4.5 working on forehand (video)

[jdawgg]

Hey guys... here's a video of me hitting on the ball machine (very light/casual, use my feet more the longer the video goes) just working on the swing shape, loop takeback, continuous swing and clean contact on my forehand. I'd say I've been working on my forehand for about a month now -- somehow I developed a slight hitch where the racquet goes straight to the hitting arm position and then pauses. It's not as bad anymore.

My backhand is super solid, so I'm just trying to get my forehand to become a weapon in a big way to take my game to the next level 5.0+

I'm looking for opinions on any issues I should fix or insights. The one thing I noticed after shooting this video today was that my unit turn or coiling isn't as much as it should be. I believe this is because I decided to take my hand off the racquet sooner a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0ZzUp6vdY

Warning: the video is a little long -- skip to four minutes if you aren't going to watch most of it for a more accurate representation of my footwork and weight transfer.

 

[papa]

Difficult to judge anything from just hitting off a ball machine. I got about 2/3 thirds of the way through and kinda drifted off - little bit boring. Mechanics are ok to a point but you have to get a lot more aggressive and get those feet going. Finish is again ok, but play around with the "other" finishes like same side & over the shoulder - I happen to like your finish but its important to practice the others also.

You used the word "casual" and I think that pretty much describes things.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Yes, very casual. Add a split step right before the machine shoots. Even being casual you should have that split step.

Stroke looks fine, its got the basic fundamentals. Of course 20 posters can tell you to change this or that. But it is a decent fundamental stroke. If it is working for you in matches, enjoy.

 

[rkelley]

Nice forehand. As far as basic form, the only input that I have is for your left arm. After the arm is pointed out toward the ball and you're beginning your swing, most pros bend the arm at the elbow and pull the arm into their body. Their left hand usually ends up around their left shoulder. This pulling in of the left arm is a provides power for the forward swing of the racquet.

You're basically just allowing your arm to drop by your side. Check out some youtube videos. This pulling in of the arm seems pretty universal at the pro level.

Otherwise it looks like a good swing.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Nice forehand. As far as basic form, the only input that I have is for your left arm. After the arm is pointed out toward the ball and you're beginning your swing, most pros bend the arm at the elbow and pull the arm into their body. Their left hand usually ends up around their left shoulder. This pulling in of the left arm is a provides power for the forward swing of the racquet.

You're basically just allowing your arm to drop by your side. Check out some youtube videos. This pulling in of the arm seems pretty universal at the pro level.

Otherwise it looks like a good swing.

Not really, its a product of how hard they are swinging. When pros are hitting casually their off arms end up exactly where his does. When they hit a forehand winner, then at times their off hand will end up slightly higher. Below you will see both Nadal and Fed's off hand is closer to their belly than their shoulders while hitting relatively casually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajx2zqpp0rI&feature=relmfu

The worst thing would be for this guy to start purposely putting his left hand up by his shoulder after hitting! Stuff like that makes for some silly looking rec players.

 

[Tebow]

I'm not trying to be the jerk here, but with this footwork you're not gonna make it.

 

[Tebow]

I can't edit, so have to post it again...The footwork is okay toward the end of the video, just watched the first 30 sec the first time

 

[ATP100]

When using a ball machine, use the 2 line feature.
If that is not available, use oscillating feature at your feed rate level.

 

[ssonosk]

Looks like you're arming it some

Yes, very casual. Add a split step right before the machine shoots. Even being casual you should have that split step.

Stroke looks fine, its got the basic fundamentals. Of course 20 posters can tell you to change this or that. But it is a decent fundamental stroke. If it is working for you in matches, enjoy.

why shouldn't he make changes?

that's the only way to get better

 

[maggmaster]

Once you have a functional, comfortable stroke that follows the appropriate swing path, changing it is counterproductive. Hit it more, ingrain it in muscle memory and then start working on increasing racket head acceleration.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

Looks like you're arming it some



why shouldn't he make changes?

that's the only way to get better

Not true. maggmaster explained it in his post. Could there be some changes he would make? Yeah....if a coach was standing there who could see or know about his personality, game style, where his balls are going, his results in actual match play, how much spin he is generating, how his strokes hold up under pressure, any physical limitations he may have, his current level of flexibility, what his tennis goals are, etc.

