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TennisONE,

Besides being an aficionado for the game, playing it 4 times a week, I read a lot about the sport technique too, in various websites, namely yours "TennisONE," " Tennisteacher," etc.. After reading your answers in the "ask the pros" section, to Goran and Frank, this question emerged:

Object: Forehand

Q.- If we wait for the bounce to start the movement ( "a la Oscar Wegner"), we get late. Pictures show that the pros, at the bounce, are already prepared. If we prepare early, laying the wrist back, leaving it fixed ( "a la John Yandell"), it results in a movement with too many wrist, not driving the ball with the forearm.

I think you have the correct answer, so, could you please resume all this, telling me the right way to develop the forehand?

Thanks in advance,
Ruy

Ruy,

In my opinion, (which is obviously subject to differences in opinion!), I believe the best way to "develop" a skilled forehand is closer to the John Yandel model. (Unit turn, wrist laid back and locked, straight back swing pattern.) In addition, I have found that closed stance is a better foundation to start from and to develop skilled form. In my experience these learning patterns seldom prohibit more advanced swing and footwork patterns from evolving. (IE: loop strokes, more aggressive grips, open stance, etc.) This is true with one or two-handed forehands. (If you haven't check out my two articles on the two-handed forehand and you will see these issues addressed in more depth.)

While some players may be prone to use more wrist if they lay it back early, I have found this to be the exception. More players use wrist when confronted with a late swing or late preparation. (This is because the human body will resort to a wrist-induced swing which shortens the radius of the stroke, allowing the player to "catch up" with the ball. However, we all know that the use of wrist reduces control and thus, any stroke that obviously promotes or forces a player to resort to wrist movements will not be conducive to progressive development.

I believe the majority of the pros establish a clear unit turn...not a full racket turn, early prior to the bounce. Most will hold this half backswing position of the racket prior to committing to the stroke and then make what most of us recognize as the continuous "loop" swing from this position.

My top players all developed this same pattern on their own following the foundation I introduce them to, (which I described in the first paragraph). I like the idea of players making some of these discoveries on their own through natural learning processes that are inherent to this type of learning. (I call it the "Advanced Foundation.")

If you work from this pattern too, you will find yourself developing a solid forehand that will evolve into something closer to what the pros do. I have found that players who often start with Pro-like patterns, develop problematic stroke flaws that often are difficult or even impossible to overcome.

Hope this is helpful!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

Could you please explain in more details what you mean by "develop spin intention", and how to drive through the ball with the forearm, regarding your answers to Frank and Goran. Is there a difference between driving with the forearm and start the forehand swing by the hips?

Thanks,
Ruy

Ruy,

Spin intention is the type and amount of spin the player envisions he or she will produce on a given shot. This can include various slice strokes, from a hard driving slice, to hitting more under the ball for a slower, lower slice or even drop shot; heavy driving topspin to finesse dipping topspin...to topspin lobs and topspin angles. Skilled players through practice and experience learn to create these various spins. Then, much like a skilled musician who plays a difficult piece with feeling, we call upon such shots almost without thought.

Driving with the forearm is simply a portion of the entire swing pattern...as is the concept of starting the swing from the hips. One thing to remember is that while a majority of groundstrokes start with a leg/hip component, this aspect does not continue throughout the entire swing. The hips generally stop rotation around contact while the arm(s) continue to swing through the ball. This can be seen in what I call the "one-quarter-turn principle". Look at the majority of strokes and you will see the player rotate approximately one quarter turn on the backswing portion and then rotates back this one-quarter turn to contact. While there are many exceptions to this general statement, it is a good learning tool for players to practice within this framework of the swing. A common fault many beginner and intermediate players do on their groundstrokes is they try swinging the stroke with their whole body. While this method offers a perception of control for some, it is a very inefficient swing pattern.

Driving the forearm is just a phrase to emphasize the arm's continuation of driving more through the ball rather than either flicking the racket with the wrist or cutting the swing too short with a premature wrap finish. (There will be many degrees of variance in the amount of "drive" of the stroke through the ball and the amount of angular or rotational movement of the stroke base on the many different intentions of spin and power the player will want.)

Thanks for your questions!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

I have studied all clips from Pro Stroke Gallery but I have difficulty in finding the ball to hit it. Do these players start to swing before or after the bounce? To learn (copy) the correct technique is very difficult if you can not see the ball coming. Oscar Wegner says to wait until after the bounce. Is it the best timing or can you come with some comments about this.

Regards,
Goran Trkulja

Goran,

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking about the optimal time to start the stroke...namely the backswing or unit turn.

