Rafael Nadal's Forehand from the Side in Slow Motion

[twanliel2]

Nowadays with these strange ugly techniques (Nadal is not the only one), but running like the wind you can achieve a lot in tennis. That is kinda weird isn't it? Did you see Nadal ever play a good dropshot? Just saying.

[Danhh98]

I think he played better when he didn't do that helicopter thing. Maybe that ads too much topspin?

[TheHomeOfWrestling]

why do they call it a reverse forehand? it's just a forehand that follows through around the head

[turdferguson2]

STFU about grips already it's not nearly as important as you noobs think!

[nybombs]

@turdferguson2 you are a tard, turd

[mathonews123]

He is in the middle of a western and semi western

[choubro1]

does he have a full western grip?

[Jezzeboy1928]

You know...when you look at his technique here you wouldn't say that he's a good player. Am i the only one that thinks that.

[csolorio88]

@Jezzeboy1928 Yeah.

[Imallskillz]

@FYB2007 You MUST make a step-by-step video on how to hit with a western grip.

[thevsters9]

Tennis is my life. Nadal is my leader. And Federer is my hero. lol. =P

[JForcE777]

Watching this after after in slow-mo made me cringe, but his forehand is sick.

[federerbestcIass]

Nadal #1. true class. so nice. true champion. true king . Nadal LOVE :)

[risenloudly]

@Ralzaly No. Do you hit a semi western or a western? For how many years? Nadal has incredible velocity and is able to use his arm at full extension- Still, the degree of vertical movement in his stroke makes it very very very evident this is at least a very extreme semi if not a full western. He took this ball less than chest high yet finishes with a reverse follow through- there is no way in hell a semi western would be hit that way. Thanks for your Professional opinion though.

[chrism216]

he has a pretty short windup if you consider the amount of topspin he puts on it! cant really appreciate that on normal speed. i'd have expected a much larger swing. it looks almost as short as roddick's backhand

[tomerico20]

discusting

[duddmeister]

Hey Ive been Sorta fighting between the full western and semi western. I always put top spin on a ball and never hit it flat but i find it hard to make the right contact with the ball and with a western i can do great one handed backhands. But with the semi western i tend to hit it long and my back hand suffers what would you recommend?

[jimmyclaus1]

RAFAEL NADAL does not use a fully western grip!! people who paly with that grip will not advance further!! i hit like rafael nadal !! betwwen semi-western and western!!

come to campbell,california bring your coach YOU wont return one BALLL!!!

[AznofDeath333]

@jimmyclaus1 Mature much?

[AznofDeath333]

@jimmyclaus1 point proven

[Blackcrailtap]

ummm anyone know whether this is semi-western or full-western grip?

[windson7]

man i would not wanna be standing behind this guy

[rrben29]

Vamos Rafa!~ For everyone still stuck on this grip argument if you pause the video at 0.11 you can sorta see that his hand isnt completely on the top bevel but more or less on a bevel over which would be considered more semi-western. Based on his hand placement id say he uses more of an extreme semi western than a full.

[T3E4N1N9I4S]

Nothing against Nadal, but his racket drop looks really weird, and different from other vids. He is still the best!

[4evrtennisplayer]

best tennis player in the world no matter what the rankings say rafa has beating roger more tyms than roger has beating rafa so yall decide

[malcomino]

i have the rafa forehand..... more or less

[topspin27es]

@malcomino lol

[elreyki]

Flamenco from Majorca what an absolute freak.

Now he just needs to dump that little girl of his and focus on where he left off a year ago and finally improve that wretched serve by hiring Wayne Arthurs or Sampras :)

[blindspirit]

it may be ugly, but it's effective

[bluefire3991]

I wish I had his forehand. I could care less about the way it looks. The spin is crazy and its very consistent.

[Elwink]

Agree it's so ugly, it hurts my eyes watching this slow-mo (since I'm coming from a Fed video)

But, it's a deadly forehand and that's what matters in the end, ugh

[cuarteto6x8]

too much wrist in his forehand I'm not sure if amateur players should copy that eve for a pro is hard to control the ball with so much wrist motion look at cilic he has a wristy forehand and that stroke is out of tune several times but for nadal is perfect his blessed wrist allows him to hit late and make a great shot sorry for my bad english

[EternalChaos000]

Really, I don't see THAT much wrist.

