21% Faster Forehand Transformation (Caught on Camera)

Something really cool happened the other day when I was out on the court filming with a friend. He started out hitting forehands that were often landing shorter in the court and they just didn’t have much power on them. As we tweaked somethings and kept working at it, all of a sudden, he really clocked one HARD! the speed was like night and day. In today’s video I’m going to show you exactly what he did differently so that you can do it too! Check it out…
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[@jkuang]

It is called the UNIT TURN in Tennis. The unit turn is also called the separation turn where you turn your upper body beyond the hip turn (the unit is the upper body). The hip turns about 45 degrees, and the upper body (as visualized by the turn of the shoulder) to 90 degrees. As the hip turns, energy transfers to the upper body, and the upper body turns, creating the "catch up" mechanism that generates massive amount of rotational power from the body. This video from Performance-Plus Tennis explains unit turn the best: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqunkqiPa7uda7c Notice that for tennis players, given the longer racket, the shoulder rarely turns more than 90 degrees. But for pickleball players, given the racket is smaller, the upper body (as visualized by the shoulder) can turn slightly more than 90 degrees and can still handle it easily. Therefore, the "catch up" mechanism is more profound.

[@primetimepickleball]

Love it! Well put.

[@danpettigrew7860]

Your in-depth and detailed analysis of a power forehand shot is much appreciated. I always gain a deeper understanding to whatever topic you are covering when I watch your videos. You are a special gift to left-brained individuals!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you for your kind words! Apologies for the late reply. I have been dealing with an injury and a big move across the country. I'm so glad you find my videos helpful! :)

[@Dedread]

I second this - I think your explanation of mechanics is one of the best on youtube.

[@jksalem]

Universal Motion, From Martial Arts, Baseball, Golf etc. Using your hips and the Split Step you showed, I now understand. Thank you very much! A Great Fan of Your Page! JS

[@primetimepickleball]

Yes, using your body the way it's designed is always the answer in sports.

[@ryanmcbeth3160]

Killer video! Loved every second

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

[@johnmccready6752]

Just one word. GREAT! Thanks Nicole.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@plumbedout7282]

Nicole thanks again for your insight and great observations

[@primetimepickleball]

You're welcome and thank you for the positive feedback!

[@frank88ster]

Wow!! Bang on analysis...Actually it's start from your mind,... Deciding to whip a stronger than usual shot. Next, get footwork in place. The 'coil' stance turned, relaxed and let fly the torso twist combine with wrist 'whipping action'. Low body rising and forward follow through. (Hitting ball at right arm distance and in front).. More eastern grip ( right hander) for top spin means your shot begins sideway to court, (body stance) finishing with arm finishing at 3-4 o'clock angle to left of court.

[@primetimepickleball]

You got it!

[@kimcoleman8034]

Great info, great breakdown. Love your instruction videos Nicole.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos. Also, apologies for the late reply as I have been dealing with an injury and a big move across the country.

[@pamcoblyn5310]

I can’t love this enough-great “recipe” with clear analysis and visuals to illustrate what made the difference.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you! :)

[@videofishable]

Nicole---another excellent analysis of a particular stroke. One question though, if he is hitting that with full power, in order for it to land inside the baseline, doesn't he have to have some major top spin on it? Even if it clears the net by just an inch, it looks to me like it would go long??

[@gmont66g]

My understanding is that you have to hit with an Eastern grip. Pay attention to his paddle at impact. It's clearly angled. If you hit it Continental the ball will fly out.

[@taylorbryant6345]

Hey there! Taylor here - no matter the grip, you can play around with these elements & functions of how much rotation can you hold before your shot… create that tension in rotation. Play with the spin, hit the bottom side of the ball, hit through the ball don’t just spin it

[@primetimepickleball]

Doesn't have to have major topspin if you hit it low enough.

[@primetimepickleball]

you can hit it out of continental but you'd have to put your wrist in a different position which is less behind paddle. Eastern is better for this because you get your hand more behind the paddle face.

[@primetimepickleball]

Taylor!

[@deltalimajuliet5680]

Excellent and clear analysis of this video makes it easy to see the difference. As a senior athlete (some limited mobility and speed) , I believe I and others would benefit from a ‘light’ version of the DD full course (aimed at young atheletes). If that ever is a possibility, I would jump on it. Your video breakdowns are the best, clear, not rushed plenty of comparisons of the point you are making. I know that must take much time and effort but they are beyond compare. Best regards.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thanks for this suggestion. I'll definitely keep it in mind. Happy to hear you enjoy the videos.

