Forehand: No Power

Qubax · Sep 12, 2011

So I use a Semi-Western to Extreme-Semi-Western grip.

And I have started using the WW follow through.

I am hitting with a LOT of consistency. BUT I am having a hard time getting more pop on my forehand. And If I force it I tend to miss hit, or dump it into the net.

I feel like I have the FH of my Avatar!

A lot of my rally balls are landing at about the service line and I want to land them deeper and with a bit more pop. Every now and then I hit a good one, maybe even one out of every 8 or 10 shots.

But does anyone have a tip on how to do this consistently?

Thanks for any input.

AceServer · Sep 12, 2011

Use your hips if you aren't. That helps a lot.

Xizel · Sep 12, 2011

Swing harder. Use your hips, your arm, or whatever else you can, but swing harder. You can flatten it out with a more horizontal swing, but that could possibly be detrimental.

LeeD · Sep 12, 2011

Simplest cure is to aim 5' above the netcord.
You can also shorten your backswing, swing more directly, hit flatter for more power.
And of course, you can swing harder using more legs.

Caesar · Sep 12, 2011

Xizel said:
Swing harder. Use your hips, your arm, or whatever else you can, but swing harder. You can flatten it out with a more horizontal swing, but that could possibly be detrimental.

Bad advice.

Most rec players swing plenty hard enough. More power comes naturally from improving one's technique - usually with a more dynamic body motion.

Swinging harder and muscling the ball will increase racquet head speed, but it's very inefficient and often highly inconsistent. 99% of players can improve their power more easily using other techniques.

Larrysümmers · Sep 12, 2011

LeeD;6000667[B said:
]Simplest cure is to aim 5'[/B] above the netcord.
You can also shorten your backswing, swing more directly, hit flatter for more power.
And of course, you can swing harder using more legs.

i remember you saying this in a thread before i was even a member here i think. whenever i am hitting short, i try to think hit higher over the net.

pushing_wins · Sep 13, 2011

this question is asked every few days.

USERNAME · Sep 13, 2011

The words "explode into the ball" come to mind. Bend the knees to get your stick well under the ball, keep a smooth stroke (I don't agree with shortening it like leed said), push off the set/load leg up and forward, swing up on the ball making contact in front of the body and throw your racquet out to your target, finish on the opposite leg. *You should be into the court a bit or alot depending on the shot* The object of this fh technique is to hit a high heavy ball that should land deep with good margin.

USERNAME · Sep 13, 2011

Btw hitting harder or swinging faster is a solution but can be a disaster if your off even just a little. Higher and heavier is the way to go.

Clay lover · Sep 13, 2011

delete post

Clay lover · Sep 13, 2011

As the posters here suggest, If you want to hit deeper, aim higher; if you want more power though you need to swing faster. People often make the mistake of trying hit the ball hard by swinging the racquet fast with their arms-this disrupts their form. Instead try to hit a normal stroke but be more explosive and speed up the movement of your whole body instead of just the arm

dman72 · Sep 13, 2011

Try jumping into a few forehands to give yourself an idea of how much more power can be generated by leg drive and uncoiling. You will be amazed at how "slow" you can swing your racquet and still generate massive spin and pace..if you timing is right. What you don't initially realize is that youa re generating racquet head speed from your body twisting, so your arm doesn't have to do so much.

I'd estimate that about a 50% swing with a mild "lift" (exploding into the ball as others have described it) generates as much power as a 90% wooly mammoth swing flat footed. Try it in hitting sessions.

darthfedererr · Sep 13, 2011

dman72 said:
Try jumping into a few forehands to give yourself an idea of how much more power can be generated by leg drive and uncoiling. You will be amazed at how "slow" you can swing your racquet and still generate massive spin and pace..if you timing is right. What you don't initially realize is that youa re generating racquet head speed from your body twisting, so your arm doesn't have to do so much.

I'd estimate that about a 50% swing with a mild "lift" (exploding into the ball as others have described it) generates as much power as a 90% wooly mammoth swing flat footed. Try it in hitting sessions.

bold. this guy has your answer.

Qubax · Sep 13, 2011

Thanks guys, a lot of useful information here.

pushing_wins · Sep 13, 2011

USERNAME said:
The words "explode into the ball" come to mind. Bend the knees to get your stick well under the ball, keep a smooth stroke (I don't agree with shortening it like leed said), push off the set/load leg up and forward, swing up on the ball making contact in front of the body and throw your racquet out to your target, finish on the opposite leg. *You should be into the court a bit or alot depending on the shot* The object of this fh technique is to hit a high heavy ball that should land deep with good margin.

doesnt work, a person watching tennis for the first time will realize that. i m sure the OP already knows.

with that advice, how is your fh working for you?

