I am amazed at how much pro tennis you have watched and analyzed. I am watching footage of my own swing, and I have a straightish arm. Never paid attention to it before. Thanks for posting. I hope more people discover your channel
Another great video - something I have been struggling with for a couple of years. I naturally found, when i picked up tennis myself, that I have a semi western grip and a bent arm. I took coaching and was told to play with an eastern grip and a straight arm, hitting further in front and being less cramped. I automatically assumed a bent arm was wrong. I have been torn as to which one to use because, even after a couple of years of coaching, i still find a bent arm much more comfortable and am able to generate much greater pace. This video is so helpful in making me realise there's no "right" or "wrong"! Thank you!
looooong time fan. i’ve been filming my forehands trying force myself to hit straight arm. you set me free today. i like my forehand! i’ll keep working to make it better, but you have kept me from focusing on the wrong thing. thank you
I accidentally watched your videos, and have liked it a lot since. Your demonstration and explanations have been very clear, easy to understand and quite making sense. Thank you very much!!
@@IntuitiveTennis Hi, I have a kind of weird question here. My first serve hasn't been consistent at all, and so often times I would need to reply on 2nd serve. But, my 2nd serve is like volley ball and always gave my opponents an advantage or even a free point because they just striked back like nothing. So, my question is "How do you practice the 2nd serve"? I mean to be able to serve quite "safely" but with a little bit power on it. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this video. I have a bent arm forehand and when watching in slow motion it appears that it looks like poor spacing but now I realize that it’s just comfortable for me hitting in this style. I had been watching Federer & Nadal forehand’s & was wondering if I was doing it wrong. Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease.
What an interesting topic, Nik. This is the first time I've seen it discussed on TH-cam and thanks for working up those ATP and WTA stats. From a pure physics standpoint, a straight arm should have the power advantage since it increases the radius involved and, hence, the angular momentum. Of course, this assumes that the arm is purely passive, i.e., it is simply being dragged along by the uncoiling of the body's torso. Certainly club-level players power their shots with an active arm--perhaps mostly with an active arm--rather than the passive whip of the uncoiling torso. I suspect that the pros also have some degree of active arm motion and, given the fact that there seems no velocity advantage among the pros to the straight arm forehand, the more or less limited amount of active arm movement must compensate for the shorter radius. Something else that would be interesting to investigate: the modern forehand trajectory, as I understand it, is somewhat inside out as it traces its path from backswing to forward swing (unless you are a less advanced player who employs the old style circular vs vertical racquet swing technique). It would seem more difficult to achieve this inside-out movement with a straight arm unless some other factor comes into play to prevent a more circular path.
George, you are right! Right before the racquet starts approaching the ball the tip of the racquet will point to the left (on right handers). This is a byproduct of the unloading/acceleration into the ball and is not something that a player is conscious of, or should be conscious of. All high level forehands will have this particular technical element.
I completely agree with you, I also found that straight arm and one handed backhand for me were just natural, it just feels natural to me, like walking or running.
Great explanation. I usually hit FH with bent arm. Lately I had been watching the pro with extended arms. So I tried to change. Some balls were good as I had more time to place the ball, but as it is not my natural "way" of hitting, I started to make unforced errors. Conclusion this video cleared this issue. Many, many thanks. You are the best!! Keep posting please
Good video Nikola. In my case it can depend on the grip as well. My normal grip is right between the eastern and semi western. When I hit with that grip, not thinking about it consciously I hit with a straight arm. When I tried going with the semi western, my arm is pretty straight, but it is bent just a little bit, it's not completely locked in the elbow. And when I go full western, my arm is bent, I guess because the arm feels twisted in that grip and can't straighten. I love that you say there is no right or wrong. It's funny that everybody wants to have a straight arm because they watched a pro have one, how come they didn't watch the other 80 percent of pros that have a bent arm :)
To be honest with you, you are far the most technical coach and can simplified things effectively. Got back into tennis since 27 years ago and it’s my third month now. Planning to carry on until the day I can’t lift my racket up. Thank you for your campaign in teaching us that made more in love of the sports. Hats off sir! 🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Great video on an interesting topic that needs to be discussed to take away any myths out there. IMHO, I think it's just a balancing act in trying to find the best setup to control your power generation. A straight arm will provide more torque and hence more power, but if more power means you hit the ball out, your body will naturally compensate by bending the arm and reducing the torque to keep the ball in. No right or wrong, just what comes naturally, given your swing and your racquet setup. If you play with a bent arm and are consistently hitting short, straighten the arm to get more power (and vice versa, ceteris paribus of course). Statistically, the difference between WTA and ATP could simply be due to the power level of equipments used. WTA has more powerful racquets and hence more bent arms. ATP has less powerful racquets and hence more straight arms. It's just a balancing act.
