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This is the best explanation of forehand lag I have seen. I got it immediately, been practising this with shadow swings and on court. Together with my coach's emphasis of hitting the ball early out in front - these tips have transformed my forehand - what a difference. I use less energy, have more power and control and no longer have a sore arm after a game. Thanks for this excellent video explanation.
This is a great video! I've heard this tip of letting the non-hitting arm do the "heavy lifting" and allowing the hitting arm to relax before from several pros but I have never heard it framed in this way. This video made me appreciate the benefits of this tip. I tried it today on the court and it worked! It put my wrist in the proper position early. This took so much worry away from getting the racket to orient correctly through my body movement - which never happened because I was too tense!!. This early relief added to the overall sense of relaxation which carried throughout the swing.. Thanks! I've added it to my tennis play list!
What stood out for me here is your point at 4:30 that changing the direction the strings face, down or sideways, changes the level of spin. I've tried to change the arm action as I hit, but it's much more natural to change the set up and let the stroke take care of itself. will try that from now on
Very timely! I've been "forcing" this a little into my forehand and backhand and then relaxing and then letting the "lag" happen more naturally. Its been a little tricky to adjust my timing (usually hitting the ball a little late). But the more I let the racket relax in my stroke the more pop and power I can get- makes a huge difference! Thanks for your great instruction!
The mechanics make so much sense. I've been trying to transition to this shot, from the "brush up" shot. Hit the ball machine last week and when I connect it feels amazing. Absolutely have to follow through though. That was critical for me to get it over the net. These vids are amazing
Great tip; Thank you ! I have often observed many videos of Federer and noticed some space between bringing the racquet around and the contact. You made me aware that the space I observed is called " lag." I didn't know til now. I will mentally try and rehearse that in my mind. I noticed that the speed of the ball accelerated but did not know why. The "lag" makes sense. Thanks again.
Awesome explanations - this is the first video I've come across that differentiates how to learn the correct feel of the shot BEFORE you get it down well enough to become more and more a habit. I just picked up on the tip of keeping the wrist laid back as long as possible in the last week, but had doubts on whether i should keep working with it as it wasn't a "natural, fluid, relaxed" motion right now - now I know I'm on the right track, and I will create a more fluid motion as time goes on. Thank you so much!
Awesome video man...I am a young teaching pro, and everything you talk about in this video I talk about with my students, and I've never heard another pro talk about the forehand in this way. It feels good for me to have validation that what I teach is correct.
Many many thanks Ive been working more on the relaxed wrist approach and thanks to this video you have shown a really great introduction as to application of the usage Cheers Paul
I fully agree with the racquet upright, two-handed uni-turn as the best start of the swing. I think the key to getting the racquet to lag on the forward swing is to train yourself to relax the wrist on the backswing. This can be done by not forcing the racquet and wrist into position, but rather practicing just letting the racquet fall back on its edge at the end of the backswing, with its face toward the side fence rather than Federer's "on-the-table," racquet face down approach. I've found the wrist rotation required from on-the-table to contact is a difficult timing issue and can cause mishits. Letting the racquet fall on its edge with its face towards the side fence is more natural. It allows the wrist to relax into the correct lag position, resulting in a more natural lag during the forward motion of the swing. An added bonus is the racquet dropping on edge motion also helps the low-to-high swing path as the racquet falls naturally below the in-coming ball's flight. Overall, this method simplifies the swing, helps with timing, proper swing path, and proper racquet face angle at the contact point resulting in stronger, more consistent shots.
Yep that works for many players, to almost align the racket with the oncoming ball, Agassi's forehand was similar to this style. The reason we see the strings back so often now on tour is to help generate more topspin which the game has moved more towards with Nadal's success. I was watching Agassi vs Sampras just last night and what really stood out for me was how much flatter they hit the ball, they could generate good topspin (Agassi especially) but chose to flatten out the strokes
Maybe I misunderstand your post. I think topspin is generated by the racquet's P.A.S. whether or not the racquet face is on-edge or on-the-table at the end of the backswing. Many WTP players use the on-edge technique and they hit with lots of topspin. The real trick that separates pros and better players from the rest of us is the combination of the ability to correctly position themselves to the in-coming ball so it passes through their strike zone and then correctly timing the swing so the racquet meets the ball at the proper contact point, just in front of the hitting-side hip. If there was a method/drill to teach players how to do this, the coach (or coaches, your case) would be (even more) famous as gurus in the tennis world. I think the ability to "visualize" your own strike zones on both the forehand and backhand sides, as if they are somehow attached to you as you move on the court, is the first step of proper positioning to any in-coming ball. Learning to properly time the swing consistently is another matter. Consider this post a request and a challenge. :-)
Just to add...For example, I picture my "strike zones" as 3D boxes slightly, horizontally wider than the width of my racquet head and vertically from my shoulders to my knees. The strike zone boxes are about 12-inches deep, so there is some back-to-front forgiveness for the perfect contact point, and both zones "float" just in front of the hitting-side hip on both the forehand and backhand sides. I visualize them looking like 3D versions of the strikes zones you see superimposed during baseball games on TV. My job is to move so any in-coming ball passes through my forehand or backhand strike zone. What needs to be added is the swing timing factor.
Great lesson! Good tip to use the off hand to bring back the racquet. I've seen instructions to point the end of the racquet handle towards the ball, but this breaks it down into more detail, good stuff. I think most readers should know to bend your knees to get your center of gravity down and get your hips, trunk, arm, shoulder etc. into the shot so that a good kinematic chain takes place. It cracks me up when you get great tips like this and critics want to argue their alternative theory of physics. Slowly, in a relaxed fashion, introduce the tip into your stoke and see how it works out for you would be my humble suggestion, just as Simon recommended, go to a court and drop the ball and take some swings.
