Faster forehand?

[Rickson]

I've heard some people say that the topspin forehand generates the most pace and power and I've heard others say the flat forehand is the fastest and most powerful. I personally believe that a flat forehand is the fastest, but is not as popular as the topspin because of the low margin for error. Which do you think is the fastest forehand?

 

[Kelly]

Well...isn't it possible to hit harder and still keep it in with topspin? So there's more potential for a faster shot! But flat balls are normally much faster, unless you have some sort of amazing ability. And flat balls are faster anyway, except you have to keep it in the court. Maybe if you barely clear the net.

I think of fastest and most powerful as different though. A topspin forehand has the potential (and close to it) to be a "heavy" ball and jump off the court. A flat ball won't do that, although it could definitely be faster.

I'd stick with topspin anyway.

 

[Rickson]

And flat balls are faster anyway, except you have to keep it in the court. Maybe if you barely clear the net.

I usually hit flat balls when I go for the downward angle. I'm certainly not gonna hit a high ball that's well inside the baseline with a low to high motion.

 

[AngeloDS]

Tennis Balls with topspin can go faster before the bounce, but after the bounce they lose a lot of speed (like with serves) and they bounce up high and kind of float. The high bounce can be weird for some people to handle. It's the limitations of using a lot of topspin, and more extreme grips. You have to pull your opponents out wide, and then smack one.

Drives have a lot of speed, and pretty much maintain the speed after the bounce. They're the best for putting away shots.

Slice shots can be INCREDIBLY fast. A forehand slice, if you load it and treat it like a serve that's slow and slice into it. You can get that slice as fast as your serve or faster. But, it's really hard to keep it in. It has to be atleast head height to have control of it.

 

[Rickson]

Tennis Balls with topspin can go faster before the bounce, but after the bounce they lose a lot of speed (like with serves) and they bounce up high and kind of float. The high bounce can be weird for some people to handle. It's the limitations of using a lot of topspin, and more extreme grips. You have to pull your opponents out wide, and then smack one.

Drives have a lot of speed, and pretty much maintain the speed after the bounce. They're the best for putting away shots.

Slice shots can be INCREDIBLY fast. A forehand slice, if you load it and treat it like a serve that's slow and slice into it. You can get that slice as fast as your serve or faster. But, it's really hard to keep it in. It has to be atleast head height to have control of it.

Very politically correct answer, but Ange, you can only pick one.

 

[PM_]

duh I thought you meant swing because I almost forgot how to hit flat anymore

 

[mucat]

Given the same amount of force (same swing speed) apply to the ball, the height of the bounce and contact point will determine which is faster.

High ball (higher than net), you can hit down and flat is very fastest.

Low ball (lower than net), topspin will keep the ball in with higher speed than flat when you have to hit up over the net.

So, highball flat and low ball topspin.

On a side note, is it only me or... when hitting passing shot, I found I can hit better passing shot with low ball than high ball, with a low ball, I can really put some heavy topspin into the ball and cause it to hug the net and dip right after it's over the net. But with high ball, lots of the time the passing shot is not low enough to cause my opponent trouble. Maybe it is my eastern grip??

 

[AngeloDS]

Hahaha, fine Rickson . I'll go with slice.

I'm short 5'6" tennis balls are usually around my waist or higher. So, I can slice some shots and they're pretty much like low serves. I remember blasting some forehand slices atleast 100+ MPH easily.

 

[nViATi]

Hahaha, fine Rickson . I'll go with slice.

I'm short 5'6" tennis balls are usually around my waist or higher. So, I can slice some shots and they're pretty much like low serves. I remember blasting some forehand slices atleast 100+ MPH easily.

i don't think you hit a forehand slice over 100 miles per hour. i remember reading a thread where it said federer's slices were at 50mph.
and i think the fastest shot is a ball that has just enough topspin to make it in

 

[glass]

if you're talking about the same energy used in teh stroke, of course a flat forehand will go quicker. Actually keeping it in the court is the hard part.

