Are You Making These Mistakes On Your Forehand?

[thomas daniels]

So, yesterday I was watching a high school tennis team practice in Kobe.

And there was 3 common mistakes that they were doing on their forehand swing.

1) Taking the racket back too early.

Many juniors and adult players make this mistake daily on the court.

When in reality they should think... (In with the hands and light with the feet with their first contact move).


2) Not keeping their non racket hand on the throat more during the preparation phase of the stroke.

Think about it like this.

You must stalk the ball with your non racket hand on the throat and then when you have the ball measured for the shot.

Start and keep your loop smooth and flowing or if the ball is coming fast at YOU, hit it on the rise(using yout hands and your lower body to corkscrew into the shot, with no backswing at all.

3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Watch how the pros, use their non racket hand when they start their forward swing?

They always point at the ball.

As a matter of fact, my first coach use to always tell us to "Point at the ball with your non-racket hand".

By doing this.

It allows you to zone in on your contact point, because you will always have to adapt to the ball that is coming at YOU.

Anyway.

Those are 3 mistakes that juniors and adults are making on their forehands!!

So, if you are making these mistakes now.

Become more consious of it in practice and start self-correcting yourself on the spot!!

Then eventually.

You will develop a MORE powerful and fluid forehand in months.

From there, just focus on working on your timing,feel, balance and flow on every rep that you attempt in practice.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

So, yesterday I was watching a high school tennis team practice in Kobe.

And there was 3 common mistakes that they were doing on their forehand swing.

1) Taking the racket back too early.

Many juniors and adult players make this mistake daily on the court.

When in reality they should think... (In with the hands and light with the feet with their first contact move).

How will thinking this fix the problem?

How early is "too early"?

In my experience, the dominant problem is "too late".

2) Not keeping their non racket hand on the throat more during the preparation phase of the stroke.

Agreed.

3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Most people point not at the ball [because that would mean they'd constantly have to move their arm as the ball moves] but rather out towards a fixed point in space that reaches across their body. I don't know if there is an optimal angle.

 

[Curious]

I think taking the racket back is a really bad idea especially when it’s done with the arm independently of the unit turn.
How about this?
Just turn with the hand and racket mostly in front of you and slightly to your right side, then drop it from there diagonally towards the corner where right fence and back fence connect. But still not towards the back fence. Remember Federer always starts his forward swing while his racket tip points to 5 o’clock position. That’s the biggest element of a compact stroke.

 

[rogerroger917]

Bumping for awesomeness. TD is the goat of coaching.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Knox]

Good post. Solid stuff here that everyone could benefit from.

One thing though:

3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Don't forget the second half of this tip. Pull your elbow back and around to help initiate shoulder rotation. If you point but don't pull then you may as well not point at all, imo.

https://cdn.instructables.com/F9G/YFBE/G6MPLMGH/F9GYFBEG6MPLMGH.LARGE.jpg?auto=webp&frame=1&width=320

Pane 1 shows the fully coiled pointing pose, pane 2 and 3 show the timing of the elbow pull/ shoulder rotation relative to contact

 

[thomas daniels]

Good post. Solid stuff here that everyone could benefit from.

One thing though:


Don't forget the second half of this tip. Pull your elbow back and around to help initiate shoulder rotation. If you point but don't pull then you may as well not point at all, imo.

https://cdn.instructables.com/F9G/YFBE/G6MPLMGH/F9GYFBEG6MPLMGH.LARGE.jpg?auto=webp&frame=1&width=320

Pane 1 shows the fully coiled pointing pose, pane 2 and 3 show the timing of the elbow pull/ shoulder rotation relative to contact

Arigato!!

 

[rogerroger917]

Moo shoo moo shoo!!!!

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Shroud]

So, yesterday I was watching a high school tennis team practice in Kobe.

And there was 3 common mistakes that they were doing on their forehand swing.

1) Taking the racket back too early.

Many juniors and adult players make this mistake daily on the court.

When in reality they should think... (In with the hands and light with the feet with their first contact move).


2) Not keeping their non racket hand on the throat more during the preparation phase of the stroke.

Think about it like this.

You must stalk the ball with your non racket hand on the throat and then when you have the ball measured for the shot.

