Roger Federer and the Evolution of the Modern Forehand Part1: Page 2

Preparation with the body turn: a core element Roger shares with other players.

Preparation

Fortunately, I had more success understanding most of the other elements in Federer’s motion, starting with his preparation. Basic preparation is one thing that he definitely shares in common with the other top players. (Click Here to see these same elements traced across the grip styles.)

Like the other players we’ve looked at, Federer begins his preparation with a compact unit turn. His feet and shoulders start the motion by turning sideways, and there is little independent movement with the hands or racket. As we saw, the unit turn completes about half of the torso rotation in the backswing, rotating the shoulders until they are about 45 degrees to the net.

Completion of the Turn

The completion of the turn is also virtually identical to the other top players. Roger straightens his left arm and extends it across his body, until it points at the sideline, roughly parallel to the baseline and titled up or down at a slight angle, depending on the ball. His shoulders are turned somewhat past perpendicular to the net, and his chin is turned over his shoulder, looking toward the on…