Good analysis! you may consider also: best grip for straight arm is right in between eastern and semiwestern grip. For taller player the straight arm is easier to adopt. Straight arm generally fits those who play a one handed backhand because this stroke is also executed with a straight arm. Greatest advantage of straight arm is the superior vision technique as adopted by Federer. He hits the ball more out in front and this allows him to see the ball from behind the strings.
Giovanni, thank you. The modern FH contact actually makes it impossible to hit a straight arm forehand with a continental grip and it gets more comfortable as the grip shifts towards the western grips. In theory the easiest grip for the straight arm FH would be a full western grip. Karlovic, Opelka, Isner, Anderson, Raonic etc all have a bent arm forehand. I don’t see a correlation between height and a straight arm. Wawrinka, Thiem, Haas, Almargro, Robredo, Cuevas etc all have a bent arm forehand as well. No correlation between a one-handed BH and a straight arm FH. As far as seeing the ball, check out my research on the topic. th-cam.com/video/Ql9UPaaJbOw/w-d-xo.html
@@IntuitiveTennis thank you for the attention. You convinced me that there is no correlation between height and straight arm and neither between onehanded backhand and straight arm. Where you are definitely wrong is the claim that the easiest grip for straight arm would be a full western. Try to hold the racket with your left arm at a 45 degree angle in front of your chest. Grab the handle with your right hand and the arm stretched out. You will see that the natural grip is a semi western tending more to eastern. With a full western grip the racket face would face the ground. Federer and Tsitsipas use a grip between semiwestern and eastern, Del Potro uses an eastern grip. In my opinion the forehands of these 3 players are the most beautiful on the tour. The straight arm forehand has definitely something special to it.
Giovanni, before this gets too confusing I’ll say, yes Delpo, Fed and Tsitsipas have beautiful forehands and the straight arm works well with the eastern grip. I was saying in theory, the full western grip would work best for a straight arm FH bc it requires the least amount of wrist extension especially on high balls. If you tried to hit a high ball with an eastern grip with the arm fully extended, it would be quite uncomfortable, while very comfortable in a full western grip. I said in theory, bc there are no players that have a straight arm and a full western grip that I’m aware of.
I find it silly that coaches teach students to hit one way or another. Federer has a totally straight arm, Ferrer has a totally bent arm, and both have won titles. I know some things have to be taught, like using a continental as opposed to a forehand grip on a serve for pronation. One shouldn't fight with the body but rather cooperate with it.
Ah! Thank you so much for this! I was kinda "forced" by my tennis coach to get used to the straight arm forehand.. found it so hard to do that but I feel much more relieved after watching your video! I understand now that the choice is completely ours ! Thanks so much Nik!!!! :))
The funny thing is is straight arm is what always felt natural to me, I actually tried to use a bent arm, because everybody I knew said I should, and I tried for a few months but I ended up getting worse at the game because of it, so I just went back to a straight arm.
Thanks for another useful video. I have just discovered your channel. Do you have a video where you break down what aspects of play are conscious and what are best left to intuition/feel?
Saw this video 2 years back...started using the bent arm after watching my 7 year old kid playing that way and realised that maybe I am able to put a lot more of my body into the shot with the bent arm and just focus on feet positioning rather than my hands.
@@IntuitiveTennis I guess it requires a bit more muscle force to do, because if you look at the guys who hit like that they are built like trucks in their upper body for a tennis player.
Thank you, appreciate and respect your approach to teaching proper tennis techniques. One uses what is most effective based on the athlete's body and abilities. When the movement feels natural it becomes powerful. You're right, it is intuitive. The principle would apply to any sport.