Should he change a decent fundamental stroke when 20 guys tell him to put his left arm up by his shoulder, not arm the ball, bend his elbow 2 degrees, cluck like a chicken....when those guys know none of the things I mentioned above?

Heck no.

 

[ssonosk]

Once you have a functional, comfortable stroke that follows the appropriate swing path, changing it is counterproductive. Hit it more, ingrain it in muscle memory and then start working on increasing racket head acceleration.

you don't get a better forehand by not making suttle changes. I'm not saying he needs to change it completely, but it wont get better if he doesn't make changes.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

you don't get a better forehand by not making suttle changes. I'm not saying he needs to change it completely, but it wont get better if he doesn't make changes.

Read my post above. Making changes to a fundamentally sound stroke, when the people suggesting the changes don't know even 1/10th of his story is wrong.

 

[ssonosk]

Not true. maggmaster explained it in his post. Could there be some changes he would make? Yeah....if a coach was standing there who could see or know about his personality, game style, where his balls are going, his results in actual match play, how much spin he is generating, how his strokes hold up under pressure, any physical limitations he may have, his current level of flexibility, what his tennis goals are, etc.

Should he change a decent fundamental stroke when 20 guys tell him to put his left arm up by his shoulder, not arm the ball, bend his elbow 2 degrees, cluck like a chicken....when those guys know none of the things I mentioned above?
Heck no.

trail and error.

Try new different things and see what works and what doesn't work. Now there are somethings I wouldn't change because someone on the forum tells me to (because i know it's wrong), but somethings you should take into consideration like arming the ball.

 

[nabrug]

Not really, its a product of how hard they are swinging. When pros are hitting casually their off arms end up exactly where his does. When they hit a forehand winner, then at times their off hand will end up slightly higher. Below you will see both Nadal and Fed's off hand is closer to their belly than their shoulders while hitting relatively casually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajx2zqpp0rI&feature=relmfu

The worst thing would be for this guy to start purposely putting his left hand up by his shoulder after hitting! Stuff like that makes for some silly looking rec players.

Ditto. (In my words it is an obvious characteristic (by product) of the essence of the movement. Namely the explosive forward bringing of the racket head through the ball.)

 

[nabrug]

Read my post above. Making changes to a fundamentally sound stroke, when the people suggesting the changes don't know even 1/10th of his story is wrong.

I second that too. I think TCF is an experienced coach. And I think you can play professional tennis with this kind of FH. It all depends on his Technical Break Point (TBP) of his FH in the game situations HE (!!!!) is facing in his matches.
Tennis, dear grandchildren, is not about a perfect FH (Tennis is an open skill sport). It is about what percentage can you score with a FH in any given game situation you face or will face in a match situation. Although it is not the same but the question is when will your FH break down? And this FH is a good basis for reaching the highest levels.
BUT(!) that said from 1. the way OP is setting up the ball machine (I can't recognize any game situation. I don't recognize an incoming ball which looks a little like a match ball) 2. the way he is receiving the ball (No active search for the ball with a characteristic of inactive footwork. He let the ball drop too low.) 3. The non-knowledge (sorry I can't find an other word) in the USA about the Game Based Approach
I get the idea that OP is not trained by a GBA coach or one who does GBA like things. So that he has a nice FH on this incoming ball but that his TBP is very low when the Level Depending Factors (LDF) increase.
That is why, dear grandchildren, all the ITF programs for children are game based. With the outcome that at age 12-14 they have a FH like OP but with the big difference that they used that in match situations from day 1. Their TBP will maintain at a high percentage in the toughest game situations. You can only compensate this disadvantage with supertalent.

