How to Hit the Perfect Tennis Overhead Smash with Coach Ben Zink | RCW Athletic Club Drill Series

Get ready to master the overhead! 💪 In this video, Coach Ben dives into the keys to a powerful overhead shot, focusing on pronation, body alignment, and technique to help you bring more control and momentum to your game.
Perfect your wrist snap, use your hips effectively, and gain confidence with each shot! 🎾✨
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[@StefanLaarm]

So efficient, no theory blabla, you show the thing and it is easy to translate to your own situation. Thank you, keep up

[@rcwathleticclub8751]

Thanks so much! So glad the approach resonates with you!

[@TNToncourt]

Good video! Thanks for posting

[@deepseadiver8191]

I love these videos! Helping me tremendously! Thank you!

[@rcwathleticclub8751]

We're so glad to hear that! 🙌

[@misscorinneyo]

similar with serve :) Your video is just too good !

[@moretuscapital3377]

A video on the serve would be welcome! Appreciate these.

[@123Rockchild]

Great instruction!

[@guillermoeduardogatto7513]

excellent ! , thanks

[@rcwathleticclub8751]

Glad it helped! 🙌

[@omarsultanov362]

Great great great 🎉

[@Shaehaank]

thank you so much for this! I have a hard time with the overall timing on the overhead and the whole element of the behavior of the ball when its up in the air and dropping, what is some good advice to help with timing on the overhead and making consistent contact with the ball? I also loved the tip about the thumb up - thumb down tip for the pronation, very easy to implement and remember!

[@BenZinkRCW]

Coach Ben here! Thanks so much for watching! Most people start their swing up into the overhead too late and end up catching the ball after it's already past the ideal contact point. Try starting your swing sooner to meet the ball in the right contact point. It may look like you're not going to make great contact, but remember, the ball is still dropping as you're swinging. Lots of practice! You can do it! 🔥

[@Shaehaank]

@ Thank you for taking time out to help me with this, I will definitely use your advice when I’m out on the courts!

[@knotwilg3596]

I've always thought of pronation as a consequence of 1) leading on edge + 2) hitting square on + 3) following through. Not as a deliberate action in order to generate "snap". Not on the serve nor on the overhead. Why hitting square on is trivial, why leading on edge is because of the head speed and the stability of the swing, why follow through is also obvious, but since the pronation has already set in the follow through will see it continue due to inertia. So it's really 1 that matters, and it causes pronation. Pronation is not a purpose in itself and it's not causing 1. Would you agree to that? Or do you see pronation as the causal objective?

[@BenZinkRCW]

Thanks for the thoughts here! I see pronation as the objective as it's the second spot in the swing where you are able to accelerate. When you initialize the swing of your overhead, you engage your hips as the first point of acceleration. And then as you pronate, you then have the ability to accelerate the racquet head again, which creates exponential amounts of acceleration, giving you more force in your swing. Also, pronation saves wrist wear and tear if you pronate correctly. You aren't creating flexion in your wrist, but really pronating your entire arm. I've seen a lot of people hit overheads with no pronation and you lose control along with a strong contact point.

[@Neverprompt]

Agreed. Pronation is just a natural accomplishment of 1) and 2). There is no wrist snapping unless you want your wrist injured.

[@NamesAreRandom]

What strikes me in your video is it's a simple pronation action, not a full service motion which is slower and therefore harder to time.

[@alexandermayer2026]

Without a doubt the single worst overhead lesson I have ever seen. My two Slam doubles titles would never have happened with the over head you describe. An overhead is a second serve. The drive is up not forward. A falling ball cannot be picked with a forward move consistently. Pronating on an overhead is another formula for disaster as the racket head is twisting. The pronating is not intentional. The pronation is held off to keep the edge of the racket in the correct position as long as possible; after extension of the elbow upwards, the speed of the racket is dissipated by letting it turn over. Unless you want to hit a trick shot, crosscourt slice overhead, probably on a really low lob, do not hit the right side of the ball. A topspin brush upwards is the directionality of the overhead. Excuse me, I think I am going to be sick.

[@StefanLaarm]

Do you comment the words or the action?

[@alexandermayer2026]

@ the words m: the overhead is a second serve. What else can it be? The ball is falling down; so the only way to create a hitting zone is to oppose the drop by swinging up. Your method of hitting forward means you have to pick the falling ball at one point. The speed of the ball is high to the elevation of the drop and power is easy. Pronation during the hit is just for first serves and only for a few players at any level who want to hit an extremely flat ball. The pronation is held off through the hit and happens by itself to dissipate the speed of the racket. You never tell someone to to turn his hand over. The action: this is a forward moving elbow with a down hit as you turn the racket over. The correct sequence of action is to drive the elbow up, with the legs, the straightening elbow then fires the wrist up. A student should be told to hit the ball with his elbow. This reduces the chance of early racket head release, which happens a lot when a player is nervous.