The way you broke it down and used the hammer as an example makes it so much easier to understand. With applying this to each's personal way of playing, the lag and snap come automatically. Really needed this, Thanks.
The thing I absolutely like best about your vids is how you tell us to adapt the tips and rules so that they work for each individual player. No idea how helpful it was to learn that I don't have to have a straight elbow on my forehand when it feels way more comfortable to have just a little bend. The bed is OK! Same here with racket position pre-hammer. Thanks TTD.
Man i haven’t seen this channel in AGES, but I’m so glad you’re doing well! These videos were the best thing ever when I started tennis three years ago.
The fundamental technique comes from a completely relaxed arm, wrist and shoulder. Obviously, the muscle memory has to guide the arm and racquet into the right swing path. That's the hard part: having the arm swing correctly while being completely relaxed at the same time.
Great comment! Totally agree. Besides the hammer analogy from the wrist down, I usually think of it as a whipping motion from the shoulder down. You get the power and spin from the leg push, waist turn and shoulder turn. The shoulder leads the arm in the whipping motion. Everything below the shoulder just happens naturally. It's hard to time it perfectly, therefore the repetitions.
Spot on. My instructor is trying to drill this into me now - just relax, throw the racket out there like a whip, and its ok if the timing is wrong (gets better with practice).
there's no such thing as "muscle memory" memory comes from the brain, not the actual muscles....so many of you guys call it like this, that's so funny. It's called lots of repetitions/drills thru out the years....
@@soloitalians7471 Muscle memory is a widely-used term (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory). It's technically "motor memory" or "motor learning" in neuroscience, but they are synonymous. So yes, it's not literally memory captured in a muscle, that's not what folks mean when they use this term. :)
I'm a bit sad that I can't find such trainers as yourself near where I live, I wish I could! I actually think I wouldn't understand this video if I wasn't playing wrong for almost a year now, I think this video made it "click" for me now. I've been trying my own swings, my own grips, copying others swings and positions, but I think none of them (including my very own coach) couldn't explain to me the function of WHY, and the hammer analogy just brought it all together for me. I've been gathering little info here and there over the last year, but this analogy is the last piece of the puzzle to understand the function it self, now it makes more sense that you can tune the swing using the body as long as you keep to the fundamental of what the video is explaining, awesome video. If this video ends up helping me (I added it to my favorites so I can run it on repeat and train) I will try to pay back by joining the membership.
I was given great advise once for those that have been playing for a bit. To get a more relaxed motion feel and take back, don't think to much but feed a few balls with your forehand grip to your hitting partner and you will naturally pick the motion or take back that suits you. This is great again if you have some foundation but over think the takeback. The second piece that I found helpful along the lines of what you're describing is imagine you're skipping a stone across water. the whip effect of the elbow coming through and relaxing the arm is similar to the modern tennis forehand for guys.
Just to add a little tip to your very helpful video. A lot of people don't lay their wrist back far enough even though they think they do. There are degrees from a bit to all the way back. The less the wrist is back and loose, the more the tendency to "arm" the ball or rely on body rotation. For any player who has basically sound mechanics, just concentrating on getting the wrist back all the way can add considerable spin.
Dude, bravo! You are the first online teacher who can clearly present the secret to lag and power. I call the lever/hammer the load. And just like you, I advise newbies to pre-load where you do. I tell them to drive the load, the forearm with the racket lagging almost through impact. This does require the body to turn to deliver the load. The release can be flat, slice or top. Early release of the racket head is pretty much the single biggest error in tennis. You need to get hold of Coco and teach her this; if she doesn’t get this down, she will keep missing forehands by 15 feet and never have a shot at catching Iga. . I am really impressed with your teaching.
One more fantastic video from the most understandable tennis coach on RUclips, Kevin. I just can't stop thinking how my tennis matches would be like if I had seen your videos 30 years ago. It's never too late though. Thanks, Kevin!
LOVEEE what you said about “don’t copy a pro’s motion because you’re really just copying their personality.” YES!! I see so many people copy federer’s swing and style and while yes they achieved it to an eerie and cringy degree, they still haven’t figured out who they are as a player. I’m no coach but I always suggest people to develop their own game and style similar to what you just said. When you try to copy a pro you just look like a copy and never as good as the original. Love this
Great video on forehand instruction. You just nailed the missing puzzle. Did you also do the two handed backhand ? I haven't seen it yet. Can you please do one ? One of the finest tennis instructor on line. Thank you.
