TennisOne Lessons
Examining Rafael Nadal’s Forehand David W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne Rafael Nadal is considered by many to be Roger Federer’s foremost challenger and he is about the only player on the tour that has had any success against him. In the Spring of 2006, Nadal had a string of championships including
Across tennis discussion boards, Nadal’s forehand is one of the most talked about threads. It is one of the more prolific forehands, especially on clay, yet few understand the dynamics of Rafael’s stroke. So, with the French Open just a few short months away, I thought it might be appropriate to study Nadal's weapon. Nadal, for sure, hits a massive forehand, one especially engineered for the slower, high-ball bouncing courts of Roland Garros. Everything from his full western forehand grip to his footwork patterns favors those red clay courts. It is one of the most impressive shots to watch, and in my opinion, even more incredible to see in the TennisOne Super Slow-Mo Gallery. Breaking Down Nadal’s Forehand
Obviously, court situations mandate certain stroke and shot characteristics. In the sequence shown above, Rafael is first faced with a deeper ball hit towards his backhand side. (Being left handed, this ball moves Nadal towards the deuce court.) The second shot is a shorter ball forcing Nadal to move in more aggressively in order to attack this short, low bouncing ball. The beauty of these two forehands is that it demonstrates the various footwork patterns that are often dictated by the location and the player’s position and balance. In discussing Nadal’s forehand I have bolded key words that are often used in today’s tennis vernacular. These terms are key points, positions, and movements that are helpful when used in discussing today’s modern game. Nadal decides to return this ball hit towards his backhand by backing out and hitting a forehand instead. He moves quickly to establish an open stance platform, his inside foot, (closest to the ball) is flexed, as we say, loaded and ready to explode.
Because of his full western grip, his racquet will have a natural high looping aspect. He accents this loop with a fairly full tilt of his racquet in his ready position and maintains this relationship of his racquet and forearm as he makes his unit turn to establish his forehand stroke. In nearly all top-player’s forehands, we see the player take the racquet back with a Two-Hand Take-back. This emphasizes the full unit turn and upper body coil, a trademark of the modern forehand. As Nadal begins his explosive uncoiling, you will note that as he is still lowering his racquet and just as his take-back is complete, his legs begin to drive up and his hips open up just a fraction behind his upper body opening up. These large body segment movements are the precursor to the final angular movements of the arm, forearm, and racquet which makes up the kinetic chain of most tennis strokes.
You will note how the driving action of his non-dominant elbow initiates the rotational movement of his upper body. The upward, explosive movements of his legs lift him off the ground before contact. He is not jumping as much as thrusting himself into the ball from a loaded position. Depending on the intent of the thrust, players may or may not totally leave the ground. As his body starts to uncoil, note that his racquet actually drops back further; the butt-cap of the racquet points squarely at the ball at full Pre-Stretch of the forearm. It is this pre-stretch that creates the ‘whip-like’ action, or as some have described as the stretching of the rubber-band.
All of this compression and torque, from his full coil to the pre-stretch of his forearm, are culminated at contact. This is where a lot of recreational players get lost. You will notice that just before contact, the upper body, hips, and legs nearly stop the rotation that had been so prevalent in the initial swing segments. This sequence of stopping the initial segments allows for the final segments to accelerate. In addition, if one were to continue opening up, allowing the body’s inertia to continue to rotate, the player would end up pulling the ball well to the side of the court. It is critical to the stroke speed and stroke direction that the body resists this continued rotation. Notice the non-dominant arm clutching close to his body in a subconscious effort to pull in his rotation. Relaxation Phase
With so much angular momentum, it is helpful to elongate the follow-through of the stroke to reduce stress and strain from trying to stop such speed too quickly. You will notice that Nadal’s iconic finish is nearly over his hitting shoulder with a semi-circular movement over the top of his head. What we now often call a Reverse Forehand (a term previously coined by Robert Lansdorp when he was working with Pete Sampras I believe) can be used to describe Nadal's unique finish. While many pros use this finish when pressed into trying to hit significant topspin on the run or when faced with a late hit, Nadal uses this finish under almost all situations. Recreational players can experiment with the Reverse Forehand to gain arguably more topspin in many forehand situations. Nadal's over-the-head loop finish is somewhat grip-dependent as the western grip provides for this type of finish to be possible, but, as Sampras demonstrated, even an eastern forehand grip can be used in a similar fashion as does soon-to-retire Kim Clijsters. As with many clay court players, it is not uncommon to see them finish a forehand with what is called a Reverse Pivot. Nadal’s momentum does carry his weight back onto his right foot but this movement, often frowned upon in previous decades of teaching tennis, is actually very solid footwork for a forehand with this much explosive pace.
