Craziest forehand I’ve EVER seen (big mistake)
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses a common issue in tennis where players struggle with a weak forehand despite their efforts. It introduces a case of a 3.5 level player experiencing this problem and explains how improper body mechanics, specifically an early lead with the elbow, disrupts the kinetic chain and results in a less powerful shot. The coach demonstrates various drills, emphasizing the importance of body positioning and the sequence of body movements in generating a more efficient and powerful forehand. By following these drills, players can improve their technique and achieve greater success in their game.
Takeaways
- 🎾 The importance of proper contact position in tennis is crucial for a powerful forehand.
- 🏆 A 3.5 level player often has a weak forehand due to incorrect body positioning at contact.
- 🤔 A player's forehand weakness can be misleading if their body mechanics are off.
- 👀 Observing a player's hips and shoulders at the point of contact can indicate their skill level.
- 📈 High-level players like 4.5 level and professionals lead with their bodies, not just their arms.
- 🔄 The kinetic chain in tennis swings should start with larger body parts leading the way.
- 🚫 Small body parts taking the lead, like the elbow, can result in a weak kinetic chain and less power.
- 📊 The coach used video analysis to diagnose and correct the student's forehand technique.
- 💡 Drills involving pulling with the body instead of pushing can lead to improved forehand power.
- 🌟 Shadow swings and underhand tosses help practice body leading without the pressure of real balls.
- ✨ After practicing, the student showed significant improvement in smoothness and efficiency of her forehand.
Q & A
What was the main issue with the student's tennis forehand technique?
-The main issue with the student's forehand technique was her contact position. Instead of using her body to generate power, she was initiating the swing with her elbow, which led to a weak kinetic chain and made it difficult to hit powerful shots.
What is the significance of the 3.5 level player's contact position?
-The 3.5 level player's contact position is significant because it represents a common issue among players at that skill level. Typically, their hips and shoulders are not facing forward at the point of contact, which indicates a lack of proper body activation and timing.
How does the contact position of a 4.5 level player differ from a 3.5 level player?
-A 4.5 level player's contact position shows a more advanced technique. The body, particularly the shoulders and chest, are facing forwards, and the hips have pivoted and turned to face forwards by the time the ball touches the racket, indicating better body activation and timing.
What are the key elements of a professional player's forehand technique?
-Professional players lead with their body, ensuring that their shoulders and hips are facing forwards at the point of contact. This allows for efficient energy transfer and powerful shots with less effort.
Why is it important for the body to lead the forehand swing?
-It is important for the body to lead the forehand swing because it allows for the generation of racket head speed and energy transfer with minimal effort. This efficient use of the body's kinetic chain results in powerful shots and reduces strain on the arm and hand.
What was the first drill the coach used to help the student correct her forehand?
-The first drill involved the coach holding onto the student's racket and waiting for her to initiate a pull using her shoulders and hips. This helped the student feel the correct initiation of the swing with her body leading the movement.
How does the shadow swing drill help in improving the forehand technique?
-The shadow swing drill helps by allowing the player to practice the correct body movements without the pressure of hitting the ball. It reinforces the idea of pulling with the body and leading with the larger muscle groups, which translates to smoother and more efficient strokes.
What was the effect of the drills on the student's forehand after 45 minutes?
-After 45 minutes of practicing the drills, the student's forehand showed significant improvement. Her body was leading the way, her arm followed passively, and she was hitting the balls with more force and power, but with dramatically less effort and better overall technique.
What advice does the coach give for players looking to improve their forehand?
-The coach advises players to focus on leading with their body and keeping their arm passive during the forehand swing. By following the drills and focusing on the correct body movements, players can improve their technique and efficiency, leading to more powerful shots with less effort.
How does the coach ensure the student is on the right track during the drills?
-The coach uses video analysis to check the student's progress and ensure she is not falling back into old habits. This helps to provide visual feedback and confirmation that the body is leading the swing as it should.
What is the role of the kinetic chain in a forehand swing?
-The kinetic chain in a forehand swing is the sequence of body movements that transfer energy from the ground up through the body and into the racket. A strong and unbroken kinetic chain allows for efficient energy transfer, resulting in powerful shots.
Outlines
🎾 Understanding Forehand Weakness in Tennis
The paragraph discusses a common issue faced by a 3.5 level tennis player where despite trying hard, they struggle to execute a powerful forehand. The coach examines the player's contact position and notices a poor technique that contradicts the principles of biomechanics and energy transfer. It's highlighted that the player's body mechanics, particularly the shoulder and hip positioning, are not aligned with the expected norms for their skill level. The coach uses examples of higher-level players to illustrate the correct body positioning and movement during a forehand swing, emphasizing the importance of the body leading the racket for optimal performance.
