hitting a forehand above the shoulder

[Drewwonu]

I have a great full western forehand, but only when the ball is below my shoulder. I seem to have trouble when the ball is high above my shoulder. How to you hit a topspin forehand from high to low if the ball is already high? I can't seem to get it. All my above the shoulder shots seem to come out inconsistent and flat!

 

[Headshotterer]

duh, a shot that high is going out so if u hit it it will go into the net and u lose
so dont hit those shots

 

[Drewwonu]

what do you mean dont hit those shots..? I dont understand what your trying to say. Let me try to rephrase my question, how do i hit a ball above my shoulder that already bounced. Im looking for the proper shot technique because it seems like you cant use a regular topspin forehand. Do you back up and prepare for the ball to be in the ideal hitting zone?

 

[Headshotterer]

pizza slice

 

[Drewwonu]

your helpful, anyone else?

 

[Gravitation]

You could try to jump a little bit. I'd suggest flattening out high balls though.

 

[Drewwonu]

Would anyone suggest just backing up until the ball is in an ideal position?

 

[takl23]

You could back up if you have time, but you'll probably be better served my neutralizing your grip a bit and hitting a flatter ball. It'll take practice for sure. I hate that shot personally, it's a tough one to pull off well. You could hit a slice as well. I try to hit a flat ball but that works for me.

Too bad those other posters were a little less helpful

Cheers,

Tim

 

[logansc]

I hit a SW...and on those I just try to get all my weight going forward and just try to take it early and drive through it...it just takes lots of practice. It's still a low percentage play but I try to be aggressive with it.

 

[sonicboi21]

wat i do is that i do a little jump, and my take racket starts a little below my shoulder, and goes to my other shoulder like a regular stroke.
it takes practice, but thats how i hti a topspin forehand

 

[Voltron]

Hey, how about this, move in and take it early. Seriously, it'll do wonders for your game.

 

[RunningBeagle]

Hey, how about this, move in and take it early. Seriously, it'll do wonders for your game.

This^^, or what I like to do is hit it just like a regular forehand, a little further into the follow-thru, with the racquet head coming across my body which imparts a weird sideways spin on the ball. Just really got to drive through it up there.

 

[bobby]

Start by making your racquet takeback higher. If the ball is at your shoulder, your racquet should definitely be above your head in the takeback. Your still going to go high to low, but yes it is harder. I use a wrist release to really snap the racquet up to the ball. It's hard to hit through the ball this way, but it does give a helluva lot of topspin. And unlike a normal forehand where the racquet head is either below your hand or level with it when you make contact, with this shot, the racquet head will probably be above your hand. Because of this fact, you'll probably also get a good bit of sidespin in the shot. Think about it, once the racquet is above hand level, it is still moving upwards, but also to the side.

Maybe you could find a video of Fernando Gonzalez hitting a high forehand. He is good at this shot.

 

[mawashi]

Two things, take it really early before it get that high or learn how to do a reverse forehand.

When I hit balls that are above my shoulder I instinctively do a helicopter swing like Nadal. I was never trained that swing but I just do it anyway.

Try to get a partner to give you as many high bouncing shots as possible and see if taking it early or hitting high works better for you.

See if this vid might help a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RS_68gkXHA


Cheers,

mawashi
________
Child prilosec

 

[El Pelele]

I have a great full western forehand, but only when the ball is below my shoulder. I seem to have trouble when the ball is high above my shoulder. How to you hit a topspin forehand from high to low if the ball is already high? I can't seem to get it. All my above the shoulder shots seem to come out inconsistent and flat!

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVyTbGQVHtY

But his grip there isn't western, it's either extreme eastern or semi-western.

 

[yanjonm]

mawashi, I have the same tendancy as well. It's just a habit that I developed to use the helicopter forehand on high balls. With that particular forehand, I can get enough spin back to my opponent with depth.

 

[kelz]

Strange, I thought people who adopted the "Western Grip" preferred higher balls because their point of contact is generally higher because of the way the racquethead is angled?

 

[tennisdad65]

I have a great full western forehand, but only when the ball is below my shoulder. I seem to have trouble when the ball is high above my shoulder. How to you hit a topspin forehand from high to low if the ball is already high? I can't seem to get it. All my above the shoulder shots seem to come out inconsistent and flat!