Great explanation, thanks for the lessons sir.. Would you please do the same explanation for the dominic thiem's style.. Because I love how he do the preparation pose.
Excellent instructional video . Thank you. I started playing back In the early 80s and feel like my technique I still not relevant in today's Game. Wrist lag just wasn't mentioned. Need to deconstruct my game and relearn. Keep the videos coming.....
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial thanks for your reply! 😍 I think it'd be an advantage if I could know where my opponent is going to serve. I'm always struggling to read the serve and I'd like to know where to move in advance. I don't know if it's easy to explain, but I've seen many pros doing it so, I guess there must be a way to do it but I'm not sure! Keep rocking mate!🙌
Simon, great video and instruction on why the off hand is so important in setting up with a loose wrist. What do you thing about Del Potro or these players that do not use the off hand like you showed a la Federer. And what about a player like Khachanov, who has a unusual set up on his forehand.
excellent technique, i liked it and enjoyed it, very good personality and seems to be a very professional coach, will like to join you someday, all the best :)
On the one hander it happens more but of course without the loose wrist. On both the one and two handed backhands players get into that lag position with the bottom of the racket pointing forwards. Thanks for watching All the best Simon
Just a great explanation, but I wonder if the end exercise of starting with the racquet back low counters strong point made in the beginning of starting with the racquet up high.
Simon! Great video! Great Analysis bro. I was thinking about Roger after the racquet-holding unit turn and prior to the lag, having the racquet face either closed or open. I think that has to do too with the time available. And during the lag, it has also to do with the height of the incoming ball and the the hand. Great video bro!
Hi Simon, first of all thank you so much for the brilliant videos you upload. I use to consider tennis strokes like if they were carried out by a spring, which you first compress and then release in order to unleash all the accumulated power, that's why I don't totally agree with a fully extended arm during the backswing. I'd love to know your opinion about this. Thank you. Alessandro
I've been trying to do the lag but it's been messing up my stroke, can't figure out the timing, hitting feels unnatural. What would help is breaking down the entire stroke *with the lag* into maybe three components that you can drill, with progressively more complete hits till the entire stroke is finished. You have already shown one here, where you start the hitting arm in already cocked position in the back and just hit. Maybe one even more basic before then and one after to link all of them together would be great!
Another great video form you Simon. Thank you. Now there is one thing I do not uinderstand or see. It is about the ball path, the cap and the trings. Space. If I line the buttcap to the incoming ball path.... how can I hit the ball with the strings? I mean there is quite a distance from the cap to the strings, right, so, to me at least, I need to to "create' space to line up the strings to the ball. Will I not "cram it' then and mishit? Obvioulsy you and pros do not so... so what do I miss here? (I want ot be able to visualize this flawlessly). :)
It's all about creating that lag on the right side of your body (if you're right-handed) but making contact with the ball in front of the body. You'd only be cramped if you make contact on side of your body, not if you extend the arm and racket head outwards to meet the ball. Thanks for watching Bruno. All the best Simon
Thanks coach for helping us out :D.I have a really problem with my forehand. most of the time my forehands are not so good,but once in a while my forehand is my best weapon and i feel like i can rule the world for couple of days :P but after these days i go back to the bad forehand.What can i do to maintain the good forehand everytime? You answear is greatly appreciated :)
Agree with everything you said. However, you could see that Fed rotated his shoulder to hit, not trunk! Abs is a bigger muscle, but it's the shoulder is more closely connected to the racquet.
Try to rotate your shoulders right now (coil and uncoil) without using your Obliques. Let me know how that goes for you! The coiling and uncoiling motion of the entire upper body is controlled mainly by the side abdominal muslces (Obliques). That is why you see almost every Pro player using the medicine ball to train the explosive power in these muscles. A simple google search will prove that "Trunk rotation is performed mainly by the abdominal oblique (external and internal) muscles. The “obliques” are located on both sides of the trunk in the abdominal region, connecting the ribcage to the pelvis"
@chankom - I deleted your last comment as it linked to two other tennis coaching websites that we have no link to. I looked at the pictures, I really think you need to reconsider your ideas on shoulder rotation. Are you implying that Federer does not use rotation on his forehand? If so please explain how he opens up his shoulders from a side on position to a front on position?
From seeing the slo-mo forehand videos at 5:01, you can see Fed's arm going forward past his waist which stayed relatively stable before contact. I would argue that it would be tougher to open your hip, first, and let the arm follows. If Fed initiated with the hip, he would have to decelerate to keep it facing the net as clearly shown in the video. I've begun to noticed that Federer typically has his right leg lag behind during swing motion. Then he would complete the hip rotation, and right leg stepped forward.
Try to use it but increase the racket head speed now, the body/legs will only help to generate extra racket head speed. Anything that increases that will help you but you have to feel yourself going for it
6:12 my coach always tells me not to use the hips too early or lead with the hips. I notice it makes a big difference and can ruin your shot when leading with the hips.
Hi Simon, I've been doing almost everything you've mentioned in this video. Only thing is I tend to snap my wrist at the end upon contact with the ball for added power and speed. It feels very good but unfortunately after the game I've developed abit of an ulnar side wrist pain. Is that normal? Maybe my racket is too stiff or my wrist isn't strong? Just wondering do professional players do this snap upon contact?
I made a video on this exact subject a few weeks ago, I'll release it in the coming months so stay tuned but for sure top players don't "snap" their wrists during the strike zone. What happens is the forearm starts to pronate and the racket does the windshield wiper motion along with the wrist returning to a neutral position but it's far from a snap
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I switched to Eastern (coming from being taught Western at beginner level) and have already felt a noticeable difference on my hits, as well as just less strain on my wrist in general. thanks!