Interesting video and something I just noticed about both Rafa and Federer. In my experience, I get way more free topspin when I hit with a straight arm. I just hit really heavy balls.
if you rely on your arm for power than yes. If you have a decent technique and balance the power between legs/body and arm then I would say no. It's all in how tense you keep your arm. Having the arm bent too heavily as well can cause tennis elbow. I think it's more a concept of how relaxed the arm is, and that is strictly related to how decent the technique is.
hmm, intersting. I use to have a little bend intially. I started copying federer and straightned my arm. Initially on, I felt that I was less in control of the ball as it was now further away from my body, but I found that I can generate much more speed and power with the locked elbow. Over time the control has improved as well. What I think is more important is everytime you mishit with a locked elbow, that is putting a lot of shock on the joint. Now couple that with high string tension and a stiff racquet, and welcome to elbow injury issues. I feel bent elbow does not put that same shock on the joint
It absolutely is related to the grip. I have a video coming out in a few weeks about the classic forehand, where I talk about the relationship between the continental grip and the straight arm. Nice call. 👍👍
WEll, what if my "natural" stroke is just wrong? For example I play the ball too close to the body and too late (next or even behind my body) and thus my forehand swing is really abbreviated. Wouldn't it be a good idea to try to change it to a "stiff arm" then? Because if I force a stiff arm, I would have to play in front and out of my body.
Lol....learn something new everyday...I re-worked my forehand at around 22. I hit with a straight arm, had no idea this was even rare at all. To me it was letting gravity do some work.
Sand J, we don’t know. However, when Federer was a teen, no one was teaching the straight arm FH. It’s a modern teaching method. To be sure we’ll have to ask Rog.
If you can alternate between a straight and bent forehand this is an excellent way to throw off your opponent but only the top 0.01 of players can do it.
The more the arm is straight, the longer (bigger) is the lever, thus the shot has more power. That's physics. If you can hit with a bigger lever, why not? No wonder Fed and Nadal are who they are (of course it's not just that, but they are icons) Also Delpo hits with a straight arm and his FH is incredibly powerful. I disagree with the video. It's harder to use the straight arm, but if you can, do it
Learn The Croatian Serve 🇭🇷 (FREE COURSE)
👉🏻 bit.ly/tcs1977
Great advice: "Don't spend time thinking about it...... do what comes naturally!"
I am amazed at how much pro tennis you have watched and analyzed. I am watching footage of my own swing, and I have a straightish arm. Never paid attention to it before. Thanks for posting. I hope more people discover your channel
Thank you for the kind words.
Another great video - something I have been struggling with for a couple of years. I naturally found, when i picked up tennis myself, that I have a semi western grip and a bent arm. I took coaching and was told to play with an eastern grip and a straight arm, hitting further in front and being less cramped. I automatically assumed a bent arm was wrong. I have been torn as to which one to use because, even after a couple of years of coaching, i still find a bent arm much more comfortable and am able to generate much greater pace. This video is so helpful in making me realise there's no "right" or "wrong"! Thank you!
looooong time fan. i’ve been filming my forehands trying force myself to hit straight arm. you set me free today. i like my forehand! i’ll keep working to make it better, but you have kept me from focusing on the wrong thing. thank you
This was fabulous advice! Such a relief to hear a coach say your body will do it naturally and not to force it.
Clyta, thank you! Yes no need to spend any time thinking about arm structure.
I accidentally watched your videos, and have liked it a lot since. Your demonstration and explanations have been very clear, easy to understand and quite making sense. Thank you very much!!
Glad this accident happened
Thank you Jack
🙏🙏
@@IntuitiveTennis Hi, I have a kind of weird question here. My first serve hasn't been consistent at all, and so often times I would need to reply on 2nd serve. But, my 2nd serve is like volley ball and always gave my opponents an advantage or even a free point because they just striked back like nothing. So, my question is "How do you practice the 2nd serve"? I mean to be able to serve quite "safely" but with a little bit power on it. Thanks.
Jack, excellent question and this video answers it:
th-cam.com/video/U39OzzOxaMM/w-d-xo.html
Yes, It's amazing how many tennis players you watched and analyzed.
Predrag, it’s a passion of mine.
