When we talk about the best techniques to improve our tennis groundstrokes,
we have to understand what are the “ingredients” that make Forehand and / or Backhand.
Each component quality can be improved and that process actually never ends.
You are witness that every professional player has a tennis
coach as well as a fitness coach.
So what are the main components that every stroke is consisted of?
Good quality stroke depends on 7 elements and if we, during the training,
manage with various techniques to improve at least one of these 7,
we did not waste our time:
1. swing
2. elbows
3. wrists
4. power i.e. speed
5. body weight transfer
6. precision
7. non dominant arm
1. Swing (back swing) is important because it gives to the stroke the beginning speed.
For better speed, we should use the racket Hight because we can use the
gravitation as our big help.
A coach will use his techniques to create
a swing trajectory that his student can easily remember.
2. Elbows can be used differently during the 3 stroke
phases (swing back – hit/contact – follow through). Depending of the
bio mechanics that the couch uses, elbows flex or extend. The third
option is that you keep the elbow straight.
3. Wrists are extremely important for our tennis. They create the “whip”
motion. It is crucial how we position our wrist i.e. palm because that part
of our body actually has a contact with a ball – via the racket.
4. From physics we learned that power depends on speed. Saying that,
a coach will use his techniques that can increase the hand ie racquet speed.
Exercises off the court are various workouts in the gym.
5. Crucial element in almost every sport is the weight transfer. Tennis is not
an exception. Every good tennis (sport) coach has to have exercise that can
create the right feeling of this transfer movement.
Good transfer is important for power, for precision and for
stability (after the stroke a player must be in balance, still (of course,
I am talking about a ball that is maximum few steps away, without running).
6. Precision has been always the priority in my teaching
methodology (Split method – MSM).
Accurate ball is more important than to hit strong but less precise.
A coach should really pay attention to this element and the first
exercise is to hit with the straight arm i.e. without bending
elbow of the dominant hand.
Precision is not only ball direction but the length as well!
7. Sadly I often see in various tennis schools around the world,
that the importance of non dominant hand is being
neglected.
In Forehand that arm starts the stroke first!
In One Handed Backhand that arm pulls the racket back and makes the balance
with the back movement. Same thing is in Backhand slice.
Two Handed Backhand, among other things, depends on good lever and it can be done
only by using “the other hand”. Interesting thing is that in this type of
backhand, our dominant hand is actually considered as non dominant
