Crushing Forehand Power - Tennis Lesson

Summary

This video focuses on generating power in your forehand stroke, a crucial ingredient for developing a reliable weapon alongside placement and curve. The instructor emphasizes using the kinetic chain correctly, incorporating a full body swing, and maintaining relaxation throughout the motion. By mastering these three factors - proper energy transfer, length of swing, and looseness - players can unlock effortless racket head speed and harness significant power from their forehand. The video guides viewers through practical drills and techniques to ingrain these concepts, laying the foundation for a formidable forehand shot.

Takeaways

• 🎾 There are three key ingredients for transforming your forehand into a reliable weapon: placement, power, and curve/spin.
• ⚙️ To generate power, follow these principles: 1) Use the kinetic chain correctly from legs to hips to shoulders to arm/hand, 2) Have a long swing with shoulder rotation of 180 degrees, 3) Stay loose and relaxed throughout the swing.
• 🏋️‍♀️ Relaxation is crucial for power - focus on relaxing your hand, forearm, shoulder, and body during practice swings.
• 🥇 The three elements - consistency, power, and curve/spin - build on each other. Consistency is the foundation, power adds a weapon, and curve/spin completes the package.
• 🎯 Identify which of the three elements (placement, power, or curve/spin) is most important for you to improve at your current level.
• 🔄 Practice the kinetic chain and full shoulder turn with slow, relaxed shadow swings before hitting balls.
• 📏 A long swing runway and full shoulder rotation are necessary for generating maximum racket head speed and power, especially for amateur players.
• 💪 Developing power allows you to compete against defensive players and pushers by having an offensive weapon.
• 🧠 Be mindful of the correct order of operations: legs initiate, then hips, shoulders, arm, and hand.
• 🔁 Consistent practice and repetitions are required to develop these techniques into habits.

Q & A

What are the three key ingredients for a reliable and powerful forehand?

The three key ingredients mentioned in the script are: 1) Placement, 2) Power, and 3) Curve or shape.

How can one generate easy and effortless racket head speed for a powerful forehand?

The script suggests using the kinetic chain correctly, having a good length of swing, and staying loose and relaxed during the swing to generate effortless racket head speed.

What is the importance of using the kinetic chain correctly?

Using the kinetic chain correctly involves transferring energy from the ground up through the body in the proper order, starting with the legs, then hips, shoulders, and finally the arm and hand. This ensures efficient energy transfer and prevents breakdowns in the swing.

Why is a long swing recommended for generating power?

A long swing allows for a longer runway and full body rotation, enabling the body to flow through the swing process correctly and transfer maximum energy into the ball. It's harder to generate power with short, quick swings for amateur players.

How can one stay loose and relaxed during the swing?

The script suggests consciously focusing on loosening different parts of the body during the swing, starting with the hand, then the forearm, shoulder, and the rest of the body, until everything feels completely relaxed.

What is the suggested order of importance for the three key ingredients?

The suggested order of importance is: 1) Placement (consistency), 2) Power, and 3) Curve or topspin. Consistency is the foundation, followed by power, and then the ability to curve the ball.

Why is consistency considered the foundation?

Consistency is considered the foundation because without the ability to consistently place the ball, it will be difficult to win at any level of tennis.

How does the ability to curve the ball (topspin) help in tennis?

The ability to curve the ball using topspin, when combined with consistency and power, gives players the potential to be competitive at any level of amateur tennis and against various playing styles.

What is the importance of focusing on one's weaknesses during practice?

The script suggests identifying which of the three key ingredients (placement, power, or curve/topspin) is most important for reaching the next level of play, and narrowing the focus during practice accordingly for better improvement.

What is the overall goal of the video series?

The overall goal of the video series is to show viewers how to transform their forehand into a reliable weapon by mastering the three key ingredients: placement, power, and curve or shape.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Introduction to Developing Forehand Power

This paragraph introduces the second video in a series aimed at transforming one's forehand into a reliable weapon. It emphasizes the three key ingredients for an effective forehand: placement, power, and curve/shape. While the first video covered placement, this video will focus on generating power through easy, smooth, and effortless racket head speed. It also previews the upcoming discussion on the court.