This is one of those areas that, in my opinion, should not be taught specifically the way the pros execute their timing. The reasons for this opinion is varied. First off, pros have developed or "evolved" their strokes so that they have the optimal timing FOR THEM. This optimal "pro" timing of taking the racket back--or making the unit turn as is the more acceptable concept, is generally done much too late for players learning the game. Because pros are much more refined in their stroke pattern, they don't have many of the common faults associated with lower level players during a particular stroke. Thus, if a beginner or intermediate player took the racket back on the bounce or later, they would often find themselves not just hitting late, but developing some very detrimental habits to try to compensate for this late swing. (Namely using the wrist or trying to muscle the ball over with the whole body.)

The main issue I have is, what swing pattern will (a), develop a consistent swing pattern, (b) help the player develop 'spin intention', (c) increase the progression of a player's stroke. A late swing pattern seldom helps in these three areas. Also, the issue of power efficiency has been argued for years on whether a late, loop swing actually generates greater overall power than an early, more straight back swing pattern. My contention is that even if some swing patterns provide a small percentage of greater overall racket head speed--and thus power, if that power is not under control, what good is it? Few players, even at the pro level, swing at every ball at 100% capacity. (Swinging as hard as they can.) Since we seldom try to achieve this "maximum power" then working on a swing pattern that produces greater "efficiency" at the cost of building a stable, repeatable and intentional swing pattern is counterproductive, in my opinion.

My research has shown that without a doubt, almost all players will develop their optimal preparation timing AFTER developing proper strokes using an early preparation model. That means to make the unit turn immediately after recognition of where the ball is coming to. I don't disagree with pros who acknowledge that the pros wait to make the turn and basically create a continuous swing pattern much later than lower level players. But, I have come to the conclusion that as players evolve and encapsulate a proper swing pattern, a later, more continuous loop-like swing pattern will usually develop on its own.

Thanks for your question!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

I am tennis pro at a premier club in Dallas, TX. I really do stress optimum footwork to all of my students. I do have a lot of drills that I do to enhance footwork. I was writing to see if you could give me some websites that have good tennis footwork drills. I've looked at some different searches, but have not been successful at finding what I'm looking for. If you could provide me with some good information and point me where I need to go, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and I'll look forward to hearing from you soon.
Albert

Albert,

Good question. Most of the footwork materials are generated by strength coaches, you can get information in book form from Don Chu (who writes for TennisONE) and from Pat Etcheberry who works at LGE in Florida.

I do footwork materials from the technique and or choreography side of the street, I have a video and booklet that details starting maneuvers, finishing on balance, angle of play and more. You can see it on the site or at Tennis Warehouse. Finally, if you have access to it, I have published a number of articles on footwork in Advantage magazine.

Best
Jim McLennan
Editor TennisONE

TennisONE,

I want to ask probably the most difficult question. What do champions like Sampras think about just before a point starts and during a point? Has anyone asked him? Does he visualize, think strategy, or does he simply relax and not think of anything? I have heard that thinking interferes with your stroke process. I believe the thought process is crucial to winning the "big points". I have seen and heard about players who had great strokes and serves, but never made it on the tour, because they couldn't win the "big points". Another related question is weather champions play "big points" exactly the same as any other point or do they raise the level of their game? Some have theorized that the pressure that comes with thinking about the importance of the point is what make lesser players fail and the great ones succeed.

If it isn't the thought process that makes a champion then could it be something neural? Do great players perceive things faster than the rest of us? Are things slowed down for them. Is that 120 mph serve look like 105 mph to them? Have any great tennis players/baseball hitters ever been tested for reaction time, visual acuity or visual stabilization? Any light you can shed would be greatly appreciated.

Sorin

Sorin,

You have identified the crux of "mental tennis" at its core. While I don't believe anyone has truly identified scientifically the diverse applications and complexities that seem to effect individuals in various pressure situations, I do think we are coming closer to optimal training techniques.

While I can't speak for Sampras or other tour pros specifically, I can relate the training that many top teaching pros use to train world-class performers in terms of the mental approach. Obviously, at the higher levels of skilled play, conscious thought about technique or form is detrimental to execution. It would be like having to think about all the movements required to walk across the room! Top players think or "picture" what they want to do with the ball in terms of placement and spin intention...not grips, stroke patterns, footwork or other technical aspects to making the shot. Like walking across the room, skilled tennis is all about knowing "where we want to go" with the ball! Whether we decide to jog, walk or sprint across the room, we know where we want to end up! Playing skilled tennis is like that...hitting flat, topspin, or slice, or hitting hard or soft, is our intention of where we want the ball to go and how we want it to get there.

Dr. Jim Leohr did some excellent work on mental tennis, identifying the importance of the "between point" condition of the player. Clearing the mind, mentally preparing for only the next point while not dwelling on any previous points, focusing the eyes away from distractions, etc., were discussed in his "16 second cure" video he did over 12 years ago.

