The inside in forehand

Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
For those not familiar with that term, it's a forehand that goes down the line on what would be the backhand side of the person hitting the ball. Like the inside out backhand, this shot is also rarely used, particularly on the women's side. Some men live to hit this shot such as Moya who hates backhands anyway, Roddick, and Federer. Opinions on this risky forehand are welcome.
 
JRstriker12

JRstriker12

Hall of Fame
Rickson said:
For those not familiar with that term, it's a forehand that goes down the line on what would be the backhand side of the person hitting the ball. Like the inside out backhand, this shot is also rarely used, particularly on the women's side. Some men live to hit this shot such as Moya who hates backhands anyway, Roddick, and Federer. Opinions on this risky forehand are welcome.
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Is it really that risky? I'll run around my backhand and hit DTL any day over hitting my backhand DTL. IMHO - I don't feel it's any more Risky than hitting a standard DTL forehand. It's also a good option if you are hitting an inside-out forehand and the ball comes back to you cross-court while you opponenet is deep and wide in their backhand corner.
 
Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
JRstriker12 said:
Is it really that risky? I'll run around my backhand and hit DTL any day over hitting my backhand DTL. IMHO - I don't feel it's any more Risky than hitting a standard DTL forehand. It's also a good option if you are hitting an inside-out forehand and the ball comes back to you cross-court while you opponenet is deep and wide in their backhand corner.
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It is riskier than the other dtl fh because you have no margin for error cc and your opponent has a huge open court if your shot doesn't have enough mustard. On the other dtl, you have a large cc margin for error and in most cases, you'd be hitting to your opponent's weak side.
 
Bungalo Bill

Bungalo Bill

G.O.A.T.
JRstriker12 said:
Is it really that risky? I'll run around my backhand and hit DTL any day over hitting my backhand DTL. IMHO - I don't feel it's any more Risky than hitting a standard DTL forehand. It's also a good option if you are hitting an inside-out forehand and the ball comes back to you cross-court while you opponenet is deep and wide in their backhand corner.
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Well if you guys are describing this correctly and I am understanding it, this is a very risky shot and is not used often as Rickson pointed out.

The reason it is risky is you have to hit back across your body which takes good timing and control over your balance and weight transfer.

The other reason it is risky is it leaves a ton of court open which will backfire on you if you choose to use it and miscalculate the read from your opponent and his ability to get to the ball quicker then you can recover.

This shot is not used often in the pros because the pros are fast, they can read shots, they are well conditioned to cover court, they have more efficient footwork, etc...however, this is not to say they never use it or that it is not seen used in a match.

That is a shot that feels great but may not be the best shot for the point. You have to be careful when you choose to use the shot and aware of how it can backfire on you.

Most of the time it isnt so much DTL they are hitting, it is that they are hitting the ball straight whether it si along the line, or four feet from the line.
 
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N

Nellie

Hall of Fame
I practice this shot a lot because my inside-in forehand has a lot of curve to it. I end up hitting a couple times a match because people sit on the cross court shots, and I need them to respect the down the line. Personally, I hit the backhand down the line much better because I can drive it or slice it and approach.
 
Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
Bungalo Bill said:
Well if you guys are describing this correctly and I am understanding it, this is a very risky shot and is not used often as Rickson pointed out.

The reason it is risky is you have to hit back across your body which takes good timing and control over your balance and weight transfer.

The other reason it is risky is it leaves a ton of court open which will backfire on you if you choose to use it and miscalculate the read from your opponent and his ability to get to the ball quicker then you can recover.

This shot is not used often in the pros because the pros are fast, they can read shots, they are well conditioned to cover court, they have more efficient footwork, etc...however, this is not to say they never use it or that it is not seen used in a match.

That is a shot that feels great but may not be the best shot for the point. You have to be careful when you choose to use the shot and aware of how it can backfire on you.

Most of the time it isnt so much DTL they are hitting, it is that they are hitting the ball straight whether it si along the line, or four feet from the line.
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Do you feel there is ever a good time to use this shot, Bill?
 