Man, you're great! Your explanation is fantastic! You don’t have to remind us to stay till the end of the video every two minutes. We'll stay even without those reminders 😊
This is a very important video for understanding the biomechanics of a forehand. Many coaches want me to point the racket to the back fence and achieve this elusive wrist lag. My footwork and preparation on the forehand side could also be better. A coach at my tennis club used to say that the backhand and the forehand are practically the same shot. They both follow the same biomechanics upon contact with the ball. However, my backhand feels way more natural than the forehand. It's very strange. I think my transfer of weight is the key to hitting the ball further out in-front than the forehand. Next time I'm on court I will definitely try to consciously open up my wrist upon contact. Thank you for your content.
This was absolutely BRILLIANT! The explanation and execution of this lesson was flawless. I literally wanna find a court or wall to hit against to practice right now!
I have to tell you something, I put into practice the concepts you put forth here and got on the court this past Monday. This was one of the biggest unlocks I’ve had in years. Not only were my forehands landing in the court with extra bite and heavier rotation, it relaxed me to the point where even though I hadn’t been on a court in a couplea weeks, I felt so much better overall, physically and mentally, that I didn’t cramp up despite minimal stretching. I can’t remember having confidence like this on my forehand in years and am champing at the bit to get back on. My backhand is a better stroke because I have more variety, but because of the increase in fluidity in my forehand it allowed me to crack my backhand harder as well. Bravo! Thanks for this wonderful lesson!
I like this video he does a good job. I played tennis and I guess probably like a low division one level and I’m a teaching pro now. I’ve been teaching for 20 years and in my experiences you’re very much at the mercy of the students ability. Some people just cannot swing a racket if their life depended on it. 🤣
Man, I was not wrong when I subscribed to your channel, you are one of the most sensible tennis coach that I've watch so far. Your explanation about this next gen forehand is ON POINT. I learned a lot from this and applying it to my game.. Im a 4.0 player and im still adjusting and practicing everyday on how to perfect my new FH.
This man’s a genius. I don’t even play tennis, but I play table tennis at a tournament level, and I’ve always struggled with my forehand. This is both the best theory I’ve run into on forehand fundamentals + such an intuitive drill to translate those fundamentals to one’s body.
.. you obviously haven't researched much - there are many tennis channels on RUclips that have slow-motion video analysis of professional players and good coaches that explain the fundamental teaching points. There is not one 'best' coach, but a variety of teaching styles that can help beginner players understand the basics of tennis technique. I would recommend Tomaz Mencinger (Feel Tennis) - Ian Westermann (Essential Tennis) - Christophe Delavaut (Tennis Oxygen) - Florian Meier (Essential Tennis Instruction) - Will Hamilton (FYB) - Top Tennis Training (Alex + Simon) - Intuitive Tennis (Nikola Aracic)
Nothing new here but good explanation by the coach. The lagging, laser beam, leveraging, whatever you want to call it. But if you guys have not been hitting your FH this way, good luck! Have fun training your muscles memory.
Thank you! I'm understand how this all works, and man, this vid sure helps understand it all. I have my own 90 minute court time (indoor tennis) tomorrow with a ball machine. Your info will sure help - 👌
1:08 "your gonna be better than the original" I mean I like motivation as much as the next guy but my goals are slightly lower set than "be better than Federer" XD
I thought that Djokovic was doing an odd thing by bringing his racket back so far on his forehand, but you say he should do that. I was putting too much topspin, too low, too much brushing up on the ball with little power/ I notice that players swing their racket like a flat knife toward the ball, then turn their racket up flat against the ball. On some shots I noticed players that their racket isnt flat against the ball, that their racket is turned slightly forward, like the ball would go down, that gives more spin & power, but the ball dont hit the ground, because they hit the shot higher over the net. I notice players run around their backhand to use their forehand , then hit the ball to their opponents backhand. I notice that when players hit the ball, then their racket once they hit the ball, their racket head goes sharply up. I notice that Federa backhand on a high deep shot to him he chops down at the ball with a short swing. I notice people need to practice half volleys more often. Waiting to return a serve, a player should use a short swing to hit the ball. I notice that only 5 players in the world, do a half volley to return blazing shots deep to their backhand, that they return the shots by taking a quick short stab at the shot, or on a low blazing deep shot, do a half volley. I notice that women with 2 handed backhands rarely use a one handed backhand. I am somewhat ambidextrous & it for some reason gives me a great 2 handed backhand.I notice that players hit a slow ball without a lot of spin on their lobs. I am old, but I didnt have teachers years ago. I notice some players dont throw their serve up high & some do. My 2 handed backhand I hit too flat like Connors. Borg couldnt return fast shots from players today, because of his too slow windup on his 2 handed backhand. Players today dont have big forarms, look at Federa, but he swings the racket like a coil unwinding, the racket feels like a toothpick to Federa. You are a great teacher.