A classic example of how previous points can interfere with our present moment of competition is the number of people who double fault after an ace! Instead of focusing on the next serve independent of the past, (ace or perhaps a double fault), players often are still relishing and thinking they can do another ace just like the one before!

Being able to stay in the present is what allows players to not only play big points well, but diminish the chances of choking, getting angry, and tanking points, games and sets. Thus, the key to playing your best tennis is to remain cognizant of the present with no conscious thought of past great shots or mistakes we made, nor of thinking of what the outcome of the point, game, set or match might hold for us. It is thinking about the future or the ramifications of winning or losing a match that can make players choke or tank matches!

I summarize this overall mental condition as "playing for the ego". When we play tennis to protect our ego we create excuses and reasons to not play well. "I would have killed that player if they didn't cheat me," "I'm a lot better player than he is...I just wasn't trying." These statements are common when we play to our ego.

I also agree that champions are blessed to a certain degree with athleticism that may be in some areas better than the average person. However, whether this athleticism is conditioned or created, or whether it is simply nature is often difficult to quantify. I have seen players who didn't appear to have great athleticism work so hard they overcame this apparent deficiency. Some champions seem to have some "gift" in either physical areas or mental areas. Borg certainly had it mentally. It has been argued that Sampras, Safin, and others have had great physical gifts. And others still, namely Courier, Chang, Seles, and others simply worked their butts off.

I believe that if you are going to pursue any sport to the highest level, you can't ever assume you have "it" or don't have "it"! Because every individual has a different baseline level of "it", we must work to discover what or how much of "it" we have...and work even harder to make up for the amount of "it" we might be missing!

Thanks for a very thought provoking question!
Dave Smith

Jim McLennan,

I am a 4.0 club player and I work very hard at my game. I play 6 times per week with a variety of different players, Some are far superior to me and others are players I never lose to. However, they all come to the net on me as a result of short balls hit by me. I take lessons and my pro feels the most common cause he sees in my ground strokes which leads to short balls is my tendency to rush my shots and to swing to early. I have a semi-western grip and hit a lot of topspin. Sometimes, I come up to thin on the ball and they land short. Other times I try swing with more power and while the shot seems solid, it lands very short. I have noticed my  deepest shots are associated with slow swings with less pace. Is there a way to get deep topspin shots which also have a lot of pace? Are you able to suggest any corrective actions for a semi-western grip player who hits too many short balls? What are the main causes in your experience of players hitting the short ball? In my opinion, the major reason I lose to many of my good opponents is the impact of too many short balls, giving
them too many approach shots and outright winners.

Regards,
Alan Terlinsky

Alan,

Before you try to change your forehand, which may be difficult, why not improve your defense. That is, if opponents take the net, develop a high defensive lob as well as a lower topspin lob. Secondly, understand many of the 4.0's have problems with their backhand volley.

As to a topspin semiwestern forehand, somehow that seems quite common to me at our club (at least by players with that grip and style) - when the professionals hit that stroke and sometimes it is short (certainly with Hewitt and others) they make up for it with excellent defensive skills and quick movement.

As to tempo, interestingly, to crack a whip there is no fast followthrough, rather the swing builds and then unleashes the tip of the whip - the semiwestern version is to have the swing build and at contact the arm actually slows down and the racquet speeds up - you can see this in the pro strokes gallery with Federer where his arm does not carry over his shoulder but often finishes low and in front

Best,
Jim

TennisONE,

What tips or recommendations do you have for players who want to keep their timing and stay in tennis shape when their jobs/schedules permit them to get to the court only on weekends? During the work week, I have access to a full equipment gym at my job to stay in shape. But I would rather be able to get away from work for some court time on weeknights but cannot due to my work schedule.

I am a mid-level beginner who has really embraced the sport of tennis in the last 12 months and have the passion and commitment to improve my game at whatever opportunity I can seize to practice and improve my strokes.

Since I can get to the court only on weekends, what off-court exercises would help in terms of helping to keep my timing, footwork, and at the same time possibly help improve stroke technique and form?

Hungry in San Diego

Hungry in San Diego,

Best way to practice without a court is find a mirror i.e.. your fitness center and practice your swings in the mirror. The idea is to allow the brain to see the movements. There have been many studies done and proven that practice mentally can be as productive as the actual physical process. Sometimes even more so because you seldom make mistakes in the mental rehearsal.

Practice playing matches in your mind using the senses; how it feels to hit the ball, where you will hit the ball, how it looks as the ball is coming to you, how soon you read the shot, feel the sweat on your body as you play, hear the sound of the ball being hit and the sound of the crowd watching you play, sense how you would respond to different tactics your opponent might try to use against you and how you would reply.