Hvala
Now I feel better about my forehand
Thank you so much for this video. I have a bent arm forehand and when watching in slow motion it appears that it looks like poor spacing but now I realize that it’s just comfortable for me hitting in this style. I had been watching Federer & Nadal forehand’s & was wondering if I was doing it wrong. Thanks so much for putting my mind at ease.
What an interesting topic, Nik. This is the first time I've seen it discussed on TH-cam and thanks for working up those ATP and WTA stats.
From a pure physics standpoint, a straight arm should have the power advantage since it increases the radius involved and, hence, the angular momentum. Of course, this assumes that the arm is purely passive, i.e., it is simply being dragged along by the uncoiling of the body's torso. Certainly club-level players power their shots with an active arm--perhaps mostly with an active arm--rather than the passive whip of the uncoiling torso. I suspect that the pros also have some degree of active arm motion and, given the fact that there seems no velocity advantage among the pros to the straight arm forehand, the more or less limited amount of active arm movement must compensate for the shorter radius.
Something else that would be interesting to investigate: the modern forehand trajectory, as I understand it, is somewhat inside out as it traces its path from backswing to forward swing (unless you are a less advanced player who employs the old style circular vs vertical racquet swing technique). It would seem more difficult to achieve this inside-out movement with a straight arm unless some other factor comes into play to prevent a more circular path.
George, you are right! Right before the racquet starts approaching the ball the tip of the racquet will point to the left (on right handers). This is a byproduct of the unloading/acceleration into the ball and is not something that a player is conscious of, or should be conscious of. All high level forehands will have this particular technical element.
Good work Nik, lots of interesting stats, great demo and explanation. Thank you. Gordon
Gordon, thanks a lot. Appreciate the support
I completely agree with you, I also found that straight arm and one handed backhand for me were just natural, it just feels natural to me, like walking or running.
Alen X, thanks bro. Yeah it has to feel right. 👌
Great explanation. I usually hit FH with bent arm. Lately I had been watching the pro with extended arms. So I tried to change. Some balls were good as I had more time to place the ball, but as it is not my natural "way" of hitting, I started to make unforced errors. Conclusion this video cleared this issue. Many, many thanks. You are the best!! Keep posting please
Thank you Doris, I will keep going
Good video Nikola. In my case it can depend on the grip as well. My normal grip is right between the eastern and semi western. When I hit with that grip, not thinking about it consciously I hit with a straight arm. When I tried going with the semi western, my arm is pretty straight, but it is bent just a little bit, it's not completely locked in the elbow. And when I go full western, my arm is bent, I guess because the arm feels twisted in that grip and can't straighten.
I love that you say there is no right or wrong. It's funny that everybody wants to have a straight arm because they watched a pro have one, how come they didn't watch the other 80 percent of pros that have a bent arm :)
Well said
Best coach on youtube Nikola!
Ronnie, thank you 🙏
Thank you for clearing it out for me! I was having a hard time straightening my arm on contact! I will stay my comfort bent arm swing!
💪💪👍
To be honest with you, you are far the most technical coach and can simplified things effectively. Got back into tennis since 27 years ago and it’s my third month now. Planning to carry on until the day I can’t lift my racket up. Thank you for your campaign in teaching us that made more in love of the sports. Hats off sir! 🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
@@TheKenchi01 🙏🙏💪💪
Very well explained. Thank you Nick!
Great video on an interesting topic that needs to be discussed to take away any myths out there. IMHO, I think it's just a balancing act in trying to find the best setup to control your power generation. A straight arm will provide more torque and hence more power, but if more power means you hit the ball out, your body will naturally compensate by bending the arm and reducing the torque to keep the ball in. No right or wrong, just what comes naturally, given your swing and your racquet setup. If you play with a bent arm and are consistently hitting short, straighten the arm to get more power (and vice versa, ceteris paribus of course). Statistically, the difference between WTA and ATP could simply be due to the power level of equipments used. WTA has more powerful racquets and hence more bent arms. ATP has less powerful racquets and hence more straight arms. It's just a balancing act.
The Chairman, I agree. Well said
Just great as all pther videos of this channel! Tnx
Interesting take on this topic. Thank you for pointing out those stats, gives a lot of perspective.
