Role of the Left Arm in Forehand(For righties)?

[Tikiman53]

Hi. For my forehand, I start off by taking my racquet back in a circle with my left hand sort of supporting my racquet's throat gently. Then, as my right arm goes more back, it leaves the support of my left hand and I hold my left hand there till I make contact with the ball, which is when I complete the swing holding the racquet w/ both hands over, or close to over, my shoulder. Is this right? Because I've seen some people point their left hand forward untill they complete the swing.

 

[snoflewis]

i think it helps w/ the shoulder rotation

 

[nickybol]

It facilitates the shoulder rotation, but it shouldn`t stay there until you impact the ball. When swinging forward, it should rotate with the shoulder.

 

[papa]

Balance becomes a key issue here and your left hand/arm plays a important role. If you keep your non-hitting arm "back" your going to have a tendency to hit off your back foot. Yes, its important to keep it on the racquet as you make your unit turn but its also important to then get out in front so you can make your weight transfer.

 

[Caswell]

Tennis magazine has a great sequence shot of Davydenko's forehand this month.

One of the areas they highlight is the placement of his left arm during his takeback. Bringing the left arm back forces him to close his shoulders to the ball, which sets him up for good trunk rotation as he hits through.

As someone who was taught a strict closed stance on his forehand as a junior and has since picked up the use of an open stance in some situations, it's helpful to have a reference that forces me to close off my upper body during those shots.

As for the left arm on the follow through, IMHO it doesn't matter. I've seen people hitting great forehands that "catch" the racquet with their left hand and those that just tuck it up to their chest as the right arm comes through.

 

[armand]

HomoSapiens have one forward/upper limb for balance instead of a tail like most other mammals.

 

[supersmash]

Balance becomes a key issue here and your left hand/arm plays a important role. If you keep your non-hitting arm "back" your going to have a tendency to hit off your back foot. Yes, its important to keep it on the racquet as you make your unit turn but its also important to then get out in front so you can make your weight transfer.

Yeah, it acts as a counterweight. It has to do with rotational inertia.