Start with the Racket Back

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>> Continue to Step 3: Pivot and Take the Racket Back >>

Step 2The second step of the forehand progressions is to start with your racket back and your body turned sideways. In this step we work on developing a proper forward swing to contact.

What I’ve done in the video above is shadow the motion first. I’ve positioned myself sideways, and you can see that the racket is pointed straight back at the back fence. Notice, however, that the relationship between my racket, wrist and elbow, my hitting-arm position, is exactly the same as it was in the previous video.

The first thing I do is rotate my body back around to face the net. When I do that you’ll notice that my hitting-arm position doesn’t change. If we rewind to the racket back position, as I rotate back toward the net I get my back heel up to help my rotate my body back around.

Finally, from contact, I am going to follow through just like I did in the previous steps. I catch my racket out in front of me because that is going to help me follow through correctly.

At 1:05 in the video I hit a live ball. You can see that I am trying to keep this motion as simple as possible. I turn into the ball, my racket and hitting arm position stay the same from the racket back position, into contact, and into my follow through.

From the back view, as I rotate my body back towards the net that my back heel comes up to help me get my body around. I am not trying to hit hard, I’m just really trying to work the technique.

Come inside and play like you have an unfair advantage.

  • Ras
    just signed up & have had no problem loading & viewing initial videos, but the "forehand progression" videos seem to stall 1/2 way thru loading. any suggestions besides using a diff computer. thx!
  • miki
    how do you subscribe
  • Greg
    Again, thank you for this site. It is great! I am thinking about the wrist in the forehand. I get the idea it should be firm but when i watch Federer in slow motion or a lot fo the pros(Rodick) their wrist folds back and is bent way back at contact. Is that something we should be trying to get to? I thought it was a function of the grip but Federer is eastern and Rodick is western. Thanks again
  • bala
    The tennis progression section is absolutely fantastic. It drills the logic behind why you should be pivoting and turning into your head. More importanly, section 2 of this video series shows you how to correct the problem (if you have one) of "muscling the ball" or using too much of your arm instead of the rotational force of the body.

    AWESOME VIDEO.
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