11.6.

2020 Building the Spanish Forehand

New Issue Building the Spanish Forehand

Advanced Tennis
Stroke Archive By Chris Lewit
Patterns Archive
HighSpeed Archives
Famous Coaches Printable Version
Classic Lessons
Biomechanics
Tech in Teaching
Over the last 20 to 30 years, Spanish players have
The Heavy Ball evolved from relatively defensive into athletic, physically
Tour Strokes dominant baseline players who also have all court
capabilities.
Your Strokes
Footwork Part of this evolution has been the technical development
Physical Training of more powerful, whipping, heavy-spin, but versatile
forehands. These forehands have allowed Spanish
Mental Game players to continue to defend unbelievably well, but also
Strategy attack with aggressiveness and force. Rafael Nadal's
Teaching Systems forehand�one of the best weapons in the modern game--
is the epitome of this trend.
Ultimate
Fundamentals Many coaches would kill to have their students hit a
High Performance forehand like Rafa, but very few coaches have an
understanding of what it takes develop such a weapon
Future Stars with a beginning player, or how to take a player who has
Tennis Science learned a classical, "old school" forehand and rebuild it
into a modern form. What does it really take to develop a Spanish
Tennis History
style forehand?
Tour Portraits Some coaches are only able to teach what they know: the
Features and Notes classical way. Others may attempt to build a more modern swing, but get caught in the many pitfalls along the way.
Ultimate Links Over the last few years, while researching a book project
TennisStream on Spanish tennis, I have been fortunate enough to travel
Staff annually to Spain to study with some of the best Spanish
coaches, and to train and study at many of the best
Contact Support Spanish academies. My annual "pilgrimages," as I like to
Privacy Policy think of them, have shed much light onto the way Spanish
coaches build big, Rafa-style forehands.
Forum
Using my studies in Spain a starting point, I have
developed my own system for building the Spanish
forehand. I have proven the system works with my high
Search performance players at my school in New York-- as I think
the video that goes with the article establishes. Now in this
Past Issues new series, I'm excited to share this system for the first
time anywhere with Tennisplayer subscribers.

As in my previous series on the kick serve (Click Here), I

Spanish pilgrimages have shed light on
building forehands like Rafa.
will begin by detailing the technical reference points that
I'm looking for when building a Spanish forehand. Then I'll
move into a discussion of actual drills, exercises,
variations, and developmental timelines, as well as what I
believe are the common coaching pitfalls.

Reference Points
In order to create a world-class Spanish forehand, we have to start with an understanding of the technical reference points.
These are the critical precursors for building a sound, powerful weapon.

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Which brings us to a paradox. Despite the obvious
success of Spanish players, Spanish coaches are not
systematically technical, especially when compared to
Eastern European coaches, or French coaches.

Jose Altur, a leading Spanish coach in Valencia, who

(along with Pancho Alvarino) developed Marat Safin,
Dinara Safina, and David Ferrer actually told me that the
biggest weakness of Spanish tennis was actually a lack of
attention to technical detail!

I think the truth is that the technical aspects are implicit in

the process by which the Spanish coaches develop
players, a process that may have become second nature
to Spanish coaches and players. But as a technician who
was trained in another coaching culture, I have tried to
extract the parameters of the basic Spanish model in
order to really understand them, and then to systematize
them into a developmental approach. Racket speed: the holy grail of the Spanish
I believe this is necessary to clarify the basic principles for
forehand.
others not trained in the Spanish system, which includes
virtually all American coaches and players. This understanding is the basis for using the training exercises and drills.

Based on my years of developing national and international standard junior players, I believe the system is highly effective,
and that these technical specifications will be a great help to anyone seeking to understand or build a modern, Spanish-
influenced forehand.

Racket Speed
When we look at the Spanish forehand the number one
characteristic is incredible racket head speed. In a
previous article I have referred to racket speed as the holy
grail of Spanish tennis. (Click Here.)

Racket speed is what allows Spanish players to develop

unequalled levels of spin without sacrificing pace. It allows
them to hit through the court and dominate on slow red
clay. It also allows them to be successful on a wide range
of faster surfaces by adjusting the balance of speed and
spin.

