Semi open forehand stance and left leg airborne use

[FiReFTW]

Just wondering something because ive seen it quite a few times now, that sometimes when people hit semi stance forehands their left leg gets airborne while right one is planted the whole shot, and then the left body side pivots back.
Im struggling to understand the sense in this, as it seems like it doesn't seem to put alot of the body into the shoot, at least in my mind.

For example, when using semi open forehands alot of time different things happen with legs depending on the shot itself, the power you put into it etc...

Most common things are:

1.Kind of pivot with both feet either on ground or a bit airborne

2.Fully airborne feet like in last shot in this video

3.Pivot forward with the right leg (4:10 and so, here its mostly in neutral stance but happens in semi open aswell)

But what im wondering is the thing that happens in this last Federer video, where he stands grounded with his right leg, while his left leg gets airborne and his whole left body pivots backwards, I seriously don't get the sense of doing this, it seems like the other options are all superior, whats the point in this?

 

[SinjinCooper]

But what im wondering is the thing that happens in this last Federer video, where he stands grounded with his right leg, while his left leg gets airborne and his whole left body pivots backwards, I seriously don't get the sense of doing this, it seems like the other options are all superior, whats the point in this?

The specific shot you seem to be referencing (which Fed hits two of in a row at 0:22 and 0:26, right?), is essentially identical to a standard semi-open forehand hit full force, with only a subtle difference in the footwork, necessitated by the direction of the incoming ball.

A semi-open forehand hit full force typically means you move to the right to hit a forehand, take your plant step toward the outside with your right (racquet-side) foot, drive off it, and that drive BACK TOWARD the center of the court, coupled with the drive of the hip and the rotation of the core and shoulders, carries the whole body around to a landing points about 45 degrees past square -- AND the drive foot landing in a significantly different place from its drive point.

In Fed's shot here, the ball is right at him, forcing him to take a plant step slightly backwards instead of out to the side. Without that outward motion, the drive ISN'T back toward the center of the court, as it was in the typical case. Instead, it's virtually straight up in the air. The hip still drives forward out of a slight squat, and the shoulders and core still come around, but instead of twisting as he "jumps" from right to left off the drive foot, he pivots around a "jump" that's just straight up. The result is that his plant foot remains in pretty much the same place when it lands, while the rest of him still comes around.

 

[FiReFTW]

So basically its a product of when ur pushed back into a more defensive position/shot and lack the time needed to setup properly to execute the shot like you would when u had enough time and space.

 

[SinjinCooper]

So basically its a product of when ur pushed back into a more defensive position/shot and lack the time needed to setup properly to execute the shot like you would when u had enough time and space.

Basically -- with THAT particular shot -- it's purely a product of where he had to plant his drive foot, and what happened with the rest of his body as he pushed off of it. In this case, it happened to be a different-looking result than a more standard-looking semi-open FH, because of where his center of mass was located relative to the push off. But try not to overgeneralize.

What's the same: Good solid drive off the ground, initiating full use of kinetic chain.

What changes: How the body moves depending on where all the parts are when the chain begins.

 

[chikoo]

All these are not done "intentionally step by step". They are a result of the shot played and then an effort to regain just enough balance to be ready to play the next shot.
So it will vary for every person on their body mechanics on how they cope with the attack, impact, and the rebalance. Focus on the attack, the rest will follow.

It is like a Afghan warrior firing a bazooka rocket, and falls down while the rocket hits the target bulls eye. Falling down is not intentional. People imitating will start falling down hoping that it is part of how to hit bulls eye. It is not.

 

[Chas Tennis]

This video discusses linear and rotational forehands.

The legs can do several things to the pelvis through the hips. If the legs act forcefully and rapidly to accelerate the pelvis the body can become airborne.

I don't know the percentages of players using various techniques for circular forehands or which are most effective.

 

[chikoo]

I am afraid so many will simply lift up their leg and hope that it was the missing ingredient in their success.