 

[jdawgg]

Not true. maggmaster explained it in his post. Could there be some changes he would make? Yeah....if a coach was standing there who could see or know about his personality, game style, where his balls are going, his results in actual match play, how much spin he is generating, how his strokes hold up under pressure, any physical limitations he may have, his current level of flexibility, what his tennis goals are, etc.

Should he change a decent fundamental stroke when 20 guys tell him to put his left arm up by his shoulder, not arm the ball, bend his elbow 2 degrees, cluck like a chicken....when those guys know none of the things I mentioned above?

Heck no.

Trust me when I say every piece of advice on here I will take with a grain of salt. Most of it will be thrown to the gutter, only things I see myself and agree with will be considered. I also lurk on these forums so I know some of the more respectable posters.

Just to give a little more information... I'm making it to the finals/winning 4.5 tournaments. At the moment my game is definitely on the rise because of all the work i have put into my forehand. My forehand can be very loopy, extreme topspin and I reverse finish sometimes in pressure situations. Racquet head speed has never been my problem I'm actually trying to slow it down a bit to get better contact. I'm a grinder... but I have a lot of power.

At the tournament I played this weekend I saw open players forehands and thats the technique I want and I wont stop working on my forehand until I get it. They hit the ball so hard yet get such great margin. I'm not hitting the ball as hard as them and its going to the backline etc. so clearly I need to develop a better rally ball. I want the right combination of speed and spin and then I'm going to try and replicate that again and again.

It's weird because I like the spanish style of forehands better but looking at this video my forehand looks more like federer's forehand than anything else. I use my wrist a lot to generate topspin rather than a more extreme wiper motion that the spanish guys do. My forehand ends up looking linear and I think being more wristy makes it break down more resulting in frustrating errors in matches.

One thing to note about this video is that I was experimenting with net clearance, spin/speed ratio and a more aggressive finish. I found it interesting that I only hit one ball into the net during this entire duration and 90% of my balls were in... now if I could only do that in matches lol.

 

[rkelley]

Not really, its a product of how hard they are swinging. When pros are hitting casually their off arms end up exactly where his does. When they hit a forehand winner, then at times their off hand will end up slightly higher. Below you will see both Nadal and Fed's off hand is closer to their belly than their shoulders while hitting relatively casually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajx2zqpp0rI&feature=relmfu

The worst thing would be for this guy to start purposely putting his left hand up by his shoulder after hitting! Stuff like that makes for some silly looking rec players.

I checked out the video (thanks for posting it) and from what I see I think it makes my point. Both Nadal and Federer pull in the non-racquet arm as the shoulders start to turn during the forward swing. The exact position of the non-racquet hand varies with the player, the situation, and the stroke, but basically the arm gets pulled in as part of the forward stroke. I didn't mean to say that the hand must end up by the shoulder. The important part is that the arm is pulled in during the swing.

It's just like when you're throwing a ball - you're using your non-dominant arm in exactly the same way. It's an important component of getting power out of the shoulder turn.

I'll also throw in that one of the things I notice when I watch a skilled player hit is that their form stays relatively consistent whether they're casually hitting or they're ripping the cover off the ball.

 

[nabrug]

To answer your question from yesterday. Attached the excahnge of e-mails with TW Admin at the forum.

....I have no intention to make money out of it. I think that some of the reaction I received already, from people who teach tennis for a living was very encouraging.
All I need to know is weather you oppose it or not.
Thanks-Reuven

Regards.

Reuven[/B]rama@netvision.net.il

Well Reuven,

Allthough I want everybody to give his opinion (I prefer people who make an effort) I think it is not a great loss.

Every thing you described is already there. You ignored and will ignore to study that and from there try to change something (the basis for scientific research). Your own tennis technique is very poor to poor. And your knowledge of what is needed for a stroke is very debatable and very limited. It is no wonder that all your "students", who I could see in the videoclip, are working to get major injuries and never will experience the flowing effortless feeling of a correct stroke.

P.S.: Wow your post is deleted again and how you can lie. You mainly received a lot of critique ("I think that some of the reaction I received already, from people who teach tennis for a living was very encouraging").