La traducción que hace automática youtube es de verdadera pena. (A veces dice que "el retraso de la raqueta es por un derramamiento cerebral de la bobina" y cosas así...) Me enfada, pues considero el video superinteresante. Mi muñeca está siempre bloqueada y no sé cómo relajarla. ¿Hay alguna manera de conseguir una mejor traducción de este video? Videos Top Tennis training are greats!! Thanks!.
Lamento escuchar que la traducción es basura. Estoy usando el traductor de Google en este momento para este comentario y estoy seguro de que muchas de las palabras estarán en mal estado. Gracias por ver
My racquet is not to high on my backswing, but I never remember consciously making the effort to lag my wrist, it just happened naturally, so I'm pretty sure it's just a natural motion from having a loose arm when you swing
It's great that it happened naturally for you, however for many, many players this doesn't occur naturally, they need to progress up to making it a habit
I would like to interject that there is a deeper, more fundamental athletic principle that is being applied here that results in that lag. And that principle is that of always keeping muscular tension out of the body. You see this same focus in martial arts, dancing, baseball, etc. When we tense our muscles during a sport it wastes a lot of energy, and it throws our natural balance off --- the way that the various parts of our body relate to each other. In tennis it's not the wrist that we are tensing, it is the hand grip. We tense our hand, and in order to do this we tense our entire forearm and bicep. Essentially, the entire arm is tense, which stiffens up the wrist. I discovered this whole forehand lag on my own simply because I was trying to keep tension out of my body while playing tennis. (The other body part I have to work on relaxing when I play tennis is my shoulders. I tend to tighten my shoulders while playing which hikes them up higher on my neck, which throws my entire body off-balance. This impacts all of my strokes.) If you watch the video on the making of Michael Jackson's "Black or White" you'll hear the choreographer tell him to loosen his body like it was earlier in shooting --- he tells him that he is stiffening up, which is constricting his movement. If you watch football games from the '60s, and even the '70s, you can see that some of the players are completely loose when they run, not tense the way they are today. Tom Brady is super-loose. You can see that his shoulders are always dropped, and rarely hike up. He's so loose that his arms hang like wet noodles when he moves on the field, or gets hit. So, my point is that if you simply focus on relaxing your body while playing --- not your wrist, but your entire arm and grip--- the lag will passively, naturally occur. It is a passive consequence of loosening.
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial My daughter is a high school player, and she has excellent serve form, and can pretty consistently his solid serves in. I'm currently trying to get her to challenge herself to begin to think about controlling the direction of her serve --- deciding whether to serve to the opponents forehand or backhand, to go down the line or at a wide angle. If you have any videos that focus on refining and controlling and shifting direction on serve I'd love to see them. What I have told her to do is to shift the direction of the plane of her torso-shoulders-legs arms in the direction she wants to hit, but I don't know if that's what a pro would tell her to do. The other things that have recently come up are backhand grip on volleys. I was taught so long ago that I don't even remember whether I shift my grip for my backhand on volleys --- it's unconscious now. But I assume I do. The other day I noticed that her backhand volleys were very awkward-looking and she wasn't hitting well. I had her try what I believe is an Eastern or Extreme Eastern grip on her backhand volleys (shifting the "v" to the left, or rotating the racquet to the right --- same thing. When she did this her volleys improved tremendously. But I want to make sure this is correct. I assume you already have a video on the basic volley.
This is an excellent comment! That was my question: How do you keep the wrist (and grip) loose, as Simon was saying. I’ll try out the looser shoulders. Thanks for sharing.
@@NStewF When I keep my shoulders dropped it completely changes my game. I taught my son the same principle when he played baseball, and it improved his hitting. I apply this principle in my running. Actually, I'm a big Elvis fan, and if you watch enough of the video on UA-cam of Elvis, you'll see that he very often flexes his shoulders forward as a way to stretch them and reset them by getting the tension that's creeping up on him. I know this because that's a technique I use myself.
@@NStewF Not to belabor my point, but this is a huge principle for me, so I'm really into it. And I wanted to mention that when I run, you might not believe this, but one of the areas where I tend to hold tension without realizing it is in my feet. Every few months I'll forget to focus on keeping my feet totally loose, like that wet noodle analogy I mentioned before, and when I reestablish that looseness in my feet, my whole gait changes --- I stop thrusting off from my feet, and instead shift to get ALL my power from my rear end and thighs--- the really big muscles that were really designed for powering our running. And here's the wild part --- it improves my endurance tremendously. I believe it's because I'm not expending blood sugar and oxygen flexing my feet, and that frees up blood oxygen and sugar for those powerful big muscles to do the running. It's remarkable the difference. And I always finish strong instead of being winded when I keep the feet loose.
Hello...I have no idea how strong to grip.... i mean, if my wrist should be very flexible and loose, my grip is loose as well?? During my 1. serve my grip (from 1 to 10) is about 7. But it the moment of contact it is more a 8 or 9 (from 10). So, how to hold to grip here playing this Federer forehand? To me holding the racket to loose and hitting the ball with a loose wrist, the direction and height of the ball (path) becomes fortune :( Regards. Karl
Simon/ Alex What do you think about Djokovic forehand? I think he has more relaxed swing and he is little bit more using the rotation of his body on his strokes than Federer.
His grip is quite extreme compared to many of the tour players but he uses great rotation as you say and has a great contact zone due to his mainly over the shoulder finish and incredible flexibility. I think his old forehand (2008ish) was actually easier to model compared to his newer technique
Doesnt this happen naturally? I ve noticed that the more relaxed i am, the more power i get and ( i cant see it, of course) maybe if i record it, im sure that that its because pointing the buttcap towards the ball
For some players it happens naturally without training it. Most players however have to progress up to that stage. Thanks for watching. All the best Simon
Yes 100% We are just finishing off our single handed backhand course with Tommy Robredo and will be releasing the first video in a few weeks time so look out for those videos
Hello TTT. may I ask actually I have tried this in your video and it worked great, but sometimes you know my racket fly like an airplane hahahahahaha. Maybe because I have a sweaty hand. How should I deal with that? Used wilson pro grip already.