Start and keep your loop smooth and flowing or if the ball is coming fast at YOU, hit it on the rise(using yout hands and your lower body to corkscrew into the shot, with no backswing at all.

3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Watch how the pros, use their non racket hand when they start their forward swing?

They always point at the ball.

As a matter of fact, my first coach use to always tell us to "Point at the ball with your non-racket hand".

By doing this.

It allows you to zone in on your contact point, because you will always have to adapt to the ball that is coming at YOU.

Anyway.

Those are 3 mistakes that juniors and adults are making on their forehands!!

So, if you are making these mistakes now.

Become more consious of it in practice and start self-correcting yourself on the spot!!

Then eventually.

You will develop a MORE powerful and fluid forehand in months.

From there, just focus on working on your timing,feel, balance and flow on every rep that you attempt in practice.

please show me in this vid where number 3 is happening. He is pointing to the side fence and then as the swing develops the off hand moves past the ball. Not once does he point at the ball. please give a time stamp so I can see the pointing. It moves past the ball it never points.

 

[Deleted member 769694]

3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Watch how the pros, use their non racket hand when they start their forward swing?

They always point at the ball.

As a matter of fact, my first coach use to always tell us to "Point at the ball with your non-racket hand".

Good tips, put point and catch is how you teach beginners. Pointing would open your left side making step 2 (hand on throat) irrelavent

 

[Knox]

Good tips, put point and catch is how you teach beginners. Pointing would open your left side making step 2 (hand on throat) irrelavent

It's a sequence. Both hands on the throat about until the ball bounces, then immediately point offhand to the side fence once you take your hand off the throat.

So, taken out of sequence, these tips do contradict, but when you look at the context of how it synchronizes then they actually synergize.

 

[Fedinkum]

Most people point not at the ball [because that would mean they'd constantly have to move their arm as the ball moves] but rather out towards a fixed point in space that reaches across their body. I don't know if there is an optimal angle.

I agreed. I think “pointing at the ball” is more like a sign post or mental check list to promote unit turn than really using the finger to track the ball.

 

[Deleted member 769694]

It's a sequence. Both hands on the throat about until the ball bounces, then immediately point offhand to the side fence once you take your hand off the throat.

So, taken out of sequence, these tips do contradict, but when you look at the context of how it synchronizes then they actually synergize.

I was taught the "hand cuffs", pointing only opens the left side, losing coil.

If your pointing at the ball, you havent hit it yet

 

[Knox]

I was taught the "hand cuffs", pointing only opens the left side, losing coil.

If your pointing at the ball, you havent hit it yet

What do you mean by 'only opens the left side'?

 

[Deleted member 769694]

What do you mean by 'only opens the left side'?

It doesnt really do anything by opening early, aside from cosmetic.

Why not open them both at the same time for max power?

 

[Dragy]

I was taught the "hand cuffs", pointing only opens the left side, losing coil.

If your pointing at the ball, you havent hit it yet

You are supposed to open at some point to launch the sequence:

 

[sureshs]

Even with hand on throat, the hands don't seem to be in such proximity to be described as "handcuffs."

 

[FatHead250]

The less i think about my forehand the better it works. So no

 

[Chas Tennis]

............And there was 3 common mistakes that they were doing on their forehand swing. .................
3) Not using the non racket hand to point at the ball.

Watch how the pros, use their non racket hand when they start their forward swing?

They always point at the ball.

As a matter of fact, my first coach use to always tell us to "Point at the ball with your non-racket hand".

By doing this.

It allows you to zone in on your contact point, because you will always have to adapt to the ball that is coming at YOU.

.....................................................................

I don't agree that the ATP pros "always point at the ball" when they start their forward swing. I believe that they often build up speed in the off arm and then pull it into their bodies. This builds up angular momentum in their off arm that can be used to add to the rotation of the uppermost body when it is pulled in. The off arm is often the first fast motion seen before the forward swing. This is the same principle that figure skaters use when they spin up.

Curiosity told me about this a few years ago and I have posted many times on it. He also said that the way the tossing arm is brought down on the serve has a similar angular momentum boosting function.

 

[thomas daniels]

I don't agree that the ATP pros "always point at the ball" when they start their forward swing. I believe that they often build up speed in the off arm and then pull it into their bodies. This builds up angular momentum in their off arm that can be used to add to the rotation of the uppermost body when it is pulled in. The off arm is often the first fast motion seen before the forward swing. This is the same principle that figure skaters use when they spin up.