 

[jdawgg]

I second that too. I think TCF is an experienced coach. And I think you can play professional tennis with this kind of FH. It all depends on his Technical Break Point (TBP) of his FH in the game situations HE (!!!!) is facing in his matches.
Tennis, dear grandchildren, is not about a perfect FH (Tennis is an open skill sport). It is about what percentage can you score with a FH in any given game situation you face or will face in a match situation. Although it is not the same but the question is when will your FH break down? And this FH is a good basis for reaching the highest levels.
BUT(!) that said from 1. the way OP is setting up the ball machine (I can't recognize any game situation. I don't recognize an incoming ball which looks a little like a match ball) 2. the way he is receiving the ball (No active search for the ball with a characteristic of inactive footwork. He let the ball drop too low.) 3. The non-knowledge (sorry I can't find an other word) in the USA about the Game Based Approach
I get the idea that OP is not trained by a GBA coach or one who does GBA like things. So that he has a nice FH on this incoming ball but that his TBP is very low when the Level Depending Factors (LDF) increase.
That is why, dear grandchildren, all the ITF programs for children are game based. With the outcome that at age 12-14 they have a FH like OP but with the big difference that they used that in match situations from day 1. Their TBP will maintain at a high percentage in the toughest game situations. You can only compensate this disadvantage with supertalent.

If I let the ball drop too low its probably because most of the balls are dead and the feed from the ball machine was a little low to begin with.

Interesting, never heard about the game based approach but it sounds like something I already agree with. I spend most of my time playing matches and ground stroke games now.

 

[nabrug]

If I let the ball drop too low its probably because most of the balls are dead and the feed from the ball machine was a little low to begin with.

Interesting, never heard about the game based approach but it sounds like something I already agree with. I spend most of my time playing matches and ground stroke games now.

The game base approach is not playing games/matches. It is all about raising your percentages when you play a match. Technique is as important as in other methods. As your coach I would scout in your match where you have problems. Together with you I have to get consensus where to work on. First we train the problem as closed as possible. Only the ball where you have trouble with (A1). So I only feed this ball (And for coaches: I have to feed the exact ball with all the LDF). Than we open up the game situation a little so that you have a few other choices depending on Perception and Decision prior to the Execution (A2). After that we open the situation even more (B) till we finally play the game as a whole again.

If you want an example give me a current major problem in your game.

 

[jdawgg]

The game base approach is not playing games/matches. It is all about raising your percentages when you play a match. Technique is as important as in other methods. As your coach I would scout in your match where you have problems. Together with you I have to get consensus where to work on. First we train the problem as closed as possible. Only the ball where you have trouble with (A1). So I only feed this ball (And for coaches: I have to feed the exact ball with all the LDF). Than we open up the game situation a little so that you have a few other choices depending on Perception and Decision prior to the Execution (A2). After that we open the situation even more (B) till we finally play the game as a whole again.

If you want an example give me a current major problem in your game.

Hmmm, best I can think of right now is a dtl slice to my forehand I seem to only be able to loop the ball with a reverse finish or forehand slice it back. Going cross court it always lands short with little to no pace. Going down the line I can get it deeper but very loopy. I've made it work by just always hitting a loopy reverse FH dtl or hitting a forehand slice crosscourt or dtl but I see how this is very limiting.

 

[nabrug]

Hmmm, best I can think of right now is a dtl slice to my forehand I seem to only be able to loop the ball with a reverse finish or forehand slice it back. Going cross court it always lands short with little to no pace. Going down the line I can get it deeper but very loopy. I've made it work by just always hitting a loopy reverse FH dtl or hitting a forehand slice crosscourt or dtl but I see how this is very limiting.

I have to understand the game situation. Is it during a BH cross ralley where you have hit an undeeper ball and where your opponent can approach with a BH slice and is aprroaching? Or is it, because of a weaker BH, that you position yourself in the BH corner leaving a big gap on the FH? Which opens the FH corner for slow low slices. They don't give a lot of pressure qua speed but you have to cover a lot of ground and handle a low and slow ball?

