Federer as an example

[PhatAbbott]

Federer seems to be leading the way in tennis at the moment. Almost everything about his game just shows pure class.

I remember first seing Federer play at last years Wimbledon. The moment I saw him, it was obvious the talent he possesses. The way he would rally with opponents and then suddenly whip a forehand at an acute angle for a winner.

Which makes you wonder how he can play such great shots yet look like hes putting very little effort in at the same time.

His strokes appear to be all momentum, looseness and fluidity. I remember Bungalow Bill or Mahboo saying they found a flaw in his forehand. Im interested to know what this was. His strokes are so good, im thinking more people should emulate him.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I never said that Federer had a flaw in his forehand. You might want to search to see if your statement above is true. At times he hits his forehand later than some or with his elbow out further. He does not have a "flawed" forehand.

He has certain preferences that are according to his style and grips. Federer is an example of many years of forming, drilling, and perfecting under the true concepts we all live under. He is at a level he can pretty much do what he wants.

Federer has excellent timing which causes the ball to "pop" off his strings with minimal effort. A smooth stroke, good timing and a clean contact with the ball produce power.

 

[fastdunn]

IMHO, Federer's forehand is not a good example for us matuers
to model after. First, it went thru many evolution with many
many years of dedicated training. We do not have that much
time. Second, it seems to have whole plethora of variations.
It will confuse us to emulate.

For example, I once tried to
emulate his slap shot with elbow out in front and strighter than
conventional style. It was very hard for me to control.
After 6 months or so, I realized I get a bit more control if
I lower my hitting shoulder and get my eye level close to my
arm(which is kinda straight). It is essentially same idea as you
lower your eye level when you play billiard.
It was still hard. I went back to conventional "double bend"
style as my main forehand. I emulate Federer's forehand
occasionally strightly for fun....

 

[JohnThomas1]

After watching the US Final i think Federer now has the most effective forehand in tennis. He was pretty much absolutely slapping every ball yet missing next to none. Never before have i witnessed such consistently amazing winner to error ratio's. I also think his forehand has many elements us amateurs could copy. Look at his exquisite preparation, shoulder turn and backswing. Note also the sheer amount of weight he gets into the ball, often leaving the ground as a consequence of his excellent use of the kinetic chain. What also stands out is his stopping of the correct body parts at the perfect time, as witnessed via the amazing racquet head speed and lightning whipping thru of the hitting arm and racquet as his shoulders pull up. I think Braden was one of the pioneers of this concept and i have seen BB explain it in detail here more than once.

 

[lendl lives]

what surprises me is how he can miss bh's so badly, especially early in a match......but seemingly never mess up when it counts.