Proper swing path/shape and follow through result from an understanding and awareness of how to contact the ball. Your swing will look one way if you focus on approaching the ball on edge and brushing the ball above the equator, and it will look another way if you focus on approaching the ball on face and hitting the ball at the equator. Your swing is shaped by how much drive vs brush you apply. Drive more and you look like Delpo, Berdych Sampras, and Agassi. Brush more and you look like Moya, Nadal, Davydenko, Sinner, etc.
I just gave a lesson where the player made incredible progress by just focussing on their follow-through. The swing path from start to finish improved, as did his ability to control the ball. Just because it will be shaped by other things doesn't mean it's not the greatest coaching tool we have. And the more amateur the coach is, the more they should use this coaching tool. You can then work backwards from the finish to identify what is preventing them from achieving an ideal follow-through.
I'm 83 & have been playing - uncoached - for 60 odd years & I got pretty good in spite of never being able to serve or hit killer ground shots but I could manoeuvre opponents & finish the point off using volleys. My bread & butter was a sliced backhand. Then along comes Bjorn & top spin & I'm hitting with some of the best players in the land. I realise there's a massive difference in their weight of shot compared to mine & I start trying to hit harder & use top spin only to ruin my unconscious 'swing paths' & developed soggy wrist syndrome. Have been trying for years to coach myself using YT videos, so I've watched tons of them & over & over again to no avail. It's been a saga of continuing disappointment ever since up to now. That is until last week when I finally managed a nice smooth swing path on my serve using a couple of balls in a sock - i've known about it for years but never understood or felt it & just then I came across your videos. The end result is that my game has gone from darkness to light & I feel that I could even get marks for 'artistic interpretation'! Your lessons are absolutely brilliant in their simplicity & clarity & super helpful. Yep, works of art. Thank you so very much. Btw I'm trying to place your accent - West Midlands maybe? Anyway thank you again.
I have started watching your videos a few days ago and I really like all the straightforward lessons. This particular one is so far the best that I have watched so far.
My god..........are those Reebok Pumps? They're magnificent. Between those and your snake skin Nike's, you have the best kicks to go along with the best instruction on TH-cam.
This makes so much sense to me, focusing on the destination keeps us on the right path. Thanks Tom really well explained. I’ll be testing this out tomorrow especially the serve where I seem to get jammed trying too hard to pronate, just let it go!
For my 2 hander, I watched Sinner's technique...he allows the left wrist to drop which promotes more topspin. Since going to that, the backhand has become a weapon again. Without that drop, you can't hit angles that cross the sideline before they cross the baseline as efficiently.
Maybe you're being deliberately polemical. Im not sure the people who say the follow through doesnt matter are saying that they are oblivious to it as part of an appropriate swing. They are saying that its a symptom or effect of the swing into contact and doesnt directly affect the flight of the shot. For a beginner its important to be aware of how a swing will finish if everything has been done correctly but its also important that they focus on the movement of their racket face relative to the incoming ball in order to produce a particular spin. The expected finish then makes sense as it is connected to the swing into contact. Ive seen many beginner and intermediate players making terrible preparatory counter movements but then trying to finish "as seen on tv" and ending up with forearm and elbo🎉w issues as they are forcing an internal rotation because they havent created the right energy transfer prior to the ball strike.
Proper swing path/shape and follow through result from an understanding and awareness of how to contact the ball.
Your swing will look one way if you focus on approaching the ball on edge and brushing the ball above the equator, and it will look another way if you focus on approaching the ball on face and hitting the ball at the equator.
Your swing is shaped by how much drive vs brush you apply. Drive more and you look like Delpo, Berdych Sampras, and Agassi. Brush more and you look like Moya, Nadal, Davydenko, Sinner, etc.
I just gave a lesson where the player made incredible progress by just focussing on their follow-through. The swing path from start to finish improved, as did his ability to control the ball. Just because it will be shaped by other things doesn't mean it's not the greatest coaching tool we have. And the more amateur the coach is, the more they should use this coaching tool. You can then work backwards from the finish to identify what is preventing them from achieving an ideal follow-through.
Hollllyyyyyy!!! Maurice who are you let’s chat!!! This is a thousand percent it.
I'm 83 & have been playing - uncoached - for 60 odd years & I got pretty good in spite of never being able to serve or hit killer ground shots but I could manoeuvre opponents & finish the point off using volleys. My bread & butter was a sliced backhand. Then along comes Bjorn & top spin & I'm hitting with some of the best players in the land. I realise there's a massive difference in their weight of shot compared to mine & I start trying to hit harder & use top spin only to ruin my unconscious 'swing paths' & developed soggy wrist syndrome. Have been trying for years to coach myself using YT videos, so I've watched tons of them & over & over again to no avail. It's been a saga of continuing disappointment ever since up to now. That is until last week when I finally managed a nice smooth swing path on my serve using a couple of balls in a sock - i've known about it for years but never understood or felt it & just then I came across your videos. The end result is that my game has gone from darkness to light & I feel that I could even get marks for 'artistic interpretation'! Your lessons are absolutely brilliant in their simplicity & clarity & super helpful. Yep, works of art. Thank you so very much. Btw I'm trying to place your accent - West Midlands maybe? Anyway thank you again.
I have started watching your videos a few days ago and I really like all the straightforward lessons. This particular one is so far the best that I have watched so far.
My god..........are those Reebok Pumps? They're magnificent. Between those and your snake skin Nike's, you have the best kicks to go along with the best instruction on TH-cam.
Quite awesome! You've raised the bar with this one. "You need good brakes if you're gonna drive fast!"
That’s gold, Tom! Thanks!
Simple and important, no funky stuff, thank you Tom
Thank you, Tom. I find your videos all very useful and they have helped me a lot.
This makes so much sense to me, focusing on the destination keeps us on the right path. Thanks Tom really well explained. I’ll be testing this out tomorrow especially the serve where I seem to get jammed trying too hard to pronate, just let it go!
Thank you Tom, very useful
I'm happy to say that I've heard this instruction in real time! 🙂 This is a great resource for me as I often need a refresher on my swing path.
Fabulous instruction defo learnt a few bits there. Think the pump helped the serve.
I needed this
I like the concept of the brake...this will help my players not flip the racket over on volleys!
Thanks for watching, Let me know what you think
This is brilliant, "if you have a good brake, you're not afraid to accelerate."
Very good. Thank you
Thank you 🙏🏾
Well done...🎾
For my 2 hander, I watched Sinner's technique...he allows the left wrist to drop which promotes more topspin. Since going to that, the backhand has become a weapon again. Without that drop, you can't hit angles that cross the sideline before they cross the baseline as efficiently.
❤
like
The ball is needed to send by hitting.
What does this mean?
Maybe you're being deliberately polemical. Im not sure the people who say the follow through doesnt matter are saying that they are oblivious to it as part of an appropriate swing. They are saying that its a symptom or effect of the swing into contact and doesnt directly affect the flight of the shot. For a beginner its important to be aware of how a swing will finish if everything has been done correctly but its also important that they focus on the movement of their racket face relative to the incoming ball in order to produce a particular spin. The expected finish then makes sense as it is connected to the swing into contact. Ive seen many beginner and intermediate players making terrible preparatory counter movements but then trying to finish "as seen on tv" and ending up with forearm and elbo🎉w issues as they are forcing an internal rotation because they havent created the right energy transfer prior to the ball strike.