Test out different grips, use a towel frequently during sessions to dry off the hands, blow on your hands before you start a rally. And lay off the late night binge drinking ;-)
I question the explanation that racket head up = relaxed wrist. I think racket head even with had (strings down) can also be a relaxed wrist. Racket head up is just part of the loop back-swing. There are plenty of players coming up who don't loop their back-swing and still have a ton of lag and whip in their fh.
We're talking about being loose and what works for the average club player, not a pro. And most of the nextgen players who use extreme grips like Sock etc will most likely have plenty of wrist and elbow injuries in their careers.
Heavy racquets are for more advanced players. You have to generate the power yourself, which means you can get more racquet head speed without hitting the ball out. Whereas a very light racquet you can just tap the ball and it will soar.
I also noticed I feel like my wrist is as loose as I want it to be when I grip the racquet mostly with my last 3 fingers, but my thumb and index finger are just passengers on the racquet handle providing a bit of stability, when griping with all fingers it feels too stiff, whats your take on this simon?
That might work for some players, personally what has worked more for me and many of my students has been making sure the heel pad of the hand and the index finger are both in good contact with the grip, those are the two main pressure points when making contact (the area just under the index finger) so if they are both solid on the grip, the rest of the fingers can almost relax completely and you would still be able to make a pretty solid contact
I'd start off by looking at your technique, working out what is wrong in your swing. There might be an issue with something along the way. All the best Simon
I find that the issue is not really technique, but rather timing. The ball acts different with different types of spin, which changes your timing, and subsequently your positioning. I personally train at a wall, where spin is predictable and I dont get a natural sense of how the ball will bounce when it is hit with topspin and backspin. Ideally you'll want to play against varying degrees of spin to be able to get the natural timing, which will allow your mechanics to shine through.
Download our Forehand Guide here (It's FREE) - www.top-tennis-training.com/forehand-guide/
Inside the PDF, we'll teach you five of the most important fundamentals to building a reliable and consistent forehand
This is the best explanation of forehand lag I have seen. I got it immediately, been practising this with shadow swings and on court. Together with my coach's emphasis of hitting the ball early out in front - these tips have transformed my forehand - what a difference. I use less energy, have more power and control and no longer have a sore arm after a game.
Thanks for this excellent video explanation.
Thank you so much for helping me generate a better forehand, i'm practicing it 6 hours a day and it's becoming very powerful and effortless.
What is your ATP ranking?
@@zappafrankie 13
This is a great video! I've heard this tip of letting the non-hitting arm do the "heavy lifting" and allowing the hitting arm to relax before from several pros but I have never heard it framed in this way. This video made me appreciate the benefits of this tip. I tried it today on the court and it worked! It put my wrist in the proper position early. This took so much worry away from getting the racket to orient correctly through my body movement - which never happened because I was too tense!!. This early relief added to the overall sense of relaxation which carried throughout the swing.. Thanks! I've added it to my tennis play list!
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
What stood out for me here is your point at 4:30 that changing the direction the strings face, down or sideways, changes the level of spin. I've tried to change the arm action as I hit, but it's much more natural to change the set up and let the stroke take care of itself. will try that from now on
Much clearer instructions than any tennis lesson I have ever taken!
Thank you for the support
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Best tip for lag I have seen so far. Excellent
Thanks for the support 🙏
Very timely!
I've been "forcing" this a little into my forehand and backhand and then relaxing and then letting the "lag" happen more naturally. Its been a little tricky to adjust my timing (usually hitting the ball a little late). But the more I let the racket relax in my stroke the more pop and power I can get- makes a huge difference!
Thanks for your great instruction!
The mechanics make so much sense. I've been trying to transition to this shot, from the "brush up" shot. Hit the ball machine last week and when I connect it feels amazing. Absolutely have to follow through though. That was critical for me to get it over the net. These vids are amazing
Yes the follow through is more important that the takeback for most players, the finish determines the swing path at contact
Great tip; Thank you ! I have often observed many videos of Federer and noticed some space between bringing the racquet around and the contact. You made me aware that the space I observed is called " lag." I didn't know til now. I will mentally try and rehearse that in my mind. I noticed that the speed of the ball accelerated but did not know why. The "lag" makes sense. Thanks again.
Awesome explanations - this is the first video I've come across that differentiates how to learn the correct feel of the shot BEFORE you get it down well enough to become more and more a habit.
I just picked up on the tip of keeping the wrist laid back as long as possible in the last week, but had doubts on whether i should keep working with it as it wasn't a "natural, fluid, relaxed" motion right now - now I know I'm on the right track, and I will create a more fluid motion as time goes on.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Giving so much break down without getting lost in the weeds. Great video.
Thanks for watching
Any videos you would like to see from us in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Very helpful video. Thanks sir.
Thank you for watching 👍
Great explanation and actual movements by the racquet. Thanks for the video.
Glad it was helpful!
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Thanks i enjoyed the instruction a great idea to practice lag the way you showed-I will try it
Thanks for watching George.
All the best
Simon
Awesome video man...I am a young teaching pro, and everything you talk about in this video I talk about with my students, and I've never heard another pro talk about the forehand in this way. It feels good for me to have validation that what I teach is correct.
Thanks for watching, good luck with your future coaching endeavours
An absolutely wonderful lesson, Simon. Clear precise and informative. Tony Costa
Thanks for watching Tony
Any lessons you'd like to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Enjoyed your explaination of forhand lag.
