FOREHAND -- Critical elements of a Great Shot

These elements are critical for a great forehand in today's modern game: a) a high hand or high racquet take back b) an extended wrist c) separation distance of the elbow from the body d) significant hand speed to swing e) leg use or leg drive. To briefly comment on the importance of each element above I will begin with (a) the height of the hand allows for more speed and momentum to build up to contact. Shoulder height is minimum with top of human head level extreme, but still excellent. An extended wrist is critical for prestretching the hand for maximum acceleration AND for bloody racquet head control. Regarding (c), the elbow separation from the body allows for greater length of stroke! The longer the stroke the more powerful the stroke. The speed of the hand is quite important but must be practiced by swinging fast. Just swing faster! The legs are very important because with the open stance forehand, the drive or loading down into court allows for more rotation speed and 'torque' when swinging. When closing one's stance the greater leg bend allows for more proficient shifting of weight into the forehand, hence more power. afdd

Doc's Tip -- Serve

Remember, when serving and reaching up to swing at the ball the non dominant arm will drop and as it drops down you want to tuck that ARM into your stomach to facilitate the shoulder over shoulder rotation speed as well as upper arm elevation. The tucking of the tossing arm reduces the inertia up and forward which allows the shoulders to rotate faster. afd

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- movement/positioning.

Moving your feet and getting into position to hit the ball is probably the most important factor in the game of tennis once your strokes become proficient. Moving your feet means running to the ball and judging the correct space or distance you will need to establish body balance prior to striking the ball. Always run or get into proper position before starting to swing at the ball. Even when the ball is hit right to you there is footwork to be done to position properly before starting your swing. Usually the footwork done once you are at the ball is referred to as adjustment footwork. Jkd

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- Two handed BH stance

If you have a two handed backhand, the easiest foot stance to use on a ball hit towards the sideline is the OPEN stance. The key is to get your outside foot(if facing the net) behind the ball or back at a substantial angle to the baseline. This stance allows you to prepare quicker than a closed stance and gives you more distance space from your body to contact the ball. Remember to load the back leg or outside foot so you can turn your hips when starting your swing. bhut

Doc's Tip of the Evening -- FH drop shot

When hitting a forehand drop shot, remember disguising the shot is the most important factor. This means when preparing try to stay in your forehand drive grip when turning. You will first need to compact the turn or preparation a bit, like when you make the adjustment attacking a shorter lower forehand. Then you will probably need to change into the continental grip as you drop the arm down and bring the stings in behind the ball. If you have more of a eastern grip, you may not need to change grips as you start down to contact the ball. There will be some ulnar deviation of the wrist but very little prior to and after contacting the ball. But, overall I would not characterize the wrist as loose AT ALL on this shot. Remember, to stop your follow through very succinctly after contacting the ball. The bottom edge of the racket should slightly cup underneath the ball after contact. afdd

Forehand Volley - Wrist Reflex Angle

As I have stated before, your first movement when hitting a forehand volley should be a pivot move from your split step while maintaining body balance. I want to talk about the degree of reflex angle position that the wrist should be close to when opening the face or tip of the racquet when pivoting for the forehand volley. I am estimating that the wrist angle in the ready position is close to 190 degrees reflex angle to the forearm. This wrist angle is maintained during the pivot. An additional wrist reflex of 10 degrees to approximately 200 degrees with a radial movement of the wrist during the body pivot preparation is desirable for the correct position of the racquet face. This of course assumes one has a universal continental grip. vsp