Parabola Swing
A second major reference point for the Spanish forehand
The Spanish swing shape traces a parabola in is swing shape. On the basic drive, the swing takes the
front of the player. shape of a parabola, tracing an arc in front of the player,
and then finishing across and around the body.

There are a variety of these across the body finishes, so

that the exact size and arc of the parabola can vary from
shot to shot. Other coaches call this the windshield wiper
and again, as John Yandell has shown, the length and
height of this sweeping forward motion varies
tremendously when players hit balls from different heights
and positions and with different spins and shot intentions.
(Click Here.)

Spanish players as epitomized by Nadal also hit a variety

of reverse finishes, (a term developed by Robert Lansdorp
(Click Here). In the reverse finish, the racket stays on, or
crosses back to, the same side of the body the swing
starts from. I'll have more to say about that in a future
article. But I think these variations are something that
players will either tend to evolve naturally, or that should
only be developed after the fundamental technical
precepts are in place.
Airborne contact and extreme body rotation:
Body Rotation more Spanish heresies.
In addition to the distinctive parabola swing, the Spanish forehand is characterized by explosive body rotation, usually
including airborne contact. This makes balance critical in the Spanish model, so that the player can land and recover
effectively. As we saw in the previous article, balance is a fanatical point in Spain. (Click Here.)

Grip
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Although Nadal is famous for his relatively extreme grip, I believe that a
Spanish style forehand can actually be built with a range of grips,
ranging anywhere between a strong eastern and an extreme semi-
western.

A strong eastern is Roger Federer's grip, with the index knuckle

between the third and fourth bevel. An extreme semi-western is Rafa's
grip, with the index knuckle between the fourth and fifth bevel.

Most, if not all modern Spanish pros, have grips in the same range as
other pro players. This is one reason why Spanish players have very
versatile forehands and can transition to fast court play more effectively
than in past decades.

A common mistake made by television commentators who should know

The range of grips I consider viable:
Federer (left) to Nadal (right).
better is to call Rafa's forehand grip a full western or extreme western,
with the palm of the handle completely under the handle. This is
inaccurate, and I highly discourage coaches from letting their players
use a full western grip. (More on this in an upcoming article). It is a
simply a myth that top pros use a western grip to hit big, heavy,
whipping forehands.

One problem in coaching is that, especially for young

junior players, grips may naturally tend to gravitate more
towards western over time. Because of this, it is prudent to
start a student closer to eastern with the anticipation that
the grip will slip toward semi-western over a long-term
developmental timeline. If you start a beginning junior or
adult with a grip already shifted toward a semi-western,
watch carefully for slippage towards a full western and
correct as necessary.

Shoulder Coil
To develop the foundation of a big forehand for the future,
all beginners need to be taught how to make a deep coil of
their shoulders. This means the angle of the shoulders
turn more than 90 degrees to the baseline. This full turn
loads the core and large muscles groups of the upper
body to deliver a powerful rotational force to the ball, and
lays the foundation for the extreme movement of the I train kids to turn, coil, explode into the ball
shoulders through the shot. and land on balance.
Young juniors need to be taught this deep coil early. This is critical to the development of timing. However, it also begins
developing the musculature involved in delivering power and racket speed through rotation.

The left arm should come across the body in the

preparation phase to help this coiling process. The chin
should rest on the left shoulder. When completed the line
of the shoulders is now turned past perpendicular to the
net.

A deep knee bend is also critical for developing the ability

to explode upward and forward into the shot. I look for the
90-90 bend configuration of the knees in the open stance.
I want my players to drive upward from the legs, lifting off
the ground. This is opposed to traditional coaching advice
that recommends staying on the ground for most shots.

This teaching myth has got to be debunked. I know this

It's a myth that you should try to stay down with
your legs on the forehand.
load/explode sequence, which helps kids learn balance.
will sound heretical, but I teach all my beginner junior
students to learn how to jump--yes jump!�into their shots.
I believe leg drive and dynamic balance can and should
be trained from the earliest years.
Kids should learn how to activate their calves and quads
and sequence the kinetic chain from the ground up. Just
as important, I specifically train the landing after the

Most traditional coaches will have a hard time allowing

kids to drive off the ground into the air to hit a shot, but
this is crucial in learning the modern Spanish forehand.
The key is teaching kids to position correctly behind the
ball and then jump with balance. As I always say, "if you
are in position you can jump into a shot, but never jump
into a shot to gain position."
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Head Still
Learning to keep the head still is critical to prevent mis-hits
during high speed swings involving a lot of body rotation
and torque. If a player does not keep the head still and
stable during the rotation of the body through the shot, the
consistency of the shot will be compromised.

