Topspin (Forehand)

A picture is worth a 1000 words.  Here's the best player ever hitting a topspin forehand.  Primary ingredients R:

1 - Racquet face is closed.
2 - Ball contact is on the top half of the ball.
     Top = Topspin;  it's a tangent line at approx 30deg above
     the equator in the ball's N Hemisphere.
3 - Flight contact focus @ the Apex, i.e. at Level Flight.  This becomes automatic in due course.

Hit on the Rise / Apex

IMO, best time is at the apex (when it's at 0 rise or fall). But, if you wish to take time away from op, hit on the rise. When I hit on fall, the return tends to be slower and have more spin. But if you're learning I would try to work on your footwork & try to place yourself when the ball is at its apex; after that you can work on hitting on rise.

Tader · 7 years ago

 
How to hit on the rise video

Apex contact = top of arc = zero derivative

Getting below apex means hitting as soon after bounce as possible thus....
  
      anywhere between bounce & apex is the focus 

Need to keep head/eyes down in order to execute. 

Watch the pros: at least 90% of all contact is at the apex.
Against a skilled / power opponent it's virtually impossible
to hit on the rise unless the ball lands at your feet while on the baseline!

Target Practice

Get both lobes working
do it prior 2 or after ball is coming 2 U

Plant ur feet & Hitting on the Run

Every pro gets solidly grounded with 2 feet prior to contact time permitting

If it does not u r hitting on the run

Practice hitting on the run! (perhaps 20% of the time, say what)

Athletic stance in every case!

Backhand Ready Position

Title says it - volley ready posit is backhand not straight ahead
U get 2 a forehand faster than a backhand ergo....

A nice explanation on why u have a backhand ready Raquet @ net.  Same explanation Works 4 groundies

Don't 4get the Wide Stance

Four (4) Stances

Currently there is much debate in professional tennis circles over common ground stroke stances, of which there are 4 variations. Open, closed, semi-open and neutral stance. The most common discrepancy between teaching methods is the open vs closed debate. In the modern game, you don’t need just open or closed, you need to use all 4 stances according to your position on the court and the location of the ball. In this article I will outline each stance with an explanation of when to use it and an image that will serve as an example so you understand the positioning of the feet.

https://ausapproach.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-stance/ 

The Athletic Stance

One of the most common errors I see that relates to movement, is the lack of an “athletic stance” in the vast majority of recreational players. There are other sports where being wide and low is critical; like you see with a defender in basketball, or a wrestler guarding against a takedown. In terms of movement, the athletic stance is every bit as important to success as the split-step that proceeds it. We’ll take a closer look in the pro player images that follow.

http://www.tennisunleashed.net/athletic-stance-game/ 

Federer/Joker Vid