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VOLUME 1: THE FOREHAND
Part 5: A Look at Loops:
Obviously, a looped wind-up (backswing, take-back, preparation or whatever else you want to call it) is a major part of the modern forehand, and if you are going to develop a stroke that rises above the average, you will need one.
When developing a loop, or when attempting to hit your perfect forehand contact at the end of a circular wind-up, there are two very important, inter-connected points to consider.
Firstly, the loop should be continuous. If it stops and starts again en route, it's not a loop at all, because the term 'loop' suggest continuity.
A continuous, circular motion of the racket head is intended to be just that: continuous. It is a smooth, gradual, seamless, uninterrupted build up of racket head speed.
Secondly, a loop takes longer to complete, which is why the timing is more difficult to achieve, especially on faster surfaces. So, you need to get the racket head looped and below the approaching ball prior to contact, and you need to do so in good time to meet the ball in front of your body.
If you don't, and your loop takes up so much time that you are late getting to your forward contact, which is no longer a forward contact but a late one, you'll probably end up chopping down on the ball from above it.
Quite often tennis players don't have the time to take a full body turn (with the legs) and at other times it is surplus to requirements. In the first frame Pete Sampras has reacted to the oncoming ball by turning the shoulders, which also sets his circular wind-up in motion and gets the racket head on its merry way.
When we see Pete's fuller stroke, with a loop put back in, it’s obvious that by contact point his racket head is traveling pretty rapidly, owing to the circular (smooth, gradual, seamless, uninterrupted!) build up of racket head speed.
In 2 thru 5 Pete has powered a comparatively flat, spin-free drive back to the other side of the net.
How do we know that it's a relatively flat drive?
Because he only drops the racket head marginally below the height of the oncoming ball. From here, Pete can only hit a limited amount of topspin. This tells us it's a relatively flat forehand, not unlike the type that came regularly from the racket head of Jimmy Connors.
A Triangle for a Circle
The next animated sequence is of Goran Ivanisevic. In the first 2 frames Goran helps the racket head into a high circular wind-up with his non-playing hand, and in 7 thru 9 Goran makes the shape of a triangle with the tip of his racket.
See it?
A simple way of getting someone to play with a loop is to use the tip of the racket to paint an imaginary triangle in the air. Starting at waist height, you
1, first point the tip back and high, then,
2, drop the tip down low, then
3, join up the triangle by swinging through to a waist height (forward) contact.
View the Goran images once again and make sure you understand what I’m talking about, because this is a very good way for players to develop a more substantial forehand wind-up.
Shaping a triangle with the tip of the racket head is a good stepping stone, but the triangle does need to become continuous and circular: to achieve this, the corners of the triangle need to be smoothed over, and the shape gradually worked from a triangle into a circle.
Hitting Up Topspin Hill
Now turn your attention to the final 3 frames of this sequence of Ivanisevich, where we get another good example of what topspin is, as Goran drops the racket...
1, low on the backswing, then
2, swings up and through, ripping the strings of his racket up the back of the ball (at his perfect contact),
3, and follows through high, as he lets the force of the racket head run its course.
Think of the path of Goran's racket head as a relatively steep hill: he's hitting up a hill with the (edge-to-the-ground) racket head.
The loop ensures that by the time Goran reaches the bottom of topspin hill, his racket head is traveling at sufficient speed to put some spin on the ball.
A Triangle for a Circle: Part 2
Petr Korda was a very elegant stroke maker in his ATP tour days (no doubt still is) and in 11 thru 15 we get a rear view of his forehand.
Petr’s wind-up is a similar shape to the triangular loop Goran uses. The main difference in this sequence is that Petr doesn't drop the racket head as low as Goran, prior to contact.
You can gauge roughly how much topspin a player is hitting with, from how far they drop the racket head below the impending contact. Judging from Petr's racket head, this forehand is somewhere between the last stroke and the next one; it's an evenly balanced mixture of power and spin.
Also, can you work out from the racket face (at contact) where this ball is going?
Journey Around the Elbow
In the final 5 frame sequence Steffi Graff cranks up her famous forehand.
In 16 the tip of her racket is pointing skyward and her hand is above shoulder height.
In 17 she drops the racket head down behind the oncoming ball, though not too far below it, and in 18 and 19 she cracks a perfect contact that differs from many top class professionals.
Graf’s forehand was quite unique and deserves further scrutiny at a later date. For now, note in 16 & 17 that she loops her racket head, not the arm, and for much of the loop it seems like the racket head is being taken on a looped journey around her elbow.
Note also that Graf uses the racket speed generated by her loop to hit a predominantly flat, power-drive (rather than whippy topspin).
