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Can we make any sense of the incredible diversity in pro backswings?
In the first article on the Modern Forehand we examined the surprising technical commonalities across the grip styles. These included the turn, the hitting arm position, the set up, and the universal finish position. However we noted that besides these common elements, there were significant technical differences in the forehands. So in future articles, I’ll examine the differences in the swing patterns across the range of grips: from Pete Sampras, to Andre Agassi to Gustavo Kuerten, and to Tommy Haas.
In this article, let’s start with the surprising variety of shapes and sizes of backswings. Then we’ll look at the differences in the forward swing, from the completion of the backswing through the end of the stroke.
The Backswing
Top players have many things in common on the forehand, regardless of grip style, but the backswing isn’t one of them. Take the racquet up and back in a loop, drop it down, and swing, how complicated could it be? In reality the backswing turns out to be the most complex and varied element in the modern forehand. When we look closely at the high speed video, we see…
