Forehand Technique Drill
As discussed in the Forehand Quick Fix article in this database keeping the elbow in long enough during the forehand stroke is critical for generating power and helping with placement.
The following, simple corrective technique, made popular by Dennis Van der Meer, will help your students understand this mechanic better and learn to keep their elbow in during the stroke.
Step #1 — Player starts on baseline, with feeder at net. Feeder hits balls, while player hits his normal forehand down the line and crosscourt.
Step #2 — Coach asks the player to concentrate on keeping the elbow in during the stroke for as long as is comfortable, to see if player is hitting the stroke correctly, or if it can be adjusted.
Step #3 — Player comes to service line and turns around, facing fence. Feeder goes to opposite baseline. Player will now be hitting balls into the fence, to focus on technique, rather than outcome.
Step #4 — Player places a ball in between his elbow and side, just above the hip, on the forehand side. Feeder feeds ball, and player attempts to hit forehand, keeping the ball between the elbow and side until just before contact.
If the ball falls out as soon as the player begins his or her forward swing, watch to see if this signals a “roundhouse” forehand, as explained in the aforementioned article.
NOTE: Players should not be tense, pressing the ball into their hip throughout the shot. Have the player think of the ball as a loaf or bread. They want to keep the ball in place, but not crush it.
Step #5 — Once the player has hit a several shots with the ball between the side and elbow, and the coach and player feel the player is beginning to understand the correct elbow placement, have the player continue to hit balls into the fence without the ball between the elbow and hip.
Step #6 — Turn the player around and repeat steps #4 and #5 across the net, until the student feels comfortable with the new mechanic.
Progress from dead-ball feeding to live-ball, cooperative rallies, then to competitive drilling to make this technique change last. Just because the player feels good during a 10-minute drill, doesn’t mean the skill will last.
It’s important to note that there are several, sound ways to hit a forehand, with most having the elbow come out away from the body during the backswing. Most players may move their elbows away from their hip immediately during the backswing.
Almost all powerful forehands, however, have the elbow in at contact, as shown in the photos below.
The purpose of this drill is to get the player to feel his or her elbow in at contact, to bring the hips into play, rather than just the upper body.