I get your points re: leveraging and the hammer/whip. Makes total sense. But you didnt specify the actual grip type. Are all these dudes hitting semi-Western? Does it even matter?
Eye opener for me… even though I don’t as aware of this, never got so clear of a picture, such a simplified view of the lag- where have all the pros go (?) i too will start copy Kevin :)
Best explanation of the technique I've seen. Just one thing, I was looking forward to "the drill" so I could practice it but it wasn't clear to me what the drill was.
The drills and shadowing the hammer swing motion. ruclips.net/video/X8_3I21qgm8/видео.htmlsi=Z5MKGzaKNiPxoVVA&t=285 You can do self feeds to practice pulling the butt of the racquet to the ball. From here you could progression to something like a ball machine.
this leverage thing makes the difference between old school tennis and modern tennis. edberg, mcenroe, lecompte maybe some more..., people swinging forehands with a continental grip avoid this leverage thing more because it is difficult to control. they do put less tension on the strings to avoid the tenniselbow that comes with this kind of forehand. biomechanics is very interesting.
Good video Kevin but you didn't mention the 1 key to be able to make this happen. Relaxed wrists. Wrists are the magic here. It's the final point of releasing all the speed you've generated from your other movements leading up to contact.
@leonardostangler3126 yes and you're not alone. It is absolutely the most difficult thing to do because it feels like the grip has to be firm enough to hold on to the racket and that in turn stiffens the wrist. My suggestions would be 1 . Definitely have a new overgrip on so that it is tacky. 2 practice swinging with 2 fingers off the handle and 3. Swing with the thought that you're driving the butt cap towards the ball and not the racket head.
I agree relaxation is important. One thing we have to all be careful with is describing relaxation as a certain point that we all should hit because there's different degrees of relaxation and pressure you would use for different shots. For example, if I'm using my forehand, to return a serve, my wrist is probably not gonna be super relaxed where I am hitting a topspin forehead groundstroke. My wrist would be more relaxed.
Thanks for the insight. This is difficult to explain in words, but I'm going to do my best. The reason why you can be relaxed is you allow the weight of your racquet to put your wrist in a extended position which will cause more stability at impact without having to have a death grip on the racquet. One reason many players feel like they have to have a death. Grip on the racquet is to offset off center hit.
@TotalTennisDomination yes for sure this does not apply to return of serves. I only mentioned it because your video was about forehands. Returns probably call for a totally different video as it's a different beast to tackle.
Yes, but the ‘pull’ has a rhythm; first the muscles in the forearm are engaged to move the racquet to the proper prep position and then relaxes as the racquet drops, re-engages to,pull the racquet forward (awhile simultaneously relaxing the hand and wrist), and the grip re-engages at contact to keep,the racquet from flying out of the hand.
For all you tennis-playing medieval warfare buffs, this video illustrates why trebuchets (shoulder and wrist levers) are far superior to catapults (shoulder lever only).
I just tried this last night hitting against the wall. Felt like it gave me more power and control. But now my wrist is super sore, is that to be expected?
The quantum field. I explained this to a player on monday He had a problem with his follow through. So after his lesson I had to explain this to him. You hit the ball by point the buttcap of the racquet to the incoming ball, on all your strokes. He tried it, he said it was difficult. If you having problems with your follow through. Point the buttcap of the racquet to the ball.
@@TotalTennisDomination It seems like your forehand is a nice balance between old school (someone like McEnroe) an d new school (someone like Djokovic) in a way that an average player can hit.
He hits the position. Check it out: ruclips.net/video/uHCNOdZv5os/видео.htmlsi=UbejHb6Y3DMX7QQ8 opening clip but I love how he hits the ball the way that fits him. He’s not a copy.
Hey Kevin,the hammer move is an ulnar deviation,but it's impossible to do this with a full extension, so I think you must go back to the drawing table .😅
Thanks, when you're pulling the hammer down, it does use more ulnar deviation when you shift the racquet into your rip and do the same motion towards the ball it shifts or into more of a extension move instead of the ulnar deviation move. Good point, thanks
I don't think of it as using my wrist, but more so pulling the butt of the racket with the arm first. The wrist will have some tension (6 out 10 but this can vary with different shots), but not enough to lock it down. thanks.
