How to Hit the Pro Forehand: Swing path

Comment

Comment by Tim Prapong on May 13, 2013 at 11:51am

The second guy, you talk about going into the ball straight and linear. He doesn't have the more open stance of the better first player. He looks bunched up trying to go purely straight into a high ball. He would be better off not starting too low with that low pendulum if he is going to bend his elbow. This is a classic case of where the linear concept falling apart on a higher ball.

If you notice Federer, he may have a low pendulum, but he keeps his arm straight, elbow locked and hits further in front with his shoulders further rotated, left shoulder already cleared at contact. Fed will get greater extension and rotation than this second guy.

Comment by Tim Prapong on May 13, 2013 at 11:42am

Yes, this is a good example of a Western grip player with significant U turning of the racquet face in the backswing. You correctly point out that his hand is higher than the racquet head at contact. As his elbow slides forwards and inwards, he has no choice to go up with the racquet head. But he is also going across, because if you measure how much the racquet head is traveling from contact to follow through, he is going right to left a great deal.

You could draw a rectangle, with the point of contact being in the left bottom corner, and the end point followthrough at the right upward corner. Therefore, he still goes more across than upwards, since it is a "longer horizontal" rectangle, not a "longer vertical" rectangle, The drop of the wrist is all the lowering he needs for spin.