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Didn't know Borg was the inventor of the forehand we all use today. Respect for him...Respect You are such a wonderful teacher

your explanation of the wrist usage is probably if not the best i've seen so far, well done and thank you

Borg = Master..... Innovation by not listening to the status quo ..... but doing what felt right to him.

Best online tennis coach by far!! Incredible detailed explanations of all tennis techniques

Borg was a tennis pioneer

06:33 contact point on the modern forehand is with the dominant shoulder in front! 07:02 contact point on the classic forehand was with the shoulder line parallel to the net 08:22 swing path: after contact, tip of the racket rotates up towards vertical and then to the side.

You are the first tennis coach I've seen who states what I have found by watching and closely analyzing slow motion videos of all the best pro players, both male and female, hitting forehands, that is, it's NOT an upward swing path (low to high), or brushing "up" on the ball that creates the heavy topspin forehand shot ("heavy" being a combination of forward momentum AND topspin on the ball), but rather it's the striking of the ball at the proper contact point, in front of the body (with the racquet shoulder ahead of the non-dominant shoulder, as you indicate), and at the point just as the racquet starts to change from a forward direction to a more lateral, across the body motion. This causes the racquet face to make an upward and angled strike through the ball, changing its direction forward and imparting the topspin.This rotational change of direction during the swing path, where forward racquet motion starts to change into an upward and across-the-body motion is what produces the desired combination of both strong forward momentum and strong topspin on the ball. This swing path, when combined with good racquet speed and meeting the ball at the correct contact point, produces the "heavy ball" all players want to hit on the forehand.

This is one of the best videos about forehand I have ever seen. Loved the history lesson and original embedded footage.

Hi Nick, I like all your videos and analysis. they are very interesting and straight to the point. tennis strokes are very complicated and confusing. you break it down so nicely. keep up the good work. hope to see more of you videos.

Thanks for another great video. Loved the Borg footage and history lesson. Your breakdown of the mechanics was really helpful as I keep working on improving my forehand.

Engaging and meticulous illustration of the contrast between traditional and modern forehand Nick. I liked the Borg archive footage too. Thank you. Gordon

Great and important explanation of the forehand grip you'd be amazed how many people don't know what grip they have or what it's even called.

Very very deep knowledge !! Happy to know about Bjorn Borg influence on the modern forehand. Hope he had played for another couple of years and had more records in his name :)

So maybe that explains why Borg always got along with McEnroe. He was a bit of a rebel himself. He seen Johnny Mac carry on and it resounded with him...

This video is a gem of insight, superb content and explaination. Thank you Nick!

Another awesome video Nick!!👏🏻👏🏻

The detailed analysis derived from your sharp observations are all spot-on, making your presentations always interesting and watchable, while at the same time providing really useful info in each learning process. Thank you so much for giving us a better understanding of the game :)

Hey Nick, I am always impressed with the content you create on your channel and the level of detail that is broken down. The forehand is a popular topic to dissect and many “pros” on KZfaq have their various spins on how to teach it and what they feel are the most important components. I like your historical review of the stroke and relating it back to Borg. I agree, you have to give respect where it is deserved. Too many people think Roger Federer originated the “modern forehand” but even Ivan Lendl has his version of the modern forehand before Federer. I think with the success that Federer has in the modern era, it is easy to misinterpret that he originated the modern forehand swing. I may have missed it in your demonstration or overlooked it but I don’t remember you talking about “unit turn” or core rotation. Basically, the coil and uncoiling element. This is where I feel that most recreational players will miss the boat and all the other elements discussed and even the wrist lag will be of no benefit without the unit turn. Keep up the great videos and thank you for doing your part to make the game of tennis more enjoyable for the masses. I remember when I was a kid and the only way to learn what the pros do is to pay thousands of dollars for lessons. People still have to do that nowadays too, but at least KZfaq will give them some understanding of what the pros are doing and what they need to learn more about. Most people can watch lots of videos but they won’t be able to execute what they are watching unless they have a trained person supervising if they are executing it correctly. Otherwise, they might be practicing what they think they are watching but it could be completely wrong! Take good care. Don

Feels good to be Swedish watching this vid ;)

Fantastic video and explanation Nick !!!