[@miatafunrun3078]

Outstanding instruction and break down here.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thx so much! glad you liked it.

[@bretwallach9863]

Good reminder of using the kinematic chain! I have a couple of questions though... Comparing the "weaker" and "stronger" forehands, isn't the bigger problem NOT speed but rather that it's not deep enough? For example, if those shots are emulating 2nd shots (return of serves), the "weaker" and shorter shot is problematic because the opponents can then hit a lot of different shots with a lot of angles with great accuracy since they will be able to take a couple of steps forward to hit the 3rd shot. Doesn't speed on the 2nd shot sometimes work against you since it gives you less time to get to the net and get set? If you have to choose between hitting it hard or hitting it deep on the 2nd shot, isn't hitting it deep almost always the better choice? Sure, hard AND deep might be even better but even from my tennis days there was always a tradeoff between speed and accuracy (including depth accuracy). I'm somewhat surprised you like his elbow position. It's pretty bent which doesn't matter much on the backswing but it's still bent as the forward part of the motion begins. Doesn't a bent elbow at that point decouple the lower arm, wrist and paddle from the rest of the kinematic chain? The elbow then straightens and then the kinematic chain is complete but it seems to me that the transition from decoupled to coupled could detract from both consistency and power. It is a little hard for me to compare the two swings. The "stronger" swing starts with a step back and stopping the backward motion seems to put his body in a good position to naturally load the chain. The "weaker" swing starts with a forward step and his timing and positioning don't look great to me - not a great start to a swing and a much harder place to start a powerful kinematic chain swing from. Are there tips to swinging when the ball is out front? I mean I guess get there, get set, get weight on back foot, etc., but I do find it a lot harder than swinging from lateral and backwards motions.

[@primetimepickleball]

This type of forehand isn't for the return (2nd shot). You'd want to use it more aggressively mid-point when you are trying to overwhelm them with power. As far a the elbow, a bent elbow swing even through contact is very common and most players (even top ones) never get fully straight. As far as the comparison, yeah he wasn't doing the "get there, get set, loade up etc..." on the weaker one at all which is part of the point. Sorry for the big delay. Circling back on a lot of missed comments now.

[@pammccall2569]

Great capture of shots!

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad you enjoyed

[@dads4monkeys]

This is a great one thank you

[@primetimepickleball]

you're welcome! glad you enjoye dit

[@dads4monkeys]

@@primetimepickleball it was exactly what I was focusing on now I'm consciously turning farther, winding up more, and lagging wrist more it's already making a difference I can see more zip, plus it just feels more natural, like it flows better

[@taylorbryant6345]

Thanks coach! You’re the best !

[@primetimepickleball]

No, you da best! 👊

[@joiedevivre541]

Great video!

[@primetimepickleball]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@billpaige6595]

Thank you so much my forehand has be so weak over the years . To see a lot of women out hitting me on my forehand which was very deflating. My brother really pointed that out to me .

[@primetimepickleball]

You're so welcome!

[@Steve_K2]

Less than a minute into the video, I must pause and say I wish I could hit the ball like Taylor BEFORE his work with Nicole. OK, back to the video.

[@primetimepickleball]

Lol

[@jimzimmerman5288]

Taking the paddle back way more in the stronger forhand. That makes his shoulders turn more.

[@primetimepickleball]

His paddle gets back more BECAUSE he turns his shoulders more.

[@krisc.2478]

Good stuff

[@primetimepickleball]

thank you :)

[@redequal7457]

One thing others have been mentioning and is something I do, which was lessening my speed and depth on my power drives, is holding the paddle in a continental grip when driving. This lessens the speed in drives. We should be using an eastern grip when we drive hard, correct?

[@primetimepickleball]

yes, eastern. thanks for the comment.

[@lazyhusband]

The lag is the same as in golf. His stance is also more open for him to clear on the follow through.

[@royabruce317]

Yes! The first thing I noticed was his footwork, i.e., more open stance. In pretty much every sport, everything starts with the feet.

[@primetimepickleball]

💪

[@primetimepickleball]

Absolutely!

[@bobdylan-hc8ot]

Is paddle lag something you can practice or a result of doing other things correctly? It only seems to be mentioned in passing in other videos and it seems people act like it's something that just happens.