USERNAME · Sep 13, 2011

pushing_wins said:
doesnt work, a person watching tennis for the first time will realize that. i m sure the OP already knows.

with that advice, how is your fh working for you?

Playing at the college level.
9 out of 10 times it is the simplest thing that the player is doing wrong. Trying to swing harder because they are frustrated, literally jumping into their shots, etc. What I said is all you gotta do to hit a solid deep ball with pace! Getting a deep knee bend and rotating, transferring weight from one leg to the other going FORWARD will give you power! Swinging up on the ball will give you height, safety, and depth. Throwing the racquet out will give you penetration through the court.

pushing_wins · Sep 13, 2011

USERNAME said:
Playing at the college level.
9 out of 10 times it is the simplest thing that the player is doing wrong. Trying to swing harder because they are frustrated, literally jumping into their shots, etc. What I said is all you gotta do to hit a solid deep ball with pace! Getting a deep knee bend and rotating, transferring weight from one leg to the other going FORWARD will give you power! Swinging up on the ball will give you height, safety, and depth. Throwing the racquet out will give you penetration through the court.

thanks for elaborating. excellent points, couldnt agree more.

one question, what do you mean by "throwing the racquet out"?

USERNAME · Sep 14, 2011

pushing_wins said:
thanks for elaborating. excellent points, couldnt agree more.

one question, what do you mean by "throwing the racquet out"?

Sorry if I came off a bit cocky... But throwing the racquet out simply means getting a full extension on the follow through. You know continually extending your arm out at and after contact so your racquet goes through the ball rather then folding up into your body, wouldn't believe how much more penetration and zip you get by going this.

Wilander Fan · Sep 14, 2011

You might be hitting under the sweetspot which is easy to do with a W grip. Its hard to tell when you are doing this and it robs you of power since you are hitting low on the strings.

Satch · Sep 14, 2011

Xizel said:
Swing harder. Use your hips, your arm, or whatever else you can, but swing harder. You can flatten it out with a more horizontal swing, but that could possibly be detrimental.

its all correct but the key to forehand power is your legs, you need to get the power from your right leg (if you are RH), also always bend your knees..

pushing_wins · Sep 14, 2011

USERNAME said:
Sorry if I came off a bit cocky... But throwing the racquet out simply means getting a full extension on the follow through. You know continually extending your arm out at and after contact so your racquet goes through the ball rather then folding up into your body, wouldn't believe how much more penetration and zip you get by going this.

thats quite hard to do with an open stance. when your transfer your weight from right foot to left, your momentum is moving laterally instead of forward.

USERNAME · Sep 14, 2011

pushing_wins said:
thats quite hard to do with an open stance. when your transfer your weight from right foot to left, your momentum is moving laterally instead of forward.

It's hard mentally more then anything. I'm not saying hit a straight arm fh but to extend out through the hit rather then coming right up the back of the ball, it's a simple task physically. And if your moving laterally, not forward, your being way to defensive. Even in an open stance your at an angle (not square w/the net) so for a right hander your left leg should be a good ways in front of your right, load and unload going from right leg to left and you will go forward. It is easy to do once you get a grasp of what doing it right feels like. You could also lean more forward at first to force yourself to go into the court but that's another habit that you'll have to break.

Crazy man · Sep 14, 2011

You could be pronating too much. Or at the wrong time. Use your legs too.

y11971alex · Sep 18, 2011

LeeD said:
Simplest cure is to aim 5' above the netcord.
You can also shorten your backswing, swing more directly, hit flatter for more power.
And of course, you can swing harder using more legs.

At 5' above the cord the ball will float long with some pace. My best shots come at 6'' to 1' above the cord.

It is a simple matter of physics that the flat ball hit with the same energy as the spinny ball will always travel faster from the racquet. I don't know if your "pop" is equivalent to speed, but stepping into the ball and turning the hips will definitely help.

ho · Sep 19, 2011

Qubax said:
A lot of my rally balls are landing at about the service line and I want to land them deeper and with a bit more pop.

Nice problem you have, Mine is whenever i hit recklessly, it finds the fence, 10 out of 10 !!! and i am only 5ft7 150 lbs.

LeeD · Sep 19, 2011

You guys are lucky!
When I'm out of sorts, my forehand can hit the middle of the net, or go long by 3'. No way to tell which or when. Switching to strong SW (I've modulated back from W by playing little) has cured most of the low or long, so my forehand is now playable at 4.0.
As for aiming 6" to a foot over the net, ....have fun, you 3.0.

qwanta · Sep 22, 2011

You could try this drill:

Coach Kyril: Forehand - How To Hit Powerful Forehands

Forehand: No Power

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