AngeloDS, make a clip of your 100mph slice forehand. Sampras only reached about 100mph for a slice serve, so you must work up pro level racquet head speed.

 

[shindemac]

I would say topspin, but with just enough spin to keep the ball in. I guess you could do the same thing with a flat, but you would have to hit with 1 inch of clearance. I have a friend who hit every shot with a lot of pace and could consistently keep it in. She would clear the net by a few inches everytime and used a flat shot. Of course, she was state ranked in Cally, but she could prob hit it even harder and get it in with more clearance and not go long if she used some topspin.

 

[AngeloDS]

I'd call it a hybrid between a forehand and an overhead. An overhead you pretty much take at 12 O'Click (above your head). Forehands you take 3 or lower (to your side, or lower). This forehand slice that has a lot of pace is being taken in between 12 and 3. Around 2 O'Clock. So it's about head height or higher, and to the right (or left) of you. It's like you're finishing a serve, going from high to low. Take out the take back, the pronation up to the ball but leave in the finish. You're not gently slicing the ball like with a backhand slice, you're pushing foreward while you're slicing and really smacking the ball. You're generating incredible amounts of racquet speed, and foreward force into it. Like with the acceleration upwards and forewards into a serve, it's an acceleration downards and forewards.

The key to getting it that speed is having the contact point high. Any lower than your head and you sacrafice speed, and the chance of it going in (mostly likely dump it into the net).

It's like a forehand volley at the net, but it's not as close to the net. And you can smack some forehand volleys incredibly fast.

 

[SageOfDeath]

I've heard some people say that the topspin forehand generates the most pace and power and I've heard others say the flat forehand is the fastest and most powerful. I personally believe that a flat forehand is the fastest, but is not as popular as the topspin because of the low margin for error. Which do you think is the fastest forehand?

It always depends but I definately think flat. Sometimes I hit a kind of short ball but with just heavy topsin so it moves slowly but then kicks faster after it bounces.

So it depends on your question is it faster in the air or after it bounces?

 

[Dimethyl Sulfoxide]

angelods, you are the biggest liar on this forum. you can no hit anysort of fh 100+ mphs. roger federer rarely hits that so i doubt you can even hit your serve that fast. you are constantly talking yourself up and telling everyone how much they suck. you offer nothing and im sure most agree with me.

I kind of agree with this too. No offense. I don't think I'm alone

 

[SageOfDeath]

angelods, you are the biggest liar on this forum. you can no hit anysort of fh 100+ mphs. roger federer rarely hits that so i doubt you can even hit your serve that fast. you are constantly talking yourself up and telling everyone how much they suck. you offer nothing and im sure most agree with me.

Ouch I've never heard him telling others how much they suck but I agree some of your comments are very hard to believe. Forehands that can easily go 100+ mphs? Go to the next grand slam shortie

 

[AngeloDS]

Have you even tried it? Mary Pierce hit a 108 MPH slice serve today. The mechanics are easy. It's just going from high to low, while moving forward with your racquet with the contact point to the right of your head, and a little bit forward.

http://tennis.about.com/od/forehandbackhand/a/fhslicevid.htm That's what it is. Obviously, you can hit as hard or as soft as you want by increasing or decreasing racquet speed. Granted you sacrafice accuracy the faster you swing.

It's not hard to imagine it going 100+ off the racquet if you've hit the shot. Hit it several times and you can see that it's pretty much like the serve but you get more power on the ball because it's not paceless and it's coming at you, and your moving into the ball.

I don't ever remember telling someone on the forums that they suck. Please jog my memory .

 

[SageOfDeath]

Have you even tried it? Mary Pierce hit a 108 MPH slice serve today. The mechanics are easy. It's just going from high to low, while moving forward with your racquet with the contact point to the right of your head, and a little bit forward.

post us a clip with a radar gun. You specifically said 100+ forehand. I'll watch 50 forehands and see if you can have one that goes 100+

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I've heard some people say that the topspin forehand generates the most pace and power and I've heard others say the flat forehand is the fastest and most powerful. I personally believe that a flat forehand is the fastest, but is not as popular as the topspin because of the low margin for error. Which do you think is the fastest forehand?

