Tennis tip of the week with coach Dan Barrie: Bend then extend on your forehand

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

When you hit through the contact point on your forehand you want to try to keep your racket at a fairly consistent distance from your body. This will typically be with a straight arm, although it is common, even in world-class forehands, to have a slightly bent elbow.
It is of utmost importance, however, that the degree, to which the elbow is bent, if at all, remains the same through the contact zone. This is a must in order to make clean contact with the ball and drive as much energy as possible through the back of the ball and towards the intended target.
Many players have the misconception that bending their elbow as they hit is the way to generate topspin. While this will help to achieve easy topspin it is not how you want to generate spin. Actively bending your elbow through contact will lead to miss-hits, poor control of shot depth and will encourage sub-optimal extreme grips.
The backswing is a different story. When you take the racket back you want your arm to be relaxed and you typically want to get the racket in position quickly.

Having some bend in the elbow may help you achieve this. But as you start to rotate your shoulders to drive towards the ball your hitting arm should then straighten out.
So remember to “bend then extend” and you’ll be on your way to a better forehand. See you on the court!

About Coach Dan:
Dan Barrie is the Tennis Director at Bahrain Tennis Academy (BTA). Based at the Dilmun Club, Saar and servicing students all over Bahrain, BTA is the oldest and largest academy on the island, providing professionally structured programs for both kids and adults, from those just starting out (from two years of age) to players with professional aspirations.

Dan has practiced with some of the world’s top players at the Dubai Tennis Championships, including 13-time French Open Champion, Rafael Nadal. He is the only teaching professional in Bahrain certified as an Elite Professional by the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), the world’s oldest and largest organisation of tennis teaching professionals. Dan can be reached at dan@bahraintennisacademy.com or by visiting BTA’s Facebook or Instagram accounts.