Bent or straight Arm Forehand

[Deleted member 786912]

I have a one handed backhand and I used to have a straight arm forehand with a big backswing. But my wrist and arm/elbow hurt a ton. So I started hitting a bent arm forehand and shorted the backswing a ton which got rid of all the pain, gave me more power, made timing easier, and made hard hitting rallies easier as well.

So is a straight arm forehand really better like some people say? And is it worthwhile at all to experiment with the straight arm forehand?

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Straight arm forehand (like Rafa, Roger) is something intuitive I believe. When I shadow swing I get straight arm forehands but every actual video-ed swing I have has a slightly bent forearm (ala Djokovic). I can fake it for a few shots but the throwing action with slightly bent forearm and elbow leading takes over as soon as I stop focusing on straight arm.. I think it is easy to KILL a good forehand trying to force a straight arm forehand unless it is natural to the person. Multiple good videos on youtube on this topic.

 

[Deleted member 786912]

That makes sense. At the time, I was obsessed with having a 'pretty' game so I tryed forcing a straight arm forehand. Thus, the pain in my arm and elbow since this didn't happen intuitively.

 

[socallefty]

Why mess with all these nuances? Try to practice hitting very hard with a lot of spin and keep it in the court for 15-20 shots at a time. Whatever technique works for you to do that is the one that is right for you.

If you play with poly, string below 50 lbs and cut it out after 10-15 hours and likely your arm pain goes away.

 

[pencilcheck]

if you can post your video hitting that would help understand why it hurts. If you are doing it correctly, it wouldn't hurt at all.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

That makes sense. At the time, I was obsessed with having a 'pretty' game so I tryed forcing a straight arm forehand. Thus, the pain in my arm and elbow since this didn't happen intuitively.

Let's assume some people use an aggressive side throw action as their primary forehand. If you are one of those then try throwing a baseball hard with a straight forearm. The throwing action wants to bent the elbow, the mind wants to keep it straight. Even throwing a few balls starts to hurt. If infact this is what the OP then yes arm pain can result.

Out of curiosity - How many people here have successfully moves from a bent arm forehand to straight arm Forehand and their results improved after that?

 

[5263]

I have a one handed backhand and I used to have a straight arm forehand with a big backswing. But my wrist and arm/elbow hurt a ton. So I started hitting a bent arm forehand and shorted the backswing a ton which got rid of all the pain, gave me more power, made timing easier, and made hard hitting rallies easier as well.

So is a straight arm forehand really better like some people say? And is it worthwhile at all to experiment with the straight arm forehand?

Nobody has been able to establish any real advantage for the straight arm Fh despite tons of effort to do so. They figure, the 2 Goats (Fed and Nadal) use it so it must be better, right? Then along comes a player who eclipses them both and he has a bent arm Fh. He has a winning record head to head on each of them, is the only guy to beat a healthy Rafa at the French and he beat Fed on Grass as well as hard courts. All of these "Big 3" have great Fhs, but they win more by movement and tactics, along with developing a mental edge.....this is all more key to their success than any one stroke. All of their strokes are very good of course.

Also, most if all the record speeds for Fhs came from bent arm Fhs, so the power advantage is debunked as well. Clearly the bent arm Fh is more versatile as well and can adjust to spacing as needed.
Bent arm is best overall unless the straight arm is just very natural for you. If it is easy and natural, then don't fight against that.

 

[Dragy]

Nobody has been able to establish any real advantage for the straight arm Fh despite tons of effort to do so. They figure, the 2 Goats (Fed and Nadal) use it so it must be better, right? Then along comes a player who eclipses them both and he has a bent arm Fh. He has a winning record head to head on each of them, is the only guy to beat a healthy Rafa at the French and he beat Fed on Grass as well as hard courts. All of these "Big 3" have great Fhs, but they win more by movement and tactics, along with developing a mental edge.....this is all more key to their success than any one stroke. All of their strokes are very good of course.

Also, most if all the record speeds for Fhs came from bent arm Fhs, so the power advantage is debunked as well. Clearly the bent arm Fh is more versatile as well and can adjust to spacing as needed.
Bent arm is best overall unless the straight arm is just very natural for you. If it is easy and natural, then don't fight against that.

I’m not sure if I asked, but do you think bent arm FH works solid with SW to full-W grips?
Slightly-bent works ok with E as it seems, but more bend - more RF tends to open.

 

[vex]

I have a one handed backhand and I used to have a straight arm forehand with a big backswing. But my wrist and arm/elbow hurt a ton. So I started hitting a bent arm forehand and shorted the backswing a ton which got rid of all the pain, gave me more power, made timing easier, and made hard hitting rallies easier as well.

So is a straight arm forehand really better like some people say? And is it worthwhile at all to experiment with the straight arm forehand?

It’s not “better” in any sense I can see, just harder to time.

 

[vex]

Straight arm forehand (like Rafa, Roger) is something intuitive I believe. When I shadow swing I get straight arm forehands but every actual video-ed swing I have has a slightly bent forearm (ala Djokovic). I can fake it for a few shots but the throwing action with slightly bent forearm and elbow leading takes over as soon as I stop focusing on straight arm.. I think it is easy to KILL a good forehand trying to force a straight arm forehand unless it is natural to the person. Multiple good videos on youtube on this topic.

