I put together a brief video clip from the 2009 BNP Paribas Open — one of Gael Monfils’ practice sessions (many of you will recognize the clip from the Practice with a Purpose video) — that highlights the point I made yesterday:
Exactly when pros release the racket with their non-hitting hands to continue the backswing depends on how long it takes for the ball to get to them.
You can see this in action in the video below. Gael is going to hit two forehands. On the first he releases the racket with his non-hitting hand pretty soon after his partner hits. On the second he holds on to the racket with both hands longer because the ball takes more time to get to him (his partner slices the second ball).
I went frame-by-frame through this video and counted the number of frames separating when Gael’s partner makes contact with the ball and when Gael releases the tennis racket with his non-hitting hand. On the first forehand 19 frames separate contact and the release. On the second it’s 39 frames.
This video plays at 30 frames per second. So on the first forehand 19 / 30 = 0.63 seconds separates contact and Gael’s release. On the second 39 / 30 = 1.3 seconds separates them. Put more simply, Gael holds on to the racket with both hands twice as long on the second forehand.
By timing his (continued) backswing based on the speed of the ball, Gael keeps his swing path consistent and continuous. This improves his rhythm and timing and the overall quality of his forehand.
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