Feel Tennis (Tomaz Mencinger) posted several YouTube videos on slapping or smacking the ball on the forehand and backhand. The idea is that the wrist bends backward (wrist extension) during the takeback when the racket lags the arm then the wrist straightens as the racket moves forward to make contact but does not go into wrist flexion (bending forward). The coach likens it to beating a rug to knock out the dust.
Here are the links. (There is a fourth video that is accessible only to people who subscribe to his members-only channel.)
https://youtu.be/9BQBRkYHpq0?si=qY3-5GVHspjNhdbV
https://youtu.be/5rTG-uxWmsg?si=u_vviAvQ55GOt9cT
https://youtu.be/2D7UlPQHce4?si=ctScS2NuT_VOrFBc
I think the movement Coach Mencinger recommends increases the racket head speed because it lags the wrist at first then catches up at impact. Most of the people with whom I play keep their wrist locked during the swing. (I did too until trying this idea.) Swinging with a fixed wrist does make that the racket tip move faster than the wrist, but the additional wrist movement used in Mencinger’s tip should increase the racket speed even more.
When I incorporated this into my groundstrokes they do have more power. I use the TennisKeeper app which picked up a few mph change in speed. I think the actual speed increase is higher because the app (which tracks movement of my Apple Watch) measures wrist speed, not racket head speed or the speed of the ball coming off the strings.
It took a while to get used to this technique because timing of the wrist movement can affect when the ball is contacted. The first few times I tried it some of my shots sailed a bit long. But once I made this adjustment, I believe my shots have more zip on them. The TennisKeeper apps confirms this, plus I’ve noticed that my opponents are having a harder time dealing with my shots.
Try it and see if it works for you!
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