Contact point more or less in front: Federer etc.

[pondus]

This is an excellent video of Federer hitting because it's directly from his side, not at a slight angle, so you can really see his contact point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LCxyahryGI

It looks like he usually makes contact slightly in front of his front foot, and tries to keep the body closed. My instructor tells me to make contact much further in front, maybe 10-12 inches. And in some videos when federer is hitting harder you can see that he also impacts much further in front.

So why the difference? Is it as simple as "the harder your hit, the further in front". Or is it a side effect, because when you push the legs harder and swing faster, you simple arrive at the contact point earlier? Or is it that when Fed and other want to take a bit of pace off the ball, the simply make their rotation smaller, which means more shallow contact point. Is this contact point conscious, or does it just happen because of different rotation?

 

[user92626]

IMO, pros have more than enough power to hit a very powerful shot. What's more important to them is controlling that power and that's where top spin comes in. Hitting in front enables them to generate more top spin (by nature of the arm/body swing) and to open up hitting angle.

Hitting in a closer stand and along the body side tends to generate more power though and that's what club players need and tend to do. Do you see any club woman players hit with an open stand and contact in front? If they do, you'll likely see puff balls.

 

[5263]

I think that his somewhat conservative grip and straight arm lead to Fed not hitting out front quite as much as some.

 

[Topspin Shot]

I think that his somewhat conservative grip and straight arm lead to Fed not hitting out front quite as much as some.

5263 is correct even though from looking at Federer, he still seems to be hitting the ball fairly far out in front.

 

[86golf]

I think a lot of coaches miss the mark here. You can watch hundreds of videos from top 30 to even guys on the challenger circuit. They don't hit that far in front. What they do that most rec players don't is properly coil and start their swing earlier.

The reason pros tell rec players to hit more in front is because they never turn their shoulders far enough back so they can start the forward swing earlier during the uncoil. They wind up not extending so the pro says "more in front". It should be more to the side, slightly in front.

 

[pondus]

Perhaps when you need to hit harder, you also need to go more in front to produce more spin. But natural and effortless power is further back.

 

[5263]

I think a lot of coaches miss the mark here. You can watch hundreds of videos from top 30 to even guys on the challenger circuit. They don't hit that far in front. What they do that most rec players don't is properly coil and start their swing earlier.

The reason pros tell rec players to hit more in front is because they never turn their shoulders far enough back so they can start the forward swing earlier during the uncoil. They wind up not extending so the pro says "more in front". It should be more to the side, slightly in front.

Maybe you just don't quite get tennis speak? Out front refers to how much in front of the plane of the shoulders or some similar central body reference that generally is parallel to the BL. How far to the side is normally only discussed in reference to straight arm vs bent arm, where some let the ball get too close to the body and are jammed by not having it far enough to the side...even though it may still be about right in how far out front.

So yes, the contact should be to the side and out front, but too much to the side generally means you didn't contact it far enough in front.

 

[LeeD]

Grip can determine contact point in front of your shoulders.
Weak grips, like conti, might need contact point just in front of lead shoulder.
Strong grips, like Western, might need contact points well out in front, almost at the expense of side reach.

 

[dominikk1985]

Grip can determine contact point in front of your shoulders.
Weak grips, like conti, might need contact point just in front of lead shoulder.
Strong grips, like Western, might need contact points well out in front, almost at the expense of side reach.

yes. The arm is only so long and if you reach more forward you cannot reach as far to the side and vice versa. there needs to be a good balance between out front and out to the side.