05:01

🔑 Three Factors for Hitting the Ball with Power

This paragraph outlines the three crucial factors for generating power when hitting the ball: 1) Using the kinetic chain correctly, starting from the ground up through the body in the proper sequence, 2) Having a long swing length that allows the body to flow through the motion correctly, and 3) Maintaining a loose and relaxed state throughout the swing to prevent energy loss. It also introduces the concept of shadow swings at various speeds to practice the full length of swing and relaxation.

10:03

🧩 Layering the Key Elements for a Complete Forehand

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of layering the three key elements: consistency, power, and curve/spin. Consistency is the foundation, followed by developing power to create a weapon, and finally, the ability to curve the ball with topspin. Having all three elements is necessary to be competitive at any level of amateur tennis. The paragraph also encourages reflecting on which element is most important for the viewer's next level of play and invites comments and questions from the audience.

Keywords

💡Forehand

A forehand is a tennis shot executed when the ball is on the same side of the body as the arm being used to strike it. This video focuses on developing a powerful and reliable forehand shot. The forehand is described as a potential 'weapon' if the key ingredients of placement, power, and curve are mastered.

💡Placement

Placement refers to the ability to consistently and accurately direct the ball to intended locations on the court. The video emphasizes that reliable placement is the first key ingredient for an effective forehand shot. A previous video in the series covered placement in detail.

💡Power

Power refers to the ability to generate significant racket head speed and transfer energy to the ball, resulting in a hard-hit shot. This video's main focus is on teaching techniques to generate easy, smooth, and effortless power on the forehand side.

💡Curve

Curve, or shape, refers to the ability to impart topspin on the ball, causing it to curve or dip as it travels. This is described as the third key ingredient for a complete and effective forehand shot. A future video in the series will cover adding curve or topspin to the forehand.

💡Kinetic Chain

The kinetic chain refers to the sequential movement and transfer of energy through the body during a tennis swing, starting from the legs, hips, shoulders, and finally the arm and hand. Proper use of the kinetic chain is crucial for generating maximum power efficiently.

💡Length of Swing

Length of swing refers to the full range of motion and rotation involved in executing a forehand shot. The video emphasizes the importance of a long, continuous swing, with the hand and shoulders making a full 180-degree rotation for optimal power generation.

💡Relaxation

Relaxation refers to the ability to maintain a loose and relaxed body and grip throughout the swing motion. The video stresses the importance of relaxation to allow efficient energy transfer and prevent tension from sapping power from the shot.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the ability to reliably and repeatedly execute shots with the desired placement and quality. The video suggests that consistency is the foundation upon which power and curve should be built, as inconsistent shots will limit a player's competitiveness.

💡Topspin

Topspin, or curve, refers to the forward-rotating spin imparted on the ball during a forehand shot. Generating topspin allows the ball to dip and curve, making it a more effective offensive shot. The video indicates that topspin will be covered in a future installment.

💡Progression

The video emphasizes a progressive approach to developing an effective forehand, building upon foundational skills in a specific order: consistency (placement), power, and finally curve (topspin). This layered progression is presented as the path to becoming a competitive player.

Highlights

In this video series, you'll learn how to transform your forehand into a reliable weapon by focusing on three key ingredients: placement, power, and curve or shape.

For power, it's all about transferring energy through the ball, primarily due to three factors: using the kinetic chain correctly, having a good length of swing, and staying loose and relaxed.

Using the kinetic chain correctly means loading with your legs first, then the hips, shoulders, and finally the arm and hand following through. This is the proper order to transfer energy from the ground up.

A long runway or length of swing is necessary for most players to generate the racket head speed for a powerful shot. This involves making a full half-circle with the hand and a 180-degree rotation of the shoulders.

Staying loose and relaxed is crucial to allow energy to transfer into the ball. Start by focusing on loosening your hand, then your forearm, shoulder, and the rest of your body.

Practice shadow swings at different speeds, focusing on the length of swing and relaxation. This will help develop a smooth, effortless swing that requires less effort.

Layer the three elements: consistency, power, and curve or topspin. Consistency is the foundation, then develop power, and finally add curve or spin.

Identify which of the three elements (placement, power, or curve) is most important for you to reach the next level of play.