I have watched so many videos about relaxing the wrist and letting the racket accelerate like this…but I can’t get any degree of control. When I try to loosen my wrist, I lose (what feels like) vertical control of the racket face and it just goes all over the place, with wildly inconsistent results.
Can this apply to a one handed backhand? I tried and it didn’t feel right. Would be wicked if you could do a similar video to this focusing on the single handers. We are a dying breed, but would love tips to assist before we become extinct
Take it slow. Focus on one thing at a time. Changing habits can be overwhelming and the biggest mistake we all make is trying to bite off too much at the same time. thanks
I'm confused now. Leveraging the weight of the racquet head means the wrist goes from straight to flexed back by keeping arm loose enough while flinging it forward? The slow motion vids look like players are swinging a weight at ball. But then i think back to ur video about not wristing and chokinyg up on rqt to prevent this....confused. The feel is to jave wrist firm roght before amd thru contact?
The goal is that as you start pulling the butt of the racquet forward, the weight of the head creates a level of extension in the wrist. As you continue to pull the racquet head may catch up, creating some slight flexion into the ball. This is best done when the wrist has ability to flex without contracting the muscles aggressively. The flexion is caused by the racquet head accelerating into the ball. thanks
Thanks a lot. It helped me improve my forehand; I was using my arm too much and had arm pain. Hope I'll fix my technique once I recover thx to you. God bless, Jesus loves you.
Honestly, I don't think there's much difference, except I think lag is more vague. The idea of leverage and using the analogy of a hammer gives more of a concrete idea and an example of how to use the idea. Where lag depends more on feeling of relaxation and then there's different degrees of how much relaxation you're supposed to have.. Thanks
Advice on finding our own style reminds me of Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” Brian to followers: you’re all individuals. Followers: We’re all individuals. Lone voice: I’m not! 😂😂😂
The way you broke it down and used the hammer as an example makes it so much easier to understand. With applying this to each's personal way of playing, the lag and snap come automatically. Really needed this, Thanks.
Awesome to hear! thanks
The thing I absolutely like best about your vids is how you tell us to adapt the tips and rules so that they work for each individual player. No idea how helpful it was to learn that I don't have to have a straight elbow on my forehand when it feels way more comfortable to have just a little bend. The bed is OK! Same here with racket position pre-hammer. Thanks TTD.
Man i haven’t seen this channel in AGES, but I’m so glad you’re doing well! These videos were the best thing ever when I started tennis three years ago.
thanks
The fundamental technique comes from a completely relaxed arm, wrist and shoulder. Obviously, the muscle memory has to guide the arm and racquet into the right swing path. That's the hard part: having the arm swing correctly while being completely relaxed at the same time.
Yes, AKA we all have to practice it for it to work consistently! Thanks
Great comment! Totally agree. Besides the hammer analogy from the wrist down, I usually think of it as a whipping motion from the shoulder down. You get the power and spin from the leg push, waist turn and shoulder turn. The shoulder leads the arm in the whipping motion. Everything below the shoulder just happens naturally. It's hard to time it perfectly, therefore the repetitions.
Spot on. My instructor is trying to drill this into me now - just relax, throw the racket out there like a whip, and its ok if the timing is wrong (gets better with practice).
there's no such thing as "muscle memory" memory comes from the brain, not the actual muscles....so many of you guys call it like this, that's so funny. It's called lots of repetitions/drills thru out the years....
@@soloitalians7471 Muscle memory is a widely-used term (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory). It's technically "motor memory" or "motor learning" in neuroscience, but they are synonymous. So yes, it's not literally memory captured in a muscle, that's not what folks mean when they use this term. :)
I'm a bit sad that I can't find such trainers as yourself near where I live, I wish I could!
I actually think I wouldn't understand this video if I wasn't playing wrong for almost a year now, I think this video made it "click" for me now.
I've been trying my own swings, my own grips, copying others swings and positions, but I think none of them (including my very own coach) couldn't explain to me the function of WHY, and the hammer analogy just brought it all together for me.
I've been gathering little info here and there over the last year, but this analogy is the last piece of the puzzle to understand the function it self, now it makes more sense that you can tune the swing using the body as long as you keep to the fundamental of what the video is explaining, awesome video.
If this video ends up helping me (I added it to my favorites so I can run it on repeat and train) I will try to pay back by joining the membership.
