Added: 3 years ago
From: txchou
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  • why so weak?

  • straight arm  Not Bent

  • @jesselepre After watching about an hour of Federer's forehands and actually going to the court to test it out, you can say it's a very tyring shot to hit. I was always hitting it into the net but then I realized, "Jeez, Federer must use a lot of force to drive that ball in." When Federer makes contact with the ball, his racquet speed is about 71 mph which not only gives added strength to his forehand but it also gives it an unmeasurable amount of topsin. What amazes me is that he doesn't grunt.

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  • @Warrior2God He doesn't grunt because he doesn't obtain the speed through grunt force. The "modern forehand", first developed by Bjorn Borg, involves pointing the racquet butt at the ball then pulling it straight towards the ball. The actual racquet swing is delayed and by the time it starts, the straight pull and the torso rotation have spring loaded the wrist which will naturally cause the acceleration responsible for the high speed of the racquet at contact. Just watch any pro in slow motion

  • @prestonloyola I see.

  • this is the only forehand grip i can use, if i use western i hit all the balls on my side of the court ^.-

  • that is a bad forehand :P

  • why we cant do this ? -..-

  • Ele é o único que consegue bater com essa empunhadora !

  • @ASTROxSniper1 Have you tried the windshield wiper forehand or the federer forehand?

  • Comment removed

  • @ASTROxSniper1 Try extreme eastern or semi western. (Extreme eastern is in between full eastern and semi western)

  • 0:05 man !!!

  • idk if any of you noticed this, but he took that ball REALLY early. look at his arm its almost at a right angle to his chest when he makes contact

  • impressive how long he keeps his eye fixed on the contact point even after the ball is gone

  • You can tell how tight the tension is by seeing how the string bed barely moves while the racquet wobbles after the hit

  • It Actually seems like Roger has switched to a Semi-western/ Eastern Forehand grip here. His heel pad is not quite on the 3rd beville and neither is his index knuckle.

  • I wonder what his forearms feel like. Probably solid as wood.

  • @Kiasko you mean forearm.

  • im afraid this guy is a robot.notice how even at this full tense moment he doesnt even blink! so fuking calm... impossible

  • roger is simply the best that's all !!

  • Spin that ball!

  • i cant understand i thought u were supposed to hit it at the bottom

  • @igoturnose1 what do you mean by " the bottom"

  • wtf?!

    where did the ball go?...

  • 98% of teens smoke or drink, LIKE this if u like cookies!

  • @macedonianBLOOD17 stfu loser

  • @AznBoiS2 i will fucing come to ur house and beat the fucking cum out of ur dads blue balls then fucking beat ur mom on top of her head with my cock u sack of shit!!!!

  • i taught him that forehand.....

  • Its kinda like golf, don't take your eyes off the ball.

  • guys give it up, you'll never play a forehand like him.

    even if you had the right grip you'd still have to master the wrist rotation and that is already semi pro.

  • @NiggeliNG

    Not at all; it's a biomechanical reaction, not an action. He does intent to have this happen, but it is not a conscious movement. If you set your racket correctly and swing forward correctly you'll end- up doing this 100% of the time.

    The idea is to contac the ball well enough to have it dig in the string bed so you can CARRY it for a split second and impart enormous spin and pace at the same time. if you have any good forehand swing, you already do it without knowing it.

  • @GueorguiJoukov i know it is a natural swing, but federer also uses it purposely, and to rotate your wrist like he's doing not that usual anymore

  • @NiggeliNG

    Well, I'm far from being a pro and I do use my wrist... If I wasn't my forehand wouldn't have much pace, nor any good spinning action; it would indeed look like most amateurs' forehands.

    I get the carrying action, I get the pop, I get the spin, the pace... nothing extraordinary in this. What is extraordinary about Federer's forehand comes way ealier and if you understood anything about what I written, you would not answer like you did...