Curiosity told me about this a few years ago and I have posted many times on it. He also said that the way the tossing arm is brought down on the serve has a similar angular momentum boosting function.

Of course there are exceptions, but for juniors and adults, I think it's a good tip to use...

 

[Curious]

I noticed something big the other day!
Stretching the left arm along the baseline during the unit turn with bent arm vs straight arm.
I want everyone to give it a go. Straight arm forces you to coil more. Looks like an anatomical thing.

 

[Knox]

I noticed something big the other day!
Stretching the left arm along the baseline during the unit turn with bent arm vs straight arm.
I want everyone to give it a go. Straight arm forces you to coil more. Looks like an anatomical thing.

Makes sense, mechanically speaking. And is congruent with what we see from most pros.

 

[Deleted member 769694]

Straight arm forces you to coil more.

I coil with the body and then take the racket back, by coiling your taking the racket back 50% already (assuming 12 to 6). Whats nice about this way is you still get the strongest part of your body always prepped first and the arm (does control control for me) can lay the wrist back or keep strong (depending if on defense). So you dont have to extend the arm (longer prep) and do the buggy whip thing.

The handcuff prep insures your core will always compliment the arm.

I do that inner tennis game of tennis stuff, but took it to the strat vs power origin. So instead of it being psychological with self 1 and 2, i made two physcial aspects (well three, mind is connected to arm). Body is pure power (doesnt matter skill wise) arm controls that power.

 

[thomas daniels]

I coil with the body and then take the racket back, by coiling your taking the racket back 50% already (assuming 12 to 6). Whats nice about this way is you still get the strongest part of your body always prepped first and the arm (does control control for me) can lay the wrist back or keep strong (depending if on defense). So you dont have to extend the arm (longer prep) and do the buggy whip thing.

The handcuff prep insures your core will always compliment the arm.

I do that inner tennis game of tennis stuff, but took it to the strat vs power origin. So instead of it being psychological with self 1 and 2, i made two physcial aspects (well three, mind is connected to arm). Body is pure power (doesnt matter skill wise) arm controls that power.

Okay, but you have to simply that more and say it in one sentence my friend...

 

[jga111]

please show me in this vid where number 3 is happening. He is pointing to the side fence and then as the swing develops the off hand moves past the ball. Not once does he point at the ball. please give a time stamp so I can see the pointing. It moves past the ball it never points.

Pointing to the ball helps keep right spacing.
Some find it easier to judge and create that spacing pointing to the ball as it comes to you.
Others already have a feel and point to where the ball WILL be and so do early rotation on unit turn.

horses for courses

 

[Deleted member 769694]

Okay, but you have to simply that more and say it in one sentence my friend...

Its much more than one sentence, but i outlined it. When you simplify things, they become simple. The margin of error goes way down because two processes are working independently.

Im finding the mind to be like ddr memory in computers. We always judge, making one thought into two.

 

[Shroud]

Pointing to the ball helps keep right spacing.
Some find it easier to judge and create that spacing pointing to the ball as it comes to you.
Others already have a feel and point to where the ball WILL be and so do early rotation on unit turn.

horses for courses

no one is pointing though. Please show me in that vid the timestamp he actually points.

 

[Dartagnan64]

no one is pointing though. Please show me in that vid the timestamp he actually points.

I managed to catch several forehands where the hand was lined up with the ball. Every one was part of the swing as the left arm moves out of the way as the body uncoils. No spot where the arm was held in a pointing position. It points to the side fence then sweeps around to the left side through the swing.

 

[Shroud]

I managed to catch several forehands where the hand was lined up with the ball. Every one was part of the swing as the left arm moves out of the way as the body uncoils. No spot where the arm was held in a pointing position. It points to the side fence then sweeps around to the left side through the swing.

exactly. So how can anyone instruct someone to "point at the ball" when the pros don't do it. The arm moves from right to left for a righty. It never stops and points at the ball or at where contact will be or any place for that matter after it points at the side fence.

 

[jga111]

no one is pointing though. Please show me in that vid the timestamp he actually points.

Agreed, but I’m suggesting why the original poster mentioned pointing.