And how many times does it occur (percentage)? And what is the succes rate? For coaches - This is tricky because what players tell you can be very accurate but also can be very besides the thruth. That is why you have to "scout" matches/match situations yourself!

 

[pushing_wins]

how do you do in flexibility testing?

 

[Power Player]

Nice forehand. As far as basic form, the only input that I have is for your left arm. After the arm is pointed out toward the ball and you're beginning your swing, most pros bend the arm at the elbow and pull the arm into their body. Their left hand usually ends up around their left shoulder. This pulling in of the left arm is a provides power for the forward swing of the racquet.

You're basically just allowing your arm to drop by your side. Check out some youtube videos. This pulling in of the arm seems pretty universal at the pro level.

Otherwise it looks like a good swing.

I agree, saw the same thing.

Doing this helped me out a lot with my balance. It also adds more torque to the stroke because you pulling that arm in while swinging to contact.

I never thought about the left hand ending up by my shoulder or anything though..it just naturally does that.

 

[ho]

I never thought the left hand ending up by my shoulder or anything though..it just naturally does that.

There are 2 positions the left arm will end up at:
1. Shoulder level, far out your body: Push stroke: it give you balance for your body rotation, keep your right arm and body rotate as one unit
2. Left side of your body, close to your ribs: Pull stroke: it help as a brake, stop left shoulder rotate, launch right shoulder forward. you hit straight thru the ball.
OP do somewhat to the 2. But his rotation of body and arm mostly is a push (1)

 

[jdawgg]

how do you do in flexibility testing?

Don't believe I've ever taken a flexibility test but I've always been very flexible -- before tennis I was a black belt in taekwondo

 

[jdawgg]

There are 2 positions the left arm will end up at:
1. Shoulder level, far out your body: Push stroke: it give you balance for your body rotation, keep your right arm and body rotate as one unit
2. Left side of your body, close to your ribs: Pull stroke: it help as a brake, stop left shoulder rotate, launch right shoulder forward. you hit straight thru the ball.
OP do somewhat to the 2. But his rotation of body and arm mostly is a push (1)

So is my stroke a push or a pull or maybe its a hybrid? Which one is better in your opinion? Not sure if I fully understand push and pull...

 

[rkelley]

I agree, saw the same thing.

Doing this helped me out a lot with my balance. It also adds more torque to the stroke because you pulling that arm in while swinging to contact.

I never thought about the left hand ending up by my shoulder or anything though..it just naturally does that.

The "hand by the shoulder" comment was just my attempt to explain the basic motion with words. The arm bends at the elbow and generally moves into the body during the swing. In watching various forehand videos on youtube the exact amount the arm bends into the body and the exact place the hand ends up are all over the place.

But the reason for doing it is exactly what you said above. It's not like you can't hit a forehand without doing it, but the extra power and balance you get from it isn't negligible either.

 

[jdawgg]

I have to understand the game situation. Is it during a BH cross ralley where you have hit an undeeper ball and where your opponent can approach with a BH slice and is aprroaching? Or is it, because of a weaker BH, that you position yourself in the BH corner leaving a big gap on the FH? Which opens the FH corner for slow low slices. They don't give a lot of pressure qua speed but you have to cover a lot of ground and handle a low and slow ball?

And how many times does it occur (percentage)? And what is the succes rate? For coaches - This is tricky because what players tell you can be very accurate but also can be very besides the thruth. That is why you have to "scout" matches/match situations yourself!

It's probably mostly where I'm pulled wide on the backhand side then hit a neutral crosscourt back which gets sliced dtl to my forehand -- its usually not even an approach shot. But yes its not a lot of pressure from speed its just low and slow where I have to generate my own pace.

The percentage of times it occurs... I'm not really sure depends on who I'm playing. But in a recent match all he did was slice off his backhand side so it did occur quite a bit and I was still successful just slicing it back or looping it to his backhand... I just don't think I will be successful if someone can zero in on the fact that I can only hit those particular shots of that particular ball.