🏆改正Forehand Swing的练习方法
本段介绍了针对前一段中提到的3.5级球员的Forehand Swing问题的一系列练习方法。首先,教练通过手动引导球员使用身体而非手肘来引导挥拍动作,以此帮助球员感受正确的挥拍起始动作。随后,教练让球员尝试在没有球的情况下进行影子击球和简单的下手抛球练习,专注于用身体引导挥拍。通过这些练习,球员的挥拍动作有了显著改善,身体开始正确地引导挥拍,手臂和球拍的动作变得更加流畅和自然。最后,教练通过视频反馈确保球员没有回到旧习惯,并鼓励球员继续关注身体的引导作用,以实现更高效和轻松的击球。
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Tennis Forehand
💡Contact Position
💡Biomechanics
💡Kinetic Chain
💡Racket Head Speed
💡Push vs. Pull
💡Shadow Swings
💡Underhand Tosses
💡Coaching Drills
💡Body Activation
💡Efficiency
Highlights
A 3.5 level tennis player struggles with a weak forehand despite trying hard.
The student's contact position was unusual and did not align with typical 3.5 level players.
A proper tennis swing technique involves the body's activation and timing during the turn.
At 4.5 level, players exhibit a different contact position with the body leading and the racket lagging behind.
Professional players like Caroline Wozniak and Victoria Azarenka demonstrate advanced body positioning and kinetic chain in their forehand.
The laws of biomechanics and energy transfer suggest that the student's forehand technique was flawed.
The student's forehand was unique as her body worked to catch up to her leading elbow.
Initiating a forehand with the elbow instead of the body creates a weak kinetic chain.
A proper kinetic chain involves the body leading the way and the arm following passively.
The coach used a drill where holding the player's racket helped her feel the correct initiation with the body.
Shadow swings and underhand tosses were used to practice body leading without the pressure of contacting the ball.
The student showed improvement as her body started leading the way and her arm followed passively.
The coach emphasized the importance of the body's timing and sequence in achieving a powerful and efficient forehand.
High-level players hit forehands with minimal effort but maximum power due to correct body mechanics.
Following these drills can help players improve their forehand efficiency and power.
The video aims to help viewers improve their tennis game by understanding and applying proper technique.
Transcripts
if you feel like you're trying hard on
your tennis forehand but just can't hit
a powerful shot then you've clicked on
exactly the Right video that's what my
recent student told me was happening to
her but when I took my first look at her
contact position it totally didn't make
any sense if you study tennis swing
technique and mechanics then you know
that this is a really bad position and
for context this is a 3.5 level player
and she came in telling me Ian my for is
so weak it's my weakest shot what do I
do and so when I looked at this I was
like what in the world is happening let
me show you some context so that you
know what I mean here's a 3.5 level
player this is what I normally see at
the point of contact from most of my
students look at where this student's
hips are facing where her shoulders are
facing this is normal and if you are
around the 35 level in terms of tennis
this is probably what you look like
around the point of contact whether you
know your supposed to be doing this or
not doesn't matter there's habits that
are why you're a 3 five player and this
is what's most common around that level
in terms of the level of activation and
the timing of when the body starts to
turn here's another recent student this
is a 4 five level player and I want you
to watch the difference in what the
contact position looks like the body
here is leading it's going first and the
racket is lagging behind and so at
contact his body position is totally
different his shoulders and chest are
facing forwards his hips have pivoted
and turned to face forwards all by the
time the ball touches the racket now
here's a professional level player
here's Caroline Waki on this one look at
how her body is leading and turning
first and so by the time she meets the
ball her shoulders are facing forwards
and her hips are facing forwards as the
ball touches the Racket and now here's
Victoria Azarenka and she's going to
leave the court and actually is moving
slightly backwards but her hips and
shoulders are still leading the swing
and by the time the ball touches the
racket her shoulders are facing forwards
and her hips are facing
forwards so now with with those examples
and that context in mind you understand
how why when I see this forehand and I
hear what she's saying about her
forehand being her weakest shot and I
look at her shoulders and I look at her
hips at the point of contact I'm just
thinking what in the world is go how is
that possible you can't defy the laws of
nature and like energy transfer and
biomechanics and stuff like that so
something else is happening here this is
why this forehand is so kind of crazy
and different and unique let's go back
and now do a little bit of detective
work and go back a little bit earlier in
the swing and I'll show you some full
motion swings here in a second as well
if we go back a little bit Watch What
Happens and remember the four five
player we looked at what we saw were the
big parts of the body leading the way
and the arm and the racket lagging
behind really passively watch the
difference here with this player and
specifically I want you to keep your eye
on her right elbow and watch how that
right elbow actually initiates and it
leads so instead of her shoulders
initiating or her hips initiating it's