Awesome to hear that this has helped you! Thanks
I was given great advise once for those that have been playing for a bit. To get a more relaxed motion feel and take back, don't think to much but feed a few balls with your forehand grip to your hitting partner and you will naturally pick the motion or take back that suits you. This is great again if you have some foundation but over think the takeback. The second piece that I found helpful along the lines of what you're describing is imagine you're skipping a stone across water. the whip effect of the elbow coming through and relaxing the arm is similar to the modern tennis forehand for guys.
Thanks, overthinking is a disease we all face in tennis!
Absolutely correct. The tennis forehand (like the right hand downswing release in golf) is a sidearm throwing motion.
I love the idea of feeding balls with a forehand grip. 👍 In the end that’s a forehand. Brilliant idea!
Just don't forget to rotate ur torso when you do it!
You're such a great teacher! Great presentation. Thanks Kevin!
I appreciate that!
Just to add a little tip to your very helpful video. A lot of people don't lay their wrist back far enough even though they think they do. There are degrees from a bit to all the way back. The less the wrist is back and loose, the more the tendency to "arm" the ball or rely on body rotation. For any player who has basically sound mechanics, just concentrating on getting the wrist back all the way can add considerable spin.
Dude, bravo! You are the first online teacher who can clearly present the secret to lag and power. I call the lever/hammer the load. And just like you, I advise newbies to pre-load where you do. I tell them to drive the load, the forearm with the racket lagging almost through impact. This does require the body to turn to deliver the load. The release can be flat, slice or top. Early release of the racket head is pretty much the single biggest error in tennis. You need to get hold of Coco and teach her this; if she doesn’t get this down, she will keep missing forehands by 15 feet and never have a shot at catching Iga. . I am really impressed with your teaching.
Me too. Coco got Gillbert $$$ . Thanks for the good tip :):)
One of the few videos that actually made me a difference on court, brilliantly explained. Cheers!
For me it works if i think about launching/ throwing the racquet at the ball instead of hitting/hammering it.
That seems like a great tip! I'll try it out today
Interesting, this swing thought occured to me recently :)
Are you still doing this? How are your experiences now five months on?
One more fantastic video from the most understandable tennis coach on RUclips, Kevin. I just can't stop thinking how my tennis matches would be like if I had seen your videos 30 years ago. It's never too late though.
Thanks, Kevin!
He was there in Ian’s videos i thought some years back though - not 30!
LOVEEE what you said about “don’t copy a pro’s motion because you’re really just copying their personality.” YES!! I see so many people copy federer’s swing and style and while yes they achieved it to an eerie and cringy degree, they still haven’t figured out who they are as a player. I’m no coach but I always suggest people to develop their own game and style similar to what you just said. When you try to copy a pro you just look like a copy and never as good as the original. Love this
Thanks!
Great video on forehand instruction. You just nailed the missing puzzle. Did you also do the two handed backhand ? I haven't seen it yet. Can you please do one ? One of the finest tennis instructor on line. Thank you.
Man, you're great! Your explanation is fantastic! You don’t have to remind us to stay till the end of the video every two minutes. We'll stay even without those reminders 😊
This is a very important video for understanding the biomechanics of a forehand. Many coaches want me to point the racket to the back fence and achieve this elusive wrist lag. My footwork and preparation on the forehand side could also be better. A coach at my tennis club used to say that the backhand and the forehand are practically the same shot. They both follow the same biomechanics upon contact with the ball. However, my backhand feels way more natural than the forehand. It's very strange. I think my transfer of weight is the key to hitting the ball further out in-front than the forehand. Next time I'm on court I will definitely try to consciously open up my wrist upon contact. Thank you for your content.
This was absolutely BRILLIANT! The explanation and execution of this lesson was flawless. I literally wanna find a court or wall to hit against to practice right now!
Thanks
I have to tell you something, I put into practice the concepts you put forth here and got on the court this past Monday.
This was one of the biggest unlocks I’ve had in years. Not only were my forehands landing in the court with extra bite and heavier rotation, it relaxed me to the point where even though I hadn’t been on a court in a couplea weeks, I felt so much better overall, physically and mentally, that I didn’t cramp up despite minimal stretching.
I can’t remember having confidence like this on my forehand in years and am champing at the bit to get back on.
My backhand is a better stroke because I have more variety, but because of the increase in fluidity in my forehand it allowed me to crack my backhand harder as well.
Bravo! Thanks for this wonderful lesson!