My friend, who is a teaching pro, is telling me I can't hit the shot well because my back and forth movement isn't very good compared to my lateral movement.

 

[rkelley]

To the OP regarding the left hand thing: Go to youtube and search on "forehand slow motion" and then name of your favorite tennis players. You'll find Federer, Djokovic, Agassi, Henin, Murray, both Williams, and many others. Older players are harder to find but there are a few slo mo videos of them too. Check out what those players do with their non-hitting arm and how it coordinates with the whole stroke.

 

[ho]

So is my stroke a push or a pull or maybe its a hybrid? Which one is better in your opinion? Not sure if I fully understand push and pull...

more likely a push, hit the ball with your body and arm as one unit on the side that the fastest way to be consistent.
Copy Djokovic, that a hybrid push, you can hit hard and ball still land in.

 

[TennisCoachFLA]

The "hand by the shoulder" comment was just my attempt to explain the basic motion with words. The arm bends at the elbow and generally moves into the body during the swing. In watching various forehand videos on youtube the exact amount the arm bends into the body and the exact place the hand ends up are all over the place.

But the reason for doing it is exactly what you said above. It's not like you can't hit a forehand without doing it, but the extra power and balance you get from it isn't negligible either.

And like I said, most top pros do not do that while hitting casually. In fact their hand is closer to their belly than shoulder. We have no clue how this guy hits when he hits hard. There was NOTHING wrong with his off hand position in his video, nothing.

OP, please don't mess with your stroke unless you have a coach there who is seeing the entire picture. And for goodness sakes do not start thinking about where your left hand is after you hit!!!

Your fundamentals are fine. Pay the $60-$75 one time and a good local coach will give you all the information in one hour than you will ever need to tweak your forehand.

 

[nabrug]

It's probably mostly where I'm pulled wide on the backhand side then hit a neutral crosscourt back which gets sliced dtl to my forehand -- its usually not even an approach shot. But yes its not a lot of pressure from speed its just low and slow where I have to generate my own pace.

The percentage of times it occurs... I'm not really sure depends on who I'm playing. But in a recent match all he did was slice off his backhand side so it did occur quite a bit and I was still successful just slicing it back or looping it to his backhand... I just don't think I will be successful if someone can zero in on the fact that I can only hit those particular shots of that particular ball.

My friend, who is a teaching pro, is telling me I can't hit the shot well because my back and forth movement isn't very good compared to my lateral movement.

So you don't really have a problem. Or am I missing sg.? I think you are doing what you have to do at your level and you understand that you don't hit winners in that game situation and succeed. You are trying to get the pressure off your shoulders. At the next levels people will approach the net and or hit inside out FH or BH winners DTL and will mix it up in order to keep you honest.

I think that problems with movement (you also hear teachers say that students are lazy) is not the issue. I think the teacher (because the teacher is always to blame) didn't teach you to anticipate on the incoming balltrajectory and how to handle them. For zone 5 balls (balls that keep you behind the baseline) we automatically(?) move backward. For zone 4 balls (balls with contact points between baseline and 3/4 court which we can attack) the most important thing is moving towards the ball and getting in the right position. I know that you were not practising that in your video but I saw no reaction whatsoever towards the ball. My students who have automated this process are pulled forward. An automated reaction.


It's like with drive volleys. First you learn how to execute them (A1; only drill with balltrajectory on which you have to clearly see and make the decision that you have to make a drive volley. FH's or (not and) BH's) but than in a more open drill you feed 70% balls from A1 but add 30% of a specific other shot (A2). You have to pick the other shot carefully. It must also be a shot from the student's match situation and which excists in the same game situation. Drive volleys are answers to balltrajectories from players who are under pressure and drive the ball up. So as an A2 shot you can add a short slow ball with no pressure or a shot to nothing etc.. It has to be a shot where you have to make a totally different decision. And than it is my experience that it takes a long time for people are pulled forward. It is not laziness. It is about seeing, deciding and going (anticipating?!). You will certainly recognize that you have situations that you saw that this was the ball you had to do this and that and a moment later you know that you had to dit but are too late. With people I teach only one hour per week it sometimes takes a year before it really settels. But once its there you never loose it. You can also add a third specific ball (A3). In B you open the game situation even more by playing points but you have to choose a game situation and a first ball which players recognize and from which there is the highest chance that A1 A2 A3 will occur. Let's say for the drive volley (women?!) the teacher feeds a hard ball cc to the backhand corner and the player has to start from the middle or other sideline and has to make a defending shot (shot to nothing). Finally you can open the situation to real match play with service but you can still close it a little bit to encourage the practised situation to occur.

