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Tennis Lessons

How to Correct Wristiness

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By Jack Broudy, TennisONE's Juniors Editor

Question

I have a wristy forehand. What can I do about it?

Answer

"Wristiness" is a common problem on forehands for many adult players who take the game up seriously.

First of all, I would caution you about "airing out your armpit" on the backswing because generally, taking your racket farther back on the forehand is only going to put the head of the racket farther away from your body and the ball, which will usually make you lose control.The phrase "airing out your armpit" I generally use for the "follow through" of your backhand, forcing you to finish completely, without pushing.

Keep in mind, controlling the face of the racket is really your main objective here. Many players use their wrist and do it effectively, so my guess is that your wristiness causes you to be inconsistent. There are several ways to fix this problem, but I'll offer you these three and you can see if one works for you.

Try these (one at a time) instead, to control your racket face and your wrist:

Catch the racket (at the throat) with your non-hitting hand, and "freeze" at your finish for a count of "one".

Push the tip of your racket head forward, as you take your racket back, a la Sampras or this photo of our TennisONE Senior Editor, Jim McLennan. Draw your elbow back slightly at the start of your backswing, leaving your racket head slightly forward, instead of cocking the wrist back.

Make sure to keep the top edge of your racket up as you make contact with the ball, that way you "brush up" the ball like sandpaper, giving it topspin.

The key here is don't roll the face over with your wrist; keep the edge up, parallel to the net. You can even finish by touching your top racket edge to your non-hitting shoulder.

For your information this subject is covered in detail in Chapter 2 of my book, "The Real Spin on Tennis." Contact Tennis One or call 619-753-4119 if you want a copy. Good luck.

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We encourage you to email your comments (pro, con, appreciative, whatever) directly to the author. To send email to Jack Broudy, click here.

To see more on Jack Broudy's new book, "The Real Spin on Tennis: Grasping the Mind, Body, and Soul of the Game", Click here.

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