Windshield Wiper Motion With Full Western?

[counterpuncher64]

Hi,

I was wondering whether one really needs to hit with a windshield wiper motion when using a full western grip? I noticed that Nadal (perhaps my perception is incorrect) doesn't have much, if any, WW motion, but still gets tremendous spin on his shots. Similarly, when I use a WW and full western grip, I seem to shank a lot more shots than when I just use a classic low to high with a full western, and I still seem to get a good amount of spin (more so than with a semi western WW motion) too.

Is it inherent in the full western to not need to use a WW to get spin, or would you recommend I work on it as it's the right thing to do and I have an improper perception?

Thanks

 

[LeeD]

Depends if you need a replicable followthru on every forehand, or not.
WW gives you something to shoot for, a full pronation thru your stroke.
Not WW still allows you to hit hard topspin, but can you do it 20 times in a row?
Control of followthru is one way to control the stroke.

 

[GetBetterer]

The Western grip already gets a whole lot of topspin on a ball, I wouldn't think so. Although, Nadal is known to have 4000 RPM's on his balls, so if you can count yours, maybe you can try to get more? Although, some people have debated that the way Nadal plays, he will soon suffer health problems (on top of that, he already has suffered some).

 

[forehandshanker]

First and least important, it's been covered in lots of threads but Nadal's grip is probably not a full Western. From what I see it's semi-Western. The pro I think of as most extreme in their Western grip is Djokovic, who hits a fairly flat ball.

Second, no matter what grip you use, every ATP pro changes the shape of their swing depending on the ball they have to play. It's a good thing to have confidence that you can change the shape of your swing and feel like you can execute the shot you need to send back. Options are a good thing.

Even though Nadal hits a lot of reverse FHs, he will hit a WW FH. Even if there's no footage of Nadal hitting a classic-style FH, that doesn't mean you should not hit a classic-style swing with a western FH. After all, you might need to peg your opponent with a flat forehand if he's at net.

 

[Mr_Shiver]

I would learn the ww fh as a base fh. Something that you know and can reproduce at the drop of a hat. Then add variation and variety. That way you always have a solid base to fall back on when your stroke breaks down. BTW, I am guessing your shanking is caused by not making good contact, not hitting through the ball enough, not getting the racquet sufficiently below the ball or some combination of those. As a former western guy i went through plenty of shanks before it became a solid consistent stroke. Good luck.