Transcripts

hey it's in welcome to video 2 in this

new series which is designed to show you

how you can transform your forehand into

one that is a reliable weapon and it's

only possible if you have all three key

ingredients ingredient number one is

placement reliable placement of your

forehand

number two is power and ingredient

number three is curve or shape so in the

first video we talked about placement

it's all about accuracy and consistency

if you haven't already seen that video

make sure you do so it's going to be a

link right around this one so go check

it out in this video today we're going

to be focusing on power how do you

generate easy smooth effortless racket

head speed so you can have a big weapon

on your forehand side that's what we're

going to be talking about today so

without further ado let's go right to

the courts and I'll show you how it's

done

when it comes to hitting the ball hard

it's all about transferring a lot of

energy through the ball and that's going

to happen primarily due to three

different factors factor number one is

using the kinetic chain correctly and we

talked about that back in the

fundamentals section just talking about

a fundamentally sound traditional swing

using the body in the correct order

create transferring energy from the

ground up through the body through the

big parts of the body and then through

the smaller parts of the body if you're

not if everything is not in order and

you're not transferring energy in the

correct stages in the correct using the

correct process things will break down

and you'll put a lot of energy in with

very little result out so ideally you

want to load with your legs first start

the forward swing with the legs then the

hips then the shoulders and then have

the arm and the hand follow behind this

is the dog wagging the tail as opposed

to the tail wagging the dog which is the

way that a lot of amateur players do it

they'll turn to the side and then their

arm and their hand accelerates forwards

aggressively but the whole rest of their

body hasn't done anything to initiate

that swing you might remember the very

first video where we talked about the

the take back of the racket I talked

about how important it is that you make

a unit turn to bring the racket back

your racket should be pulled back by

your body's coil or turn to the side and

then as the racket starts to drop is

when your body should start the

uncoiling process towards the oncoming

ball if this is broken and you get the

order of operations wrong and you start

doing the work with a small part of your

body first and not the big parts of your

body then you're going to end up working

really really hard for a very very

marginal result I can't overemphasize

how critical and how important this is

number two is length of Swing it's

possible to create big power with a

relatively short and quick swing see

professional players do that from time

to time but it takes incredible

athleticism timing and dynamic strength

to be able to do that for us mere

mortals we need a long runway to be able

to generate the racket head speed

necessary to really create a powerful

response from this position here if

kirby opens her hand up you'll see that

her palm is facing straight towards her

dominant side now I don't know if that

was a right grips right now if she

continues through her swing to her

finish position go ahead and go through

kirby and finish where you normally

would finish you see that now if she

opens her hand up her hand is facing

directly in the opposite direction so

she's made a full half circle here

facing her palm initially at her

dominant side and finishing with her

palm facing in the opposite direction

you also noticed her shoulders have done

the same thing they've made a full 180

degree rotation if you show us a couple

shadow swings at 25% speed now actually

slower than that just real slow and

relaxed so I want you to watch your hand

and watch her shoulders as they rotate

around and make a full half circle this

is really the base the hand and the

torso this is the base of length of

swing on your forehand side so Kirby

showed me a 25% speed now swing just go

through the full swing naturally so this

is quarter speed shadow swings this is

what I recommend you start off with and

as you're moving through these pretty

deliberately paced shadow swings I just

want you to focus on the length of your

swing focus on your hand moving all the

way around your body and focus on your

shoulders making a full hundred eighty

degree rotation first facing your

dominant side and then finishing facing

away from your dominant side in the

opposite direction

lastly key number three is your ability

to stay loose and relaxed while you do

things 1 & 2 using the kinetic chain

correctly in the correct order is huge

having a good length of swing so that

your body can flow through its process

correctly in the correct order is also

huge but if during those 2 things your

body gets tight and tense energy will be

sucked out of your swing and will not

transfer into the ball so in the videos

before this we worked on lengths getting

the body to turn all the way getting the

hand to come all the way around so that

they're both facing towards the

non-dominant side and now that we have

that framework and we've started to

develop it as a pattern Kirby go ahead

go to 25% speed please and Kirby's focus

is going to be different now

now that we've trained the full length

of swing and she's consistently going