  • @NiggeliNG

    Anyone who has a similar swing prior impact will end-up having a very similar wrist action. I'm far from being a professionnal player and I get that same wrist action; I get the ball carrying effect to impart pace and spin; I get the poping sound of the pros... this is not that extraordinary. What is extraordinary is what comes before, at which pace he can use it, how consistant it is and against which shots he can use it - those are the difference between Federer's FH and mine...

  • @NiggeliNG it's not wrist rotation.

    1. it's called pronation.

    2. it's from a natural kinetic chain of leg momentum going forward, and rotation of the; Upper body, hips, core, and shoulders.

    3. what happens after that is the arm with the laid back relaxed wrist comes forward as a reaction to the pre-rotation of the body. it pretty much "sling-shots" into the ball.

    4. nadal, fish, and many others use this technique in a nutshell.

    5. you are not forcing your arm or wrist in anyway.

  • mr 2 nonsense- get a good coach develop your own style-doing not watching!! elwink good points-if you look good likely to be good!! so no grimacing on court. the reason for keeping head still get controll on point of contact. look at other ball sports snooker tech dev in 70S. fedsy and nadsy 2 best ever- we are lucky enjoy!!!!!!!!!

  • if you want to become a great tennis player, go to my channel (2knowfun2) and watch my two videos: World class tennis (part1/2) and (part2/2) . I have covered pretty much everything (the important things) about tennis in my two videos..Now you don't have to watch every single coaching video out there because you have everything in my two videos...

    Watch my (two) videos and you will know how to become a great match player.

  • I wish they would show Fed's slow motions more often on television, because it's really unique. It's a funny 'coincidence' that the best player ever also has the best head-technique.

  • I find his 'head-technique' the most amazing part, it's so still, and stays there after the ball is hit.

    I tried focusing on that but it really only comes natural, he's one of the very few to do that. What a natural talent..

  • @Elwink

    what head technique?

  • His eyes stay on the ball until the point he hits it and then he keeps his head in the same position, this is very rare even among the professionals. Also he doesn't force any muscles on his face, lol!

    Compare that to most other top players, their eyes will leave the ball just before they hit it, and then there head moves with the ball. Also they make grimaces with their face.

    Fed's whole body stays relaxed, even when he needs to hit a very difficult shot.

  • @Elwink

    yeah that's why they say he is very self-disciplined.

  • @Elwink

    Actually, it is a trained and discilpined movement he repeated until it was automatic. The idea is not to see the ball hittign the strings, nor looking straight at contact - anyway, it is impossible to actually see the contact. The idea is to remain head still and the principle behind looking at the ball is staying focused.

    All my best shots happen when I keep it still - then I never frame, always hit dead center. The shanks happen when you wish to watch your good shot go off.

  • that's an extreme eastern grip, almost semi-western!

  • @effava

    Clean Eastern 99,9% of the time on his forehand. FuzzyYellowBalls - let plug that good site for the purpose of the argument please - studied pictures of his forehand (like 300 or so) and all of them featured solid and clean Eastern grip. Not tilted, not off centered, nor offset in anyway.

    But notice that he doesn't use an hammer grip unlike many others, he spreads his fingers - they are spread although they are indeed at the very end of the handle.

  • Ive been watching a bunch of these slow motion videos from "txchou", has anybody else noticed that roger is the only one not making a funny face.... ? He doesnt even shoe emotion in slow motion! Have any of you ever seen this man bleed, im beginning to wonder if he is some sort of wilson robot... dont tell the Geekologie writer.... things could get ugly......

  • LOL

  • his hand is rolling like a pretzel.. Amazing :D

  • The most elegant forehand on tour.

  • Try imitating him, his hand goes so far to the back on the left side LOL it's so hard to do

  • a beautiful peice of artwork!

  • this is obviously the best forehand ever

  • That's fucking fantastic.

  • Its the swiss way...something in their blood, honestly, when they set out to do something they do it right.

  • you've got that right. swiss cheese, for example.

  • what about the Australians? When they set out to do something they do it ___?

  • ___ on a Barbeque ?