Also available on Amazon
VOLUME 1: THE FOREHAND
Part 5: A Look at Loops:
Obviously, a looped wind-up (backswing, take-back, preparation or whatever else you want to call it) is a major part of the modern forehand, and if you are going to develop a stroke that rises above the average, you will need one.
When developing a loop, or when attempting to hit your perfect forehand contact at the end of a circular wind-up, there are two very important, inter-connected points to consider.
Firstly, the loop should be continuous. If it stops and starts again en route, it's not a loop at all, because the term 'loop' suggest continuity.
A continuous, circular motion of the racket head is intended to be just that: continuous. It is a smooth, gradual, seamless, uninterrupted build up of racket head speed.
Secondly, a loop takes longer to complete, which is why the timing is more difficult to achieve, especially on faster surfaces. So, you need to get the racket head looped and below the approaching ball prior to contact, and you need to do so in good time to meet the ball in front of your body.
If you don't, and your loop takes up so much time that you are late getting to your forward contact, which is no longer a forward contact but a late one, you'll probably end up chopping down on the ball from above it.
Quite often tennis players don't have the time to take a full body turn (with the legs) and at other times it is surplus to requirements. In the first frame Pete Sampras has reacted to the oncoming ball by turning the shoulders, which also sets his circular wind-up in motion and gets the racket head on its merry way.
When we see Pete's fuller stroke, with a loop put back in, it’s obvious that by contact point his racket head is traveling pretty rapidly, owing to the circular (smooth, gradual, seamless, uninterrupted!) build up of racket head speed.
In 2 thru 5 Pete has powered a comparatively flat, spin-free drive back to the other side of the net.
How do we know that it's a relatively flat drive?
Because he only drops the racket head marginally below the height of the oncoming ball. From here, Pete can only hit a limited amount of topspin. This tells us it's a relatively flat forehand, not unlike the type that came regularly from the racket head of Jimmy Connors.
A Triangle for a Circle
The next animated sequence is of Goran Ivanisevic. In the first 2 frames Goran helps the racket head into a high circular wind-up with his non-playing hand, and in 7 thru 9 Goran makes the shape of a triangle with the tip of his racket.
See it?
A simple way of getting someone to play with a loop is to use the tip of the racket to paint an imaginary triangle in the air. Starting at waist height, you
1, first point the tip back and high, then,
2, drop the tip down low, then
3, join up the triangle by swinging through to a waist height (forward) contact.
View the Goran images once again and make sure you understand what I’m talking about, because this is a very good way for players to develop a more substantial forehand wind-up.
Shaping a triangle with the tip of the racket head is a good stepping stone, but the triangle does need to become continuous and circular: to achieve this, the corners of the triangle need to be smoothed over, and the shape gradually worked from a triangle into a circle.
Hitting Up Topspin Hill
Now turn your attention to the final 3 frames of this sequence of Ivanisevich, where we get another good example of what topspin is, as Goran drops the racket...
1, low on the backswing, then
2, swings up and through, ripping the strings of his racket up the back of the ball (at his perfect contact),
3, and follows through high, as he lets the force of the racket head run its course.
Think of the path of Goran's racket head as a relatively steep hill: he's hitting up a hill with the (edge-to-the-ground) racket head.
The loop ensures that by the time Goran reaches the bottom of topspin hill, his racket head is traveling at sufficient speed to put some spin on the ball.
A Triangle for a Circle: Part 2
Petr Korda was a very elegant stroke maker in his ATP tour days (no doubt still is) and in 11 thru 15 we get a rear view of his forehand.
Petr’s wind-up is a similar shape to the triangular loop Goran uses. The main difference in this sequence is that Petr doesn't drop the racket head as low as Goran, prior to contact.
You can gauge roughly how much topspin a player is hitting with, from how far they drop the racket head below the impending contact. Judging from Petr's racket head, this forehand is somewhere between the last stroke and the next one; it's an evenly balanced mixture of power and spin.
Also, can you work out from the racket face (at contact) where this ball is going?
Journey Around the Elbow
In the final 5 frame sequence Steffi Graff cranks up her famous forehand.
In 16 the tip of her racket is pointing skyward and her hand is above shoulder height.
In 17 she drops the racket head down behind the oncoming ball, though not too far below it, and in 18 and 19 she cracks a perfect contact that differs from many top class professionals.
Graf’s forehand was quite unique and deserves further scrutiny at a later date. For now, note in 16 & 17 that she loops her racket head, not the arm, and for much of the loop it seems like the racket head is being taken on a looped journey around her elbow.
Note also that Graf uses the racket speed generated by her loop to hit a predominantly flat, power-drive (rather than whippy topspin).