[drewmelendez]

ya he has probably been hitting like that since he was little so its natural for him now i guess

[mustang100002]

doesn't really matter what grip Nadal, or anybody uses. Chosing a grip is a personal choice and depends on what feels right for you and how it best suits your game. No point in copying the pros because for all of us here, we'll never be close to them. It's funny reading comments on here talkin about minute details which make no difference to average players (i.e. anybody not on the ATP tour)

[TRTNino]

University Tennis Teams play just as hard.

[yaboydannyg]

who gives a shit hes one of the best, why argue about someones grip that is better than you?

[georgebabolat]

so ugly preparation

[hillsong1004]

I love how everyone argues about grip....

To me footwork is more important then what grip you use. Using the grip you're comfortable with, is the best choice. This has a mental impact as well, people are less likely to perform well doing things they don't feel comfortable doing. Opposite applies, more comfortable you are the more in your element you are.

Footwork > grip

If you can't get to the ball then how are you going to use your awesome pro grip? lol

[johnster06]

forreal

[Khanhachan409]

@hillsong1004 truly,i agree cause anybody can choose how they want there ball to go with any grip,as long as they're comfortable with it,and a good forehand comes from good footwork,agree?

[gyedunator]

@hillsong1004 very good pointt the foot works the most important but the grip playes a big part in peple game too. nadal serve on a average during the us open has been 125 to 130 thts 15 mp faster than what he was serving in his last tourtemant. can u guess y cause he changed they way he holds the racket grip, the grip also plays a part in how the ball spins. ( example; the simple continental grip)

[MrChillaxDude]

@hillsong1004 good comment

[anormalnick]

BANANA SHOT!

[Rickybb1]

it is definitely a full western....... that is why it is hard for him to flatten out his strokes.... and he generates massive topspin because its impossible to hit a flat stoke when your hand is on the bottom of the raquet

[abujabi]

looks like western grip with a super open wrist

[TRTNino]

It appears Eastern. However, it is not. His grip is closer to the semi-western position. It is technically 'in between'; virtually, a semi-western.

[JL6293]

? Way off? That appears more to be a full western grip than anything. How did you guess eastern?

[TennisGuy3334]

@TRTNino your semi-retarded

[TRTNino]

Yea, the eastern/semi-western was in reference to federer. Obviously from the comment i posted 2 months ago.

[TRTNino]

'nadal doesn't hit with western grip' 'grip doesn't automatically determine spin on the ball' - Well both comments were definitely not true. First, Nadal does hit with a 'full' western grip. Which is why he is able to generate the most rpm on his forehands. Federer max rotation = 2700 rpm; Nadal max rotation = 4900 rpm. Federer doesn't use eastern by the way, it is a semi western (Half eastern, half western; duh). You can generate as much spin as you want on the other grips, but western = max.

[mysteriekiller]

Federer hits with an eastern, and he obviously has the best forehand ever in tennis. And yes, federer hits flatter, his strokes are more penetrating.

[Snaurt]

Grip does not absolutely determine amount of spin which is why for example Hewitt with his semi-western hits with less spin than Federer with his Eastern. Spin is partly about grip, partly wrist position and partly degree of upward motion. Choose whatever grip is comfortable and just make it spin! Even McEnroe hit topspin forehands and he used a continental!

[AllGenreMusic]

Yeah, I also recommend players to just get a grip they feel comfortable with, because the best players are the ones who build their own style fitting to how they play or feel the ball. No one really succeeds by trying to copy a player and his techniques. But obviously, there has to be adjustments here and there. Because for example, a player cannot expect to use an Eastern grip and believe he'll hit with topspin without using his wrist and vice versa with other grips.

[woody171717]

love his forehand

[sagrocket]

federer is a bitch

[s900203]

A lot of fore-spin, but I wish that he would use more of his angular momentum than just his arm to put more weight into the ball. His ball is still heavy even though he hits it like that because of his muscular strength. Imagine how much heavier the ball would be although it may lose some rpm.

[kool81kool81]

GO LEFTYs!!!

[Fernandez218]

too bad he's right-handed

[bankaimaniac]

his forehand is a lil different compare to last year

[supertrex2]

Nadal is The Best but Federer is The Legend.

[mckillustrator]

federer sucks at tennis:)................

[2nadalfederer1]

@supertrex2

For me he's the God.

[LeDrummerDu88]

à 0:43 jveux pas etre méchant, mais son coup c'est dla merde^^ mdr

[frankqwerty123]

essai de faire mieu juste comme ca

[LeDrummerDu88]

c'est juste qu'il est boisé, encore un qui a pas assez d'humour pour caler le degré de ma remarque.. tss

[frankqwerty123]

pas assez dhumour encore un con qui nest meme pas capable de faire une bonne blague

[Pamqnx]

Non non, c'est juste toi qui es con.