    It's alright, I'm from New Zealand. Say something about Sheep, I dare you ;D

  • What? That makes no sense.

    Anyway. I was talking to AliceInTennisLand regarding his/her comment about Swiss people.

  • Sense or not that was pretty funny :)

    Oh, and I am Danish... we are to pigs what you are to sheep :D

  • A rotação do tronco aqui já não era a mesma, esse foi um aspecto que mudou um pouo em seu jogo. Não que tenha ficado necessariamente pior, visto que, embora tenhja fica mais "relaxado", em nao querer rodar o tronco o tempo todo, afiou a batida. Melhorou a mão. Menos força e mais jeito.

  • OMG! How does he hit the ball with the center of the racquet every time?

  • look at his eyes! Amazing! (non sexual way)

  • hmm i wld go with semi

    western is bad for lower balls but good high and not a very power ful grip good topspin

    semiwestern is good for lowe and high not to ba dpwer and pretty good spin. it levels out

    eastern is to flat to many errors and bad for hig balls good for lower balls with great power

  • federers forearms are bigger than his biceps lol

  • He is meeting the ball at the peak of the bounce and driving it with very little topspin. The lack of topspin takes time away from his opponent because the trajectory is almost flat.

  • your are completely right except for the topspin part. his wiper grip allows him to get sick topspin, but of cource not as much as nadal

  • Eastern grip??

  • yes.. he uses an eastern grip.. watch one of fyb2007 videos.. he'll show you proof...

  • So I've been killing myself with the ball machine trying to learn Western for nothing??

  • yes..

  • Mhm ..

    Easter really steps up your game once you get it

  • Not really. The majority of pros use something between a semi-western to western grip. Not everyone is Roger Federer, he has amazing wrist speed and physical strength. He's not built like a bull, he's more like an elastic band. It's kind of like golf, everyone tries to swing like Tiger, but people don't realize just how strong he is or how height makes a difference. Anyways, use what suits your game and what is most comfortable/won't injure your body.

  • You don't have to be a Federer clone to be good at tennis. Use the grip you like.

  • @TooMuchTelevision Most people can't hit with an eastern

  • @TooMuchTelevision Maybe he doesn't want to be good, he wants to be Roger.

  • @TooMuchTelevision i use eastern cuz i like it haha. i study his vids to get the concept on a good topspin on eastern, but i dont clone him :D

  • @TooMuchTelevision Thank you Rafa for that Advise :D

  • Not for nothing. Just watch Roddick's forehands. Then your practice wont be for nothing.

    Western grip = ton of spin.

  • hahaha~ a bit unlucky there. But really there's an advantage in every type of grip. Though western grip may not be as aesthetically pleasing due to the racquet face wraping around your body, but you can handle high balls much better in general, which is crucial to the modern game. But I understand where you're coming from lol because I adapted the extreme western grip myself only after watching Sebastien Grosjean play tennis :)

  • Yeah he uses an Eastern grip, some argue that it's an extreme Eastern, but w/e, it's an Eastern, and not a Western. You can tell by the more flatter approach than the Westerns. Although Eastern is better for the waist-high shots, the Westerns are better for anything above that. It all depends on what you want to do with the ball.

  • you can see a spec of ball fiber after he hits the ball.

  • wow, no fear. just keeps looking at the contact point. Feels the ball through the racket.

  • wow he's so amazing..such a maestro! head usually becomes the heaviest in making such moves, so instead of fighting gravity he did a very well coordinated speed and sense of direction (velocity) in creating such a wonderful shot thus almost defying gravity! WOW!!

  • The balls long gone but he´s still looking at the hitting point!

  • he's not even looking at it

  • What are you talking about, his eye is focused on the ball during and before contact perhaps more than any other pro.

  • i'm sure it is - perhaps just not in this shot.

  • I kind of see what you mean. He looks at his racquet just as he makes contact, and looks through the strings at the ball. I've done this before (it doesn't feel natural for me) but it results in quite clean contact if you can concentrate long enough to do it.