Excellent video! Very well explained with a drill to help you practice it on your own.
Thanks for watching Richard
Any lessons you want to see from us in 2020?
All the best
Simon
Many many thanks Ive been working more on the relaxed wrist approach and thanks to this video you have shown a really great introduction as to application of the usage Cheers Paul
I fully agree with the racquet upright, two-handed uni-turn as the best start of the swing. I think the key to getting the racquet to lag on the forward swing is to train yourself to relax the wrist on the backswing. This can be done by not forcing the racquet and wrist into position, but rather practicing just letting the racquet fall back on its edge at the end of the backswing, with its face toward the side fence rather than Federer's "on-the-table," racquet face down approach. I've found the wrist rotation required from on-the-table to contact is a difficult timing issue and can cause mishits. Letting the racquet fall on its edge with its face towards the side fence is more natural. It allows the wrist to relax into the correct lag position, resulting in a more natural lag during the forward motion of the swing. An added bonus is the racquet dropping on edge motion also helps the low-to-high swing path as the racquet falls naturally below the in-coming ball's flight. Overall, this method simplifies the swing, helps with timing, proper swing path, and proper racquet face angle at the contact point resulting in stronger, more consistent shots.
Yep that works for many players, to almost align the racket with the oncoming ball, Agassi's forehand was similar to this style. The reason we see the strings back so often now on tour is to help generate more topspin which the game has moved more towards with Nadal's success. I was watching Agassi vs Sampras just last night and what really stood out for me was how much flatter they hit the ball, they could generate good topspin (Agassi especially) but chose to flatten out the strokes
Maybe I misunderstand your post. I think topspin is generated by the
racquet's P.A.S. whether or not the racquet face is on-edge or
on-the-table at the end of the backswing. Many WTP players use the
on-edge technique and they hit with lots of topspin. The real trick that
separates pros and better players from the rest of us is the
combination of the ability to correctly position themselves to the
in-coming ball so it passes through their strike zone and then
correctly timing the swing so the racquet meets the ball at the proper
contact point, just in front of the hitting-side hip. If there was a
method/drill to teach players how to do this, the coach (or coaches,
your case) would be (even more) famous as gurus in the tennis world. I think the ability to "visualize" your own strike zones on both the forehand and backhand sides, as if they are somehow attached to you as you move on the court, is the first step of proper positioning to any in-coming ball. Learning to properly time the swing consistently is another matter.
Consider this post a request and a challenge. :-)
Just to add...For example, I picture my "strike zones" as 3D boxes slightly, horizontally wider than the width of my racquet head and vertically from my shoulders to my knees. The strike zone boxes are about 12-inches deep, so there is some back-to-front forgiveness for the perfect contact point, and both zones "float" just in front of the hitting-side hip on both the forehand and backhand sides. I visualize them looking like 3D versions of the strikes zones you see superimposed during baseball games on TV. My job is to move so any in-coming ball passes through my forehand or backhand strike zone. What needs to be added is the swing timing factor.
James Reid VanVoris yeah that's like a wta style forehand
@@ReidVV Please explain, what is P.A.S.?
Really useful tipps in the video! Thank you so much, ill try it out soon!
Thanks for watching, let us know how it goes
Great lesson! Good tip to use the off hand to bring back the racquet. I've seen instructions to point the end of the racquet handle towards the ball, but this breaks it down into more detail, good stuff. I think most readers should know to bend your knees to get your center of gravity down and get your hips, trunk, arm, shoulder etc. into the shot so that a good kinematic chain takes place. It cracks me up when you get great tips like this and critics want to argue their alternative theory of physics. Slowly, in a relaxed fashion, introduce the tip into your stoke and see how it works out for you would be my humble suggestion, just as Simon recommended, go to a court and drop the ball and take some swings.
Thanks for watching George.
All the best
Simon
Great explanation, thanks for the lessons sir.. Would you please do the same explanation for the dominic thiem's style.. Because I love how he do the preparation pose.
Exce!lent explanation. You cover all aspects of a good forehand technique. Thank you!!!
Excellent instructional video . Thank you. I started playing back In the early 80s and feel like my technique I still not relevant in today's Game. Wrist lag just wasn't mentioned. Need to deconstruct my game and relearn. Keep the videos coming.....
This channel is gold! Thanks for all your tips and explanations 🙌
Thank you for watching 👍
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial thanks for your reply! 😍 I think it'd be an advantage if I could know where my opponent is going to serve. I'm always struggling to read the serve and I'd like to know where to move in advance. I don't know if it's easy to explain, but I've seen many pros doing it so, I guess there must be a way to do it but I'm not sure!
Keep rocking mate!🙌
Great ....great ...great video on the forehand!!!
Thank you!
Simon, I love your video! Without the lag, I was getting terrible tennis elbow! You explain things so well! I wish you had an academy in NYC!
Simon, You are the coolest and best teacher. Thanks!
Thanks for your kind words Joel. You are awesome!
All the best
Simon
very nice explanation...Thank you so much...
Thanks for watching
Thanks for the tips!
something that i would never figure it by myself. Thank you
Excellent explanation my friend! Thanks!
Excelent explanation, thanks!
Thanks for watching
Very good video. I went to the court and tried it. I was able to hit with much more consistency and also improved my timing.
Very glad to hear
thank you! it's very useful n clear explanation. nice job!
Wonderful video !!
Very helpful
Thanks for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
nice video, i learned something from this....thanks a lot! Top tennis..
Great Video Simon keep going
Thank you for your very good couching.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
Great vídeo Simon! Thanks
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Thanks for the vid mate
Could you make a comparison video between the old fed forehand and the new one?