[GohantheRiceboy]

nadal's awesome, my fave player. then verdasco

[BWpepperr]

Are most of his forehands considered "windshield"'s?

[FYB2007]

When the racket finishes across his body, yes. When it finishes over his head that's called a reverse forehand.

[BWpepperr]

I saw a thread in tennistalk last night will, about Fed(& Nadal and Verdasco's) FH discussing how they pronate and hit with straight arms during contact. Someone said it's silly to lump a player's FH in two kinds(I think it was classic and WW), and were both in agreement. I was just curious of how you responded to me after having read that thread =]

[FYB2007]

Can you give me the link again plz? Thx.

[thirsten89]

@FYB2007 at bollettieri they call it the helcopter

[Pundit2k]

@FYB2007 How do you know this?

[GohantheRiceboy]

nadal used to use full western but stayed number two so he started to flatten it a bit by going a bit to the semi western side. it's more western than semi but it has more power and better flat shots. he also switches to semi western from what i've seen

[GueorguiJoukov]

If you look, he also lowered his guard; he used to settle his racket nearby shoulders height and do a big looping action. Now, he places it hips level. Allows more consistancy on all surfaces, but his forehands lost much of their bite.

But, I don't peculiarly like how he plays most of them right now; not really a secret why he hates the hard courts (he's always in pain on them). He puts much stress on his knees and elbow.

Nice player though, hope he solves this before it's too late.

[Marquinez360]

amazing footwork

[u2s4e6r8]

FYB... can you please clear up once and for all what grip nadal uses? Thank you!

[tosc20]

wester

[u2s4e6r8]

Actually it's not. I know that it is between semi-western and western, but i just wanted to know if it was more of a western or semi- western. Nadal juggles between them from what i have seen, but he never completely changes the grip. still it would be great if FYB did a vid on this.

[bankaimaniac]

the way his racquet drops is a lil different compared to guys like fed....Alot stress on the wrist. he whips like a lasso

[HeroMax1234]

Having super strong shot (as some of you imply)isn't an issue, all you need to do is generate more topspin. Which shouldn't be an issue with your said strength.

[Christrovatelli666]

hey FYB2007, i hope you see my question and it goes like this: Do i have to move my wrist when i hit the forehand in order to get more topspin? i mean before the impact, to drop the racket head, do i have to move my wrist like a little bit down?

[FYB2007]

No you don't need to use your wrist to get topspin. There are several ways to create topspin -- altering your swing plane so that it's more vertical is one of them and it's an effective strategy.

[cowbusscow]

yea i have a problem because my shots are just too storng and when i try to tone it it either goes bent or hits the net but i noticed how Nadal dips the racket low just b4 he hits and i will try this tonight

[porsche944]

Remember to keep your wrist cocked back. Make sure every shot hits the ball in the exact same way.

[kpos3]

Yesterday i tried to use it and heve very good results...I have a strong arm and i not have any problem using it.

But a friend used this grip, and when he finished to play , he had injures in his arm and it isn´n a strong arm...¿Why happened this?

[kpos3]

Do you recomend to a right-handed to use the Full Western Forehand Grip?

[FYB2007]

I'm not a fan of the full western -- my advice would be to stay away from it.

[Sig0Dog]

hey, im gonna have to disagree with you. I use the full western grip on my forehand, and im a right handed player...

And, well, for my age, I hit the ball incredibly hard, and accurate.

[andrewandyyo]

FYB Why would you suggest staying away from a full western? Just curious. It's not a bad thing that you recommend it but out of curiosity why would you say that? Just wondering cause I use a full western and it works pretty good. <-- I'm a huge Nadal fan.

[FYB2007]

Nadal doesn't use a full western. The grip makes it difficult to swing through the tennis ball -- thus you end up leaving the ball short.

[andrewandyyo]

Can you tell me what grip he uses? And how I should accelerate demon topspin as Rafael does? I know I'm no pro like him or anything, but I was just wondering.

[bugabutu]

FYB, can you prove that he doesn't use full western? because you jsut said he didn't cause if he didn't, I'' start making adjustments right now haha

[wind1357]

omg

[starlafur]

dont hit like he does just cause you like him as a player

[bugabutu]

my friend, that can never happen :p I can only try my best to grab a monster topspin though

[Snaurt]

Oh my god thankyou FYB for finally pointing out that Nadal doesn't use a full western. If you check out my comments I've been trying to tell people this on your posts for about 6 months. It just looks full western because of the extreme angle of his wrist. It would be great if you demonstrated Nadal's grip the way you did Federers. Cheers and thanks for the great site.