  • yep, it's like he's using his peripheral vision as much as his direct vision to play the shot! PS your username is awesome (because it's true)!

  • heh, thanks.

  • I think he ment that is not looking at his target. Perhaps an other kid who think it's impressive and ignore that you must look what you do.

    Anyway, Roger is kind of unique and you are right about him.

  • ...yes he is...

  • yes he is ...-_-

  • he is looking at the ball before and once he hits it he doesnt need to check werer the balls has gone he knows were its going

  • @neiloconnor123 Thats incredible.

  • Actually one of the big secrets of the best forehand is after the shot to keep the head still and look at the direction of your turn (the same direction of your stomach) and he is actually doing that all the time :)

  • pe RF ect!!!!

  • look his eyes

  • so much racket speed.. evn in slow mo lol

  • there are no words to describe this

  • It's awesome how Federer's forehand, backhand & serve power comes mostly by rotating his shoulders & hip (instead of Nadal's all arm). Makes him a more natural & durable player.

  • beautiful. i am so happy he won at madrid

  • Genius at work

  • Justine henin and federer have similar Forehand.

  • No. Henin uses a western grip.

  • YUP! Roger uses an eastern I have a photo of Roger's forehand grip clearly an eastern.... Federer is kind of "classic" he uses prostaff-like rackets ^_^

  • well he uses a semi western

  • Federer uses an eastern grip - it's documented!

  • He uses a semi-western. McEnroe uses an eastern. Does his grip look like Roger's. I don't think so.

  • wrong and wrong.

    mcenroe uses continental for his forehand.

    fed uses eastern.

  • the pros change up their grip for different shots but federer mainly uses the eastern

  • No it isn't u piece of shit, it is a extreme eastern, between a semi western and an eastern. If u knew anything about tennis you'd know this dumbass.

  • see this video in high quality shitbird, and freeze it eveytime he does the fh takeback, it's clearly a friking eastern.

    The video is called "Federer practicing Sony ericsson 2008"

  • watch the one which is 1:25 minutes long.

  • hold the phone, it's modified eastern.

  • From Yandell's articles: Eastern grips 3/3: Sampras, Henman 3.5/3: Federer, Ancic SW 4/3: Agassi, Safin, Blake, Kiefer 4/3.5: Gonzo, Nalby, Coria, Hewitt, Ferrero, Kuerten 4/4: Roddick, Robredo Western 4.5/4.5: Nadal, Grosjean Brilliant articles explaining grip and how it dictates your stance choices and what balls you can hit back.
  • what is that 3/3 3.5/3 stuff?

  • that's completely wrong, and proves you don't even know the grips either, as you can clearly see, even in this video, that it's an eastern. Watch the federer forehand grip video from fuzzyyellowballs here in youtube, it's always been an eastern.

  • I've read that Federer's grip is actually right in between eastern and semi-western, which can make it look like a regular Eastern most times. Also, look at the angle of the racquet head just after contact... it's hooded (pointing more down than level) meaning if you can mentally move racquet into a flat/horizontal position, you'd know see how much of his first knuckle and palm's center are near the semi-western bevel on the grip.

  • That was Yandell's article, and it isn't true.

    lf you see the fuzzyyellowballs video you can clearly see it's and eastern, if you look any picture of his forehand you can see it also, it's not a semi-w and it has never been, they are very different and you can tell.

  • ur dumb he uses eastern

  • I thought it was common knowledge that Federer uses an extreme eastern.

  • his racquet head can maintain all the way through...O_O! pro...

  • How can he keep his head down the whole time?! I can't do that :-l

  • His clothes rock! Even the wristbands matching the colors perfectly!

  • I'm left hand and i take topspinn with my Tennis Teacher :D

  • Liquid Whip.

  • his limbs look very flexible... anyway idk y so many of you think the grip is such and important factor... it doesn't really generate power nor does it help you play better. fed just naturally uses all the body part necessary to create such power.

