Compressing the ball is kind of like the follow through.....when everything else happens the way it should before contact it will happen automatically. It isn't something you should really be "trying" to do.....when you body moves smoothly and efficiently compression will happen. Focus on high quality kinetic chain!
Hi Ian. The belly button! It’s an outcome achieved by using the kinetic chain. After five years arming my forehand, I’m finally using the kinetic chain on my FH, and I’ve noticed where my BB points. Your videos are great. Jeff
Sure someone already mentioned it, but we used to break down chain movement by talking "hips then nips to the net", but obviously that came with folks who took that as offensive instead of an anatomical comment. So I like the focus on belly button because it still denotes core movement.
I have a semiwestern grip and I want to get a more penetrating forehand and not as much spin...Alcaraz's forehand grip looks more like its a hybrid semiwestern/eastern. Ian what do you think?
It looks like a hybrid, but I'm watching it on my phone. Keep your spin, but learn how to drive the ball as well. In a baseline rally, I want the ball rising up to my opponent with weight behind it. To practice this, put an object, jr net, chair, or teaching cart on the on the service line on the opposite side of the net running parallel to the net. Practice hitting your crosscourt shots with the top of your arc being over the object. You will naturally have to start driving the ball more and will need the spin to bring the ball down inside the baseline and kicking up and through the court. Control the top of your arch, control your opponents. Good luck
This is great, Ian. However it is misleading, and inaccurate to say that his eyes are ON, or AT the point of contact. This is a myth that is often repeated by instructors and taken too literally by too many students (from what I've seen in my experience during 40 years as a USPTA technical coach). Students who try to " watch the ball all the way into the contact point, " or "see the ball hit the racket," often move their head just before contact and don't track the ball correctly. It's just like when you catch a ball in your hand; you don't look at your hand at the moment the ball lands in your hand. Look at where his eyes and nose are actually pointing at the moment of contact, and it's at least a couple of feet in front of the contact point. This is typical for all professional players. With many of them, their eyes are three or four feet in front of the contact point. HOWEVER, the critical element is that their head is steady, before, during and well after contact. But seriously, thank you very much for your many years of sincere dedication, and your valuable contribution to the education of tennis players! You do a fantastic job!
You are not explaining why the bellybutton is at first facing the camera. It is because he has twisted his torso. To hit the ball, the torso is released from the twist which creates effortless power.
I don’t know why I find this dude so irritating. I think it’s the pseudo assurance he portrays whilst talking complete nonsense and giving me at least the impression that he isn’t a proficient qualified coach but has rather cobbled his instruction by repeating some very basic phrases from TH-cam that are over used and often completely misunderstood. He may mean well but it feels inauthentic and so a bit like a con. He is simply not understanding the biodynamics of the stroke, nor analysing what Alcaraz is actually doing. He hasn’t a clue. Talking about belly button? It’s the hips and shoulders creating rotational energy that is transferred from the initial ground reaction force of the feet and movement from rear leg load to forward leg on the initial part of the kinetic chain before it transfers to to the shoulder through first and third class lever systems to the wrist and racket head. Alcaraz is taking the ball on the rise at different heights and his swing is changing accordingly. The low ball that he appears to be off balance is a common shot where the legs are not actively adding forward momentum but rather the wrist and arm flex sometimes bending at the elbow. At a top level almost every ball is hit on the rise and spin is naturally produced on the ball if you do this simply because of the angle of incidence the ball makes on the racket face. This has nothing to do with brushing up in the way that rec players do quite the opposite. It requires a flatter sawing path with an angled racket as seen here by Alcaraz. To illustrate these points once again probably to buy in some credibility points with his audience it is wholly unhelpful to show videos of pros and their technique without actually understanding what they are doing. A decent coach will always illustrate the point themselves on court and brea it down but I don’t think that this presenter is proficient enough to do this. When rec player set up they tend to hit the ball just after the top of the arc where the ball is effectively beginning to come down. The ball is moving slower as it drops and most players associate this with it being easier to hit. It isn’t. Especially not with top spin. This is where this exaggerated low to high or rainbow wind shield wiper stroke comes from most often as it matches the motion and angle of the ball as it comes down we hit up. Pros do use top spin but not in the way most rec players do and as a result it is wholly unhelpful to try to teach using pros as an example. It’s hard to know where to start to unpack why this coaching is so fundamentally wrong but it is.
@@EssentialTennisarm development has nothing to do with tennis. Federer, Sinner?? Players arm the ball to get out of trouble when their technique fails them. Being physically strong is a byproduct of core strength being and training eg medicine ball work etc. Alcaraz of all people uses a straight arm technique for forehand. No biceps involved as a power source.
Add 15mph to your forehand in just 15 minutes of practice with this free training: www.forehandpower.com/
Ian, I think you are by far the best (online) tennistrainer I know. Thank you very much for all your knowledge, explanation and tips.
I appreciate your support very much!
I love the shirtless tutorial. 😻🔥
😅
Seeing his belly button was very useful
The good part of using videos like this is you can see how the muscles work. Really great for instruction.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Ian, keep it up
You're very welcome
Great analysis, loved the editing :-)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very instructive. Thx
Awesome analysis!
Thanks for watching
Nice job Ian!
Thanks!
Great video, Ian, as always! Could you do one on the use of compression when hitting a forehand? Thanks,
Thanks for watching, Steve. Do you mean compressing the ball onto the racquet face?
@@EssentialTennis Yes.
Compressing the ball is kind of like the follow through.....when everything else happens the way it should before contact it will happen automatically. It isn't something you should really be "trying" to do.....when you body moves smoothly and efficiently compression will happen. Focus on high quality kinetic chain!
