Fade vs Draw

The different spins that can be placed on the ball

This is a brief outline that shares many of the important aspects of groundstrokes that can be enhanced by knowing how to use the Fade vs Draw Top-Spin Paradigm to augment the older Flat Drive vs Lifting Spin dichotomy.

Fade refers to the Spin put on the ball at contact, that will cause the ball to curve to the outside or away from the direction of the arc of the player's swing. An example is an opposite field hit in baseball.

Draw refers to the spin put on the ball at contact, that if sufficient, will cause the ball to curve or swerve in the same direction as the general arc of the swing path like a 'hook' in golf.

It is important to note this is used to describe the spin that a stroke will produce, because the horizontal curve of the ball flight may or may not actually be noticeably observable. While a horizontal curve of the shot may be useful for many reasons, it is not a primary reason for employing this concept, but instead this curve is a welcomed byproduct. These spins are not limited to Topspin, as Slices can be hit with Fade or Draw as well. For this article, the focus is on Top-Spin shots.

Taylor Fritz hitting a "Fade", similar to an opposite field hit in baseball.

Chuck Tomlin has been working over a decade to solve many of tennis's most vexing problems. In 2007, he was referred to John Carpenter, about info on hitting the rising ball. When told by accomplished coaches his theories were possibly unique and not known, he published "Smart Targets Hitting Lanes" in 2007, along with introducing the Fade and Draw to address the rising ball cognitively using a new paradigm.

Chuck works with coaches around the world to bring a higher resolution to tennis instruction via the Advance Tennis Foundation and the Congruent Tennis Model. He introduced many of his ideas in two chapters of Modern Tennis Instruction: A Historical Guide to Play Your Best Tennis. He currently is finishing his book on Advanced Tennis, doing seminars and teaches lessons in the Atlanta area.