S

split-step

Professional
Maybe when playing a lefty with a weak backhand.

I use it after I have worked a point and gotten the slower pace ball that's sits up and it between the service line and the baseline. At this point I can go inside out or in and will mix it up.
 
stormholloway

stormholloway

Legend
Federer plays this shot on grass quite a bit.

I use it too, but it better be a winner or you'll give your opponent an easy cross court forehand winner instead.

In my opinion, for it to work effectively, you need to threaten your opponent with the inside out as well. If you often hit inside out then he'll try to cover that, which will open up the 'inside in'.
 
D

dakels

Rookie
I think the key to hitting this shot well is only using this weapon when you can make a good shot off of it. That being good pace, depth, and spin down the line. A key aspect of this shot is being able to recover and get back in position. You need to sit and lift off this shot. When you land, you should be on your toes and pushing back to position when you are done or using the opportunity to move in.

here is Fed with what I believe Rickson is talking about. I personally use this shot a lot since I love running around my BH :eek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZWRAY_lTX8
ignore the 2nd half of the video. The first shot out wide vs Agassi is what I am talking about. (p.s. lol i was off looking for a Fed video while you guys were posting about him. Guess it was an obvious choice as he does this shot very well)
 
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boojay

boojay

Hall of Fame
I've been known to take some pretty risky shots whenever I'm up by a safe margin in the game/point count. I'll adhere to your nomenclature (particularly since I wouldn't know what else to call it anyway), but of the three aforementioned rare, risky shots, I do the inside-in FH the most often. It happens when I run around a backhand and see an opening down the line. I also pull off a similar shot on the backhand side, but I'm not sure how to describe it. It's less risky, but unexpected in doubles. I'll have an opportunity to pull it off once every 2 or 3 doubles matches and it tends to work every time.
 
Bungalo Bill

Bungalo Bill

G.O.A.T.
Rickson said:
Do you feel there is ever a good time to use this shot, Bill?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. When I hit my "run-around the backhand shots" (and my style is to hit a ton of them), I will make sure to send most of them crosscourt. Mainly, I am trying to get a different matchup, feel my forehand is tops, or think I can take advantage of slow or poor recovery to move in on the next ball.

The majority of my inside-out shots are near the center of the court and not off by the sideline.

I will use an "inside-in" (or whatever you called it :) ) most likely to force something. However, now I am hitting at the higher part of the net, my open court is the size of Texas, I am hitting within a small area and a shorter court, which all means I better make it a good one!
 
TennisProdigy

TennisProdigy

Professional
When I hit an inside out forehand, it's different from a DTL forehand since you are running around on the backhand side, you have a better angle and have more options than simply a DTL forehand. I hit this shot because 1. I can angle it like a crosscourt backhand or hit it like DTL backhand 2. Much easier to disguise the shot compared to hitting a backhand.
 
B

(Blank)

Rookie
I always thought that shot was just called hitting your inside out forehand up/down the line...

But anyway, if you have a good forehand and feel confident, by all means let 'er rip!
 
boojay

boojay

Hall of Fame
(Blank) said:
I always thought that shot was just called hitting your inside out forehand up/down the line...

But anyway, if you have a good forehand and feel confident, by all means let 'er rip!
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Depends which line though. I agree if it's DTL on the deuce side (inside-out DTL), but a DTL on the ad side I would consider "inside-in" as OP Biscuit put it.

edited: Out of curiosity, is there such a thing as say, an outside-in forehand? Or is that just considered a regular crosscourt FH? Since we're introducing these new terms, I'm trying to visualize what an outside-out shot would be, if such a shot exists. D@mn you, OP Biscuit!
 
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B

(Blank)

Rookie
If the shot isn't crosscourt, it's either down the middle or down the line in my dictionary no matter what stroke you use to hit haha. I like to keep it simple and inside-in just sounds funny.
 
Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
(Blank) said:
If the shot isn't crosscourt, it's either down the middle or down the line in my dictionary no matter what stroke you use to hit haha. I like to keep it simple and inside-in just sounds funny.
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DTL is reserved for a righty's deuce side so a name was needed. The inside in was born!
 
boojay

boojay

Hall of Fame
Here are a couple of rare forehand scenarios to give you guys further headaches.

1) Being pulled so wide on the deuce side that you hit a "mini-crosscourt" DTL shot on the deuce end (possibly around the pole). <---This shot you actually see quite often at the pro levels, relatively speaking, not necessarily around the pole.

2) Being pulled wide on the ad side, but due to some messed up court positioning, or just dumb luck, you manage to set up for an "inside-out" FH DTL on the ad side (this shot would be similar, but quite different to what's been discussed; i.e. the inside-in DTL, ad side.)

Naturally, this can be applied to the backhand side as well. Have fun coming up with names for those shots.
 
Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
boojay said:
Here are a couple of rare forehand scenarios to give you guys further headaches.

1) Being pulled so wide on the deuce side that you hit a "mini-crosscourt" DTL shot on the deuce end (possibly around the pole). <---This shot you actually see quite often at the pro levels, relatively speaking, not necessarily around the pole.
Click to expand...

That is also called an inside in backhand. Duh, Titties McJiggles.
 
D

dman72

Hall of Fame
Very risky in my case. The ball always ends up sailing wide because your momentum pulls it that way..I guess if I aimed the shot 6 feet inside the sideline, it probably would end up clipping the line..but it never seems to work out that way.
 
D

dakels

Rookie
dman72 said:
Very risky in my case. The ball always ends up sailing wide because your momentum pulls it that way..I guess if I aimed the shot 6 feet inside the sideline, it probably would end up clipping the line..but it never seems to work out that way.
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My friend hits this shot like Federer in the clip I showed. Incredibly smooth and graceful. We like hitting this shot against each other, especially if someone slices, we hit the inside out DTL and approach. One key thing is the momentum as you mentioned. The ball will generally be pulled out of the court so therefore it is wise to aim 12" into the court, or that much further in then you intended to normally without the momentum. Frankly though, if you have to hit this shot too far in, you negate the benefit of this shot, while leaving yourself way off court for a return shot. This is also why I stress the landing and push back into the court, also seen by the fed video. Look how far he is leaning in back into the court, about to land on his toes to easily push back into the court should a return come back. The benefit of the sit and lift on the outside shots is that turn control (harnessed into rotational power as well), and preparation to bounce back into position.
 
Djokovicfan4life

Djokovicfan4life

Legend
Bungalo Bill said:
It works great FOR lefties on righties and those with little arms and onehanded backhands. :)
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You sure know your stuff, Bill, but your views on the backhand are seriously messed up.

As if your arms are any bigger when you use two hands.

Wonder hand powers, activate! Form of, a backhand!
 
V

Vision84

Hall of Fame
I've seen Roddick use this shot because his inside-out becomes to predictable and he ends up getting burned on it almost everytime I have seen him use it.
 
boojay

boojay

Hall of Fame
Rickson said:
It's called the around the net post forehand.
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Dude, how you managed to misread the same post twice is beyond me.

"This shot you actually see quite often at the pro levels, relatively speaking, not necessarily around the pole."
 
C

Chauvalito

Hall of Fame
Great second serve attack shot

I use this shot frequently when returning second serves on the AD side of the court. For the most part I dont find it difficult, especially with short second serves that sit up.

I feel that of the return this shot is effective because many servers are recovering from their serve while also trying to react to this shot. Plus changing directions for the server following serve can be difficult.
 
Rickson

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
boojay said:
Dude, how you managed to misread the same post twice is beyond me.

"This shot you actually see quite often at the pro levels, relatively speaking, not necessarily around the pole."
Click to expand...

Then we'll call it the outside in forehand.
 
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