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JAK'S MONTHLY ESSAY SERIES: Achieving Your Personal Best

Every Tennis Player Can and Should Have a Weapon

October 2021

Since the forehand is the most easily acquired shot for most, in time it can also be elevated to weapon status if motivated. Developing even a simply reliable backhand – one or two-handed – takes more time, especially the one-hander. That's why, unlike why pro players are utilizing it, there's the "runaround" out of necessity for many in Clubland.

Bjorn Borg, the Father of today's topspin forehand.

Bjorn Borg, the Father of today's topspin forehand.

The serve, particularly the spin serve – sadly never achieved by so many clubbers - takes even longer to own. And, being good around the net, including taking ball in the air from anywhere on the court when necessary, is always a work in progress, even for experienced players.

So, whether you're a weekend or weekday warrior, and even those we admire on the pro tours, these realities hold true, albeit to varying degrees.

Roger Federer's follow through with heavy wrist action.

Roger Federer's follow through with heavy wrist action.

Of course the topspin forehand is the coin of the realm in today's pro game. The degree of topspin varies from player to player at any level. As shared in a previous essay, Rafa Nadal's reported 50 RPS (that's revolutions per second – why on Earth do "they" continually reference this as RPMinute when per second is far more applicable to tennis' dynamic ?) is among the most extreme, if not the most extreme, in the tour game causing lots of problem for opponents who do not normally experience the off the charts degree of the Spaniard's last moment, explosive, steep ascent off the bounce with that extra "gas."

Nonetheless, other pros choose to "flatten-out" their shots – often accompanied by gushing kudos from the announcing team (?) - reducing spin and margins and increasing difficulty, at least in theory, in order to get their ball through the court quicker, preferring to take time away.

Vica Azarenka dropping back shoulder.

Vica Azarenka dropping back shoulder.

Younger pros once used to ask me, because of my Jimmy Connors connection way back (Jimmy Connors Tennis Center Pro and ultimately Director at the Sanibel Harbour Resort), why Jimmy hit mostly flat. I always deadpanned, "Because he could."

My own forehand version, my own weapon of choice too, albeit with a not so radical so-called "modern" grip position, is a product of an earlier epoch. Yet, it has nonetheless evolved over the years to be less one dimensional mostly due to the far more advanced equipment that's both more forgiving and powerful, versus the attributes of the heavy war club Jack Kramer Autograph I cut my teeth on.

In vogue lately, more than one ESPN tennis commentator has pointedly addressed the two positional versions of forehands:

Novak Djokovic in the open stance.

Novak Djokovic in the open stance.

1) The classic closed stance with its "front foot power" potential (left footed last step footwork for a righty) in a more sideways to the net alignment that can readily capitalize on short balls with its typically somewhat flatter ball;

2) the open stance (now driving off the back right leg) while partially facing the net, is anatomically better suited for generating more topspin, plus also more adaptable when defending on-the-stretch, or versus deep penetrating shots that result in a more challenging contact point that's not going to be so comfortably in front, as in the closed stance opportunities.

Since both approaches should ideally be in your back pocket. Players should read an opponent's shot right as it's coming off their racket, determine its pace, trajectory, spin and depth to instantly commit to a best suited closed or open shot making position.

Pro player demonstrating "flying elbow."

Pro player demonstrating "flying elbow."

You might need to enlist a coach to help with a transition to a bona fide topspin forehand from a relatively flat one, especially if you're trying to go big. In the meantime here are a few cues (not necessarily literal) that I have found players respond well to in first learning the shot, and then improving it, which you can experiment with on your own:

  • Visualize a rainbow like, looping trajectory over the net… a shot "flight plan."
  • Closed racket face in both ready position and in early C-loop prep (grip adjustment?).
  • In initiating the stroke dip racket below the projected contact point…drop back shoulder.
  • Brush up the backside of the ball.
  • Roll over the top of the ball with a loose wrist action and a "flying" elevated elbow.
  • Allow a decelerating follow through to seek its own natural finishing path

Remember, trial and correction. There are no overnight sensations.