Hi Ian. The belly button! It’s an outcome achieved by using the kinetic chain. After five years arming my forehand, I’m finally using the kinetic chain on my FH, and I’ve noticed where my BB points.
Your videos are great.
Jeff
What App do you use where you can draw on the footage?
Do we need to knee down or just play with only hand and rotation of body?
I've noticed that all of his characteristics are similar to Roger's Including fully extended arm which is not the case for many players.
How long should you focus on the point of contact after the ball leaves the racket. Thanks Ian.
I was so focused on the... bellybutton, I didn't even see you there Ian 😅
😂
Sure someone already mentioned it, but we used to break down chain movement by talking "hips then nips to the net", but obviously that came with folks who took that as offensive instead of an anatomical comment. So I like the focus on belly button because it still denotes core movement.
I have a semiwestern grip and I want to get a more penetrating forehand and not as much spin...Alcaraz's forehand grip looks more like its a hybrid semiwestern/eastern. Ian what do you think?
It looks like a hybrid, but I'm watching it on my phone. Keep your spin, but learn how to drive the ball as well. In a baseline rally, I want the ball rising up to my opponent with weight behind it. To practice this, put an object, jr net, chair, or teaching cart on the on the service line on the opposite side of the net running parallel to the net. Practice hitting your crosscourt shots with the top of your arc being over the object. You will naturally have to start driving the ball more and will need the spin to bring the ball down inside the baseline and kicking up and through the court. Control the top of your arch, control your opponents. Good luck
@@rickbonner6252 Thanks, I appreciate you for at least responding to my question 🤣. I will have to try this drill.
@@beam6981 I was wondering how your journey into hitting a heavy driving forehand is going.
Backhand? Please
❤❤❤
Its basic rotation from the throwing motion. Why complicate it.
This is great, Ian. However it is misleading, and inaccurate to say that his eyes are ON, or AT the point of contact. This is a myth that is often repeated by instructors and taken too literally by too many students (from what I've seen in my experience during 40 years as a USPTA technical coach). Students who try to " watch the ball all the way into the contact point, " or "see the ball hit the racket," often move their head just before contact and don't track the ball correctly. It's just like when you catch a ball in your hand; you don't look at your hand at the moment the ball lands in your hand. Look at where his eyes and nose are actually pointing at the moment of contact, and it's at least a couple of feet in front of the contact point. This is typical for all professional players. With many of them, their eyes are three or four feet in front of the contact point. HOWEVER, the critical element is that their head is steady, before, during and well after contact. But seriously, thank you very much for your many years of sincere dedication, and your valuable contribution to the education of tennis players! You do a fantastic job!
Excellent comment, you're exactly right. Appreciate your support!
Thanks for your reply, Ian. I have recommended your videos to hundreds of students. Keep up the good work 👍😊🎾
You are not explaining why the bellybutton is at first facing the camera. It is because he has twisted his torso. To hit the ball, the torso is released from the twist which creates effortless power.
I always knew his belly button holds the key.
I don’t know why I find this dude so irritating. I think it’s the pseudo assurance he portrays whilst talking complete nonsense and giving me at least the impression that he isn’t a proficient qualified coach but has rather cobbled his instruction by repeating some very basic phrases from TH-cam that are over used and often completely misunderstood. He may mean well but it feels inauthentic and so a bit like a con. He is simply not understanding the biodynamics of the stroke, nor analysing what Alcaraz is actually doing. He hasn’t a clue. Talking about belly button? It’s the hips and shoulders creating rotational energy that is transferred from the initial ground reaction force of the feet and movement from rear leg load to forward leg on the initial part of the kinetic chain before it transfers to to the shoulder through first and third class lever systems to the wrist and racket head. Alcaraz is taking the ball on the rise at different heights and his swing is changing accordingly. The low ball that he appears to be off balance is a common shot where the legs are not actively adding forward momentum but rather the wrist and arm flex sometimes bending at the elbow. At a top level almost every ball is hit on the rise and spin is naturally produced on the ball if you do this simply because of the angle of incidence the ball makes on the racket face. This has nothing to do with brushing up in the way that rec players do quite the opposite. It requires a flatter sawing path with an angled racket as seen here by Alcaraz. To illustrate these points once again probably to buy in some credibility points with his audience it is wholly unhelpful to show videos of pros and their technique without actually understanding what they are doing. A decent coach will always illustrate the point themselves on court and brea it down but I don’t think that this presenter is proficient enough to do this. When rec player set up they tend to hit the ball just after the top of the arc where the ball is effectively beginning to come down. The ball is moving slower as it drops and most players associate this with it being easier to hit. It isn’t. Especially not with top spin. This is where this exaggerated low to high or rainbow wind shield wiper stroke comes from most often as it matches the motion and angle of the ball as it comes down we hit up. Pros do use top spin but not in the way most rec players do and as a result it is wholly unhelpful to try to teach using pros as an example. It’s hard to know where to start to unpack why this coaching is so fundamentally wrong but it is.
Looking at early pics of Alcaraz and his skinny arms shows me much more about his 'power' shots. Tennis is broken.
In the world of top 10 tennis, maybe. For the rest of us? Arm size has nothing to do with who wins and who loses.
@@EssentialTennis increasing 4 arm sizes (or whatever the specifics of his RAPID bulk-up was) is not natural, ...
@@EssentialTennisarm development has nothing to do with tennis. Federer, Sinner?? Players arm the ball to get out of trouble when their technique fails them. Being physically strong is a byproduct of core strength being and training eg medicine ball work etc. Alcaraz of all people uses a straight arm technique for forehand. No biceps involved as a power source.