Thanks for watching
I'll keep that in mind for the near future
All the best and stay safe
Simon
Simon, great video and instruction on why the off hand is so important in setting up with a loose wrist. What do you thing about Del Potro or these players that do not use the off hand like you showed a la Federer. And what about a player like Khachanov, who has a unusual set up on his forehand.
Respect bro
🙏
Great video man! Much appreciated! Out of curiosity would you use the same concepts on the backhand?
excellent technique, i liked it and enjoyed it, very good personality and seems to be a very professional coach, will like to join you someday, all the best :)
Many thanks for your kind words.
All the best
Simon
Good stuff, thank you. A similar video regarding lag on the one handed backhand would be super.
Thanks for watching, single handed backhand lag is coming very soon
Can't wait for that! Always excellent work on TTT! Congratulations from France!
Hi guys, great video! How to apply the same to the one-handed backhand? Thanks!
Definitely worked out for me, still have to ingrain it though ! Does this happen also on the backhand side ? Thank you so much coach Simon !
On the one hander it happens more but of course without the loose wrist.
On both the one and two handed backhands players get into that lag position with the bottom of the racket pointing forwards.
Thanks for watching
All the best
Simon
No wonder we all get injuries either tennis elbow or pain shoulder. Thanks definitely going to try it on my left hand.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Just a great explanation, but I wonder if the end exercise of starting with the racquet back low counters strong point made in the beginning of starting with the racquet up high.
It depends how you loose you stay
thanks, I 'll work on that!
Simon! Great video! Great Analysis bro. I was thinking about Roger after the racquet-holding unit turn and prior to the lag, having the racquet face either closed or open. I think that has to do too with the time available. And during the lag, it has also to do with the height of the incoming ball and the the hand. Great video bro!
Hi Simon, first of all thank you so much for the brilliant videos you upload. I use to consider tennis strokes like if they were carried out by a spring, which you first compress and then release in order to unleash all the accumulated power, that's why I don't totally agree with a fully extended arm during the backswing. I'd love to know your opinion about this. Thank you. Alessandro
Thanks
Thanks for watching.
Are there any videos you would like to see from us in the near future?
All the best
Simon
8.30 the greatest ever way to teach lag PERIOD
love the new intro!!
Awesome video! How do you dissociate between having quick, powerful footwork while maintaining a relaxed upper body?
I've been trying to do the lag but it's been messing up my stroke, can't figure out the timing, hitting feels unnatural. What would help is breaking down the entire stroke *with the lag* into maybe three components that you can drill, with progressively more complete hits till the entire stroke is finished. You have already shown one here, where you start the hitting arm in already cocked position in the back and just hit. Maybe one even more basic before then and one after to link all of them together would be great!
Thanks for the ideas.
We've covered the progressions to reaching good lag in our forehand revolution course on our website also
Great video. What do you track the coming ball with? is this face of racket, right hand or left hand? Please answer me, thank you!!!
Another great video form you Simon. Thank you. Now there is one thing I do not uinderstand or see. It is about the ball path, the cap and the trings. Space. If I line the buttcap to the incoming ball path.... how can I hit the ball with the strings? I mean there is quite a distance from the cap to the strings, right, so, to me at least, I need to to "create' space to line up the strings to the ball. Will I not "cram it' then and mishit? Obvioulsy you and pros do not so... so what do I miss here? (I want ot be able to visualize this flawlessly). :)
It's all about creating that lag on the right side of your body (if you're right-handed) but making contact with the ball in front of the body. You'd only be cramped if you make contact on side of your body, not if you extend the arm and racket head outwards to meet the ball.
Thanks for watching Bruno.
All the best
Simon
Thanks coach for helping us out :D.I have a really problem with my forehand. most of the time my forehands are not so good,but once in a while my forehand is my best weapon and i feel like i can rule the world for couple of days :P but after these days i go back to the bad forehand.What can i do to maintain the good forehand everytime? You answear is greatly appreciated :)
Agree with everything you said. However, you could see that Fed rotated his shoulder to hit, not trunk! Abs is a bigger muscle, but it's the shoulder is more closely connected to the racquet.
Try to rotate your shoulders right now (coil and uncoil) without using your Obliques. Let me know how that goes for you! The coiling and uncoiling motion of the entire upper body is controlled mainly by the side abdominal muslces (Obliques). That is why you see almost every Pro player using the medicine ball to train the explosive power in these muscles. A simple google search will prove that "Trunk rotation is performed mainly by the abdominal oblique (external and internal) muscles. The “obliques” are located on both sides of the trunk in the abdominal region, connecting the ribcage to the pelvis"
@chankom - I deleted your last comment as it linked to two other tennis coaching websites that we have no link to. I looked at the pictures, I really think you need to reconsider your ideas on shoulder rotation. Are you implying that Federer does not use rotation on his forehand? If so please explain how he opens up his shoulders from a side on position to a front on position?
From seeing the slo-mo forehand videos at 5:01, you can see Fed's arm going forward past his waist which stayed relatively stable before contact. I would argue that it would be tougher to open your hip, first, and let the arm follows.
If Fed initiated with the hip, he would have to decelerate to keep it facing the net as clearly shown in the video. I've begun to noticed that Federer typically has his right leg lag behind during swing motion. Then he would complete the hip rotation, and right leg stepped forward.
I demonstrated the open stance, the right leg lags behind on a neutral/semi open stance when you rotate forwards
what is that all white racquet you use?
A prototype frame.
Thank you for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Excellent video! Will try this when I play tomorrow!
Let us know how it goes
I tried the lag and it definitely increased topspin but didn't have a lot of pace. More legs/body?
Try to use it but increase the racket head speed now, the body/legs will only help to generate extra racket head speed. Anything that increases that will help you but you have to feel yourself going for it
Ok yeah, my coach is telling me to bend my knees and stay low in order to use my body more in the shot. This will probably help.
