Federer's Forehand

IS IMBA O_O

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There's hasn't been much to blog about recently. Same old routine. Loads of work, loads of upcoming exams. For one, GeogRA test on thurs on TNCs. Interesting topic though.

Math CCT on Week 6 about differentiation and applics. of diff.

SHOWCASE PORTFOLIO - Week 7. I am going to die for my CCA record.

English Biography Wiki.

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Anyway, some eye candy (review courtesy of Tennis.com):

Federer uses an extreme eastern grip, placing his grip in between the conventional eastern grip and the semi western grip. The first picture shows Federer supporting the racquet with his left hand, allowing for maximum shoulder turn. Federer typically takes long fluid strides towards the ball, accompanied by small adjustment steps. In picture 2, Federer's shoulder's are fully turned.

After taking a big stride to reach this point, Federer is now calculating the distance of his next step so the ball will be at the perfect point for contact. Although he’s preparing to hit a low ball, he’s taken his racquet back quite high. Federer’s left arm remains to the right side, still assisting in his shoulder turn. In this frame and the next one his rotation is so complete that you can see much of his back.

Federer is lowering his body with his legs (not bending at the waist) and starting to bring his racquet down. Notice how the racquet face is closed (the strings are facing down). This is due in part to his grip, but also because of the way he leads his backswing with his elbow, pronating his forearm. It becomes more obvious here that Federer will be using a semi-open stance to take the ball - one which allows for hip and shoulder rotation, yet for weight transfer forwards into the ball. I don't think his opponent will like this shot.

As he starts his forward swing, Federer begins to open his torso and bring his left arm around to the front of his body. The string bed is still facing the ground. The oncoming ball is low—you can tell because he’s looking down—but his head has barely moved throughout the sequence. Federer follows the ball by moving his eyes while keeping his head as still as possible.

Federer has opened up completely at this point and his body is facing his target. His racquet has come forward with tremendous speed and he’ll make contact at a point that’s even with his right foot. Notice how he keeps his left hand close to his body. Just as figure skaters pull their arms close to spin faster, Federer tucks in his left arm to help his upper body turn more quickly and to get more racquet-head speed. Here we also get a good look at his extreme eastern grip.

Though he’s well past striking the ball, Federer’s eyes are still glued to the point of contact. This is one of the reasons Federer makes such consistent contact on his shots. His follow-through, which is to the side rather than extended out front, shows just how important rotation is in his forehand. In my era, ground strokes were more linear—straight back and straight forward.

The ball has been directed down the line and Federer is moving back toward the center of the court, probably with the intention of following this shot to the net if it isn’t an outright winner. He’s fi nished his forehand while maintaining his balance, which will allow him to make a smooth transition forward.

Federer's forehand: Truly a work of art.