Forehand Differences: Pro Men Versus Pro Women

What are the differences in the pro forehand when we compare men and women? As a teaching professional for the last ten years, I’ve noticed big technical differences between men’s and women’s forehands from the pro level all the way down to the junior ranks.  Talking to other coaches, I’m not alone in this perception, and I think we will learn even more about these differences when Brian Gordon begins his forehand article series on Tennisplayer next year.  What I’ve noticed is also consistent with the spin data developed by Advanced Tennis Research (Click Here) that shows that players like Nadal, Federer, and Roddick hit with much greater ball rotation on forehands compared to their female counterparts on the WTA tour.  In this article, I’d like to break down the differences I see based on video in the Stroke Archive.  Theses differences are in the size and shape of the backswing, the configuration of the hitting arm, and the path of the forward swing. I also want to talk about my personal experience coaching women and what happens when you try to teach female players to hit a forehand with male technique.  Most women point the racket tip upward, while…