I like this video he does a good job. I played tennis and I guess probably like a low division one level and I’m a teaching pro now. I’ve been teaching for 20 years and in my experiences you’re very much at the mercy of the students ability. Some people just cannot swing a racket if their life depended on it. 🤣
Man, I was not wrong when I subscribed to your channel, you are one of the most sensible tennis coach that I've watch so far. Your explanation about this next gen forehand is ON POINT. I learned a lot from this and applying it to my game.. Im a 4.0 player and im still adjusting and practicing everyday on how to perfect my new FH.
This man’s a genius. I don’t even play tennis, but I play table tennis at a tournament level, and I’ve always struggled with my forehand. This is both the best theory I’ve run into on forehand fundamentals + such an intuitive drill to translate those fundamentals to one’s body.
One of the best online coaches ever 💪🏻 thank you so much
.. you obviously haven't researched much - there are many tennis channels on RUclips that have slow-motion video analysis of professional players and good coaches that explain the fundamental teaching points.
There is not one 'best' coach, but a variety of teaching styles that can help beginner players understand the basics of tennis technique.
I would recommend Tomaz Mencinger (Feel Tennis) - Ian Westermann (Essential Tennis) - Christophe Delavaut (Tennis Oxygen) - Florian Meier (Essential Tennis Instruction) - Will Hamilton (FYB) - Top Tennis Training (Alex + Simon) - Intuitive Tennis (Nikola Aracic)
Very nicely done. Good explanation, with good comparative videos of the pros. Thank you.
Great explanation on these mechanics!
Gonna practice those forehand tips. Tnx Kevin!
Best video explaining explaining the fundamentals, and why we do what we do as part of preparation for swinging
Where do u teach? How do I arrange a private lesson please?
Excellent video! You are a tremendous communicator.
Nothing new here but good explanation by the coach. The lagging, laser beam, leveraging, whatever you want to call it. But if you guys have not been hitting your FH this way, good luck! Have fun training your muscles memory.
Kevin, you could’ve just said ‘don’t push the racket at the ball, pull it instead’😊
Great video!
Thanks
Thank you! I'm understand how this all works, and man, this vid sure helps understand it all. I have my own 90 minute court time (indoor tennis) tomorrow with a ball machine. Your info will sure help - 👌
absolutely amazing video, it was really helpful
Holy Sh1t!!! You are an incredible teacher. You broke this down so usefully.
Best explanation yet! Thank you!
First time here Kevin, this is an excellent teaching video. I will use your explanation at my HS boys tennis practice today!
Very good analogies. It really made sense to me. Thanks
Love your insights!! Thank you so much!!
1:08 "your gonna be better than the original" I mean I like motivation as much as the next guy but my goals are slightly lower set than "be better than Federer" XD
This has changed my forehand so much so quickly. My shots are so much more solid and consistent than before. Thank you
I thought that Djokovic was doing an odd thing by bringing his racket back so far on his forehand, but you say he should do that. I was putting too much topspin, too low, too much brushing up on the ball with little power/ I notice that players swing their racket like a flat knife toward the ball, then turn their racket up flat against the ball. On some shots I noticed players that their racket isnt flat against the ball, that their racket is turned slightly forward, like the ball would go down, that gives more spin & power, but the ball dont hit the ground, because they hit the shot higher over the net. I notice players run around their backhand to use their forehand , then hit the ball to their opponents backhand. I notice that when players hit the ball, then their racket once they hit the ball, their racket head goes sharply up. I notice that Federa backhand on a high deep shot to him he chops down at the ball with a short swing. I notice people need to practice half volleys more often. Waiting to return a serve, a player should use a short swing to hit the ball. I notice that only 5 players in the world, do a half volley to return blazing shots deep to their backhand, that they return the shots by taking a quick short stab at the shot, or on a low blazing deep shot, do a half volley. I notice that women with 2 handed backhands rarely use a one handed backhand. I am somewhat ambidextrous & it for some reason gives me a great 2 handed backhand.I notice that players hit a slow ball without a lot of spin on their lobs. I am old, but I didnt have teachers years ago. I notice some players dont throw their serve up high & some do. My 2 handed backhand I hit too flat like Connors. Borg couldnt return fast shots from players today, because of his too slow windup on his 2 handed backhand. Players today dont have big forarms, look at Federa, but he swings the racket like a coil unwinding, the racket feels like a toothpick to Federa. You are a great teacher.
I get your points re: leveraging and the hammer/whip. Makes total sense. But you didnt specify the actual grip type. Are all these dudes hitting semi-Western? Does it even matter?
very good progressive explanation and illustration. Thanks!
