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TennisONE,

When hitting a forehand I set up in a closed stance with an eastern grip. On a ball in my strike zone I automatically step forward to drop my center of gravity, shift my weight onto the front leg and raise my torso with rotation. If I do it correctly the shoulders, arms and racquet follow the same path slightly later. My question pertains to balls struck above the strike zone. Do I still want to lower my center of gravity on a ball I'll contact above shoulder height?

Don Evans

Don,

The answer is mostly likely no. On the lower ball, it might be true your center of gravity drops, but I certainly wouldn't key this or try to make it happen. Your knees should be flexed in the ready position as you move into the ball. If you can step into the ball, great. If it's too high, then hit it with an open or semi-open stance, as demonstrated in the second edition of Visual Tennis. Your knees will still be flexed as you start the forward swing, and will naturally uncoil through the motion.

Regards,
John Yandell

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