Forehand Topspin Drive

[TheCheese]

Yeah, take a look at the tennis speed blog. I think it explains it better than I ever could.

All I know is that with my grip (extreme-eastern) the straight arm pronation dependent style works really well.

[rkelley]

Originally Posted by TheCheese

Yeah, take a look at the tennis speed blog. I think it explains it better than I ever could.

All I know is that with my grip (extreme-eastern) the straight arm pronation dependent style works really well.

So you're not using much upper arm rotation at contact to generate the swing path, right? The majority of the upper arm rotation comes later, after contact, to decelerate the swing.

[dominikk1985]

Originally Posted by TheCheese

Yeah, take a look at the tennis speed blog. I think it explains it better than I ever could.

All I know is that with my grip (extreme-eastern) the straight arm pronation dependent style works really well.

Isn't the tennis speed guy the guy that claims that fed and other pros hit intentionally below center so that the racket distorts at contact and "rolls over" the ball?

[PhrygianDominant]

Will needs to do a gonzo forehand tribute course just for tt

[julian]

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

Isn't the tennis speed guy the guy that claims that fed and other pros hit intentionally below center so that the racket distorts at contact and "rolls over" the ball?

NO
xxxxxxxxxxx

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by julian

NO
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Yes he is.

+10ch

[dominikk1985]

Originally Posted by julian

NO
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6icR4QaI84

[PhrygianDominant]

I read the tennisspeed article and was suprised that gonzo's forehand racquetface was more perpendicular to the ground throughout the swing to contact and and contact. Just a comment....

[TheCheese]

Originally Posted by PhrygianDominant

I read the tennisspeed article and was suprised that gonzo's forehand racquetface was more perpendicular to the ground throughout the swing to contact and and contact. Just a comment....

Probably why his FH is so streaky and relatively flat.

[PhrygianDominant]

Originally Posted by TheCheese

Probably why his FH is so streaky and relatively flat.

Probably. Closing the racquet face is pretty awkward for me, I don't think I really get it, have to keep practicing.

Originally Posted by 5263

You never heard me say to finish over the should unless talking of the basic
modern Fh or not to finish lower, which is just another flourish to that basic
Fh.
You never heard me or Oscar say quick break of the elbow, hard turn, or abrupt
bla, bla ....on and on of words you try to add to the basic correct description to
make it something it is not.
Most pros finish in about any position from low to bolo and everything in-between. There is no set low or any other finish. There is just a swing path
that will finish somewhere based on the shape of the swing.

As I mentioned, I consider the MTM way of teaching the "modern forehand" to be a bit old school. I have yet to come across a video of oscar where he is demonstrating something other than, essentially, come to the ball slowly and then accelerate the racquet by "pulling up" and "across", (and backwards) to an over the shoulder finish..Please reference a video, where his elbow doesn't "break immediately" and move hard left..

Ironically, if you want to see how a more modern forehand is taught, look again at the Lansdorp video you posted (that got deleted), and notice what he's trying to get the kid to do.......Which is, shallow the path of hand, (to retain ball velocity) and windshield wipe the hell out of it.(low finish) for spin.

[5263]

Originally Posted by chico9166

Ironically, if you want to see how a more modern forehand is taught, look again at the Lansdorp video you posted (that got deleted), and notice what he's trying to get the kid to do.......Which is, shallow the path of hand, (to retain ball velocity) and windshield wipe the hell out of it.(low finish) for spin.

I understand...if that is what you know of MTM, but yes... quite ironic since Oscar
was teaching that about 2 decades before RL.
I doubt you have his book, but it is on pg 92-93 as well as other places; also
used like that in several of his vids.

[5263]

Originally Posted by rkelley

We were chatting after a hit last weekend and I commented that I’m always focusing on making sure I get the racquet below the ball and swinging up. I never think about hitting through the ball – that kind of comes for free for me. Cheetah said he does the opposite, he thinks about hitting through the ball, the up part comes for free.

Yes, this makes a lot of sense, as with the heavy western, it does take more
work to get thru the ball well. Also can tend to explain the 2 differing views on
this topic. My grip is more like rkelley's and I identify much more with his view
on it as well.

[dominikk1985]

Originally Posted by PhrygianDominant

Probably. Closing the racquet face is pretty awkward for me, I don't think I really get it, have to keep practicing.

the racket face is closed passively by the ball rolling down the strings. but this doesn't have any effect on the spin just a result of the upbard brushing.

this closing is stronger when you hit below center but I think that those highlighted below center hits are actually misshits and not what the pros are striving for (remember fed is framing the ball quite a lot). it just can happen when you swing up so fast and you timing is a little off.

but if you film 10 fed FHs I guess most of them are actually hit in the center (of course when the ball leaves it will be slightly below center because the strings have brushed upwards but initially the ball will be at center with the racket face being relatively vertical.

[PhrygianDominant]

Originally Posted by chico9166

.......Which is, shallow the path of hand, (to retain ball velocity) and windshield wipe the hell out of it.(low finish) for spin.

Now that sounds like gonzo

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

the racket face is closed passively by the ball rolling down the strings. but this doesn't have any effect on the spin just a result of the upbard brushing.

Yet another take, interesting.....and I thought the forehand was the easy one. Shows how much I know.

[Geology_Rocks!]

Hey guys, just wanna share some ideas,

I was following the blog and studying all the pronation stuff and tried to add this to my game, here is something I observed, all these players are NOT pronating on the takeback, all they do to achieve the closed racket face is start the takeback by lifting the elbow and keeping the forearm in a neutral position.

Think about it, if you actually pronate on the takeback the racket tip would point straight to the ground.

That's all, hold your racket, lift the hitting elbow with a neutral forearm position. By just doing this the closed racket face showed in all the pics will appear, and THEN if you do pronate the racket tip will point to the ground.

Anyone agrees?

[sureshs]

They don't pronate on the takeback. But I think they supinate at the end of the takeback and the beginning of the forward swing, and then pronate..

[Greg G]

I believe the supination occurs at the start of the forward swing. Supination at take back is detrimental to the stretch shortening cycle, from what I understand of it, and it's the thing I've been trying to remove from my own swing. The way I do it is by being aware that my thumb is down during take back. Some people like palm down or knuckles to the sky- for some reason thumb down clicked for me.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by Geology_Rocks!

Hey guys, just wanna share some ideas,
...
Anyone agrees?

Nobody agrees.

What do you call this?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by Greg G

I believe the supination occurs at the start of the forward swing. Supination at take back is detrimental to the stretch shortening cycle, from what I understand of it, and it's the thing I've been trying to remove from my own swing. The way I do it is by being aware that my thumb is down during take back. Some people like palm down or knuckles to the sky- for some reason thumb down clicked for me.

At the start of the forward swing and sometimes at the end of the take back when the Nike swoosh starts to curve around, i.e., in the transition period between back and forward?