[andrewandyyo]

Thanks for telling me before hand. xD Now I use eastern . The one that Federer uses like you described in your other video. Haha thanks FYB your the best(:

[tennis21000]

FYB, Nadal ruined his forehand as I'm sure you can tell. There's no lift in the intial back swing anymore. Recently though he's gone back somewhat to his old form but in this it's ugly and cramped. He should have never shortened it this much!!

[ZawShin]

@FYB2007 what grip does he use than? You can't add that much spin with a semi western.

[copperheadaquariums]

@ZawShin because he uses a windshield wiper trajectory with his racket. you can see clearly that the racket head passes in front of him very upright and he can see through his strings. this puts top and side spin on the ball at the same time. very difficult to play against on his speciality surface of clay. look for windshield wiper tutorial on you tube for instructions

[gyedunator]

the gripp dosentt isntt the most important thing, the r other ways to put spin on the ball wen u come under and over the ball and foolow through the swing ending over ur shoulder it puts spin on it in its self, but i would recomend the western grip

[gyedunator]

@FYB2007 i completely agrre with u fyb its important u swing completely through the ball and finish over ur shoulder or finish throughur bodyy the full western makes it hard to do tht. n thts coming frm a 15 year old kid whos only been playing 4 a year lol

[sukivan27]

nadal doesnt hit with a western grip anyway

[Ralzaly]

@andrewandyyo Nadal uses a semi-western. It may not be obvious because of his swing, but the reason he gets to much topspin is because he utilizes the semi western differently. Many players hit with a semi western but theyre swing patterns aren't all the same.

[tjy90]

@Ralzaly

I believe Nadal uses a 3/4 wester grip actually.

[Sig0Dog]

Hey mate, I don't see why you shouldn't use it, I use it, and, I get it accurate, and powerful, I found it hard getting used to it... but... really, once you get it, its incredibly powerful and accurate :)

[u2s4e6r8]

How to hell does he get his wrist in an angle like that, and its even loose. So is he using a full western or semi western grip?

[MixedProduce]

Its called exerting energy, and some people make noise when they do it. Thats just the way it is. I do it... I just dont sound like Im giving birth when I do :P

[Nekrohol]

why the hell does he have to scream on every single shot he makes? GAAAAHH!

He's such a moron.

[nyamachoma]

Looks like western to me. Lots of people use the western grip.

[jickyman]

djokovic uses a full western grip

[Snaurt]

semi-western. his wrist is at an extreme angle that's all. No one uses western

[Unisonus]

It has such an unrefined, wild, and frankly amateurish look to it.. yet its one of the most consistent and effective forehands in the game.

[Hal5050]

He drops his racket head so low at the last second.

[dmugger]

I liked his old forehand better, this new backswing looks goofy. Guess it gets the job done though.

[starlafur]

amazing - do you see how low his back swing is and he goes right over the ball. Amazing motion

[mysteriekiller]

Will, nadal is leaning/falling back on most of his forehands, especially the reverse forehands. Is this technically inefficient and is it true that his physique makes up for that?

[FYB2007]

nadal uses the reverse when he's rushed on time. he's falling back a little cuz that gives him an extra split second or two to hit. so not technically inefficient given what he's trying to accomplish. however, you can definitely hit harder by moving your weight forward, into the shot. yes -- nadal's physique lets him fall back and still hit hard.

[lukebonstingl]

it isnt technically inefficient in some moments to fall back, lots of players always move their weight forward at every shot they hit, no matter how hard it comes, no matter how difficult the ball is to hit- thats technically inefficient!

[infoowetrust]

more importantly he is balanced to hit the shot! thats efficient enough!

[rohannpillay]

i mean ive been playin tennis since i was 4 im 13 now chekc the vids of me playin they are comin soon.i see that he lays his wrist back on contact. anythin else u can point out?

[mistaflo77]

hahaha funny

[TheGoonsies]

It's kinda awkward how he keeps the racket head open until he gets to the bottom of his backswing and then closes it

[rohannpillay]

im tryin to copy this forehand, give me any tips or help on what i could do?

[FYB2007]

get the fundamentals down first. trying to copy nadal's forehand out of the gate is a really, really bad idea.

[rohannpillay]

well do u know the fundamentals of his forehand?

[daraemkar]

FYB is saying you should get the fundamentals of a solid and technically sound forehand down first before you experiment. Kind of like how pro skateboarders learn to stand on a board without falling before they learn how to do backflips and stuff. You should learn how to hit a fundamentally sound forehand and then adjust it. That way you understand why things work and don't work.

