as a test in that post more than him. lol. sorry.
The off hand should be used which i agree with.
But when do you use it?

[Power Player]

I should clarify when i say set my wrist, it is not fixed or locked in or anything, it is just in the proper position for a relaxed swing. If you feel like you are using your arm or wrist to swing, you are doing it wrong.

[forehandbackhand21]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I should clarify when i say set my wrist, it is not fixed or locked in or anything, it is just in the proper position for a relaxed swing. If you feel like you are using your arm or wrist to swing, you are doing it wrong.

I see... and do you drive through the ball? like, fully extend your arm

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by forehandbackhand21

wait, what, power player just said set your wrist before contact.

yes. you should probably follow power players advice. ultimately you want a loose loose wrist. but i'm assuming you're probably not completely ready for that yet as that is more advanced and takes a lot of practice and discipline.
most rec players don't use a completely loose wrist.

so setting the wrist is fine for where you're at. again i'm assuming. it's easy to deal with and you'll be able to work on proper weight transfer and swing path.
if you move up a level or so in the future and you have solid strokes then you can try going for the super loose wrist.

[forehandbackhand21]

by that I mean, hitting through 3/4 balls type thing (if youve heard of that concept)

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I should clarify when i say set my wrist, it is not fixed or locked in or anything, it is just in the proper position for a relaxed swing. If you feel like you are using your arm or wrist to swing, you are doing it wrong.

yes. this is good. not fixed. not locked. look at any hd slo mo of a very good player. the wrist is like spaghetti. the closer you get to that the better you'll be.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by forehandbackhand21

by that I mean, hitting through 3/4 balls type thing (if youve heard of that concept)

uh oh... here we go..

[forehandbackhand21]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

uh oh... here we go..

hehehe this must be a pesky thing on the message boards i suppose?

[Power Player]

I hit real loose. The main reason i suggest setting that wrist at first is because you may be dropping the racquet head early and not realizing it. This will ensure that you wont do that and will build a habit really quickly.


The end result is to be able to hit big shots while staying loose and using proper timing and weight transfer to hit the ball. Long story short, i believe solving the wristy stroke issue many times needs to start with making sure the footwork and prep is correct.

[Cheetah]

hitting thru 3-4 is associated with the last gen of strokes with neutral/closed stance and not recommended these days w/ angular momentum and open stance. it's always highly debated here but majority would say no to that.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I hit real loose. The main reason i suggest setting that wrist at first is because you may be dropping the racquet head early and not realizing it. This will ensure that you wont do that and will build a habit really quickly.


The end result is to be able to hit big shots while staying loose and using proper timing and weight transfer to hit the ball. Long story short, i believe solving the wristy stroke issue many times needs to start with making sure the footwork and prep is correct.

Q to you.. so when do you fire that offhand?

[forehandbackhand21]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I hit real loose. The main reason i suggest setting that wrist at first is because you may be dropping the racquet head early and not realizing it. This will ensure that you wont do that and will build a habit really quickly.


The end result is to be able to hit big shots while staying loose and using proper timing and weight transfer to hit the ball. Long story short, i believe solving the wristy stroke issue many times needs to start with making sure the footwork and prep is correct.

Ok, now I'm curious because thats exactly what used to happen to me... I had a really loose floppy wrist and I'd violently drop my racquet head very harshly.. it was a jerky movement. How is the wrist and dropping the racquet head connected?