Leverage is achieved by hitting the ball more distant from the body
Wrist lag produces more racket acceleration (stretch-shortening cycle of muscles)
Thanks Kevin. You are a great teacher. Always learn from your insightful posts. God bless!
Thanks
Eye opener for me… even though I don’t as aware of this, never got so clear of a picture, such a simplified view of the lag- where have all the pros go (?) i too will start copy Kevin :)
Best explanation of the technique I've seen. Just one thing, I was looking forward to "the drill" so I could practice it but it wasn't clear to me what the drill was.
The drills and shadowing the hammer swing motion. ruclips.net/video/X8_3I21qgm8/видео.htmlsi=Z5MKGzaKNiPxoVVA&t=285
You can do self feeds to practice pulling the butt of the racquet to the ball. From here you could progression to something like a ball machine.
this leverage thing makes the difference between old school tennis and modern tennis. edberg, mcenroe, lecompte maybe some more..., people swinging forehands with a continental grip avoid this leverage thing more because it is difficult to control. they do put less tension on the strings to avoid the tenniselbow that comes with this kind of forehand. biomechanics is very interesting.
Good video Kevin but you didn't mention the 1 key to be able to make this happen. Relaxed wrists. Wrists are the magic here. It's the final point of releasing all the speed you've generated from your other movements leading up to contact.
I have no idea how to relax the wrist and keep the racquet on my hand.
@leonardostangler3126 yes and you're not alone. It is absolutely the most difficult thing to do because it feels like the grip has to be firm enough to hold on to the racket and that in turn stiffens the wrist. My suggestions would be 1 . Definitely have a new overgrip on so that it is tacky. 2 practice swinging with 2 fingers off the handle and 3. Swing with the thought that you're driving the butt cap towards the ball and not the racket head.
I agree relaxation is important. One thing we have to all be careful with is describing relaxation as a certain point that we all should hit because there's different degrees of relaxation and pressure you would use for different shots. For example, if I'm using my forehand, to return a serve, my wrist is probably not gonna be super relaxed where I am hitting a topspin forehead groundstroke. My wrist would be more relaxed.
Thanks for the insight. This is difficult to explain in words, but I'm going to do my best. The reason why you can be relaxed is you allow the weight of your racquet to put your wrist in a extended position which will cause more stability at impact without having to have a death grip on the racquet. One reason many players feel like they have to have a death. Grip on the racquet is to offset off center hit.
@TotalTennisDomination yes for sure this does not apply to return of serves. I only mentioned it because your video was about forehands. Returns probably call for a totally different video as it's a different beast to tackle.
Amazing video man. One of the best!
Yes, but the ‘pull’ has a rhythm; first the muscles in the forearm are engaged to move the racquet to the proper prep position and then relaxes as the racquet drops, re-engages to,pull the racquet forward (awhile simultaneously relaxing the hand and wrist), and the grip re-engages at contact to keep,the racquet from flying out of the hand.
Coach kevin just enters into final because of your lessons 😂❤..in double floodlight tournament at IDTA imphal Manipur India. Double.❤
Super! I struggle with my forehand so this might help. Thanks!
For all you tennis-playing medieval warfare buffs, this video illustrates why trebuchets (shoulder and wrist levers) are far superior to catapults (shoulder lever only).
Some of the best instruction, I've ever seen on line or in person.
Thanks for sharing this tips
Thank you
This tutorial was fantastic!!! It is just what I needed. WOW
Great explanation, thanks Kevin for breaking it down
Thanks
I just tried this last night hitting against the wall. Felt like it gave me more power and control. But now my wrist is super sore, is that to be expected?
Yes
I struggle with my forehand. Thanks Kevin for these useful tips. I am going to try them next time on court 👍
Thank you I love it verymuch
Well done. Thank you for another great video.
The quantum field. I explained this to a player on monday He had a problem with his follow through. So after his lesson I had to explain this to him. You hit the ball by point the buttcap of the racquet to the incoming ball, on all your strokes. He tried it, he said it was difficult. If you having problems with your follow through. Point the buttcap of the racquet to the ball.
Excellent examples!
I'm going to scrap the past 2 years of trying to copy Djokovic and start by copying Kevin's forehand.
lol....Thanks
@@TotalTennisDomination It seems like your forehand is a nice balance between old school (someone like McEnroe) an d new school (someone like Djokovic) in a way that an average player can hit.
