A few questions on hitting the forehand

[ogruskie]

1. On the racquet handle, I often hold the racquet so that the butt is up against (about) them middle of my palm. Its VERY loose in my hand, letting me really whip through the ball. However, this type of grip is fairly inconsistent. But when I get the shot right...its incredible.

Sometimes I choke up the handle a little, so that the butt of the handle touches the "pad" of my palm. Its a little more consistent, but it makes me feel uncomfortable. Plus I can't whip through the ball as much.

So...should I work on improving the loose whippy grip, or suck it up and keep playing with the stable grip? If it matters, I have a SW forehand.

2. How can I shorten my backswing? When I bring the racquet back, my arm extends so that its almost straight (but not quite). Once again, if I get the stroke right, the ball stays low and has good depth. If its late, the ball goes into the net or the fence. How can I shorten the backswing yet maintain power and depth? I find that when I shorten the backswing, I feel awkward and end up hitting a weak ball with no pace. It just spins to the other side of the court, giving my opponent a great opportunity to smack a winner.

 

[wihamilton]

Hold the tennis racket so that your pinky is at the bottom of the handle. This picture of Marat Safin's forehand should give you a clear idea of what that should look like (full screen pic). You should hold the racket loosely regardless of where your hand is on the racket.

As for shortening your backswing, watch this video and freeze it at about 24 seconds - the point where Oliver locks his arm / racket into his hitting-arm position. Also notice the relationship between his hitting-arm and his upper body at the start of the forward swing. He's got to get to this position and so do you. If you watch his forehand in it's entirety again, you'll notice he has a pretty high backswing. However, he could easily cut that down - shorten it - and still get to the body position at 24 seconds. That's what you need to focus on when you try and shorten your backswing. Get to the hitting-arm position + relationship between that structure and your upper body and you should be good to go.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Hold the tennis racket so that your pinky is at the bottom of the handle. This picture of Marat Safin's forehand should give you a clear idea of what that should look like (full screen pic). You should hold the racket loosely regardless of where your hand is on the racket.

As for shortening your backswing, watch this video and freeze it at about 24 seconds - the point where Oliver locks his arm / racket into his hitting-arm position. Also notice the relationship between his hitting-arm and his upper body at the start of the forward swing. He's got to get to this position and so do you. If you watch his forehand in it's entirety again, you'll notice he has a pretty high backswing. However, he could easily cut that down - shorten it - and still get to the body position at 24 seconds. That's what you need to focus on when you try and shorten your backswing. Get to the hitting-arm position + relationship between that structure and your upper body and you should be good to go.

Sorry will, but the first link doesn't work.

 

[rosewall4ever]

1.wippy is ok as long as you can control it...laid back wrist through the swing (don't fling it) and proper pronation.
2. make the loop for your backswing smaller or straight takeback.

 

[wihamilton]

Oops.

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/zenphoto/forehand/marat_safin_forehand03.jpg.php

Click on the image to enlarge.

 

[Amone]

It sounds like what you need to do isn't necessarily shorten your backswing, but get it back earlier. Once you know which side the ball's going to, you should already be on bringing it back. If you didn't start running until the ball was on the service line, you'd never make it to the shot, but a lot of the people I played with, back when I played a lot, were in no hurry to get ready for the shot.

However, if you're really getting it back ASAP, and still not enough time, try taking your racquet straight back, instead of looping (like Rosewall4Ever [Nice name!!] said). Also, try a shoulder turn (IE, your core) along with pulling your arm back, to bring it back faster.

 

[ogruskie]

Thanks for the help.

Another question...or more like...in need of advice.

I always hit my forehands in a closed stance. It makes me feel awkward, but its the only position that lets me get power/depth/consistency. An open stance gives me more time to prepare for the shot, but I'm terribly inconsistent with it.

Should I continue to use the closed stance and just suck it up, or work in improving the open stance?

Wil, in your videos, the players use open stances and windshield wiper forehands. Would an open stance work if I DON'T use a windshield wiper forehand?

 

[wihamilton]

Ogr -- Yes. You can hit a classic forehand w/an open stance and a WW forehand w/a neutral stance.

Edit: Happy Thanksgiving!