Another option is purchase a TennisMate from OnCourt/OffCourt.com. For about $190 you can get one that occupies about a 8 foot area and you can practice all your groundstrokes and volleys, serves to a degree and hit as hard or soft as you would like to hit. They also have a small ball machine where you hit back into a net that catches the ball and feeds it back into the machine for you to hit again.

Have a good Hit,
Ken DeHart

TennisONE,

My question concerns changing grips for a two handed backhand. I wait with a forehand grip when rallying and my non dominant hand is holding the throat of the racket. When the ball comes to my backhand which is the most efficient way to change grips? Change my bottom hand first and then slide down the top hand or vise versa? I am right handed so the bottom hand would be my right hand.

I have tried holding the racket with my left hand already in position for a backhand and my right in a forehand grip but it feels a bit awkward and I have trouble finding my forehand grip when I go back and forth between forehands and backhands. Should I stick with the later method longer until it feels natural or is it better to use my left hand on the throat of the racket for feed back on grips.

Thanks,
Rich

Rich,

Much like you, I play with a forehand grip and my left hand on the throat of the racquet. I play one or two handed depending upon the position of the ball. I change the racquet position with my left hand, leaving the right hand in its neutral position. If I decide upon a two handed shot, I slide my left hand down to the grip after turning the racquet to an eastern backhand for my right hand. If I decide on a one hander, I turn the racquet and release the racquet as I swing.

This works really well for me and I can change from one to two hands very quickly. Players often comment that they can not tell which one I am going to hit because the change usually occurs behind my shoulder turn and just as I start to release.

Thanks Rich,
Ken DeHart

TennisONE,

My son is a nationally ranked junior. He and I (I'm currently a 4.5-5.0 and formerly played in college) both use relatively powerful Wilson racquet (hyper hammers) that generate good power but the primary reason we hit the ball hard is not the racket, it's the mechanics of our strokes. Most juniors and other players tend to use the less powerful racquet but most explain that their reason for doing this is that they can't control the more powerful ones. We have no problem controlling the power and enjoy using the best technology to maximize our power.

Recently, a local tennis pro commented that he thought that my son would be better off using one of the less powerful racquet because he thought it would ensure proper "development" of his stroke. I have heard this sort of advice before and totally disagree as it makes no sense. First of all, if my son and I were not hitting the ball correctly and getting sloppy with our stroke due to the powerful racket then I could understand the logic. However, since we have modeled our ground strokes after studying numerous videos of Andre Abaci's forehand and backhand there should be no reason to be concerned about stroke development because the stroke is developing much better than virtually every other kid in the section. I could also understand his logic if there was some sort of rule that once you turn 16 or something, you had to hand in your powerful racket and replace it with inferior technology. Furthermore, if the weaker racket was so helpful to "developing" a player's stroke, then why doesn't he (now an adult) now switch to the more powerful racket since his stroke should be so much more superior using the weaker racket as a junior? And also under the same logic, why doesn't he have all of his juniors hit with wood racquet for the next few years as wouldn't even weaker racquet be even more effective in "developing" a proper stroke?

This is the same sort of mythology that enabled Jimmy Connors to out hit most of his competitors with the T2000. This was a much more powerful racket that once he could control it, he could blow everyone else off the court with his excellent hitting mechanics when his competitors were still stuck in the 1960's using wood racquet. In contrast, today's powerful racquet are much less flawed than the T2000, so it's not like using something that's so weird as the T2000. I myself use one of these powerful racquet in my 40's and so long as I can control it and I'm hitting the ball correctly, why should I take a step back and hit the ball 10-20 mph's slower? I would appreciate it your comments on this just to make sure I'm not missing something.


Bill

Bill,

I think you are on the right track regarding racquet and stroke development. I agree that players who know what proper strokes are and know how to implement them, the racket shouldn't necessarily detract from this progression. However, with that said, I do believe that some racquet, those either too heavy or too light for an individual, can contribute somewhat to questionable form. This comes when the player tries to, consciously or unconsciously, accommodate certain shots through either wrist movements or other stroke patterns that "feel" easier than using the form more desirable (due to the weight or balance aspects of the particular racket).

Basically, more powerful racquet simply make the ball go faster. If you posses strokes that are very erratic, this power will magnify these erratic results. If, however, you have strokes that are what I call "stable, repetitive, and reliable", then your ability to actually use more powerful racquet will generally produce more desirable results. As a general rule, however, players who do in fact produce significant power through larger, faster or more powerful swing patterns, they will "compete" better with a less powerful racket. It makes sense because players who swing harder will create some element of error...not due to stroke problems (if they are skilled), but due to the issues of timing, contact point, and simple aim. And since they already are producing power through their swing pattern, they will want a racket that governs that power in such a way that they are accurate within their power.