6:12 my coach always tells me not to use the hips too early or lead with the hips. I notice it makes a big difference and can ruin your shot when leading with the hips.
You deserve mor than like
Thanks for tuning in.
Any videos you'd like to see from us in the near future?
All the best
Simon
Hi Simon, I've been doing almost everything you've mentioned in this video. Only thing is I tend to snap my wrist at the end upon contact with the ball for added power and speed. It feels very good but unfortunately after the game I've developed abit of an ulnar side wrist pain. Is that normal? Maybe my racket is too stiff or my wrist isn't strong? Just wondering do professional players do this snap upon contact?
I made a video on this exact subject a few weeks ago, I'll release it in the coming months so stay tuned but for sure top players don't "snap" their wrists during the strike zone.
What happens is the forearm starts to pronate and the racket does the windshield wiper motion along with the wrist returning to a neutral position but it's far from a snap
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Alright great, can't wait to see that video when you release it! Thanks! :)
what grip are you using for this? semi-western? east?
I use an eastern 👍
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial I switched to Eastern (coming from being taught Western at beginner level) and have already felt a noticeable difference on my hits, as well as just less strain on my wrist in general. thanks!
what racquet is that? it looks amazing
It's a prototype, currently it's unavailable but we are working on something BIG. More details to follow in the coming months
looks like a Prestige or a Radical frame
I would love a complete white racquet with no words on it at all
Wonderful video, hoping one of your students makes it to the ATP top 10
Thank you, who knows what the future holds. That's what makes life exciting
Thanks for this.Great way to teach lag. :)
Thanks for watching
Simon, what brand and model is that white racquet?
It's a prototype, currently it's unavailable but we are working on something BIG. More details to follow in the coming months
La traducción que hace automática youtube es de verdadera pena. (A veces dice que "el retraso de la raqueta es por un derramamiento cerebral de la bobina" y cosas así...) Me enfada, pues considero el video superinteresante. Mi muñeca está siempre bloqueada y no sé cómo relajarla.
¿Hay alguna manera de conseguir una mejor traducción de este video?
Videos Top Tennis training are greats!! Thanks!.
Lamento escuchar que la traducción es basura. Estoy usando el traductor de Google en este momento para este comentario y estoy seguro de que muchas de las palabras estarán en mal estado.
Gracias por ver
excellenet!
Just wondering, should you keep the wrist relaxed throughout the whole stroke, or should you add something on contact to generate topspin?
Dwalker771 Gaming , top spin is never created by the wrist but by the rocket path from the bottom to the top.
relaxed whloe swing...
the best way to explain it is the technique compensates the time it takes to initiate the forehand... thats what they're saying
My racquet is not to high on my backswing, but I never remember consciously making the effort to lag my wrist, it just happened naturally, so I'm pretty sure it's just a natural motion from having a loose arm when you swing
It's great that it happened naturally for you, however for many, many players this doesn't occur naturally, they need to progress up to making it a habit
I would like to interject that there is a deeper, more fundamental athletic principle that is being applied here that results in that lag. And that principle is that of always keeping muscular tension out of the body. You see this same focus in martial arts, dancing, baseball, etc.
When we tense our muscles during a sport it wastes a lot of energy, and it throws our natural balance off --- the way that the various parts of our body relate to each other.
In tennis it's not the wrist that we are tensing, it is the hand grip. We tense our hand, and in order to do this we tense our entire forearm and bicep. Essentially, the entire arm is tense, which stiffens up the wrist.
I discovered this whole forehand lag on my own simply because I was trying to keep tension out of my body while playing tennis. (The other body part I have to work on relaxing when I play tennis is my shoulders. I tend to tighten my shoulders while playing which hikes them up higher on my neck, which throws my entire body off-balance. This impacts all of my strokes.)
If you watch the video on the making of Michael Jackson's "Black or White" you'll hear the choreographer tell him to loosen his body like it was earlier in shooting --- he tells him that he is stiffening up, which is constricting his movement.
If you watch football games from the '60s, and even the '70s, you can see that some of the players are completely loose when they run, not tense the way they are today.
Tom Brady is super-loose. You can see that his shoulders are always dropped, and rarely hike up. He's so loose that his arms hang like wet noodles when he moves on the field, or gets hit.
So, my point is that if you simply focus on relaxing your body while playing --- not your wrist, but your entire arm and grip--- the lag will passively, naturally occur. It is a passive consequence of loosening.
Very valid points!
Thanks for watching
Are there any lessons you would like to see in the near future?
All the best
Simon
@@TopTennisTrainingOfficial My daughter is a high school player, and she has excellent serve form, and can pretty consistently his solid serves in. I'm currently trying to get her to challenge herself to begin to think about controlling the direction of her serve --- deciding whether to serve to the opponents forehand or backhand, to go down the line or at a wide angle. If you have any videos that focus on refining and controlling and shifting direction on serve I'd love to see them. What I have told her to do is to shift the direction of the plane of her torso-shoulders-legs arms in the direction she wants to hit, but I don't know if that's what a pro would tell her to do.
The other things that have recently come up are backhand grip on volleys. I was taught so long ago that I don't even remember whether I shift my grip for my backhand on volleys --- it's unconscious now. But I assume I do. The other day I noticed that her backhand volleys were very awkward-looking and she wasn't hitting well. I had her try what I believe is an Eastern or Extreme Eastern grip on her backhand volleys (shifting the "v" to the left, or rotating the racquet to the right --- same thing. When she did this her volleys improved tremendously. But I want to make sure this is correct. I assume you already have a video on the basic volley.
This is an excellent comment! That was my question: How do you keep the wrist (and grip) loose, as Simon was saying. I’ll try out the looser shoulders. Thanks for sharing.
@@NStewF When I keep my shoulders dropped it completely changes my game.