Spanish coaches are obsessed with footwork, balance,

and head positioning, but often times American coaches
want to skip directly to the power building exercises before
the proper foundation is established. Practicing racket
speed with sloppy swing technique will ultimately ruin shot
accuracy and also, in my opinion, place the player at a
greater risk of injury.

Hand Configuration
Good head position: critical to consistency.
The classic Spanish preparatory position as the player
begins to turn is with the elbows bent, the racket arm
tucked into side, and the opposite hand on the throat. The
racket points up towards sky.

Many coaches in Spain seem to favor this elbow-in

preparation. However, this is not immutable and I have
had success with players using different hand positions,
including a higher elbow or straighter arm preparation.

Although coaches in Spain are flexible about many

elements of technique so long as they contribute to
developing racket speed, I was surprised at how many
coaches did seem to favor the elbow-in preparation.
Perhaps this is the influence of Nadal's forehand on the
coaching culture. Certainly in Spain, kids will model
themselves after a Nadal or Verdasco, so I believe the
elbow-in approach will continue to remain prevalent there.

Stance
In Spain, preparation modeled Nadal with
elbows bent and in racket tip up. A final related factor is stance. Because of the across the
body swing shapes, body rotation, jumping, and airborne
contact, Spanish players naturally hit most of their
forehands with open stances. But Nadal and the other
Spanish players possess the flexibility to adjust to the
neutral stance when necessary, usually when the ball is
lower bouncing and below their normal strike zones.

Players need to be taught both an open and neutral

stance and should be proficient at both. I usually start my
young junior development players with a neutral stance
unless they show a natural aptitude for the open stance, in
which case we will work on that stance first in the
technical development.

Hold Style
The backswing is always a loop, of varying styles,
rhythms, and sizes. There is no one correct way to take
the racquet back; however, a loop seems to be the
standard on the professional tour to develop racket speed. Players developing the Spanish forehand
players also need to learn neutral stance.
I am a big believer in the hold style of rhythm, which
means rather than taking the racquet back early, the
player holds the racket on the side in the preparatory
position�and then accelerates. I believe this hold-rhythm
generates more racket speed than the classic racquet
back early approach. In fact, racket speed is often
sabotaged by traditional coaches insisting that the racket
be taken back early (More on this in an upcoming article).

The backswing should stay on the right side of the body

"in the slot," not crossing behind the plane of the body. For
male professional players, the racket very rarely crosses
the plan of body on take back, although there have been
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some notable exceptions over the years, including Robin
Soderling.

Interestingly, in the women's game, there are many top

players who do take the racket across the plane of the
body on the forehand backswing. Coaches should
experiment with the developing girls that they work with
and see if they can manage keeping the swing relatively
compact and still get good racket speed. I have found that
some girls need the extra wind-up to get sufficient power
production while most boys can find a compact backswing
that is comfortable and can still generate great pace and
racket speed.

Wrist and Forearm

The "hold" rhythm style generates more racket
head speed.
traditional approach of keeping the forearm and wrist very
firm through the contact point.
The wrist and forearm actions are arguably the most
important part of learning a Spanish style whipping
forehand. The looseness of the forearm and whipping
action of forearm and wrist significantly deviate from the

Most of the whipping action takes place so fast, that the

naked eye is challenged as to what exactly is happening
in the last moment pre-contact, at contact, and post-
contact. As articles by John Yandell have shown, the wrist
action is not always what it appears to be, and the subject
remains controversial. (Click Here.)

As John has argued, there is minimal wrist forward

movement on most whipping forehand shots, despite the
millions of coaches who exhort their players to "use their
wrists for topspin." To me the most important point here
the looseness of the arm and forearm, and I actually rarely
talk about the role or the movement of the wrist.