[@primetimepickleball]

You do have to allow it to happen. Please watch the video once or twice more. I cover this topic exactly. You have to get several things right in a sequence to allow the lag to have any kind of impact. You have to get coiled up...as I discuss. If you don't everything after that including the lag doesn't have the potential to happen.

[@DrMetalpin]

It’s basically just a matter of using your body with the motions versus just using mostly your arms. It’s a 3-minute video, not a 3-minute introduction followed by 7 minutes of saying the same thing over and over. KZbin creates so much waste with creators feeling like they have to get to that magic 10 minutes mark. You’re a good content creator and I understand why you do it.

[@britta215]

I appreciate the repetition when the idea is a new one. People learn differently- some only need to hear or visualize it once - others - many times.

[@santafe605]

Great effort was needed to produce a video like this. You shouldn't be so critical when someone is doing their best to be helpful. The remainder of the comments are positive.

[@primetimepickleball]

I'm not striving for any particular length of time. To show and explain everything in detail with slow motion takes a while.

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you!

[@primetimepickleball]

Thank you!

[@joenenninger971]

Stronger forehand seems to require bigger backswing which we're told is bad. ??? Also am I wrong that this wouldn't be the best return of serve because it greatly reduces the time you have to get to nvz?

[@CraigTemple]

Big backswing at the kitchen will kill you, because you have no time. For a drive you usually have time. For this drill the fed ball is slow, short, and a big bounce, just begging for a powerful drive with plenty of setup time. Generally the drive like this is the third shot when the fed ball (return of serve) is short with a decent bounce (looks like this is the drill). Drive can overpower your opponent directly, but more often just forces them to block, which lets you move closer and hit an easier 5th drop to get to the kitchen (less time for the opp to plan, hit nasty slice, keep you deep etc). Situations differ of course. Sometimes you’ll drive 5th, 7th, etc looking for the pop-up or easier block for you to reset into the kitchen.

[@osint6372]

@@CraigTemple Doubles is not the only game in town.......

[@primetimepickleball]

MORE shoulder turn, not a bigger backswing. When you turn your shoulders more it naturally gets your paddle back a bit more. The key is not to reach back. You are correct, this is not for return of serve.

[@primetimepickleball]

Good points!

[@primetimepickleball]

lol, true. It's the biggest generally though.

[@CrushDani]

Maybe I'm speaking out of turn, but I feel like I intentionally hold myself back for fear that I'm going to hit the ball out of the court. With more confidence, I feel like hitting hit harder is definitely more possible.

[@primetimepickleball]

You can learn to swing freely and trust that it will stay in. It comes down to practice.

[@kento1957]

Summarized, simply bigger backswing and adding in more wrist.

[@primetimepickleball]

That's not at all what I said. Please rewatch because I think you missed the key points.

[@Pickapackofpickles]

you missed the main reason for the increase in power. It comes from your off hand, if you notice in the more powerful shots, his off hand followed the ball much further twisting his hips and shoulder and then the follow through you can see his left hand finish much further away twisting his core. All your power comes from the kinetic chain starting in your off hand/arm

[@primetimepickleball]

the shoulder turn I discuss brings the hand with it.

[@voltaquake]

How to prevent the ball from hitting out of the court? Every time I hit it hard it goes way out.

[@primetimepickleball]

Lots of practice. topspin helps too.

[@taylorbryant6345]

who dis guy eh 🌚

[@primetimepickleball]

Some rando bro… I dunno 🤷🏻‍♀️ lol.

[@deltalimajuliet5680]

Taylor, Taylor, Taylor I appreciate your being the guinea pig on so many of Nicole’s instructional videos. It truly helps, and usually does not look staged, this video shows a great breakthrough in your game - giving so many of us hope of making it to Taylor-ville level. Best regards.

[@octhewatcher]

he's using his chest muscle ..

[@primetimepickleball]

he's using his whole body to rotate into it in a kinetic fashion from the muscles starting in the ground up. Are chest muscles involved in that...a little but there's much more to it than that.

[@stratguitarman7831]

pickleball lol phew!

[@primetimepickleball]

😊

[@ncwezy]

🚀🚀🚀

[@primetimepickleball]

😊

[@osint6372]

He is not using his body to coil and uncoil thats why the drive is weak...He is using just his hands and arms.....

[@primetimepickleball]

yes.