Topspin Forehand vs Flat Forehand - How To Master Both Tennis Forehands.

The topspin forehand versus the flat forehand. When should we use each one and how can we maximize the potential on both forehands? Hey everyone coach Simon here from Top Tennis Training and let's get stuck in right away. Now the flat forehand is a great way to finish points and to put your opponents under a massive amount of pressure because you're taking time away from them but it's also a high risk shot and it has to be used at the right moment. Now the topspin forehand is great for pushing players back making sure that you're safe because it's a more consistent rally shot and it's great for hitting angles. So both are very effective and both can be used to help you win points but it's important that we know how to maximize the potential on both that topspin shot and on that flat shot. So let's start with the topspin. How is topspin produced on our forehand? Now we can produce topspin by closing the strings. I can also produce topspin by brushing the ball so creating that low to high swing and this is done by having the rack ahead drop below that point of contact. Prior to me making contact I'm now brushing the ball and I feel like my energy and power is being directed towards that brushing effect more than hitting through that ball. So I'm brushing the back of the ball and this will create that aggressive topspin but also the net clearance which will then take the net out of play. So the brushing effect will have the biggest impact on producing that topspin but we can also use the ground force to produce more of that vertical swing path. That low to high swing can be improved by going down with our legs and driving up as we make contact. So when I'm loading for my forehand in general when I'm going for more topspin I'll be using the open or the semi-open stance and this is because it allows me to really load that outside leg and drive upwards with my power. So I'm loading up almost like a lunge. If we imagine doing a lunge in the gym you go down and you come up. Now think about doing a semi-lunge on your forehand. It's a semi-lunge, I'm in this position and as I hit the shot I now drive upwards which produces additional topspin and additional power which I can then transfer into the ball. Now with the flat forehand the swing path will change, the contact zone will change. Because we're thinking about flattening out that shot we don't want to produce as much spin. Of course there will still be some levels of topspin because it's almost impossible for me to hit a completely flat ball but what I want to do is make my swing more linear. So with topspin I'm going kind of low to high along with going forward somewhat. With a flatter shot I'm going to be more linear towards my target so my racket head should be staying longer on the ball. If you imagine a long french baguette and you want to extend your racket through that french baguette as you make contact with the ball this will help you hit the ball much flatter. So instead of pulling off the ball quickly I'm extending towards my target and then I finish the swing. And what will really help me do this well is using a neutral stance. Because the neutral stance allows me to go from the back leg to the front leg and forward as I make contact. So it's back leg, front leg, extend and then rotate. So that linear swing will be improved if I'm using the neutral stance. So a neutral stance from the front is where I get both feet in the same alignment and now I'm stepping through as I make contact. So the open stance allows me to drive upwards and produce more of that topspin. And then the neutral stance allows me to go through that contact point and produce that flatter shot. So neutral stance and extend towards my target. I want to feel like I'm leaning onto the ball with that neutral stance. I'm going from the back leg to the front leg leaning into the shot and extending with my racket towards my intended target. So now that you know how to execute both the topspin and the flat forehand when should we use either one? Now in general if we think about the net we want to eliminate the net, take it out of play. We don't want to be hitting balls into the net. A flat forehand is great for taking time away from the opponent but it's also a high risk shot and in general the flatter we hit the lower the ball will travel over the net. This can result in many balls actually going into the net. So in your standard rally you want to be building the point, constructing the point by taking the net out of play and this can be done by having more net clearance. Now I can push the ball which will give me that net clearance but my opponents will kill those balls if they're any good. So I still have to produce power when I have that net clearance and I can do this by having a lot of topspin. So that aggressive topspin will allow me to then lift the ball eliminating the net but get the ball to drop aggressively before the lines taking the lines out of play as well. So imagine a player like Rafa on clay he's taking the net out of play he's often rallying two or three net levels above the real net and he's having that aggressive spin to get the ball to dip before the lines. This also makes the bounce much more aggressive. The bounce with topspin will bounce much more vertically and aggressively than a flatter shot. Now one of the major downsides of the topspin is the ball will slow down because it's reacting with the air. So as it comes off my strings by the time it reaches my opponent it has slowed down massively because I've imparted a lot of topspin. So the way to counter that is then to hit the ball flatter. So to execute a flat shot aggressively but still maintain some high level of consistency we want to be making contact around shoulder or chest height. If the ball is quite low it's very hard for me to hit the ball flat and in unless I take a lot of pace off. If I want to maintain some power I want to be making contact on the flat balls around chest height. This will ensure that I don't have to hit with too much spin but I still have some degree of net clearance and this also allows me to be aggressive on those higher balls. So whenever we have a ball where we have more time and it's sitting up that's the time that you can step in use that neutral stance and hit that flatter shot. This will allow you to transfer the body weight forward and then you can always transition into the net after you hit that ball. So with constructing the points we're using that heavy topspin to push the player back or to use the width of the court with the angles. They give us an easier ball and that's when we can flatten it out. Now if you want more help with your forehand we have a free forehand guide that you can download right away. I'll leave the link beneath this video. All you have to do is click on that link that will take you to our website. Simply enter your email address and we'll send you that free pdf right away. So there you have it the topspin versus the flat forehand. I hope you've enjoyed this lesson. I hope you've learned something new and I hope you will use these tips to help you produce more spin but also more power and that flatter forehand. Now if you have enjoyed the lesson please smash the like button, subscribe to the channel of course and turn on the notification bell. Signing off, Coach Simon from T2T. All the best and see you soon guys. Go and smash those forehands!