Good analysis! you may consider also: best grip for straight arm is right in between eastern and semiwestern grip. For taller player the straight arm is easier to adopt. Straight arm generally fits those who play a one handed backhand because this stroke is also executed with a straight arm. Greatest advantage of straight arm is the superior vision technique as adopted by Federer. He hits the ball more out in front and this allows him to see the ball from behind the strings.
Giovanni, thank you.
The modern FH contact actually makes it impossible to hit a straight arm forehand with a continental grip and it gets more comfortable as the grip shifts towards the western grips. In theory the easiest grip for the straight arm FH would be a full western grip.
Karlovic, Opelka, Isner, Anderson, Raonic etc all have a bent arm forehand. I don’t see a correlation between height and a straight arm.
Wawrinka, Thiem, Haas, Almargro, Robredo, Cuevas etc all have a bent arm forehand as well. No correlation between a one-handed BH and a straight arm FH.
As far as seeing the ball, check out my research on the topic. th-cam.com/video/Ql9UPaaJbOw/w-d-xo.html
@@IntuitiveTennis thank you for the attention. You convinced me that there is no correlation between height and straight arm and neither between onehanded backhand and straight arm.
Where you are definitely wrong is the claim that the easiest grip for straight arm would be a full western. Try to hold the racket with your left arm at a 45 degree angle in front of your chest. Grab the handle with your right hand and the arm stretched out. You will see that the natural grip is a semi western tending more to eastern. With a full western grip the racket face would face the ground. Federer and Tsitsipas use a grip between semiwestern and eastern, Del Potro uses an eastern grip. In my opinion the forehands of these 3 players are the most beautiful on the tour. The straight arm forehand has definitely something special to it.
Giovanni, before this gets too confusing I’ll say, yes Delpo, Fed and Tsitsipas have beautiful forehands and the straight arm works well with the eastern grip.
I was saying in theory, the full western grip would work best for a straight arm FH bc it requires the least amount of wrist extension especially on high balls. If you tried to hit a high ball with an eastern grip with the arm fully extended, it would be quite uncomfortable, while very comfortable in a full western grip.
I said in theory, bc there are no players that have a straight arm and a full western grip that I’m aware of.
Excellent video. Congrats!
Dim, thank you. I appreciate it 🙏
Great Job sir!!! Love the videos.
Thomas, thanks a lot 👍
Thanks for the explanation!
👍
Now i am thinking about it! Great video Nick. 😀
the straight arm forehand is much tougher to master than the bent arm forehand. pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl are all bent arm
Also Agassi!
I find it silly that coaches teach students to hit one way or another. Federer has a totally straight arm, Ferrer has a totally bent arm, and both have won titles. I know some things have to be taught, like using a continental as opposed to a forehand grip on a serve for pronation. One shouldn't fight with the body but rather cooperate with it.
well said satyu 👍👍
satyu131089 Yeah, Ferrer totally has as good a forehand as Federer.
Ah! Thank you so much for this! I was kinda "forced" by my tennis coach to get used to the straight arm forehand.. found it so hard to do that but I feel much more relieved after watching your video! I understand now that the choice is completely ours ! Thanks so much Nik!!!! :))
🫶
This was helpful. Thank you
Duane, 👍
The funny thing is is straight arm is what always felt natural to me, I actually tried to use a bent arm, because everybody I knew said I should, and I tried for a few months but I ended up getting worse at the game because of it, so I just went back to a straight arm.
Thanks for another useful video. I have just discovered your channel. Do you have a video where you break down what aspects of play are conscious and what are best left to intuition/feel?
Frank, coming soon!!
Thanks for the comment
Saw this video 2 years back...started using the bent arm after watching my 7 year old kid playing that way and realised that maybe I am able to put a lot more of my body into the shot with the bent arm and just focus on feet positioning rather than my hands.
Thaaaaaaank you! I feel confident now.
my arm goes bent, straight, straight. Like Verdasco and Nadal(when he ''regular'' forehands)
Nothing wrong with that glad man
@@IntuitiveTennis I guess it requires a bit more muscle force to do, because if you look at the guys who hit like that they are built like trucks in their upper body for a tennis player.