Jimmy Arias deserves a mention as well. Nick Bolletieri mentions in his book, that seeing Jimmy's FH was like a light bulb moment for him, and that his stroke style became a key inspirational teaching model / concept.

You do such a great job on every video-- congratulations

Ivan lendl was another good example of modern swing, great video congratulations.

Very informative tutorial on modern forehand 👌👌👍👍🌷🌷

Very good video,coach.Waiting for the wrist lag one. All the best !

Very good explanation! Thanks, Ed

Amazing video. Thanks Nick

Fantastic detail! Thank you.

I am thankful sir

very informative. I didn’t know this thank u

A lot of great information, thank you. One note - the demonstrations of the open stance forehands here seem to be showing a special case of a very defensive situation in which court position is being surrendered and weight of shot is being compromised. The far more frequent application of the open stance fh I see among high level players is (for righties): weight loaded on right leg, then rapid pushing off of the right leg to initiate body uncoiling, and body weight during the “landing” is supported more so by the left (front) leg i.e. body’s center of mass went slightly forward, OR evenly on both legs i.e. body’s center of mass stayed in place. Only infrequently does the body’s center of mass move backward as shown in the video, and that would result in a compromised, rather than an attacking, forehand shot. The beauty of the open stance forehand is that it is aggressive and penetrating even when you have a scarcity of time to prepare due to the pace of the rally.

Very informative, many thanks.. 🙋🏿‍♂️

Another great video and explanation of modern forehand. I didn't know all of those forehand things and Borg. Great old video with Borg.

Excellent had and footwork drill.

my teacher Pato Cornejo tells me all the time I have to run towards the ball and continue moving after hitting. All the movements turns to be very natural. The idea is to find the ball at the best pposition. He insisted a lot on the movement of the feets and full body to be at the best place at the right time.

Great video. Thank you

That's the best analysis. That's what I've been looking for.

Thanks James - Great tutorial

I am lucky to find the very useful video about the modern forehand techniques. Through my favoriate coach in Korea, I have learned the open stance with together semi-western grip. After I watched this video, I can improve my forehand skill more than I expected. Thanks again for your good explanation by KZfaq. In addtion, I would like to watch the ATP modern backhand as series. Can you provide this Youbube in soon?

Many thanks about teaching us your knowledge. Abrazooo

Thank you with best wishes

Very comprehensive !

Great explanation; will definetely help :-) thanks

The Bjorn Borg footage is awesome !

I like the very historycal (and detailed ) way you describes the development of the stroke for through the forhand history.Its the bedst I have ran into. Thanks a lot. I read about about a amarican guy that already played with a western grip at the time of Tilden who yoused the continentel grip. The westergrip guy was very already had this powerforhand at that time. Some coaches recommend a litle closed angel of the racket in the strikezone to get more topspin.How do you think about that. Anyway thanka again for this deepgoing explanation. Olaf Dip.coach from Copenhagen Denmark.

Great share many thanks.

Really excellent explanation, to see and to see again. What do you think about using old racket (I love the Prince POG 4 stripes for example) performing a modern forehand? thank you

Fascinating level of detail. It must be very satisfying to be able to hit a forehand like this (or indeed at all! 😢😅). It seems very complex to execute. I wonder how many players ever get anywhere near being able to do this without extensive coaching?

03.49 ช่วง take back นักแข่งคนนึงใช้ eastern grip ไม่ได้หุบหน้าไม้ลง 05.45 grip สมัยใหม่สามารถตีแบบงอหรือเหยียดแขนได้ 07.30 dominant sholder อยู่หน้า non dominant sholder ไม่ว่าจะตีตรงหรือเหยียดช่วง contact point 10.18 swing path หลัง contact point มีสองแบบ แบบที่สองทำให้สปินน้อยลงแต่ลูกมุดลง 15.15 closed stance และ open stance ขาซ้ายกระโดดนิดนึงก่อน contact point

Do you think Stefanos Tsitsipas does a similar takeback to Del Potro where he doesn't close the racket when he takes it back. Could you make a video about Tsitsipas's forehand it seems to be very effective but different at the same time.

Brilliant. Thank you 👏💪

SUPER COOL !!!!!!!

Thank you

Useful!