The best advice is to play-test racquet over long periods of time. As a player grows, becomes stronger, faster, or develops their strokes, the type of racket that will produce the best results, that feels the best, and provide the greatest confidence (usually as a result of these criteria!) may, and most likely will, change over time. Not to mention the fact that most manufacturers usually keep racket models for only two to three years unless they are extremely popular among top ranked pros. Thus, players almost are forced to change racquet as current models become discontinued or have limited availability.

Good luck to you and your son! It sounds like you are following a correct path that will allow him (and you!) to reach your full potential.

Dave Smith

TennisONE,

After reading many of your articles and endlessly studying the ProStrokes gallery, I've come to realize that the "racquet drop" is probably the main source of power in the serve. My problem is that I lack the flexibility in the critical area of the arm which I believe is the rotator cuff so there is a big limit to how far I can drop the racquet. It appears that guys like Roddick and Ivo have unusually good flexibility in this part of their arm which enables them to achieve the maximum racquet drop. Can you recommend a stretching exercise, machine or device which might enable me to increase my flexibility in this critical area? I have examined many so called "stretching machines" but can't seem to find one that facilitates stretching of this joint/muscle. I've tried to stretch it on my own but it's a very awkward angle. Whatever advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Bill
Stamford, Ct.

Bill,

First of all, yes, the racquet drop or "collapse" as we often call it, is one of the big contributors of power on the serve. However, the actual collapse of the racquet is a result of the elbow flexing and the use of usually the continental grip. (The continental grip accommodates the proper wrist position to have the racquet collapse in the "edge on" position as opposed to the "waiter's grip" the eastern forehand grip, which limits both the optimal position of the racquet prior to contact as well as the amount of actual collapse available.)

The rotator cuff, while a contributing motion joint, is not responsible for the collapse. It allows for the arm to rotate back on the backswing and to achieve some internal rotation as the elbow moves forward as the collapse is completed and the racquet is accelerating up towards the ball.

Thus, you will want to work on the ability for your forearm to flex at the elbow and the racquet to drop in behind the elbow as the elbow moves forward after the full backswing. This whip-like movement is what generates the racquethead speed you desire. If you are using the more elementary (and limiting) eastern forehand grip, you won't be able to achieve this pattern. Thus, make sure you are working on the continental grip as well.

Reaching under your dominant arm with your off hand and grabbing the racquet head in the collapse position and pulling slowly, you can stretch the rotational aspects of the arm as well as identify the full collapse position. (This is done with the elbow forward and the upper arm up away from the side of the body.)

The entire shoulder and upper arm positions stay relatively parallel until after contact when the arm moves completely forward and across the body. The majority of racquet head speed will be developed through a combination of the whip-like collapse of the arm and subsequent release as the elbow comes forward.

Hope this helps you improve your serve.
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

On the subject of backswings, after reading the articles on straight back vs. looping backswings, I recently changed my forehand (which was a bit loopy) to a straight backswing. Prior to this, I was always vulnerable on my forehand to players who sliced the ball and mixed up the pace, and I would frequently lose rhythm and confidence, framing a few shots and hitting with power, but no control.

Would you say this is most likely due to timing the backswing too early? I decided to adopt a straight backswing, as compact as possible, and, looking at my "backswing" now, it seems there is none (i.e.: The unit turn is the backswing, the only other motion after the unit turn is cocking the wrist back to reach the hitting arm position with elbow staying tucked in). My two handed backhand has always been my more consistent side, and it appears to have virtually no backswing (only wrist cocking back). Would the wrist cocking back give you a small compact loop on both sides anyway, or is there any need to do a "conscious" loop as part of a separate backswing?

I feel my backhand may be more consistent due to following some advice i heard on a video by Nick Bolletieri: on the 2 handed backhand, always keep your racquet face above the level of your wrist, regardless of the height of the incoming ball, this facilitates the development of a compact loop (Agassi does this on every backhand).

By following this advice, I have found:

1. It feels like a straight "backswing", even though I know from looking at it that it has a very compact loop, and the foreswing comes at the last minute, just before contact.
2. I "find" the ball much more easily than on my forehand, regardless of the height or spin on the ball. Should I try to do the same on my forehand? (keeping racquet face above wrist level). Would having no backswing (only unit turn and cocking wrist back) benefit the return of serve and make it more consistent. So, to summarize (sorry for going on a bit):
   1. Will eliminating the backswing, while keeping the other fundamental aspects of groundstrokes in place, help my consistency and control of all types of balls and on the return of serve?
   2. Would keeping my racquet face above my hitting hands wrist on both sides help me to find the ball more easily before the foreswing and enable a compact loop to develop for greater topspin control? Any advice greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Frank

Frank,

Let me address each of your questions:

1. Framing shots can be a result of too big a loop. It can be many other factors as well. However, a straight-back backswing will make the swing more controllable for most players with potentially less power than that which a loop swing might provide. Yet, power that is uncontrollable or is situationally fallible (like on low slice shots or dink shots by opponents), is usually useless.