This is me as well!

 

[Deleted member 775108]

I’m not sure if I asked, but do you think bent arm FH works solid with SW to full-W grips?
Slightly-bent works ok with E as it seems, but more bend - more RF tends to open.

Yes most forearms on tour ATP and WTA are bent arms and almost everyone has SW and Full-W grips.

Almost all full westerns are bent since they are heavily reliant on the throw action to generate their speed and power (Example : Krygios and Sock). I think Rafa is strong SW but not full-W.

Both Rafa and Roger have special forehands that very few people can copy correctly.... Novak is the most easily copied of the three and the most unbreakable technique to copy purely and the most consistent to pull off for mere mortals

 

[ballmachineguy]

One of the biggest advantages of a straight arm forehand is the shorter backswing you, can use, and, may be necessary, to hit it. Sounds like you were doing it all wrong. Not surprising it hurt.

 

[socallefty]

Djokovic doesn’t win against Federer and Nadal because his bent-arm FH is better than their straight-arm FH. He wins because he has a GOAT BH, GOAT return along with a comparable FH (in his prime) and unexplainable self-belief that he should win all close matches against those two other ATGs.

I would advocate teaching kids a bent-elbow FH with a SW grip rather than a straight-arm FH (especially with an Eastern grip like Federer) just because the margin for error is greater and it doesn’t take otherworldly talent to hit it well.

 

[onehandbh]

Djokovic doesn’t win against Federer and Nadal because his bent-arm FH is better than their straight-arm FH. He wins because he has a GOAT BH, GOAT return along with a comparable FH (in his prime) and unexplainable self-belief that he should win all close matches against those two other ATGs.

I would advocate teaching kids a bent-elbow FH with a SW grip rather than a straight-arm FH (especially with an Eastern grip like Fdeeded) just because the margin for error is greater and it doesn’t take otherworldly talent to hit it well.

Federer is also quite a bit older than Djokovic. The current Djokovic is arguably the greatest all-around player of all time and with virtually no weaknesses.

 

[Pumpkin]

Just hit with a bent arm forehand, many great players do. Personally I use a straight arm but I don't use evil poly strings so I don't get arm pain.

 

[Arak]

Straight arm is more natural with an eastern grip. I tried the bent arm version and it has some advantages but I always go back unconsciously to the straight arm due to my grip.

 

[5263]

I’m not sure if I asked, but do you think bent arm FH works solid with SW to full-W grips?
Slightly-bent works ok with E as it seems, but more bend - more RF tends to open.

Maybe it helps to open the stance a bit, but our players mostly use the semi-western with a bent arm since that is what I recommend. We actually see more issues with players rolling more closed at contact... Imo from poor habits from previous teaching to roll over the ball for topspin.

 

[5263]

Just hit with a bent arm forehand, many great players do. Personally I use a straight arm but I don't use evil poly strings so I don't get arm pain.

yes, avoid the evil poly and go with the wonder soft poly available instead!

 

[Pumpkin]

yes, avoid the evil poly and go with the wonder soft poly available instead!

Haha. But they still go dead too quick and you have to run back to the stringer.

 

[5263]

Djokovic doesn’t win against Federer and Nadal because his bent-arm FH is better than their straight-arm FH. He wins because he has a GOAT BH, GOAT return along with a comparable FH (in his prime) and unexplainable self-belief that he should win all close matches against those two other ATGs.

I don't think anyone said DJ wins because of his bent arm Fh, although it would be a very reasonable assumption given the flexibility it offers, but you do claim he wins due to BH and return along with his confidence. Those are reasonable suggestions as well, especially since you mentioned several reasons to blanket it pretty well.

If I was going to describe why I picked DJ as the GOAT and better than Fed and Rafa back around 2009 and well before he proved it with his record, I'd say it is due to his overall balance to his strokes on a high level. Each of his stokes are refined to a level that it is tough to point out any significant strength or weakness in his arsenal. His Bh tends to stand out compared to other player's Bh, but not so much compared to the rest of DJ's strokes. And while I think that the biggest advantage of the Big 4 (including Murray) has been their consistent ability to successfully cover the court, DJ tends to even stand out among that rare group for his movement/coverage. The consistent quality of his shots from demanding positions is uncanny.

 

[onehandbh]

Djokovic doesn’t win against Federer and Nadal because his bent-arm FH is better than their straight-arm FH. He wins because he has a GOAT BH, GOAT return along with a comparable FH (in his prime) and unexplainable self-belief that he should win all close matches against those two other ATGs.

I would advocate teaching kids a bent-elbow FH with a SW grip rather than a straight-arm FH (especially with an Eastern grip like Federer) just because the margin for error is greater and it doesn’t take otherworldly talent to hit it well.

The current version of Djokovic we've seen in the last several years, mentially and technique-wise, seems about as good and complete as humanly possible. It must have taken a tremendous amout of dedication and practice to get to this point. I cannot recall another ATP player that was able to significally improve their serve technique mid-career. He also improved his net game and overheads as well.

Would be great to have a time machine to bring him back to when Nadal & Federer were at their peaks. Imagine the epic battles they'd have.