Amazing video yet again Nikola. I got told that my forehand technique is very good, relaxed and fluid, and the motion and everything resembles Federer which if course is not bad. However im finding some difficulties in some matches and its not so much the forehand its mostly mental. When I play tough players or better players I expect to lose and have no expectations and also I have that adrenaline kicking where I want to beat them because they are better and show them, and I hit awesome forehands and swing relaxed and through the ball. When I play slightly weaker players however my forehand tends to struggle because I kind of have expectations to win and im thinking if I lose its going to be embarassing to lose to weaker players and I tend to get somewhat tight and lose that loose whip and then compensate by really swinging across alot more which adds nice spin but not much penetration and balls land shorter aswell around service line. Was wondering if you have any experience or tips about it.

What's your take on the high elbow forehand like Kyrgios or Shapovalov?

good stuff

Hey Nick, Tom Okker, the Dutchman, showed 10 years before Borg, a forehand with a loop.

Thanks for all the great content Nick! I have a problem with my non-hitting arm on the forehand. I use it correctly in the unit turn but as I initiate the swing, it just hangs there and slows down my body rotation. Do you have any tips on how to correct this? I finish with the racket at elbow or waist height so catching the racket with the non-hitting arm in the follow through doesn’t seem like a good solution for me.

do you suggest juan martin del potros raquet back open or closer as Federer for someone that want to become pro and why??

Excellent breakdown of the modern forehand. It all makes sense, though I'm missing one piece. So, at the contact point when you move the racquet across the ball (across the body), are you making some kind of adjustment in the swing path to move the racquet head in that wiper cross motion? In other words, do you deliberately roll the forearm and wrist or does it happen naturally as part of the swing path?

In the preparation stage, as advised, I try to keep my arm and wrist loose, so that when I begin forward swing from racket back, the motion induces wrist lag. This is all good, but at what point I should stiffen my wrist so that I can direct the ball better? What happens now is that if opponent hits a heavy ball or with lot of top spin, at my contact point, I cannot control the direction at all.

Thank you so much for your videos man! they are the best ive seen in youtube. I have a question, my backswing is very simple and i just take the racquet back like say... blake, kachanov, cuevas, etc. should i change my backswing? because i have tried to change the backswing but i just get frustrated, its very difficult. As for the rest of what ive learned from you, i improved a lot.---Manuel. pd: i have posted this comment on the other video but i dont know wich one are you following most haha.

I wish I could have learned tennis in a different era. The early '90s were a transition period where players were still taught the techniques from the wood racquet days but they were increasingly out of touch with what advanced and professional players were doing. I had to try to teach myself different groundstrokes and change grips and tried so many ways of hitting nothing ever became truly natural.

Lendl led his swing with elbow and big shoulder turn to generate tremendous power.

Which muscles are used to raise the racket if not the forearm (Borg said he used his forearm)?

Borg was not the first to use a ripping topspin forehand on the Pro tour. Tom Okker the Flying Dutchman was ripping forehands with the racket head dropped below his wrist and a windshield wiper finish in the late 1960s. You can still see his video on KZfaq. His forehand photo was shown on the 1970 Tennis Magazine book. In the commentaries by Jack Kramer he said it was all wrong and players should not copy him.

How would you describe as a player, what is the top in your mind when you hit? It seems like in any forehand situation there are so many things to think about, what do you say is the most important thing when hitting a forehand?

Is there a video that talks more about the footwork when hitting the forehand? thanks

I have a question if I want to hit the ball harder do I just hold the racket tighter or only just before I make contact? I also hold the forehand with part of my hand hanging off the end of the racket

I’m old school, 66 next month. I wonder if I should max out with an eastern grip. The semi-western almost feels too strange.

Can you tell me what grip you are using in this video? Is it Eastern forehand or Semi- Western forehand?