2. Laying the wrist back and limiting the overall length of any backswing will produce a more compact swing. Players must be careful, however. Usually, when players take their racquet back in this manner, they tend to hit with more wrist, especially when they try to hit harder or when their opponents hit a harder shot at them.

3. Regarding the racquet head held above the wrist on the backswing: while this can, in fact, compact the swing, it can have detrimental consequences for some players. The most common result is that the player utilizes the wrist in a quick flick-like movement on hard hit balls instead of driving through the ball with the forearm. Because the player must get the racquet below the ball to some degree if they want topspin, holding the racquet head up above the contact point simply makes the loop very tight and small. This increases wrist action. However, players who keep the racquet below the wrist and the contact point are not as susceptible to these wrist movements.

If you find you are successful in your new swing patterns, great! The best evaluation of whether a stroke technique is going to be significantly better is by having a trained eye look at it. Remember that, while some techniques might seem initially better, they might be detrimental as you play better players and as you yourself become a better player. When balls are hit harder or lower or with more spin or with greater angle, some techniques might not work as well. Finally, remember too, any new pattern of play will take time to acclimate to. You might be taught a new technique that feels uncomfortable--but will result in better long-term improvement. Simply avoiding such technique because of this unfamiliarity will only keep you from mastering it! Working any technique that is foreign will eventually become familiar if you keep at it.

Good luck!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

I enjoyed reading the article on backhand stroke by Ken Dehart. I request further elucidation on some aspects of one handed topspin drive.

What should be the optimal position of the wrist? Should it be laid back or stay neutral?

Is it proper to explode forward and upwards in the forward swing or is it better to stay down for more control and balance?

Looking forward to your response
Bakthan

Bakthan,

Thanks for the question on the one handed backhand.

You will find almost every conceivable style on the tour, however, I feel for most of us keeping the wrist in a neutral position is safest and easier to learn. The key is assuring there is little stress on the wrist for all the repetition it will receive.

Exploding upward and forward is optimal for driving the ball deeper and higher over the net, yet on a passing shot you may see the player get behind the ball and stay low.

Tennis is a very situational game and the more options you have, the more situations you can reply to.

Thanks
Ken DeHart

TennisONE,

How Do You Generate Pace On A One Handed Backhand?

Thanks,
Willie

Willie,

Pace is the result of several contributing forces and movements that provide increased racquet head speed and force upon impact. These can include such elements of a bigger backswing, a larger loop swing, a change to a more significant backhand grip (such as a true eastern backhand grip), more coil of the upper body, an open stance, making contact more in front of the body while driving forward with your legs and trunk, and simply swinging harder! As you may already fathom, these changes all require significant practice to employ with accuracy and control, as well as to develop familiarity.

Best advice to you would be to read the various backhand articles found here at TennisONE as well as study one-handed backhands in the ProStroke's Gallery. Namely look at Guga, Federer, Henin-Hardenne, and perhaps Sampras.

Good luck!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

Having struggled with Bursitis for the past half year (and actually been operated on my right elbow to remove some of the inflamed Bursa tissue), I am wondering what your opinion is on switching from a one-handed backhand to a two-handed backhand regarding stress on the right arm muscles and the Bursa tissue. Playing tennis is normally not the cause of Bursitis which was also true in my case, but I definitely felt more pain when playing (especially when I hit a one-handed backhand). So what I am asking is whether or not switching from a one-handed to a two-handed backhand will reduce the chance that Bursitis will re-occur.

Thanks and keep up the fantastic work,
Peter

Peter,

A change from your one-handed backhand to a two-handed backhand should help alleviate pain from your bursitis, as well as possibly help it heal. Regardless of how you developed bursitis, typical one-handed backhands put strain on the epicondile/tendon connection of your ulna (typical tennis elbow) as well as the synovial membrane between the tendon of your triceps and the tip of the ulna. (Bursitis) Two-handed swing patterns tend to reduce strain to the dominant arm in both of these aggravation points as well as other less common strains and stresses.

While it will take time to master a two-handed stroke, it is most doable. Be dedicated to the change and you might find that you are not only hitting with less or no pain...but you might end up finding a much more effective backhand in the process! Study the backhand articles found here in the Lesson Library and you will have a clear course of study to put into your backhand practice.

Good luck!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

I recently read the article about teaching the right aspects of each stroke to focus more on proper development and less on early competitive success. I wholeheartedly agree with this and my question concerns kids. What would be your recommendation to teach a 10 yr old kid the server? What type of a progression do you think I should follow?