Note as Nada’s right shoulder and hip moves back, this movement allows for his hitting shoulder and hip to move forward into the shot. Especially with a full western grip, this footwork pattern is beneficial to getting the hitting side of the body into the shot. By landing on his right foot, he can use this foot as a Brake Step to push back into court position. In Nadal’s second forehand, he quickly recognizes a short ball and takes two Side Shuffle Steps to get in position. This time, because of having to move forward, Nadal can’t set up for an open stance forehand and must commit to a more conventional Neutral Stance. You will note Nadal’s set up to the ball is, other than the stance, nearly identical to his first, open stand forehand. His upper body position is exactly the same, his unit turn, two hands on the racquet, and his kinetic chain of upper body motion are all similar.
However, because this ball is lower, more in front of him, and because he is going to hit more specific Outside Spin on the ball, he uses a closed stance which will allow him to impart a ton of spin on the ball. He uses the same pre-stretch of the forearm on the backswing, and gets very low for the shot. His left knee is only a few inches from touching the court surface. Not only does he get low, he stays very low throughout nearly the entire swing. If you measure his waist to that of the bottom of the back wall, you will see that within the entire rotation of the stroke, there is no lifting of the hips or thrusting upward with the legs. This maintaining of the low center of gravity allows him to brush up with significant force. If he were to lift out of this low position, the inertia of his swing would open him up too early as discussed in his first forehand sequence. Another common fault with recreations players in hitting any forehand is the role of the back foot when using a closed or neutral stance. Watch carefully as Nadal makes contact and just after. The back foot actually moves back a few inches behind its initial point just before contact. This subtle movement helps maintain the integrity of the hips during the crucial timing at contact.
Too many recreational players allow this back leg to swing around during contact which pollutes the timing of contact and actually forces the player to compensate by ‘pushing the ball towards the target. By keeping this foot back for that brief moment at contact, a player can hit with an aggressive stroke and not lose the Angle of Trajectory. It is after contact has been achieved that the back leg swings around to create the brake step to stop any sideways momentum. When faced with a low ball, especially when using a full western grip, it is helpful to hit up the outside of the ball. This will allow you to impart a great deal of spin—but, perhaps more advantageous, is the ability to get the ball to curve as well as drop. This is very helpful in hitting passing shots (as we are watching Nadal do in this clip of him playing doubles), as well as opening the court up more in singles by hitting a topspin that curves out away from the center of the court. Look at how Nadal reaches well out in front of his front hip and hooks the racquet around the outside part of the ball. This action also maximizes racquet head speed as you are literally throwing the leading edge of the racquet up into the stroke. As with all professional strokes, you may notice many idiosyncrasies that define a particular player. Certainly, Rafael Nadal possesses many stroke nuances that are easily associated with him. However, if you watch closely, you will see that the foundation of his shots are closely in sync with that of nearly every top professional. When you can identify what these foundations are, you then have the means to emulate these strokes yourself, and discover your own unique variations that contribute to your game. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
TENNIS MASTERYFinally. a resource that unlocks these mysteries: • Why do m • Why are making changes in one's game so frustratingly difficult? • What tennis teaching methods are disruptive or detrimental to player progression? Read David W. Smith's TENNIS MASTERY and learn not just how to avoid playing at mediocre levels, but how the best players in the world Master the sport of tennis! "With a depth of knowledge and fresh perspective, TENNIS MASTERY is set to become a manual for tennis instructors and a measure for tennis literature." Richard Wigley, Director, Kayenta Tennis Center, Ivins Utah. Take in David Smith's 30 plus years in the tennis teaching industry. This 335-page manual will provide for every level of player as well as support for all tennis-teaching professionals, a blueprint for reaching higher levels of tennis mastery. Order TENNIS MASTERY at tenniswarehouse.com , or go to tennismastery.net for exciting excerpts from the book and a host of tennis information! And check out David Smith's other articles found here at TennisONE.com |
illions of tennis players stagnate at levels far below their potential?