wrist "cocked" in forehand?

[kirbster123]

Hey guys, when i watch Roger Federer in slow motion, it seems as if his wrist is "cocked" all the way back when he his hitting his forehand topspin, is that the way you guys hit too?

My wrist is completely straight, almost, is there something wrong with that?

 

[Nick b]

what do you mean cocked

 

[kirbster123]

like wrist back, not parallel with the racquet.

 

[Nick b]

oh yeah cos u get more spin thatway if you go under the ball but that's just me because my forehand is almost identical to federer's

 

[35ft6]

Eventually, you definitely want your wrist cocked, leading with the butt of the racket, as you start the forward swing. It's not just Federer, 99.99% of pros do this.

But don't think of it as having to snap the wrist to get from butt leading the way, to hitting the ball. Think of it as when the wrist is laid back like that, that's pretty much the same position your hand will be in when you hit the ball. Unless you hit totally at your side, your wrist will not be locked, your arm will NOT be in a straight line with your racket. If you hit out in front, which you should, naturally your racket and forearm will form a bit of a "V" shape.

 

[ipodtennispro]

Grip?

Hey guys, when i watch Roger Federer in slow motion, it seems as if his wrist is "cocked" all the way back when he his hitting his forehand topspin, is that the way you guys hit too?

My wrist is completely straight, almost, is there something wrong with that?

There is nothing wrong with that. McEnroe does it and it is just one type of forehand. But your swing is dictated by your grip.

Cocked or "pre-stretched" is the terminology used today. However, what level of player are you? You must be using a continental or eastern grip. If you want to experiment with this technique, turn your grip into a semi western and then you can bend it back in the pre stretched position. Jack Nicholas used a technique called "Snaps" in golf that is similar to what tennis players are doing. Imagine slapping someone really hard just letting your wrist snap. The problem is "timing". Also, there is a tremendous amount of strain on the forearm and wrist that can cause injury if you haven't built this technique up over time. I would not recommend this unless you are in advanced stages of your game. Otherwise, you may be taken lots of Advil to to relieve the pain and inflammation. First things first, change your grip.

 

[tennis_hand]

Modern forehand has a laid-back wrist, your so-called cocked. This allows you to hit the ball in front of you with the wind wiper motion.

The old classic eastern or continental has a straight wrist, and you hit at the side of your body, or with a closed stance.

 

[Lambsscroll]

That's what I do but I keep my elbow in. Kinda like how Jim Courier hits his forehand.

 

[Lindros13]

I find that I hit my best shots when I let my hand drag behind my body (similar to the wrist cocked back that you described). Yes, the pros do this, and it is very noticeable on Fed's forehand. I let my hips and body make the shot - not my arm. Sort of like leading with the butt end of the racquet and whipping your hips through the shot which forces your arm and racquet to follow.

I find this especially useful on short put-away balls that bounce near the service line. Often times, if I try to "blast" it with my arm for a winner, it's easy to screw up. But when I use my body as described above, I feel as if the harder I whip my body through, the harder the shot will go, without the loss of control. It's much more effective and controlled than if I took a huge arm swing at the ball.

 

[10sfreak]

Just from watching the pros hit forehands, it looks to me that Federer And Co. don't actually ****/lay their wrists back consciously, but rather, they relax their wrists on the swing, which creates a "lag" with the racquet (in other words, the racquet lags behind the wrist), which "cocks" the wrist back. Kinda like what you see when the pros serve - the racquet drops behind them, not because they're consciously doing it, but because as they propel themselves up to the ball, they relax their shoulder muscles, allowing the racquet to "drop". But I think the racquet only "drops" in relation to their bodies, not in relation to the ground. At least, that's the way I see it. Can any of the better/more advanced players on the board confirm/dispute this for me?
Haha! The word c-o-c-k is edited, but not when I put an "s" at the end. Weird.