Thanks,
Dr. D

Doctor D.,

The proper progression (or efficient progression!) of the serve for a ten year old is no different than that of an adult or older junior player. That is, the student must first clearly identify what he or she wants the racquet to do to the ball. Learning the action of proper spin, in my opinion, opens the door to the development of both excellent first serves, and, the all-important second serve. (The strength of a player's second serve is an accurate indicator of a player's level and development in this part of his or her game!) Of nearly equal importance, gaining familiarity with the proper grip is essential at the start. The continental grip is by far the most preferred grip. (While some pros identify an eastern backhand grip as an advanced grip too, I can tell you that few actually use a true eastern backhand grip on the serve. What many pros do is turn their wrist which, in turn, makes the racquet's orientation to the forearm appear to be an eastern backhand grip.)

Body position and coil, proper leg action and finally follow-through are next in progression. Notice I didn't mention backswing. I tend to favor the player simply starting with the racquet near the shoulder as a beginning starting point. (Van der Meer uses this method and I have found it works well for most all players. Other pros introduce the backswing pattern as one of the first learning methods and the results, I have found, is that players often fail to establish what the racquet is doing to the ball!) Also, as I mentioned in my article, the one variation of the pros and skilled players alike is the backswing. The only thing that I stress to students is to not lead the backswing with the racquet head. This tends to make players leave the elbow forward instead of taking it back as part of the backswing. This, in turn, creates the notorious palm-up or waiter's position on the backswing.

My teaching of the backswing (when I feel it is time to address this) is simple and it allows players to evolve their own backswing within the advanced foundation: 1) lead the backswing with the hitting elbow moving back (as if elbowing someone behind you) as the toss begins, palm down; 2) bring the racquet over your head as if you were smoothing your hair back with the strings of the racquet, (I call this the "comb back" backswing--also used by most pros on the overhead). This leads to the collapse and forward swing components in a natural continuation of a skilled serve. Players will often augment this pattern to fit personal idiosyncrasies in a way that usually contributes to a more effective serve as the player become comfortable and confident.

Good luck!
Dave Smith

Dave Smith,

With reference to the question from Jose M Gomez and your response, it seems to me to be a question of the language used. Remember, Jose is looking at the ball from his hitting stance in which case it is totally impossible to hit the ball on the right SIDE. Even if you take your viewing position (i.e. from the service line looking perpendicularly to the net) it is still impossible to hit the ball entirely on the right side - unless you want to hit it directly along the base line!) Where you actually contact the ball to apply the side spin element (I do not use the word "Slice" here to avoid any connection with underspin!) depends on the direction of the serve. If you are serving down the middle, a right hander will contact the ball approximately 90% from the rear and 10% from the right (i.e. if viewing the ball from on high, at 5.30 o'clock). If you are serving wide to the deuce court you will make contact at approximately 75% from the rear and 25% from the right (i.e. at 4.30 o'clock). If you are also adding topspin, the same positions apply except that your racquet is also brushing upwards on the ball at the same time. This is, of course, precisely what you are saying in your penultimate paragraph when you mention the "right edge of most serves!".

Your comment on the Venus Williams reverse slice was very interesting. I thought I was the only back handed user of this variation - a left over from my table tennis days!.

Finally, I tried your suggestion of turning the wrist in (towards the net) at the beginning of the service preparation and leaving it in that position throughout. I am amazed at the effect! Not only faster, but also more accurate serves! I still do not know why as I am not moving my wrist in that direction at all. It still allows full pronation & spin wrist snap.

Many thanks,
Derek Hole

Derek,

You are correct in the difficulty of semantics and orientation of words and players in such a complex description such as that of the serve. My mention of hitting the serve on the "right-hand" side of the ball is using a reference point using the court looking towards the net. While it is certainly true it is hard to purely hit the right side of the ball, the idea is to get players to do two things: make the racquet brush the ball towards the right side employing the foundation of spin on the serve, and second, to prevent beginner players from the common mistake of opening up their body too soon and thus hitting flat...usually resorting to the use of an eastern forehand grip. Also, my mention of hitting the right side of the ball is an attempt to simplify the complex nature of the serve into a basic thought; one that will lead to correct grip use, correct use of spin, correct racquet path, and correct body position without trying to cover specific body segments and the complex biomechanical movements related to each.

I am glad you have discovered the use of the wrist position as I described to be a helpful tool for you. Obviously it is subtle tip that, as you have found, can be quite effective in developing added effect on your serve.

Best wishes for continued improvement and success!
Dave Smith

TennisONE,

Whenever I watch pros return serve they do something which seems different than any instruction I have ever seen on the return.