I believe that the hinge action of the forearm is more

critical to developing the heavy spin than movement at the
wrist joint, something we will explore more through some
of the key drills in the second article.
For players who are struggling to get a lot of Rafa style
Players should strive to keep the backswing to
the side and not behind the body.
spin, the problem is almost always because of stiffness in
the swing, whether in the upper arm, forearm, or at the
wrist joint.

The best way for a player to develop the proper looseness

is to be guided by the coach through physical
manipulation and loosening of the arm, rather than visually
or verbally. I have found the kinesthetic approach to be
very successful with my players who struggle getting the
proper whip of the racket through contact.

Players who have been trained classically to have a firm

wrist and forearm will often really struggle trying to learn
looseness, but with proper coaching and physical
manipulation they eventually figure out how to relax the
arm and wrist at the right time in the forward swing to
generate great spin and ball speed.

Manual manipulation is very effective in

developing the hinge.

Straight Arm or Bent?

Federer, Rafa and Verdasco all have their arms straight at
the elbow at contact, while some other pros with top
forehands like Soderling or Novak Djokovic hit with more
of a bent arm configuration.

In my experience, both a straight arm and bent

configuration of the hitting arm at contact are acceptable.
With my students, I try to get a Rafa straight arm
extension without forcing the arm to become stiff.
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I believe some players are more likely to hit with a straight
arm based on differences in physiology and player
preference and feel. I believe the right approach is to work
with the individual player to establish his or her most
comfortable extension point. Correcting the hitting arm
position is especially important for players who are
cramped at contact.

Finishes: How Long Do You Go?

As noted, the parabola swings in the Spanish forehand
have finishes across the body that vary depending on the
shot and situation. When teaching the finishes to my
students, I start beginners with a finish over the shoulder,
but quickly progress to lower finishes at the side of the
shoulder and toward the waist (a more extreme windshield
wiper).

The racket and racquet hand should wrap fully on the The hitting arm can be double bend or straight.
finish, whether over the shoulder or around the torso. A
complete wrap is an important indicator of whether the
player had maximum racket speed.

On the Drop
To develop whip and racket speed the Spanish way, it is
essential for players to be allowed to back up and take the
ball on the fall. Taking the ball early will kill any attempt to
hit a heavy topspin ball. I believe it is equally important to
develop the attacking on-the-rise play (Click Here) but
when first learning heavy spin, players must be allowed to
step back and let the ball drop into their strike zone.

This is called "receiving the ball" in Spain. It allows the

I start with the over the shoulder finish, then
develop the wraps around the body.
and heavy spin should be taught as separate topics.
speed and spin of the ball to die out somewhat, and as the
ball drops into the strike zone, players can whip upward to
generate the big spin shot. A player who is forced to take
every ball early (a more traditional approach), will not be
able to load and develop the whipping swing to generate
heavy spin. This is why I believe that on the rise attack

Conclusion
Rafa has revolutionized the modern forehand with his
power, racket speed, and versatility. Through
experimentation and creativity, coaches and players may
be lucky enough to stumble upon the next great forehand
evolution. Undoubtedly, however, racket speed and power
will always be essential to building a world-class forehand
shot, and currently the Spanish have the best system I
have found to maximize these two critical components of a
world-class forehand.

I encourage all coaches and players who are interested in

building a Spanish forehand to experiment with the advice
and the exercises I have provided in this series. Most
importantly, I hope the reader will be creative and use the
ideas from these articles for inspiration to create his or her
own drills to help develop better forehand technique and
more racket speed! Stayed tuned for the next installment! Young players need to hit the ball on the fall to
develop massive racket speed and spin.
Special thanks to my students Sean Mullins, Will
Coad, and Lia Kiam for the doing the awesome demonstrations of the Spanish forehand that made this article
possible.

Chris Lewit, USTA High Performance Coach and author of The Tennis
Technique Bible, is an innovative leader in the high performance coaching
community. Chris played #1 for Cornell University and competed on the
professional Satellite and Futures Tours. Chris has developed many
international and national level junior players, including several top 10 USTA

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nationally ranked players. This article is excerpted from Chris's current book
project, The Secrets of Spanish Tennis. Please visit www.chrislewit.com for
more info about Chris, his books, or his academy in New York.

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