Little Bill Johnston’s Forehand: Ancient and Modern

Gorgeous historical film of the first great shot in tennis. Little Bill Johnson was the first great champion in tennis history. And his "western" forehand was one of the first great shots ever to be filmed. Taking a look at this rare historical footage gives us a chance to see and to analyze it for the first time anywhere, right here on Tennisplayer. I think you'll agree, it's an interesting mix of ancient and modern. In the animation, note the size of the backswing. No modern player goes nearly as high with his hand or takes the racket so far behind the body. The closed stance with the western grip is also very different from the modern game. But watch the rotation of the hand and arm and the finish on the left side. This has been called the "new" modern finish, but this footage of Little Bill puts that in a different historical perspective. The start of the legendary Little Bill forehand. The immediate full shoulder turn is essential. Today this motion is called the unit turn. Interestingly, this initial part of the stroke was the same in the 1920s as it is today. It's not a question of...