Here’s the basic swing pattern. I try to keep the racquet as compact as possible for maximum control. You don’t need to worry about power on this shot, and it all comes from your body rotation and legs anyway. So keep that arm swing down to an absolute minimum – so small it’s non-existent. Plant with an open stance and coil on your hips and legs. Keep the racquet up high where the ball will be struck. Look closely at my feet – I am taking so many little steps the frames can’t catch them all. Many fast little steps allow you to adjust – you can accelerate towards the ball or away from it, and you can also apply the brakes. If you take large galumphing steps, you will never time the ball properly, and you can’t attack a ball if it is not in your sweet-spot.
Here’s a fuller analysis:
In the below video you can see an example of what not to do – there I prepare with the racquet down low, while the ball is coming at a high trajectory. If I try to hit the ball at a high strike-point, my racquet will necessarily be approaching it from a low angle. This makes it almost impossible to hit a driving attacking ball. Rather it is most likely that it will fly high and out, or be mis-hit with spin. The green circle indicates the height the racquet should be, with the arrow indicating subsequent trajectory. The red circle indicates where the racquet head is (too low) and the arrows show the messed-up trajectory as a result. (Hint: tap the spacebar repeatedly to view the video frame-by-frame)
It can be one of the most frustrating shots. Your opponent hits a weak short ball, but it bounces too low for you to really attack it. You have to move way into the court, and know you have to follow it to the net, but you struggle to hit an aggressive approach shot because it’s so low.
Here’s the footwork necessary for hitting a low approach shot aggressively.
5) Loop / Drop the tip of the racquet below the height of the ball.
6) With the butt-cap pointing towards the ball/your opponent, swing through the ball and upwards for spin.
7) Use your left hand to help turn your body, and then rotate your body 180 degrees as you hit.
8) Make sure for your last step, you roll your foot from heel to toe. This keeps your movement fluid.
9) Make sure your right toe is pointed toward your opponent. This is vital because it allows your hips to rotate through the shot, for maximum power. If your toe is pointed to the side of the court, you will not be able to hit through the ball, but rather the tendency will be for your body’s momentum to carry you towards the side of the court. This will also leave you vulnerable for your opponent’s response.
The direction of your right toe is even more important when moving wide or back, as in these instances you must move quickly and then reverse your body momentum as you hit.
10) After you hit the ball, recover back to the proper recovery position near the center of the court.
11) Your head should remain level throughout the entire stroke. As you move to the ball, you should be approximately 1 foot lower in height than your resting height, and as you hit the ball, your head stays at that same low level froms start to finish.
Analysis and Instruction
Common errors to avoid:
1) Allowing the racquet to float behind you. This means that on your swing through, your contact zone becomes a contact point, meaning the chances of your hitting the ball cleanly are reduced dramatically.
2) Having a big looping swing. This makes your swing slower, and you are more likely to hit the ball late.
3) Both error 1 and 2 are generally caused by unnecessary arm movement. Using shoulder and hip rotation should generate more than enough power for your shot. Arm movement only adds an extra ingredient of complexity.
4) lazy footwork and not rotating your body through the shot 180 degrees.
5) Stiff legs. Stiff legs make it impossible to explode through the ball. It makes it harder to maintain balance, and harder to move dynamically.
6) Poor balance, or moving your head.
7) Letting the ball come to you instead of moving towards the ball and hitting it as it is rising. Ideally hitting the ball higher in its arc after it bounces means that you are able to hit down on the ball and attack it. If you wait for the ball to drop too low, then you have fewer options of how to hit it. So always move in to attack when possible.
8) Never hit with a closed stance. That is for old fogies and losers.
9) Pointing your right toe to the right side of the court instead of at your opponent. The basic concept is that wherever your toe is pointed, that is the direction your body’s momentum will want to travel. Since you want to get your bodyweight behind the shot, you want your toe to be pointed toward it! If it is pointed to the side, it’s very difficult to rotate properly.
Good drills: Hitting against a wall, doing shadow strokes, using a ball machine, playing mini-tennis, swinging in front of a mirror, take a vide of yourself and analyze your swing.
This series of 3 videos reviewing Federer’s forehand are solid except for the nonsense about the grip being eastern. Ignore that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK-9puanoRo
Step out with left foot, point toe at target, roll from heel to toe. In the below video my toe is not pointed all the way at my target, and it is pointed a bit too much towards the sideline. Because of this, you can see how my body momentum carries me to the side instead of right through the shot, and my rotation is not perfect.
Rotate body with left foot landing in front, sideways to the court
Maintain good balance throughout whole shot. Look at my minimal head movement up and down in the below video.
Edit: In the video above at one point I say ‘I take shuffle steps to get into position’. What I mean to say was “I take stutter steps to get into position”. The reason to take short steps at the beginning when you move to the ball is that your acceleration is faster when you are taking many short quick steps. Many coaches use the analogy of using 1st gear on a bicycle for rapid acceleration, and then you can use longer strides (10th gear) for maximum speed. It’s the same thing with sprinting – right after the starter’s pistol, you aren’t taking huge leaping strides. You have to take many small steps in rapid succession to accelerate, then as you build speed your stride length increases.
Killer Tennis 