If all things are equal:

1. The flat ball will go through the air faster than a topspin or an underspin ball.

2. A underspin ball will go faster through the air than a ball hit with topspin.

3. Topspin will slow down the fastest in the air.

With topspin, air pressure is on top of the ball and friction is created to cause it to slow down quickly. This along with gravity cause the ball to dive and hit the ground.

With underspin, air pressure is created under the ball and friction is created to cause the ball to float longer through the air slowing down at a slower rate slightly from friction and gravity.

A truly flat ball has no spin and therefore much less friction through the air. It will travel the fastest through the air.

 

[SageOfDeath]

Have you even tried it? Mary Pierce hit a 108 MPH slice serve today. The mechanics are easy. It's just going from high to low, while moving forward with your racquet with the contact point to the right of your head, and a little bit forward.

http://tennis.about.com/od/forehandbackhand/a/fhslicevid.htm That's what it is. Obviously, you can hit as hard or as soft as you want by increasing or decreasing racquet speed. Granted you sacrafice accuracy the faster you swing.

It's not hard to imagine it going 100+ off the racquet if you've hit the shot. Hit it several times and you can see that it's pretty much like the serve but you get more power on the ball because it's not paceless and it's coming at you, and your moving into the ball.

I don't ever remember telling someone on the forums that they suck. Please jog my memory .

You still didn't grant my video. Pros very rarely hit that hard(unless of course its a serve) and you said and I quote "I remember blasting some forehand slices atleast 100+ MPH easily."

Post a video so I can copy this uber technqiue of a 100+ forehand slice. (sarcasm but if it really does go 100+ wow....)

 

[AngeloDS]

If you've watched tennis on TV, the balls come up high they hardly do the offensive driving forehand slice. The only forehand slices you see is when they're on the run trying to get it back -- A defensive forehand slice. They take the forehand across the body when it does come up that height. A safer shot. It's a hard shot to control, and most of the time will land in the net or way out.

http://tennis.about.com/library/media/fh-slice.WMV

That's the forehand slice drive -- It's the same exact one I use. Go outside right now, bounce a ball up and hit it like that. Or evne throw it up and hit like that. You'll see for yourself you can forehand drive slice pretty fast.

Mine is just inside the court (not at the baseline), and obviously swung a lot harder than that video. I'll see if I can borrow my friends kodak digital camera to take video and setup a session with my coach after the boys tennis team practice either monday or tuesday.

You can generate a lot more racquet speed going downwards, than sideways and forewards. I don't see many pitchers pitching sideways, a lot of them go from high to low on their pitches for obvious reasons.

 

[fedex27]

hows this?http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=61752 oh by the way you can not hit a fh 100mph

I don't ever remember telling someone on the forums that they suck. Please jog my memory .

 

[SageOfDeath]

If you've watched tennis on TV, the balls come up high they hardly do the offensive driving forehand slice. The only forehand slices you see is when they're on the run trying to get it back -- A defensive forehand slice. They take the forehand across the body when it does come up that height. A safer shot. It's a hard shot to control, and most of the time will land in the net or way out.

http://tennis.about.com/library/media/fh-slice.WMV

That's the forehand slice drive -- It's the same exact one I use. Go outside right now, bounce a ball up and hit it like that. Or evne throw it up and hit like that. You'll see for yourself you can forehand drive slice pretty fast.

Mine is just inside the court (not at the baseline), and obviously swung a lot harder than that video. I'll see if I can borrow my friends kodak digital camera to take video and setup a session with my coach after the boys tennis team practice either monday or tuesday.

You can generate a lot more racquet speed going downwards, than sideways and forewards. I don't see many pitchers pitching sideways, a lot of them go from high to low on their pitches for obvious reasons.

http://wings.avkids.com/Tennis/Project/speed-04.html

Flip through the pages to see some pro speed forehands, if you can consistantly hit an offensive forehand slice I said post of video.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you posted a video before so why not your forehand? I don't care how long the video is I just want to see ONE that is over 100 mph.