Nice video, just a few observations. You said Borg used an Eastern grip, on the video he said he uses a Western grip. You mentioned dropping the head after coiling. The head was not dropped but was even with the arm. You're correct in saying that the semi open stance is mostly used by the big boys and girls today, but If you look closely however when they're into rapid baseline exchanges, they use the full open stance. They are able to do that by shifting their hips. I do not ever recall Borg wrapping the raquet around the elbow. I have to go watch some more video, but instead he brought it high over the the opposite shoulder as you said, so I am glad you clarified that he did not touch the racquet on his shoulder or around the shoulder. Del Potro doesn't use his off hand as much as the others when he's coiling the forehand. It's almost like a slap. When the face is open in the beginning of a stroke I think he is trying to track the ball like others but instead of bringing the raquet around on the coil after that, he brings it back and slap it. this can generate a tremendous amount of power if you're big and strong like he is. This may also explain his continuous wrist problems. Lastly why suggest everyday players use the close stance. there's a lot of steps involved and why not suggest they do what the pros do and keep it simple. This is especially true for younger players who may one day obtain an advanced level. A coach then has to undo and start all over again. Teach the pro style from the outset, the results are always better.

Hello, awesome video. I have a question about the Bent Arm and the Straight Arm, when I do shadow swings, I do it with a straight arm unintentionally but when I play on the court, my FH becomes a bent arm!!! What are your thoughts here? Am I getting too close to the contact point during gameplay? Or is it normal shadow swings differ from the real swings? Thanks.

Never heard of the Hawaiian....Heard of Eastern and Western and Continental grips..

Some good technical points however Borg was not the first to use Western grips. 🎾 "The western was widely used in the first two decades of the 20th century. For a number of years the small, apparently frail 1920s player Bill Johnston was considered by many to have had the best forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a western grip. Few top players used the western grip after the 1920s, as many of them moved to the eastern and continental, but in the latter part of the 20th century, as shot-making techniques and equipment changed radically, the western forehand made a strong comeback and is now used by many modern players. Some consider it to be an extreme or radical grip, however. The maximum amount of topspin can be generated with this grip...." en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forehand

In the forehand I am facing a great concentration of my children's coach on the head of the racket ... as the head of the racket should not come down while preparing for the blow ... Is that true? And why?

I find some "even" more modern forehands such as Fritz and Sock... their forehands are like with shortern reach

Borg basically had what is now the Del Potro Forehand

I noticed your videos of Borg has him swinging with his right elbow considerably away (i.e. to one side) of his torso. This confirms the video of the modern forehand that Rick Macci did for the USPTA On Court series (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a7N4qMpyq5iomYU.html). Interestingly, Macci emphasizes that the modern forehand maintains the power of the classical forehand, with its typically longer stroke, but utilizes a shorter backswing (and a more upright one, too) avoiding the horizontally circular one of the classical forehand). Thanks for your clear presentation, Nick.

Borg wasn t only the father of the modern forhand he invented the two handed backhand too if you look carefully when he is doing it he does the two handed backhand technik until the ball hitting point when he hits the ball he lets his one hand it is a mix of one handed and two handed backhand hits the ball while holding his raquet with 2 hands and then just lets off one of his hands

5.30 min. Hitting the ball with a straight arm gives a larger radius, so the ball can be hit faster. (Not only) the best players hit the ball with a straight arm.

Your closed stance forehand looks like you move your back leg forward as you contact the ball, on the open stance you move your front leg backwards. It looks like you are "falling backwards" on your open stance forehand (maybe for a ball coming in deeper and faster and thus more of a defensive posture?). I thought closed versus open was more in terms of coming in at a 45% angle with the front leg versus an open stance both feet are more in line with each other (hips are "open"). Regardless, your strokes look sweet, would be estatic to be able to hit the ball consistently with those mechanics lol.

I don't think the modern forehand rotate earlier, compared to the classic forehand. The timing of rotation is same. What make you think that? I thought you initiate rotation when the racquet drops below the ball. And you make it sound like you initiate rotation when the racquet is above the ball and it doesn't happen in atp forehand.

Why do you think the WTA use a different forehand? Surely the girls are strong enough for an ATP forehand? Or is it other male - female biomechanics?

Nickola e fucking awesome in his analyses of movements....

Summa cum laude!

Every player has a plan till he gets hit in the mouth 😂

I hate when coaches use the words "Wrong or Correct".There are many variations of strokes, depending on the situation ....just watch the pros in slow motion. It happens even during the same point.

Talk toooooo much

Very informative video. I especially enjoyed hearing Bjorn Borg explain his reasoning for converting to this technique despite being told not to do so.