When the ball is over your shoulder why do you need topspin? Just rip it flat for a winner . The percentages are high on this since you have a good angle into the court.

Does the western forehand grip not allow you to hit flat above your shoulder? I have never tried western.

 

[thursdayisgod]

Wow i'm the opposite, I only hit full western if the ball is above my shoulder otherwise I go for SW. I can't imagine what you're struggling with, I also tell players just to go full western for high balls and it tends to work out for them too.

 

[Toxicmilk]

Just keep practicing and try different things. Some of the given suggestions may come easier for you.

 

[El Pelele]

Strange, I thought people who adopted the "Western Grip" preferred higher balls because their point of contact is generally higher because of the way the racquethead is angled?

that's right, western grips are "supposed to be better" on high balls.



lol

 

[mawashi]

Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVyTbGQVHtY

But his grip there isn't western, it's either extreme eastern or semi-western.

The truth is if you can do that all the time well, you won't be having trouble with any shots. He's the FED for goodness sake.

To be able to flatten out a high bouncing shot really takes good timing and preparation. If I had to add jumping into the equation to hit a high bouncing shot I can bet that 50% of my shots would either go long or I'll frame a lot.

How many regular players out there can jump and flatten a ball like that LOL!

I rather stick to something simpler first and only if I'm like 95% sure I can score a winner will I even think of doing a jumping flat shot.

Cheers,

mawashi
________
Mflb Lifetime Warranty

 

[mawashi]

mawashi, I have the same tendancy as well. It's just a habit that I developed to use the helicopter forehand on high balls. With that particular forehand, I can get enough spin back to my opponent with depth.

I try not to do that shot if I can cus I'm relying only on my arm and upper torso to generate power. The shot is rather weak but has enough of spin to get in deep but against a better player that won't work very well.

mawashi
________
Ipad accessories

 

[mikeler]

This^^, or what I like to do is hit it just like a regular forehand, a little further into the follow-thru, with the racquet head coming across my body which imparts a weird sideways spin on the ball. Just really got to drive through it up there.

I do the same thing as RunningBeagle by brushing the high forehand almost from right to left (for a righty). The ball ends up mostly with sidespin, but also some topspin. You'll need to account for the slightly different spin, especially in windy conditions.

The chances of hitting winners is low on a high ball in general which is why the other posters are saying to either move forward or back to allow the ball to get into a lower/better hitting zone. Of course, that is not always possible.

 

[El Pelele]

The truth is if you can do that all the time well, you won't be having trouble with any shots. He's the FED for goodness sake.

To be able to flatten out a high bouncing shot really takes good timing and preparation. If I had to add jumping into the equation to hit a high bouncing shot I can bet that 50% of my shots would either go long or I'll frame a lot.

How many regular players out there can jump and flatten a ball like that LOL!

I rather stick to something simpler first and only if I'm like 95% sure I can score a winner will I even think of doing a jumping flat shot.

Cheers,

mawashi

Well, that's why you practice, dummy.

 

[mawashi]

Well, that's why you practice, dummy.

Yeah, I'm sure that you can do that like Fed all the time too :roll:.

 

[JediMindTrick]

How to you hit a topspin forehand from high to low if the ball is already high?

You're supposed to hit from low to high not from high to low.

 

[kimbahpnam]

you won't get a true topspin if it's that high, you'll get a kind of diagonal 'top' spin because you're not contacting the ball at the most north point of the ball. that said, i'm satisfied with hitting that kind of shot when it's above my shoulders.

I wouldn't slice that shot though...it's tough enough to do a FH slice and doing it at that angle just puts a great chance of a crappy shot.

It was said earlier, but maybe hitting it on the rise or try 'top spin' lobbing it back.

 

[tenisjugador]

Take the ball on the rise. It may or may not be a hard thing to get used to, but its helpful! And this way you can turn deep lobs into an approach shot.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

May I ask, what is wrong with hitting a flat shot if necessary? As long as you don't go James Blake on the ball, you should be fine.


M

 

[Drewwonu]

Take the ball on the rise. It may or may not be a hard thing to get used to, but its helpful! And this way you can turn deep lobs into an approach shot.

good point...