The pros, just before returning or just after a miss, take a practice stroke. This stroke is an across the body elbow flexion with no forward movement. (They do this on forehands and two handed backhands). This seems very different from the teaching of a short backstroke and then following thorough in the line of the shot.

Is it possible that at the pro level the balls have so much pace that the players merely need to brush the ball with this elbow action whereas in lower level tennis there is time to drive the ball?

Thanks and I eagerly anticipate your usual enlightening response.
Glenn
Toronto, Canada

Glenn,

Really a good question, and something I have been thinking about as well. Tom Stow expected the receiver to borrow pace, and in fact the best borrower on the tour is Karel Kucera who returns more first serves than anyone, and in his case the stroke is quite short. The followthrough you know about is more a teaching method that insures a long path through the ball and adequate length to allow the racquet to decelerate. When the players rehearse the short whip stroke, almost wristy, they are rehearsing something brief that enables them to "time" the subsequent incoming serve Does this help?

Best,
Jim

TennisONE,

I'm having problems with my eastern grip forehand. I can't seem to generate any pace/topspin and I especially have difficulties with high balls. Particularly, high balls that I have to take on the rise because of heavy topspin. They seem to 'buzz' off my racquet because I'm not covering the ball enough. The percentage of shots that I hit 'cleanly' is pretty low. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

Bill,

The Eastern grip doesn't handle high topspin real well. I would suggest:

• More toward a semi-western
• Keep eastern and chip the high balls to mess up your opponent
• Move in with the eastern and play the ball a little more on the rise
• Don't try to hit the high bouncing ball back too hard, get more under the ball with your eastern and hit up into the high bouncing ball
• Move up and volley any ball that happens to be bouncing near the baseline

Thanks
Ken DeHart

TennisONE,

Sorry, I am confused, speaking about key points on serve, Mr Smith explains the brush pattern, and says right handed players must learn to hit on the right side of the ball. Sincerely I can not figure out how to do this since the racquet is moving from left to right. If I look up at the ball, I am watching just the left side of the ball. Also watching videos on pro strokes gallery, it seems they are hitting on the left side. Thanks for your answer to this. I know that I am possibly missing something.

Jose M Gomez

Jose,

For most serves, the action of the racquet is the strings moving forward towards the ball while at the same time, (depending on quantity and quality), the strings are moving across the ball for some element of spin (which every serve will have, even so-called flat serves). For our right handed player, the slice serve will have the player brushing the RIGHT side of the ball. (This is looking from behind the ball towards the net.) This requires a swing pattern that is technically from left to right for right-handers. (It can be argued that it technically is a diagonal swing pattern from the back left side of the court towards the right net post...or some essence of this direction. Again, our orientation for looking at this swing is from a perspective behind the ball looking towards the net.) Skilled players will alter this pattern which is subject to many variations...however, they all still stay fundamentally within this pattern which I have described.

Perhaps you are seeing the pronation of the racquet after contact, which can trick the eye into thinking you are seeing the racquet hit the left side of the ball. Or, if you watch a kick serve on the ad court, you will see players actually hit more up the back of the ball with emphasis on hitting up the inside left portion of the back of the ball to create significant kick. However, most high-level right-handed players will hit their hard first serves with an element of slice and topspin to go with the emphasis on the racquet coming more "at the ball" instead of "across the ball" (as a bigger spin or second serve normally would have.)

The only player I have seen on tour who hits somewhat on the left side of the ball, (while being a right-handed player) is Venus Williams, who, on her first serve to the ad court will pronate early and open up her shoulders prior to contact, and actually hit a little right to left. (This is sometimes referred to as a "Reverse" serve when done with a lot of spin.) She rarely does this on the deuce court.

I think if you take a very close look at the ProStrokes Gallery of players serving (check the ones out that are viewed from behind), you will actually see the racquet attacking the right edge of most serves (this can clearly be seen with the racquet coming at the ball "edge on" from the collapse position prior to contact) followed by pronation of the forearm and racquet towards the left of the players.

Hope this helps you understand this concept. Thank you for asking.

Dave Smith

TennisONE,

Other than the obvious bending of the knees, do you have any suggestions, mental or physical, for helping to get the racquet under the ball when hitting a topspin forehand.

Thanks,
Lou

Lou,

On the topspin forehand, to get more lift:

• Bring the right hand up toward the left shoulder
• Visualize "lifting" the ball up over the net the same way you would if you were tossing the ball with your hand
• Stand about 18-24 inches away from a fence, turn the upper body and then turn back without your racquet touching the fence. This will help you obtain the feeling of allowing the racquet to drop under so you can accelerate upward as opposed to forward
• Think of "tossing" the forehand instead of "hitting" the forehand

Hope this helps,
Ken DeHart

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