I'm not saying its impossible or anything but from what I quoted from you previously you make it sound like you can do it consisantly which I severely doubt.

 

[AngeloDS]

Let's make this a bet since I'm going to be spending some money to have a session with my coach. Since he has a radar gun. I'll set one up Monday or Tuesday. I confidentaly know inside the court on a slicing forehand, I can hit it 100+ MPH consistantly off the racquet. Granted, they might or might not be inside the court. Maybe a few will be in the court, but a lot of them will be over 100 MPH off the racquet.

The forehand driving slice is different from the rest of the forehands. Other forehands you're going from low to high and forewards, or across your chest (like Federer/Agassi). The forehand driving slice is going from high to low, which is incredibly easy. It's easier to generate racquet speed when you're going from high to low. It's why a lot of pitchers aren't throwing sideways, and a lot of quarterbacks aren't throwing sideways, and same with a few other sports. And the stroke is like shown in the video. It's not an uber technique, just a technique rarely used because the lack of control and extremely low percentage.

It's like an overhead.

I posted videos before of my forehand, taking a forehand that's at head level, backhand, and my older serve technique.

 

[jeefreak]

my friend hit a pretty fast slice FH just messing around once. it was the sweetest shot. he started of with hand at 2 oclock position and swung counterclockwise to 9oclock position on a low ball. the ball was going out and curved back in. it was pretty much a boomerang shot (prince of tennis).

a few more hours of play and his strings broke...

 

[SageOfDeath]

Let's make this a bet since I'm going to be spending some money to have a session with my coach. Since he has a radar gun. I'll set one up Monday or Tuesday. I confidentaly know inside the court on a slicing forehand, I can hit it 100+ MPH consistantly off the racquet. Granted, they might or might not be inside the court. Maybe a few will be in the court, but a lot of them will be over 100 MPH off the racquet.

The forehand driving slice is different from the rest of the forehands. Other forehands you're going from low to high and forewards, or across your chest (like Federer/Agassi). The forehand driving slice is going from high to low, which is incredibly easy. It's easier to generate racquet speed when you're going from high to low. It's why a lot of pitchers aren't throwing sideways, and a lot of quarterbacks aren't throwing sideways, and same with a few other sports. And the stroke is like shown in the video. It's not an uber technique, just a technique rarely used because the lack of control and extremely low percentage.

I posted videos before of my forehand, taking a forehand that's at head level, backhand, and my older serve technique.

Bring it on. I don't have anything to bet cept pride. We'll only count the ones that go in. If any of them go over 100 mph then call a top research team to pay you the money for the bet.

I hope your radar gun is accurate

 

[AngeloDS]

Not sure how accurate the radar gun is. But it's had a few problems in the past, since I live on a Navy Island a lot of weird interferance happens. Which throws off some of the hits.

No one said they had to go in . We'll count them all as if they went in. It's going to be measured coming off the racquet, like Roddick 155 MPH serve.

 

[SageOfDeath]

Not sure how accurate the radar gun is. But it's had a few problems in the past, since I live on a Navy Island a lot of weird interferance happens. Which throws off some of the hits.

No one said they had to go in . We'll count them all as if they went in. It's going to be measured coming off the racquet, like Roddick 155 MPH serve.

WHAT! Dude then they don't count. That' like me taking a super oversized racuqet with the lowest reccomeneded string tension with prenium powerful strings and hitting a serve totally out but off the racquet its 100 mph.

If they are way out of the court we won't count them, if they are like a foot then I'll accept.

And yes coming off the racquet is how we'll measure it.

 

[donnyz89]

how can top spin be more powerful than flat as far as speed? the arc takes more time to get to the other side of the court, flat its a straight line, more penetrating. but it depends on who hits it, i mean andy roddick's top spin vs donald young flat...

 

[akj27]

so..... ;p