You shouldn't be copying anybody's forehand.
I also noticed that the moment the ball bounce the ground is also the moment the racquet drop the lowest.
take a look at Manarino's swing
He hits the position. Check it out: ruclips.net/video/uHCNOdZv5os/видео.htmlsi=UbejHb6Y3DMX7QQ8 opening clip but I love how he hits the ball the way that fits him. He’s not a copy.
Needed this. Thank you :)
Great content! Thank you!
Hey Kevin,the hammer move is an ulnar deviation,but it's impossible to do this with a full extension, so I think you must go back to the drawing table .😅
Thanks, when you're pulling the hammer down, it does use more ulnar deviation when you shift the racquet into your rip and do the same motion towards the ball it shifts or into more of a extension move instead of the ulnar deviation move. Good point, thanks
Thanks for the advice, Kevin.
fundamental approach is use your wrist for leverage.
I don't think of it as using my wrist, but more so pulling the butt of the racket with the arm first. The wrist will have some tension (6 out 10 but this can vary with different shots), but not enough to lock it down. thanks.
Very very useful video, you talked about a very important aspect
I have watched so many videos about relaxing the wrist and letting the racket accelerate like this…but I can’t get any degree of control. When I try to loosen my wrist, I lose (what feels like) vertical control of the racket face and it just goes all over the place, with wildly inconsistent results.
What racket do you use?
Head Radical MP with Head Hawk touch @48 pounds
Thanks
Is it bad if I rotate my forehand to my waist? Some people are telling me its too low which causes my shots to go lower.
9:00 I call that angle of attack. Great video.
Thank you very damn true, you shed the light on a very good point.
Thank you for this great video!
Awesome explanation!
Subbed. Compelling stuff.
Thank you! Is two handed backhand hammering technique is similar or different?
Yes, it's the same idea just done with two hands. You're still trying to create leverage to add racquet speed when hitting a ball.
Amazing video, thanks Kevin!
Great job 👏
very good explanation!
Can this apply to a one handed backhand? I tried and it didn’t feel right.
Would be wicked if you could do a similar video to this focusing on the single handers. We are a dying breed, but would love tips to assist before we become extinct
No worries that video is in the making! I wouldn't leave my one hander's hanging. Thanks.
wall explained, thanks!
When I take a lesson, they always keep my strokes. WHY? I need them to teach me this , they never do!
THANK YOU GREAT VIDEO!!!
Great video!!!!!
I see this, I understand, I practice, I film myself and it is nowhere near! Huge racket back … how do I lose the bad habits?
Take it slow. Focus on one thing at a time. Changing habits can be overwhelming and the biggest mistake we all make is trying to bite off too much at the same time. thanks
Brilliant, there is nothing more to be sad!
I'm confused now. Leveraging the weight of the racquet head means the wrist goes from straight to flexed back by keeping arm loose enough while flinging it forward? The slow motion vids look like players are swinging a weight at ball. But then i think back to ur video about not wristing and chokinyg up on rqt to prevent this....confused. The feel is to jave wrist firm roght before amd thru contact?
The goal is that as you start pulling the butt of the racquet forward, the weight of the head creates a level of extension in the wrist. As you continue to pull the racquet head may catch up, creating some slight flexion into the ball. This is best done when the wrist has ability to flex without contracting the muscles aggressively. The flexion is caused by the racquet head accelerating into the ball. thanks
@@TotalTennisDomination thanks 😁😁😁
Thanks a lot. It helped me improve my forehand; I was using my arm too much and had arm pain. Hope I'll fix my technique once I recover thx to you. God bless, Jesus loves you.
Perfeito ensinamento
The lag is a consequence of a relaxed wrist. You absolutely don't force it. It's like a dead arm from start to the end.
This move is a gamechanger
Thanks
Good. Thanks
I think the serve and the forehand have a lot in common. This technique makes me think of pronation during the serve
Seems like you just renamed "lag" to "leverage". How do you differentiate the two?
Honestly, I don't think there's much difference, except I think lag is more vague. The idea of leverage and using the analogy of a hammer gives more of a concrete idea and an example of how to use the idea. Where lag depends more on feeling of relaxation and then there's different degrees of how much relaxation you're supposed to have..
Thanks
Lag creates leverage
Advice on finding our own style reminds me of Monty Python’s “Life of Brian”
Brian to followers: you’re all individuals.
Followers: We’re all individuals.
Lone voice: I’m not!
😂😂😂
thanks, that's funny!
good job man 👍