her elbow pushing forwards is the first
actor the first Force that's pushing the
racket forwards and it's type of big
tennis movement a serve a forehand a
backhand where we're looking to generate
a lot of Racket head speed and as much
energy with as little effort as possible
what we want to do is pull the racket
through using the body to lead the
parade to lead the charge forwards and
keep the arm and the Hand really passive
and relaxed when the arm and the Hand
take over and go first I like to call
that a push whereas when you look at
high level players professional players
they are pulling with their body first
so this player is initiating with a push
which is not unusual three five players
that's normal but what's what is unusual
is this player then after leading with
the elbow in the hand her body actually
is working to catch up and actually
arrives in the right position by the
time she makes contact which is pretty
wild but the damage has already been
done when the elbow jumps out out to
this early lead it's already initiated a
weak kinetic chain it's broken the
kinetic chain and when the small parts
of the body take over and take the lead
the big parts of the body can try to
catch up but they've already lost the
race so here's her in full motion making
this push swing if you're a very
experienced coach and you've studied a
lot of biomechanics and kinetic chain
and like how the body is supposed to
work you can you can get kind of a
glimpse of it happening but it's so hard
to catch for sure what's happening in
that quick quarter of a second or half
of a second without slowing it down and
using video so here's the first drill I
took her through to start using a pull
instead of a push what I'm doing here I
I've used this a lot in the past with a
lot of success but I'm pulling I'm
holding on to her racket gently and
waiting for her to give me a little bit
of pull or
resistance using her shoulders and her
hips now in real life this is
exaggerated this is just to get her to
feel what it would be like to initiate
with her body and feel a little bit of a
stretch kind of coming from her shoulder
maybe a little bit from her oblique and
then I'll let the racket go when I feel
a little bit of a pull and then she goes
through the rest of her motion so after
doing a couple of those and and letting
her feel that I let her go ahead and
start to swing without the stretch like
without me manually kind of making her
do it so here's a couple of those swings
where I'm asking her to basically
recreate that same feeling of that
stretch taking place but now without me
manually kind of enabling it and see if
she can lead with her body correctly and
now you can see like there's a huge
difference here in these swings because
now the big parts of her body are
leading and pulling her arm in her
racket behind her and so there isn't any
catching up that her body has to do
because it's truly leading the way the
whole time just like it was for those
professional players that we looked at a
second ago the third drill we did
together was I had her layer together
some Shadow swings which you're seeing
right here with no ball and then some
really easy underhand tosses where my
the whole Focus her point was for her to
practice pulling with her body and
leading with her body and already you're
starting to see some really nice smooth
swings here with her body actually
leading the way instead of her elbow
jumping way out in the lead now her body
is starting to actually lead the way and
her arm is coming behind and she's
starting to hit shots that are much
easier feeling for her now than than
when she started the fourth drill we did
was simply repeat that same sequence
from back in no man's land and this adds
a little bit of extra challenge the
timing is a little bit more difficult
there's a little bit more time it feels
a little bit more like real life and I'm
just encouraging her to really focus in
on continuing to pull with her body and
keep her arm as passive as possible and
we're checking in with video by the way
making sure she's on the right track and
not sliding back into her old habit and
what we're looking for is her body to
keep leading and her arm to keep
following as passively as possible
before I show you her Baseline swings I
want you to look at her original
forehand swing again and watch for that
elbow and now that you kind you're kind
of attuned and know what we're looking
for look at how her arm is cutting in
line and jumping out ahead of her body
you see it and now I want you to compare
those to these which she did like 45
minutes later and watch the difference
in smoothness and the difference in
fluidity and she was hitting these balls
you can see her kind of commenting and
smiling here she was hitting these balls
with as much force and power as she was
before but with dramatically less
efforts dramatically more efficiency
it's because now her body is moving in
the right order and her arm isn't having
to work so hard this is how all highle
players hit their forehand this is how
the best players at your local courts
are able to look like they're trying so
little but hit the ball so hard if you
follow these same drills I'm really
confident you can start to move in that
same direction thanks for watching I
hope this is a really big help keep up
the good work on your game back at
home
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