I taught my son the same principle when he played baseball, and it improved his hitting. I apply this principle in my running.
Actually, I'm a big Elvis fan, and if you watch enough of the video on UA-cam of Elvis, you'll see that he very often flexes his shoulders forward as a way to stretch them and reset them by getting the tension that's creeping up on him. I know this because that's a technique I use myself.
@@NStewF Not to belabor my point, but this is a huge principle for me, so I'm really into it. And I wanted to mention that when I run, you might not believe this, but one of the areas where I tend to hold tension without realizing it is in my feet. Every few months I'll forget to focus on keeping my feet totally loose, like that wet noodle analogy I mentioned before, and when I reestablish that looseness in my feet, my whole gait changes --- I stop thrusting off from my feet, and instead shift to get ALL my power from my rear end and thighs--- the really big muscles that were really designed for powering our running.
And here's the wild part --- it improves my endurance tremendously. I believe it's because I'm not expending blood sugar and oxygen flexing my feet, and that frees up blood oxygen and sugar for those powerful big muscles to do the running. It's remarkable the difference. And I always finish strong instead of being winded when I keep the feet loose.
Hello...I have no idea how strong to grip.... i mean, if my wrist should be very flexible and loose, my grip is loose as well?? During my 1. serve my grip (from 1 to 10) is about 7. But it the moment of contact it is more a 8 or 9 (from 10). So, how to hold to grip here playing this Federer forehand? To me holding the racket to loose and hitting the ball with a loose wrist, the direction and height of the ball (path) becomes fortune :( Regards. Karl
Simon/ Alex What do you think about Djokovic forehand? I think he has more relaxed swing and he is little bit more using the rotation of his body on his strokes than Federer.
His grip is quite extreme compared to many of the tour players but he uses great rotation as you say and has a great contact zone due to his mainly over the shoulder finish and incredible flexibility. I think his old forehand (2008ish) was actually easier to model compared to his newer technique
Is it possible to have two handed backhand lag?
100%
Agassi had great lag on his backhand
Thanks for watching
Any lessons you would like to see in the coming months?
All the best and stay safe
Simon
Doesnt this happen naturally? I ve noticed that the more relaxed i am, the more power i get and ( i cant see it, of course) maybe if i record it, im sure that that its because pointing the buttcap towards the ball
For some players it happens naturally without training it.
Most players however have to progress up to that stage.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon
Hey, is there such a concept for the single handed backhand too?
Yes 100%
We are just finishing off our single handed backhand course with Tommy Robredo and will be releasing the first video in a few weeks time so look out for those videos
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online I will look forward to them. Thanks for your phenomenal work in simplifying the game.
But should your wrist also stay looseat the point of impact?
As loose as you can be without letting the racket move at contact
Feels good for shadow swings. Can't wait to try it on court. Thanks!
Let us know how it goes
Top Tennis Training - Learn Tennis Online
bro one doubt hw can i spin d ball with tat grip????
Nice racquet.
Hello TTT. may I ask actually I have tried this in your video and it worked great, but sometimes you know my racket fly like an airplane hahahahahaha.
Maybe because I have a sweaty hand. How should I deal with that? Used wilson pro grip already.
Test out different grips, use a towel frequently during sessions to dry off the hands, blow on your hands before you start a rally. And lay off the late night binge drinking ;-)
huahuahuahau. Gotcha thanks for the tips.
I question the explanation that racket head up = relaxed wrist. I think racket head even with had (strings down) can also be a relaxed wrist. Racket head up is just part of the loop back-swing. There are plenty of players coming up who don't loop their back-swing and still have a ton of lag and whip in their fh.
We're talking about being loose and what works for the average club player, not a pro. And most of the nextgen players who use extreme grips like Sock etc will most likely have plenty of wrist and elbow injuries in their careers.
is it ok for me to use Federer style and 120z racquet?
many of my fellow trainee who uses nadals light racquet laughs at me for using a heavy racquet.
Heavy racquets are for more advanced players. You have to generate the power yourself, which means you can get more racquet head speed without hitting the ball out. Whereas a very light racquet you can just tap the ball and it will soar.
Like federer when he was young?
Like the early era of wimbledon?
I also noticed I feel like my wrist is as loose as I want it to be when I grip the racquet mostly with my last 3 fingers, but my thumb and index finger are just passengers on the racquet handle providing a bit of stability, when griping with all fingers it feels too stiff, whats your take on this simon?
That might work for some players, personally what has worked more for me and many of my students has been making sure the heel pad of the hand and the index finger are both in good contact with the grip, those are the two main pressure points when making contact (the area just under the index finger) so if they are both solid on the grip, the rest of the fingers can almost relax completely and you would still be able to make a pretty solid contact
What racket is that?
It's a prototype, currently it's unavailable but we are working on something BIG. More details to follow in the coming months
looks super dense the string Pattern, like the Pro Kennex Micro Ace from the 80s
I love white rackets. Anyone remember the kneissl white star Lendl?
What to do when you're loose but not hitting the ball clean consistently with control?
I'd start off by looking at your technique, working out what is wrong in your swing.
There might be an issue with something along the way.
All the best
Simon
I find that the issue is not really technique, but rather timing. The ball acts different with different types of spin, which changes your timing, and subsequently your positioning. I personally train at a wall, where spin is predictable and I dont get a natural sense of how the ball will bounce when it is hit with topspin and backspin. Ideally you'll want to play against varying degrees of spin to be able to get the natural timing, which will allow your mechanics to shine through.
I'm 60 000th Subscriber
Welcome to the TTT team buddy!
I stayed loose and threw my racket and it partly broke
That's too loose!
I think the non hitting hand also helps to steady the racket.
Yes absolutely.
Thanks for watching.
All the best
Simon