Forehand forearm

jack neo Asked 12 years ago

Hey coaches, i had a chance today to spar with a pretty good player. He spotted out some errors with my forehand which i didn't know about. Firstly he said about my shoulder being too stift and my wrist not being in a locked position. In addition, during a forehand to forehand stroking, he mentioned i should keep my stroke more compact by not dragging my forearm backwards and following through towards the right to maintain placement. I tried to adapt as much as i could but it will take some time due to my habits. I was wondering that during a forehand topspin, i can't drag my forearm backwards? What do you think about this?

Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago

Hi Jack,

You should try to keep your forearm always in line with your hips. This will stop the problem you are having.

It will take some practice but it is worth it. Try to keep your elbow in a natural position.

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jack neo Posted 12 years ago

Does it apply to the forehand topspin? It's sort of weird as one would normally pull back his arm to have more power.

Shaji Alavi Posted 12 years ago

I had the same problem. My forehand counterhit shots were not at all continuous in the rally and could not control the forehand shots. I did shadow practice of the shot shown in the forehand counterhit video by Jeff. Without the racket its like pointing a gun with a little bent elbow. Funny but shadow practice worked for me.

Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago

Great Shaji! Shadow practice is a great way to get your stroke working smoothly.

Mindaugas Steponkus Posted 12 years ago

Should you forearm still not move backwards when you topspining the ball? Why?

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago

It doesn't need to go too far behind the line of your shoulders because you will lose control. Your power comes more from your body than your arm.