there we're going to focus on something

different and that's going to be how

firmly she's holding onto the racket and

this is obviously not going to be as

evident to those of you at home but as

Kirby continues he's 25% speed swings

she's going to loosen her grip on the

racket on each repetition until she gets

to the point where she feels like she's

just barely holding on to the racket and

I want you to begin consciously by

focusing on your hand and your grip and

then be aware of your forearm how tight

or how loose it is relax it then move

your focus to your shoulder and then to

the rest of your body so that eventually

should feel like your entire body and is

as relaxed and loose as possible

all right so Kirby come on up to 50% now

half speed she's maintaining that length

of swing and she's going to start again

at the hand really loosen her hand then

go to the forearm really loosen up her

forearms and her shoulder then the rest

of her body until she's completely

relaxed as she makes these swings and

then we'll go up to 75% so this would be

a rally speed swing for Kirby

and again she's going to bring her focus

to her hand then her forearm then her

shoulder then the rest of her body until

everything feels completely loose and

relaxed

now let's actually start to hit some

balls while focusing on the smoothness

and how relaxed you are the length of

swing kind of should be given by this

point granted if you only spend five or

ten minutes on this total then it's not

a new habit yet please keep in mind this

is going to take time and it's going to

take a certain number of repetitions

before all this starts to become second

nature I'm going to drop two Kirby and

she's going to start off with that full

length of swing and her focus now is not

going to be unnecessarily the finish but

on having her body be as loose through

the ball as possible if you miss it it

doesn't matter as long as you're

focusing on just being as relaxed as you

can be so 25% real real slow nice and

we're looking for a completely relaxed

body and I recommend that you follow the

process that we talked about in the

previous video which is start at the

hand just loosen your hand from shot to

shot to shot as much as you can when you

feel like you're as loose as you

possibly can be then focus on your

forearm

relax your forearm as much as possible

then move to your shoulder then move to

the rest of your body if you've never

done this before put in repetitions with

an emphasis on relaxation it will

probably be a really really unique

experience for you and most players have

never done this before

more than likely your experience will be

in amazement at how little energy it

actually takes to hit a solid shot I

mean Kirby if if ten is as much force as

you can possibly put into swinging the

racket what number would you put on the

last like two swings for four out of ten

so Kirby is using less than half of half

of her effort through these shots but

she's hitting a solid you know four or

five rally ball okay show us a 75% swing

please scrooby so pretty much full rally

ball acceleration now and she's going to

now make these swings focusing on first

relaxing your hand

again we're not super concerned with

making these so much is just executing

the length and the relaxation as much as

possible before I sign off for it today

I have a quick concept for you that's

really important kind of help you start

to tie all this together the three

elements that we've been talking about

are all incredibly important it's

important that they're layered on top of

each other I'll tell you what I mean if

you lack consistency you don't even have

that then you're going to have a hard

time consistently winning at any level

of tennis that needs to come first

that's the foundation on top of that we

do need to learn how to develop power if

all you have is consistency without any

kind of weapon at all no ability to

generate racket head speed then the

players who know how to just get it in

over and over are always going to be

difficult for you you can have a lot of

really long rallies you're going to

struggle against pushers or other

defensive players and that's just not a

lot of fun so the third elements that

layers on top of power is the ability to

curve the ball and that's using topspin

once you have all three you really have

the potential to be able to be

competitive at any level any level of

amateur tennis of course it's about the

ability to execute at higher and higher

levels at that point but you at least

will have the ingredients necessary to

compete against just about anybody at

your local courts so that's the order of

operations hopefully that kind of ties

it together for you here a little bit as

we're in the middle of this video series

focused on your forehand in the next

video we're going to be talking about

that curve elements before then I want

you to think about which of the three

elements are most important for you and

again it's just about narrowing your

focus so that you can have better

practice time and be more focused

is it placement is it generating power

or is it curve or topspin which is most

important for you to reach that next

level of play let me know in the

comments down below also let me know if

you have any questions or comments about

what you saw in today's video be happy

to see those and answer them for you

make sure you keep an eye on your email

inbox because we'll be coming out with

the third video very soon which focuses

on curve