I saw my strokes on video today for the first time. Wow do I suck. I am solidly (senior) 4.0 at my club, and I hit a lot of good shots, but I also hit a lot of bad ones. My mechanics are terrible. I arm the ball, I can never get my follow through to wrap around my body, and my shoulder turn is non-existent. I have been taking lessons, but I feel a little lost right now. I am willing to start from scratch and put in the work required to become really good. Anyone have any ideas on how to learn a really great forehand?
My forehand is a freakin mess
- Thread starter Maui19
- Start date
What grip are you using? (Extreme?) Western? Semi-Western? Eastern? or the dreaded continental (I do not understand how some people can play with this).
I used to play conti, but I am playing SW right now. I also have a WW stroke (sometimes).
FedExpress 333
Professional
I suggest this http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/video-tennis-lessons/forehand/ it can help you rebuild your forehand with the progressions.
goran_ace
Hall of Fame
My advice is to not sweat the details. Don't try to break down tiny components of your swing. Keep it simple and fluid. Don't force it, don't overthink it. Just concentrate on preparation (feet, racket back) and the ball.
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
If you are a senior player who is only 4.0, you are not generating enough racket speed with a 93 player's racket. Go to a 100 with sub 12 oz and sub 340 SW. You will be more consistent, hit with more spin and after an hour or 2 you will have much more energy left.
Gotta agree with the lighter racket stuff for us seniors. I changed from 12 to 10oz, and my forehand has never been as consistent ...ever....along with a grip change to full W.
SW allows errors in both directions, low net and hit out, so you get tentative and slow the swing.
W allows full speed swings and everything just goes in. When you need pure ball speed, karatechop your shot with straighter prep and it goes fast with little spin. Errors only one direction, not both, like SW.
SW allows errors in both directions, low net and hit out, so you get tentative and slow the swing.
W allows full speed swings and everything just goes in. When you need pure ball speed, karatechop your shot with straighter prep and it goes fast with little spin. Errors only one direction, not both, like SW.
forget the racquet stuff. Sounds like you need to work on your fundamentals. A different racquet is not going to fix your strkes. Take the arms out of your stoke and learn to rotate the body from the ground up. There are some very simple ways you can trick your body into doing this without blowing a bunch of money on your pro. In fact..... if your getting lessons and your pro has not been hamering you on arming the ball I would find another pro before you start getting injuries. Maybe someone who actually understands proper stroke mechanics.
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
True, a racket is not going to fix fundamental flaws. However with an ill fitting racket it is very difficult to swing the way you want to, esp. with today's modern strokes. With today's racket and string technology you can get more power, pace and spin without sacrificing control. Unless it is a financial issue there is no need to stick to the heavy, unforgiving, not spin and power friendly racket, esp. for a senior 4.0.
At my club the teaching pros are 5.0-6.5. They are former D1, nationally ranked juniors, Davis Cup hitting partners, Satellite tour players, etc. They all have switched away from 90-93 to 98-100. Most of them are in their 30's, 6'2" - 6'5" and can absolutely pound the ball. If these studs no longer use heavy, small head rackets, I have no shame in using 100. In fact it's self-delusional not to.
Neither speed or spin are a problem. I can hit with a ton of pace and gobs of spin. The racquet isn't the problem, it is my poor mechanics that lead to inconsistency.
BTW, you don't need to stalk me in multiple threads. As you know, I read your posts in the other thread, and we disagree. No need to follow me around.
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Yes you are right about fundamentals. I hit the ball with more spin and control now with my mid than I used to with my 100+. My pro has been after me about mechanics, but none of it has stuck--probably because I thought I was doing it, but wasn't. The video was very illuminating. What I am looking for is some tips/drills on how to ingrain solid fundamentals. The fuzzy yellow balls suggestion was a great one, and I am going to work on that.
Cindysphinx
G.O.A.T.
Maybe what you need is some clean muscle memory.