[FYB2007]

Well said darae.

rohann -- the fundamentals of nadal's forehand are the same as the fundamentals of the other pros. pretty much every pro does a few things exactly the same. you need to get that stuff down before you move to more advanced techniques.

[Unisonus]

Yeah I heard him say that. But my question is: why is a flat, Eastern-grip stroke "basic" or "fundemental"? Does this mean that its easier to learn, more essential to the game, or what?

[Unisonus]

I mean, yes learning the WSW technique will be easier if you have a solid, classic forehand. But the reverse is also true. Why not learn what you're going to use first? There's nothing innately more difficult about the WSW shot. When I first picked up tennis, the flat ground-stroke was more difficult for me than a top-spin stroke (due to my experience in other racket sports).

[daraemkar]

Hey FYB, hope you don't mind if I hop in again to reply. I can't stay away from your vids ^^

Uni, the reverse is definitely not true. The important thing isn't learning an eastern or "classic forehand" but it's that many people end up wristing or getting an extremely whippy arm motion that does not utilize core strength. Many amateur or club players try to emulate his reverse forehand but lose the pace because all they do is sweep up on the ball as hard as they can.

[daraemkar]

Learning to hit a more conservate (note: does not mean ONLY eastern) forehand teaches you to drive through the ball more so that you have a better understand of hitting the ball. Personally, I enjoy teaching a conservative eastern grip to newer players because after time it gives players a good feeling in terms of ball control in all aspects of the game whereas hitting a full western and then going to continental for volleys is completely different in terms of controlling the racquet head.

[daraemkar]

Of course, as players advance they should definitely decide for themselves but it's very easy for newer players to go for a full western and arm the ball very badly because they didn't learn a proper core turn (which you need to pull off a continental/eastern forehand properly). From what I hear, however...Uncle Tony is exclusively teaching the reverse forehand so if you truly want to hit it you could probably find a coach for it that will teach you the correct basics to hit the shot.

[Unisonus]

Thanks for the detailed reply, daraemkar. That makes perfect sense.

[bernardobec]

I've seen 4-year olds in Argentina learning a full western since that age. It becomes natural I guess. I don't know how good it would be for their wrists. In my case learning topspin with full western was nice. Switching to semi-western was amazing. It was really quick evolution and a skyrocketing performance.

[jsheng319]

What you described is exactly what's happening to me. I originally hit my forehands with a traditional eastern grip then switched to semi-western about 4 months ago. The reverse finish was most natural to me (not imitating nadal haha), but I found that while I am enjoying the greater spin on my forehand shots, i am losing significant pace. Am I not turning my torso enough since so much of the reverse forehand is in the upward swing motion of the hitting arm?

[u2s4e6r8]

Yes, i am doing the same thing. you'r right about the pace. If you turn your torso more and with more of a follow through on the stroke into the court, then you will have the pace. worked for me. And of course nadal has his biceps to help with that.

[Snaurt]

Just means it usually makes for a flatter stroke (less spin) and is easiest to learn first.

[jephrati]

what a special forehand... but it works!

[ruhel07]

fuking amazing

[indionewbike]

nadal's change a litlle bit his racket back preparation?

[zacinnc78]

yea i noticed he does a weird elbow tuck or something that i dont think he used to do

[paulkielsmithdotcom]

that high follow through is one ugly looking thing that works for him. its like watching lindsy davenport or maria screemova finish over the head. its butt ugly

[picardanddata]

ur face is uglier

[FYB2007]

Let's keep this productive / positive folks. I will block users who keep posting negative and inappropriate comments.

[picardanddata]

u talkin 2 me? hes the one who said nadals forehand is ugly

[FYB2007]

I'm talking to anyone who makes comments that are personal or uses bad language. It's perfectly legitimate to think / say that Nadal's forehand looks ugly. However, the term "butt ugly" is pushing it. Let's act like adults folks.

[paulkielsmithdotcom]

His first forehand was a thing of beauty. You cant honestly say the over the head follow is beautiful. lets be honest. its a way for him to create spin. if they taught that to young kids there would be many injuries. thats my opinion. and no i think nadal has a good looking face. no reason to call his face ugly

[picardanddata]

i agree that sharapovas bull whip forehand is ugly but nadals is different and is not ugly and looks awesome.that forehand he does is not easy to do, i doubt any kid would even be able to pull it off if they tried.

[mrcalon]

its not ugly..it's genius.

[c0ztanza]

awesome forehand. I love that high follow through