 

[rkelley]

And like I said, most top pros do not do that while hitting casually. In fact their hand is closer to their belly than shoulder.

We disagree. That's OK. What I see when I watch skilled players is that they tend to hit with about the same form regardless of how hard they're hitting.

Also, you're focusing on the hand position, which is not what I was really trying to communicate as I've noted in two replies. The basic idea is that the left arm pulls in as the racquet comes forward. I see that basic motion in every video I've watched, every skilled player I've watched or hit with, and I do it myself.

We have no clue how this guy hits when he hits hard. There was NOTHING wrong with his off hand position in his video, nothing.

I'd argue that we do have a clue has to how he hits, whatever the pace. Why put up a video that shows weak or lazy form? It's reasonable to assume that we're seeing his basic, best form.

Also, in all of your comments you seemed to have over-looked the fact that my very first statement to the OP was that his forehand looked nice. It's a good solid stroke. We apparently disagree with how effectively he's using his left arm (I didn't mean to say that he wasn't using it at all), but he's getting his shoulders around, swing path looks nice, and overall the forehand looks good.

 

[Limpinhitter]

Hey guys... here's a video of me hitting on the ball machine (very light/casual, use my feet more the longer the video goes) just working on the swing shape, loop takeback, continuous swing and clean contact on my forehand. I'd say I've been working on my forehand for about a month now -- somehow I developed a slight hitch where the racquet goes straight to the hitting arm position and then pauses. It's not as bad anymore.

My backhand is super solid, so I'm just trying to get my forehand to become a weapon in a big way to take my game to the next level 5.0+

I'm looking for opinions on any issues I should fix or insights. The one thing I noticed after shooting this video today was that my unit turn or coiling isn't as much as it should be. I believe this is because I decided to take my hand off the racquet sooner a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0ZzUp6vdY

Warning: the video is a little long -- skip to four minutes if you aren't going to watch most of it for a more accurate representation of my footwork and weight transfer.

Your swing path looks good. But, your foot work is a bit lazy. I know you're only hitting against a ball machine, but, it's good for your muscle memory to put more energy in to your split set and mini step set up. Also, your load up is inconsistent. Sometimes you bend your knees nicely and lift into your shot, and sometimes you don't.

 

[Photoshop]

...
My backhand is super solid, so I'm just trying to get my forehand to become a weapon in a big way to take my game to the next level 5.0+...

please do post video of your backhand. 1hd or 2hd? For the record I think your forehand technique is excellent.

 

[NLBwell]

It does look like kind of a funky hybrid between pull and push. Looks a lot like you are throwing a discus. Not necessarily bad, but not a true old-style and not a true windshield wiper.
Can't tell for sure, it may just be the angle of the camera, but you might want to try to hit the ball further out in front of you. Might give you more of a pure WW motion and more spin if that is really what you want. Try it and see how it feels. Don't think the shot is bad now, though.
As far as hitting the slice backhands coming to you, sounds like maybe you are getting on your back foot some and reaching down and scooping upward. Try staying down and driving forward and see if that helps.
(TCF, note that none of this is trying to change his stroke - just contact point)

 

[benxten]

If you really want to improve and figure out fixes and tweaks, you should probably go find a good teaching pro (if you can afford it of course.) I'm not sure you can get that great of advice on your hitting from random people that just sees you hitting in a video, as at your level you probably need someone to play and see you hit in person.