Forearm: When To Tuck In The Left Arm?
- Thread starter Raul_SJ
- Start date
Chas Tennis
G.O.A.T.
What is the rule of thumb on this? My initial thought was to tuck in the left arm before contact.
But looking at Fed, the left arm is still outstretched well after contact (green line).
That looks like low intensity warm up or practice shot. What do you think the stats would show for forehands & off arms in a match where Federer was not pressured and wanted to hit pace?
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
I am starting to look at match video and it looks different wrt tucking in of the left arm.
But given that Fed still crushes the forehand in low intensity practice, is the practice form acceptable to copy? That left arm in "handcuff" position feels much more comfortable.
Dragy
G.O.A.T.
That’s true, he didn’t tuck his off-arm at all, not “still”.
Let’s first of all state the main role and mechanics of arm tuck-in: it gets extended to the side, then swung forward and tucked in. When tucked in, torso rotation speed increases, as in ice skaters spins.
If you need that extra bit - depends. Roger doesn’t want it in some warmup shots.
For the timing, you use it as a trigger converting your initial gradual unloading (and final adjustment and lining up) into ball strike. Depending on exact on-court situation you may be into smooth long swing to tuck your off-arm in as major acceleration happens, or you may stick out your frame against a first serve and almost immediately tuck in your off-arm as you briefly twist your hips to create short-range whippy stroke. Anyway, it happens as hitting arm is accelerated before torso rotation “break”/slowdown and following racquet “release” into contact.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
What is the guideline for a neutral rally ball cross-court?
Not clear on what you mean here.
Dragy
G.O.A.T.
Dragy
G.O.A.T.
enishi1357
Semi-Pro
Federer has straight arm fh. Naturally the left arm follow different set a rule. So if you have bent arm fh look to thiem left arm. I highly doubt this "tuck" would provide anything meaningful
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
Straight Arm vs Bent Arm refers to the hitting arm. Don't see how the type of hitting arm affects the tucking in of the left arm.
enishi1357
Semi-Pro
I have straight arm and for me I definitely focus on control more than power. My left arm is definitely relax because i'm not trying to power through the shot. To me the more power the arm is trying to generate then the more the left arm would tuck. I guess to answer your question tuck you arm whenever the body tense up to generate power?
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
There are shots players hit without much of tuck-in:
If I understand your point, there may be situations where there is no tuck; typically when under pressure as in return first serve. But if one is at the baseline and has time to set up, one will always tuck.
enishi1357
Semi-Pro
I think my point is the tuck doesn't really mean anything to me. It seems to me an overanalyzation (spelling?) to something that isn't there. I can't imagine focusing on my left arm in any of my stroke. At most I "catch" the racquet with my left hand but that's a totally different thing that I won't go over because it's not related to this.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
I think you're saying that on normal rally balls, it's acceptable not to tuck, like Fed below, as long as you are generating the power you want... If you find that you are lacking power, then try tucking the arm.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
A very common rec player error is to drop the left arm too early, instead of keeping it at around shoulder level.
Focusing on left arm is critical for many rec players. Makes you feel connected.
Dragy
G.O.A.T.
Not exactly. I believe when you are pressed in terms of time to prepare a shot, like returning first serve, and still want to deliver some healthy RHS, you can use off-arm tuck-in to boost torso rotation and partially compensate for obbriviated coil.
Other times you go for more finesse shots. You may return first serves in a more soft manner, or you may hit a mid-court ball from below the net with already big momentum from moving into court - therefore you don’t need that extra.
Chas Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Look at a lot of videos of ATP pros that are not pressured and form some simple stats.
1) % of players that tuck the off arm in with purpose.
2) % of players that do not use the off arm with any apparent purpose.
Consider some of the circumstances. Don't count players under pressure or players warming up or practicing with low intensity.
I did not notice the off arm motion, even after studying forehand videos for a few years. Curiosity pointed it out and explained the purpose. Now I notice it all the time when I look at forehands. This is something that you can see in TV matches.
If you do the same with club or public court players you would find different percentages. What % use the off arm with purpose?
Use a 1 lb dumbbell or can of soup and demonstrate the feeling of the small boost in uppermost body turning speed. You will understand it and its feeling and how it could be timed with the rest of the forehand. Use modest aceleration for the demo, the small weight gives much more feeling even at lower speeds.
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