Forehand: when to release the racket for the backswing?

[firstblud]

Just to be clear on the definitions:

takeback - when you turn your shoulders, which bring your racket to the side with two hands holding it

backswing - left hand releases the racket so that you can take your racket back behind you a bit elevated around your ear


an instructor told me that as soon as i know a ball's gonna be forehand, i should put my racket in the backswing position ASAP to give myself as much time as possible to prepare the rest of my forehand (i.e. footwork).

do u guys agree? I am trying to follow this and sometimes bring the racket into the backswing position and find myself chasing a ball that's really wide to my right with my racket dangling and it feels better to just keep it in the takeback position and then unload into the backswing just a few seconds before hitting the ball. maybe he was trying to tell me this to get me to prepare earlier on the forehand in general.

what's the general rule of thumb u guys use to take the racket into the backswing position?

 

[GuyClinch]

The instructors advice is pretty typical. I don't think its wrong when your starting out but most pros wait till later. Of course if you try that you might end up late. Alot of amateurs have that problem.

Maybe someone has some exact advice as to when to complete your prep...

 

[fuzz nation]

Absolutely stick with the habit of getting the "takeback" done right away - it's one less thing to get out of the way when the ball shows up and you need to swing at it with a smooth tempo. If you wait too long to get everything done and the ball shows up a little early, everything breaks down in a big rush to get the stroke caught up to the ball.

I like to refer to that takeback as a "half-turn". You can do it immediately and still move around well since you're not completely coiled up like a corkscrew (backswing position), right? I'd say that this is the one best thing that Venus and Serena do in their preparation to hit an incoming ball... they're never late! Get that racquet over to either hip before you even take your first step and you'll always be closer to completing your backswing and avoiding the rush.

The final backswing itself requires a bit of loading up before your take that stroke forward, so I don't think it's realistic to try and move while you have the racquet completely "back". As you move to the ball and begin to shorten your steps, that's generally where you want to finish your backswing. There are probably a few slow-motion examples of strokes on youtube, etc. where you can see how a moving player develops their shot.

 

[zebano]

By the time the ball bounces I like to have my takeback completed so that I can move into my shot. If I'm just starting my takeback, I'll be too late.

 

[firstblud]

thanks for the tips. makes a lot of sense to me now.

i did try to youtube some vids, like federer's HD vids, but he moves so fast and is rarely ever that out of position (even in slow motion) i can't clearly see what's going on with the takeback

 

[GuyClinch]

^^^ Fed seems to start his final backswing before the bounce. Your supposed to load up on your leg when you take back so its really kinda impossible to do it much before that final step with an open stance I would think.