Having some fun practicing (video)

[Chas Tennis]

IMO, the flying elbow (ie: Lendl, Sampras, etc.), is not compatible with a modern forehand. None of the top players with the big forehands are leading their backswings with their elbows. Rather, they lead their foreward swings with their elbows. The modern forehand is primarily generated with upper body rotation and suppination/pronation of the arm, not independent arm movement. I havent' seen the players on your 4.0 team execute their forehands, but, hitting a forehand with proper modern technique puts almost no stress on your arm at all.

Again, the young girl in this video has excellent execution of what I mean by keeping the elbow in and forward, especially the drill she does at about 22 seconds and the shadow swings she does at 4:18.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbwyLefN9B4&feature=BFa&list=ULMIDCyV3x4-c&t

I don't know what a 'flying elbow' is.

My issue was with the elbow separation as discussed.

For today's pros hitting forehands, do you have any estimates for the distance that the elbow might be separated from the body at some points during the stroke?

I don't want to begin a study of the elbow separation vs time as the forehand stroke proceeds but I question 'closeness to the side' as I interpreted it in reply #.....

I'm seeing hard-hitting players with the elbow literally touching their sides, it looks stressful. Without studying the pro videos I don't believe that any of them routinely touch their elbows to their sides and that most have more of a separation.

Tsonga's elbow is closer in than most. I'll have to do some stop action on my DVR and sample some pro forehands.

If we were researchers I guess that we would like to find is humerus angle to trunk in degrees or elbow separation in inches vs time for the current forehand stroke.