  • the way he grips the racquet is weird. it seems like a continental grip instead of semi-western

  • That looks nothing like a continental u idiot. Federer uses a extreme eastern. Between the eastern and semi western. Don't comment on things u know nothing about.

  • you could have been politier replying him

  • yea lol

  • tHE BEST PLAYER IN ALL TIMES

  • looks like a windshield wiper forehand

  • I dont think he does. believe its combo of his grip and the wrist roll thingy that make it look so, unless hes hitting a windsheild. try swinging exact same w/ eastern,semi-w, and the between bevels on corner, the racket facing all look different depending on grip using same swing or something. idk. hard to explain, just my opinion on the experience.

  • he never uses that "windshield" crap, if you knew anything you'd know.

  • as a matter of fact, he does... and quite a lot

  • Haha you're stupid. Federer has very good windshield wiper forehand and he hits it A LOT. If you would play tennis and would have more than 2 brain cells you would have known.

  • perfect amount of spin..

  • excuse me, but did I direct a comment at you?? I don´t think so kid!

  • chucklil95 STFU

  • i think you are the idiot numer 1

  • doesn't roger use babolat string savers?

    y can't c them?

  • THE PERFECT FOREHAND

  • the perfect spin

  • epitome of the perfect forehand!!!

  • was that sarcasm?

  • do you even read what you type?

  • if your serious, i suggest you get your eyes checked! that was right on the sweetspot!

  • Federer does NOT watch the ball all the way into the stringbed. If you look at this video very closely, you may notice that his head turns & his eyes are fixed on the contact zone slightly BEFORE the ball actually hit his strings.

    His eyes perform a SACCADE or a saccadic jump. This happens when the incoming ball is very close to the hitter & the smooth pursuit tracking system simply cannot keep up with the ball.

  • possibly because he catches the ball on the rise?

  • This has nothing to do with it. Fed does this on all his shots.

  • When we see the ball come into the shot in this video, it is doubtful that Roger can even see the ball much less track it. At best, Roger might be able to briefly detect a quick yellow blur as he is making contact (or is about to make contact).

  • It is important to note that, once Roger has turned his head & his gaze is trained on the contact zone, his head remains very STILL -- just before contact, during contact, and for quite a while AFTER contact. This "quiet" head & eye technique ensure that his swing path is not disturbed by pulling his head up too early.

    Rafa has developed a very similar technique. This is an excellent modus operandi (skill) to emulate.

  • definitely agree with your statement, fed does not in reality see the ball at contact point but assumes the contact point(through experience) and follows through with his eyes fixed on the point he assumed to be the contact point. by allowing such motion though your swing, balance is preserved and more sweet shots can be obtained

  • Great video. 5 stars. Federer is a very talented player.

  • That view is unbelievable. You can see every muscle fibre working, wow!

  • the best forehand of all time

  • You can see the frame jiggle. o.o

  • these kind of vids are MUCH better than minutes of tutorial..

  • wait what? you said it doesnt need to be low to high swing and u r saying that it has to be from low to high now? can u make it claer?

  • I am no tennis expert but i noticed one thing which i would like to share... when you compare Djokovic forehand with Federer, you would notice how federer keeps watching the ball till the point of contact whereas djokovic dosen't..

  • ya i noticed that too.. it seems that tmf is one of the only people that does that

  • It is not necessary to watch the ball onto the racquet. There is variation among players in terms of how far away from contact they keep their focus on the ball before contact. But probably the most important thing to be said here is that the ball watching factor is one of countless aspects of technique that you should not be thinking about. It will sort itself out. "Watch the ball" is the single most redundant tennis instruction ever invented.

  • Yea I used to try to look at the ball, but now I just look at the racquet blur after the ball passes a bit close to me.

  • Terrible advice, doing this during your warmup for 5 minutes will sort out any contact point issues you may have that day. That is assuming you know your strokes well enough to know where they need hitting.

    If you want to improve your game, watch the ball hit the racket, the point is to judge afterword whether you're making contact too late.

  • you´re an asshole

  • and who asked you?