Comments on: John McEnroe’s Forehand vs. The Modern Forehand

By: pat penn

pat penn — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:26:41 +0000

love the 3 day email course on the forehand. just really excellent. hope you follow with similar courses on the backhand and serve.

By: Sandro Buss

Sandro Buss — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:26:59 +0000

because he doesn’t rise the racquet above the head, there is no continuous swing path. He stops the movement in the way back and starts all over again to the contact point.

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:40:38 +0000

What’s missing: a continuous swing path.

By: Will Hamilton

Will Hamilton — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:13:00 +0000

Hi Tommy. You’ll ultimately achieve the most consistency by mastering the 5 fundamentals we lay out in the forehand section. Initially you’ll likely see a drop off as you get used to the new technique.

Stuff like the straight take back + little topspin inhibit consistency so I’d recommend you work them out of your game.

By: TommyG

TommyG — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:55:03 +0000

I have recently come back to the sport after many years off. I use the “old school” forehand (Continental grip, closed stance, straight backswing and stroke, little topspin). Is there a good reason for me to switch to the “modern forehand”? I am now a recreational player and consistency is my highest concern. Of course I would like to hit like Nadal, but it is far more important for me to keep the ball on the court (and not in the net).

By: Will Hamilton

Will Hamilton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:03:34 +0000

That certainly influences the rest of his technique — grip affects the swing plane, contact point, and follow through, for example.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:55:57 +0000

Do you think that’s attributed to the fact that he has more of a continental grip?

By: Will Hamilton

Will Hamilton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:43:55 +0000

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay in my response — just got back from 4 days in Florida (grandmother’s 90th birthday!).

Johnny Mac doesn’t have a continuous swing path — the racket comes back, stops, and changes direction. In other words, no loop. Many people observed this fact, either by explicitly pointing out “fundamental no. 5″ or by commenting on his racket take back (fundamental no. 2), which directly impacts the former. You could also throw in the “C” from the swing to contact (fundamental no. 3) as well.

The other “macro” stuff — the fundamentals — are there, even if there are some differences in the way Mac does them vs. “modern” pros.

A bunch of other great observations about Mac’s forehand — more linear swing path (no WW), less body rotation during the follow through, etc. RE: the limited body rotation, keep in mind that pros stop rotating at contact when they hit a reverse forehand. See Rafa (second video, forehand at 1 minute — compare it with the forehands where he finishes across his body) –

http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/pro-stroke-library/rafael-nadal/forehand/

By: fmplayer

fmplayer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:43:27 +0000

1. Mac is hitting with an open stance (modern), showing a weight transfer forward from the back foot
2. The motion is the old school straight back – straight forward with a firm wrist but no wrist layback, making a contact plan at shoulder level, not in front of him
3. Follow through is over the shoulder due to the lack of WW

I think that the main differences with modern FH are:
1. No torso rotation involving big muscles (abs, spinal). Power comes only from legs and arm
2. No pronation involving forearm muscles. Arm power comes only from shoulder muscles

By: fmplayer

fmplayer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:23:39 +0000

1. He’s hitting with an open stance, with hips parallel to the baseline and feet at the same level. The back foot pushes forward (see 2nd FH) showing more or less weight transfer for added power.
2. The preparation is the old school straight back, but there is a more or less full shoulder turn. The left hand helps this shoulder rotation at the beginning.
3. There is no pronation. The arm moves as a unit. Power comes only from shoulder muscles. This is probably due to the straight back – straight forward motion
4. The wrist is firm, during the entire shot
5. While there is no WW, the follow through is above the right shoulder.

I see two big differences with the modern FH:
- First: there is no torso rotation during the shot to add more power to it. He finishes the shot parallel to the line, hips AND shoulder. The power comes only from legs and arm. Torso rotation involves abs and spinal muscles.
- Second: There is no wrist layback. As the wrist is firm, contact is made in shoulder plan, not in front of him, what is quite unusual nowadays

These differences are independant of the continental grip