Thank you so much for another great tips coach. Happy day.🌞🌛
Thank u Lingua
Thank you, appreciate and respect your approach to teaching proper tennis techniques. One uses what is most effective based on the athlete's body and abilities. When the movement feels natural it becomes powerful. You're right, it is intuitive. The principle would apply to any sport.
sfbusinessfinancing, spot on! Thank you 🙏
it depends a lot of the grip either most eastern forehands goes with strait arm and western or semi western bent arm
Hello.Could you please do a forehand analysis of Milos Raonic? Thank you 😃😃
Sure
@@IntuitiveTennis it would be great and one of the only👏👏
Interesting video and something I just noticed about both Rafa and Federer. In my experience, I get way more free topspin when I hit with a straight arm. I just hit really heavy balls.
Nate, 👍
so perfect explanation ... I always thought more atp player play with straight arm !!
I'm wondering: does the bent arm FH protect you from tennis elbow??? Is the straight arm more likely to initiate tennis elbow??
if you rely on your arm for power than yes. If you have a decent technique and balance the power between legs/body and arm then I would say no. It's all in how tense you keep your arm. Having the arm bent too heavily as well can cause tennis elbow. I think it's more a concept of how relaxed the arm is, and that is strictly related to how decent the technique is.
hmm, intersting. I use to have a little bend intially. I started copying federer and straightned my arm. Initially on, I felt that I was less in control of the ball as it was now further away from my body, but I found that I can generate much more speed and power with the locked elbow. Over time the control has improved as well. What I think is more important is everytime you mishit with a locked elbow, that is putting a lot of shock on the joint. Now couple that with high string tension and a stiff racquet, and welcome to elbow injury issues. I feel bent elbow does not put that same shock on the joint
I guess it is also related to what you grip is. Players with eastern grip tend to have a more straight arm.
It absolutely is related to the grip.
I have a video coming out in a few weeks about the classic forehand, where I talk about the relationship between the continental grip and the straight arm.
Nice call. 👍👍
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you. This is a interesting topic I want to learn.
🙏👍
from mr feeltennis, i think about mindset of racket as a tool or a weight..
well said
Scotland Pinoy, thank you 🙏 👍
WEll, what if my "natural" stroke is just wrong? For example I play the ball too close to the body and too late (next or even behind my body) and thus my forehand swing is really abbreviated.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to try to change it to a "stiff arm" then? Because if I force a stiff arm, I would have to play in front and out of my body.
Jemand, the correct contact point depends on the positioning of the torso at contact and not the arm structure
How do I prevent my arm from bending too much at contact? I always open my racquet because of bending.
Lol....learn something new everyday...I re-worked my forehand at around 22. I hit with a straight arm, had no idea this was even rare at all. To me it was letting gravity do some work.
lee, if it suits you then continue with it. Thanks for watching!
Hmmm...
Do ball speed statistics exist on the variations?
Do you think straight air forehand has higher tennis elbow risk?
Love your thoughts but Federer moved from a bent arm to straight arm - Why?
SandJ, when he was very young he had a slight bend that straightened out in his teens. Happened naturally
Thank you - how do we know it was just natural transition?
Sand J, we don’t know. However, when Federer was a teen, no one was teaching the straight arm FH. It’s a modern teaching method. To be sure we’ll have to ask Rog.
Thank you for your time.
Sand J, no problem
I learned a straight arm forehand. All I had to do was switch to an eastern grip
Masha, if it works for you that’s great
This was 2018 and Carlos Alcaraz is now world number 1 with a straight arm forehand!
Not anymore. Djokovic (aka the 🐐)has it bent, which again, proves Nik's point 👉 .
If you can alternate between a straight and bent forehand this is an excellent way to throw off your opponent but only the top 0.01 of players can do it.
“He himself might not be aware that he’s straight”
👍
You know how you said you think bent and straight arm is genetic? I found that funny because I can use both with ease.
The more the arm is straight, the longer (bigger) is the lever, thus the shot has more power. That's physics. If you can hit with a bigger lever, why not?
No wonder Fed and Nadal are who they are (of course it's not just that, but they are icons)
Also Delpo hits with a straight arm and his FH is incredibly powerful.
I disagree with the video. It's harder to use the straight arm, but if you can, do it