I need help with my forehand!

[WeaponX]

Hi everyone! i need help! my forehand has no deep, it always lands short, i think is because mi grip, that is Western, i was thinking in change to a eastern to drive the ball more.
Here a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk4BbV7kbxc

 

[zidane339]

Try to keep your elbow close in to your body and rotate your torso more so..I believe you are "arming" the ball...

I'm no expert though, I'll let others chime in!

 

[WeaponX]

thanks! i'll try that, but y really want to have more power in my forehand, is changing to a eastern grip will help?

 

[jules2]

thanks! i'll try that, but y really want to have more power in my forehand, is changing to a eastern grip will help?

Not really, changing grips will just mess your stroke up. Just drive through the ball more instead of skimming up the back of it.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Try to keep your elbow close in to your body and rotate your torso more so..I believe you are "arming" the ball...

I'm no expert though, I'll let others chime in!

Well, I certainly agree that he is arming the ball to some degree, but I'm gonna have to challenge this "elbow close to the body" theory of yours.

What I saw from the very first ball was that the OP doesn't extend through the ball and into the court. I suspect he knows this as well, since he even said that he "was thinking of changing to an eastern to drive the ball more".

It's one thing to hit with a slightly bent elbow; it's another thing to keep it tucked in like a little chicken wing throughout the stroke. Watch this clip of Djokovic; he uses a considerable double bend, yet still gets great extension into the court.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq09yHPmKh0&feature=related

This guy isn't too bad either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFibX-inICg&feature=related

More Djokovic goodness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsQ8gZLWyc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocP5onNVuTs&feature=related

Matt

 

[WeaponX]

Thanks to everyone, i just back from the court, i was trying to do what Djoko does, is just amazing how much better was my forehand.
For the record that video is very old, i have to put another one, i came back to my one handed backhand, today i attack all the time.
Thanks to everyone, now i have to improve my consistency on the court

 

[LeeD]

Glad you are hitting better.....
The key is lengthening your swing, so you get more power and racketspeed, and can therefore NOT rely on your wrists to generate the extreme topspin.
Think of feet, knees, hips, torso, then shoulder to generate the swing. When it all comes together, you get effortless power and spin.

 

[masterxfob]

it doesn't seem like you're transferring your weight forward when you hit the ball. you need to bend your knees more and step into the ball rather than away from it.

 

[LeeD]

Dats the kinetic chain....

 

[lordmanji]

Try to keep your elbow close in to your body and rotate your torso more so..I believe you are "arming" the ball...

I'm no expert though, I'll let others chime in!

thats exactly what im trying NOT to do right now. his elbow distance from the body looks fine. i think its more of his weight transfer and wobbly follow through causing the trouble.

 

[BU-Tennis]

Definitely need to shift the weight better. Actually, you are shifting fine but you're too far on the back foot when you hit. Try to initiate the transfer slightly sooner and make contact when you are almost perfectly balanced. Watch federer practice his forehand, he hits the ball when he's perfectly balanced, the same is true when he goes for winners just faster.

 

[albesca]

Dats the kinetic chain....

Leed i agree. With a wrong kinetic chain we have not trunc speed nor weight transfer. WeaponX , you have nice footwork and body stance .. so imho, you do better the loading phase then the unloading. I'm not so expert ... I hit the forehand much worse than you !! but ... i seem you have a wrong timing in hips movement (i have too but i'm working on ..!!)
Your trunc loads screwing over your hips, stretching the abs (when you shift the weight on back foot with a back leg bent) . The shouders line and the hips line would have a separation angle, and you do it well.
On forward swing, at first you have to unscrew the trunc and after the hips follow naturally. If you unscrew hips and trunc at the same time, you loose the abs power , then the trunc rotation speed.
Do not connect the power with your legs. Legs are involved much more with the balance. You can see during the forward swing, how the trunc moves before the hips in million of powerful forehands slow motion videos. Your forehand isn't not so bad ... do all as you can do, only try to left the trunc moves first, before the hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PavkliFDMk

hope my English is understandable
Ciao
Alberto

 

[Nellie]

it doesn't seem like you're transferring your weight forward when you hit the ball. you need to bend your knees more and step into the ball rather than away from it.

I agree with this - you are hitting the ball too far back and, as a result, you are falling back and merely brushing up the back of the ball on many strokes. When you hit the ball so far back (letting the ball get even/behind your body), your racquet face opens, so you compensate by slowing down your racquet speed and push the ball. You need to be moving weight into that ball and accelerating the racquet through the contact zone. If the ball is flying long on medium paced shots, you know that your racquet is too open.

I know that you are hitting an open stance, but with that western/semi-western grip, you need to be hitting more in front of you right hip/waist, and not waiting for the ball to be even with your body. If you want to stay open, think of moving your weight from the right foot forward and to the left, toward the left net post.

Also, if you still want more pace, you can change your followthrough to be more over the shoulder to get a flatter shot. Nadal will do this, for example, when moving forward on a short ball or back on a deep ball, especially if the ball is high.