Pro Forehand: closed racquet face

[WildVolley]

Slow motion video of my forehand is showing me something I wouldn't see otherwise. As I pull into my forehand, my racquet face is going from closed to overly open to perpendicular at contact. When I watch slo-mo video of the pros, I really don't see this happen except on a few shots where the pro is hitting flat and down into the court.

I'm thinking this is perhaps why I'm not getting much topspin on my shot, or why I tend to hit long. When I watch most of the pros, their racquet face remains closed as the arm lays back and then becomes close to perpendicular with the court at contact. It does vary from player to player. Agassi doesn't stay closed as long as Federer, for example.

Does anyone have any ideas why my arm would want to let the racquet face go from closed to open on the pulling portion of the forehand?

 

[blue03]

for topspin, the racquet face should be perpendicular during contact point. u have to swing from low to high though.

 

[ps60]

just imagine...

Fed has his arm almost fully stretched and may keep his elbow at the same angle. and have U curl your elbow more and more as U swing, that may open up the racket face...

Wrist movement is of course another possibility.

But i don't see much trouble as long as yr racket face is right at impact.

 

[samizram]

It could be your grip. Eastward grips tend to open the racket face sooner than westward ones. The result is that they have different optimal contact points. If your contact point is as far out front (and as high) as it should be for a semi-western grip, it will be too far out front (and too open) from an Eastern forehand or Continental grip.

Try experimenting with grip and contact point.

 

[WildVolley]

blue03,

Of course you are right. My racquet is going from low to high, but usually it isn't imparting a lot of topspin, though it is imparting topspin. Only once in a while I rip topspin like the pros are hitting, but it isn't happening often for me.

The other advice may have something to do with it. I'm hitting with what I think is a radical eastern. My arm doesn't straighten out like Federer or Nadal, I'm hitting more of a traditional double-bend. I'm going to experiment with switching more toward a traditional semi-western.

This mostly happens when I'm really swinging full out. When I hit normal pace the face mostly goes to perpendicular and not all the way open.

 

[habib]

blue03,
The other advice may have something to do with it. I'm hitting with what I think is a radical eastern. My arm doesn't straighten out like Federer or Nadal, I'm hitting more of a traditional double-bend. I'm going to experiment with switching more toward a traditional semi-western.

This mostly happens when I'm really swinging full out. When I hit normal pace the face mostly goes to perpendicular and not all the way open.

I think this is a bit odd, since more classical grips would actually open up more with a double bend than the more extreme ones. In fact, Federer's relatively mild grip on the forehand may even be the reason why he tends to hit with a straighter arm.