Take your hopper to the court. Stand at the baseline. Throw a ball about 8 feet into the air. Let it bounce twice. While it is bouncing, do all the stuff you are supposed to be doing: Shoulder turn, use of left arm, correct grip and takeback, footwork and loading. Then hit the ball. If you are missing something, don't hit the ball -- catch it and start again. If you hit it and the ball isn't amazing, figure out what happened.
Do this a bazillion times and it will become automatic.
Hewex
Semi-Pro
Maui,
I'm in the same place as you with the fh. I was making progress with changes using the ball machine. But, playing matches brought out the same old bad habits. I don't pretend to know the answers. But, I 'think' that starting from scratch with FYB is a good idea. I also think that making a committment to stay with the changes no matter what is key. It is too easy to revert to old strokes during a match to be competitive. Most of the time, we have to be willing to get worse before we get better. I look forward to hearing how your fh changes go.
I'm in the same place as you with the fh. I was making progress with changes using the ball machine. But, playing matches brought out the same old bad habits. I don't pretend to know the answers. But, I 'think' that starting from scratch with FYB is a good idea. I also think that making a committment to stay with the changes no matter what is key. It is too easy to revert to old strokes during a match to be competitive. Most of the time, we have to be willing to get worse before we get better. I look forward to hearing how your fh changes go.
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
Dude, get over yourself. :roll: No one is "stalking" you. You are just an old fool who can't learn from his pro or his superiors. That's why your "FH is a freakin mess." You gotta love this 4.0 senior's attitude. Dude, if a 6.0 (I'm a 5.0) gave me free pointers, I'd be like, "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it." If I try it and it doesn't work, fine. If it does, great, I got a free lesson and better in tennis. Don't put up a thread, "My FH is a freakin mess," and then whine like a little girl cuz you don't like the feedback.
try hitting with a two-handed forehand for a couple of weeks - It forces you to do a unit turn to prepare and to rotate your shoulders so you are not slapping at the ball. Don't worry about swinging with the backhand-side arm, but instead, keep it lightly one the racquet to force shoulders to rotate.
athiker
Hall of Fame
What he said. I went through these progressions quite a while back and rebuilt my forehand "from scratch" and I've got to say it really works. Shadow swing every chance you get in the living room and then obviously practice as much as possible but the FYB thing really works. He gives you, IIRC 5 key steps of the swing that you can mentally key on and "build" your forehand. You can't beat the price...you just have to give your email address.
Caloi
Semi-Pro
Would good gear help him not lose to a pusher in the finals? :mrgreen:
Thanks for your helpful posts!
Today I was working on forehand fundamentals and a friend of mine happened by. He is a former touring pro and a golfing buddy. He watched me hit a few, then translated what I was doing wrong into golf terms. Bingo! Basically I wasn't making a good backswing, and because of that, I had no chance of making a good swing (repeatably). After that, I started making sure I made a good turn back, then stayed connected on the "downswing" turning through the ball with my torso. What an amazing difference.
Anyway, thanks to all of you who made helpful suggestions about working the fundamentals. You were right on the money.
Anyway, thanks to all of you who made helpful suggestions about working the fundamentals. You were right on the money.
D
Deleted member 120290
Guest
Djokovicfan4life
Legend
Maui, either your pro is no good or you are no good at applying his teaching. That may sound harsh, but if you're taking serious lessons and your forehand is lacking the basics, then one or both of you is doing something wrong. It's sounds like you started to get the "inside out" aspect of the forehand swing, something your coach should be able to teach.
What's a typical lesson like for you? How does your pro go about working on your strokes? When you hit outside of lesson time, do you just go about your business or do you work on reinforcing the pro's teachings?
What's a typical lesson like for you? How does your pro go about working on your strokes? When you hit outside of lesson time, do you just go about your business or do you work on reinforcing the pro's teachings?
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I would think that as a pro/coach and having to feed a thousand balls a day, switching to a lighter/larger head and more efficient racket would be practical. I think they would prefer a more control oriented racket if they were to play competitvely again.
To the OP, if you are not feeling any pain/issues with your current racket, why switch? Work on your technique/mechanics before looking at the equipment, although the equipment should compliment your game and physical abilities.
Edit: Opps, didn't read your ^ post. Nevermind.