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Past Essays

  • April 2024 - Coulda, shoulda got that: The Art of Poaching
    [read more]
  • March 2024 - Get Your JuJu On
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  • February 2024 - Giving Opponents too Much Respect
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  • January 2024 - Rally Ball Or Pull The Trigger
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  • December 2023 - The Forgotten Stop Volley
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  • November 2023 - "You're Only as Good as Your Second Serve"
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  • October 2023 - good misses vs bad misses
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  • September 2023 - Why good players are good players!
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  • August 2023 - On poaching and fake poaching: Becoming a Force at the Net in Doubles
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  • July 2023 - The Beautiful Game is Getting Ugly
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  • June 2023 - The Approach Dropper: Lob Killer
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  • May 2023 - Why club players don't practice
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Essay Archives

Click a year to view more essays

2023

  • April 2023 - DON'T FIGHT TIGHT
    [read more]
  • March 2023 - Classic finish line failure
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  • February 2023 - Defending the lob over your net partner - The "Switch"
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2022

  • December 2022 - E. I. D. - Extended Impact Duration
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  • November 2022 - Movement Enhancement to Stay Better In-Point Connected
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  • September 2022 - Advanced Visualization 301
    [read more]
  • August 2022 - Tennis' uniqueness: warming-up the enemy
    [read more]
  • July 2022 - Extracting Double Faults Through Receiving Positions... and more
    [read more]
  • June 2022 - Consider Serve and Volley
    [read more]
  • May 2022 - How the Toss Primes the Serve Relaxation Pump
    [read more]
  • April 2022 - Ball Watching and Science
    [read more]
  • March 2022 - Caving
    [read more]
  • February 2022 - Kenny G and Emmo
    [read more]
  • January 2022 - The Knees
    [read more]

2021

  • December 2021 - The Match is with You
    [read more]
  • November 2021 - The Backup Racket in Your Bag
    [read more]
  • October 2021 - Every Tennis Player Can and Should Have a Weapon
    [read more]
  • September 2021 - LEARNING NEW SKILLS: First the Process, Then the Results
    [read more]
  • August 2021 - The Challenge of Visualizing… For Some
    [read more]
  • July 2021 - Playing with both your feet and your hands
    [read more]
  • June 2021 - Finding the Range
    [read more]
  • May 2021 - The Focus
    [read more]
  • April 2021 - About Your Butt Cap
    [read more]
  • March 2021 - The Essential Forehand and Backhand
    [read more]
  • February 2021 - On Being a Doubles All-Courter
    [read more]
  • January 2021 - Same Grip Volleying Myths
    [read more]

2020

  • December 2020 - On mechanics and style
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  • November 2020 - THE BIG 3: The Glue That Keeps Your Best Game Together
    [read more]
  • September 2020 - Protocol and Game Tradition Revisited
    [read more]
  • August 2020 - As Good as Your 2nd Serve
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  • July 2020 - Shot Shaping
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  • June 2020 - Getting a Point in Jeopardy Back to Neutral
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  • May 2020 - A Positive Mind-Set: On and Off the Court in Today's C-19 Reality
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  • April 2020 - The Zombie Tennis Creed – Top Ten
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  • March 2020 - A Roadmap Into "The Zone"
    [read more]
  • February 2020 - The service toss: myths and realities
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  • January 2020 - Shot Gazing
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2019

  • December 2019 - The Dreaded High Bouncing Moonball Dilemma
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  • November 2019 - Chalk Flew: Troublesome Line Calling without Hawkeye in Clubland [read more]
  • October 2019 - In the Spirit of Don't Drink and Drive… Don't Think and Hit [read more]
  • September 2019 - Old School vs New School [read more]
  • August 2019 - Getting the Ball Where You Want It [read more]
  • July 2019 - Taking Points Off…What? [read more]
  • June 2019 - Confidence Is Confidence: Take It Wherever You Can Get It [read more]
  • May 2019 - TENNIS INNOVATION IMPLODES [read more]
  • April 2019 - Defending the Court with Older Bones: A Club Player's Guide to Saying "Nice Shot" Less [read more]
  • March 2019 - Do You Have Doubles Rally Tolerance? [read more]
  • February 2019 - I Knew Jimy Van Alen: A Historical Look Back [read more]
  • January 2019 - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste: Mental Toughness Skills [read more]

2018

  • December 2018 - Less Bling is the Thing [read more]
  • November 2018 - Anatomy of a Doubles Serve Return…from the Inside Out [read more]
  • October 2018 - Older Dogs and New Tricks: Still Improving at Any Age [read more]
  • September 2018 - The All-Important Dynamic of Gripping [read more]
  • August 2018 - The Cinemascope Syndrome: Undermining Your Ball Watching [read more]
  • June 2018 - Serving and Returning Better with a Quiet Eye [read more]
  • May 2018 - The Man Who Breathed for Two [read more]
  • January 2018 - Rituals Anyone? [read more]

2017

  • December 2017 - Why Serving is so Difficult in Clubland [read more]
  • October 2017 - Managing your body and mind in tennis space [read more]
  • August 2017 - Why Bother Breathing to Improve Your Game [read more]
  • May 2017 - The "Maintaining" One's Game as One Ages Fallacy [read more]
  • February 2017 - Punta Gorda Tennis Clubs: Setting the Bar [read more]
  • January 2017 - State of the Club Game: The Growing Death of Sportsmanship [read more]

Check back often for more essays.