Your Strokes: Danielle Dotzenrod: Forehand Evolution

How has Danielle’s forehand evolved since the first article?

When we first looked at Danielle Dotzenrod’s forehand, we documented the problems in her swing and showed how she made some fundamental changes to create a rock solid base for her forehand. (Click Here.)

Now in this article we’ll take a look at the further evolution of the shot. If you have seen Danielle appearing on our great new Tennis Channel ad, you may have already noticed the differences and how far she has advanced her technical swing. Basically her swing has gone “modern.” By that I mean she is hitting her basic drives with advanced elements including additional shoulder rotation and a full windshield wiper motion.

To me the way her forehand evolved is a fascinating test case. What technical elements should a player develop, and in which order? How far should a player seek to move toward the advanced forehand elements on the pro model?

The more I see the more I realize there aren’t any black and white answers. Some players will gravitate toward more advanced elements, incorporate them, and then make them work at their level. That seems to be the case with Danielle. So let’s see…