Bent versus Straight Hitting Arms

Recently people have been asking me “What the best arm position on the forehand?” Here are some of the questions I get asked.

Do I get more racket head speed with a straight arm forehand? Is a bent arm forehand more consistent than a straight arm forehand?

Can a straight arm forehand cause injuries? Should I copy Nadal or Federer’s forehand technique?

I didn’t realize there was so much confusion about this but a Google search reveals all sorts of conflicting, wrong, and half true tennis tips from amateur coaches and self-proclaimed experts. No wonder people are confused!

Since I haven’t seen any other top level coaches with an understanding of sports biomechanics explain this I’ll do so in this two part article. I want to thank my good friend and colleague Brad Langevad for his help in the bio mechanic understanding of this work.

Here is what I’ll be covering. What a straight arm forehand is and looks like. What a bent-arm forehand is and looks like. Also the difference between tennis style and tennis technique.

Is a straight arm forehand or a bent arm forehand better? Why copying Federer and Nadal isn’t always a good idea.

Straight Arm