How to use Dual Tennis Swing Paths to Hammer the ball!

[@monstertrucktennis]

Using the hula hoop to create a 3D sine wave shape (dual plane) is pure genius. We've seen the sketch arrows on a singular plane in 2D and those help. This in on a whole 'nother level. Thanks for unlocking another tennis mystery.

[@chtomlin]

except this is not correct in many ways

[@yimingzhh]

@@chtomlin elaborate?

[@moritzannely]

Simply brilliant. Probably one of the most helpful insights ever. Thank you very much Coach Daniel.

[@ericfreeman5795]

Excellent. You don't swing the racquet across your body with your arm. You swing foreward. It's the turn of your torso that brings the racquet path across your body. Nobody has ever explained it that way to me before.

[@HammerItTennis]

Yes!!! The target is forward! Why swing the wrong direction?? Thanks for the comment.

[@quadcondor8619]

Never seen the forehand stroke explained this way, its brilliant technically and fundamentally on point.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you so much!

[@ksagstertohi6156]

This is, in fact, brilliant. All the explanations of where common teaching cues come from is found here.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you! Once I figured this out, everything else just fell into place! This is the key to finding consistency in your swing.

[@yuyifu]

Wow, what a great way dissect the forehand swing! It really helps me not only know how but also understand WHY we swing this way. Thanks!

[@AquariumHobbist]

Very good use of props to provide very good visuals! Good job. It’s very clear.

[@HammerItTennis]

Glad you found the video clear and helpful!

[@marko8643]

Very helpful video. It addresses the fact that if the hand, ball and racket head are all on the same plane when the racket is vertical, the hand has to move inward about a foot in order for the racket head to still be on plane with the ball when the racket is horizontal (obviously, when the racket is horizontal, the hand can't still be on that same plane). If one stays sideways and makes a "Farris Wheel" circle with the racket, when the racket goes from vertical to horizontal and facing the net, if the hand is still on the incoming ball line, the racket head will be a foot outside the incoming ball line. Turning the shoulders (horizontal circle) pulls the hand inside, off the incoming ball line to allow the racket head to square up on that line and make contact with the ball. This is something I've struggled with and your video helps me with that tremendously. The view down the court from behind you really addressed that point. Thanks.

[@HammerItTennis]

Awesome observations! This is why many pros have figured out to reach out to the right before they start the swing in the unit turn. When you reach to the right you are setting your hands out in the proper plane. This allows your hands to then stay in front as the shoulders turn and square the racquet. Due to the squaring of the shoulders the hands move to an inside position. This inward movement also allows your rotational speed to increase as your angular momentum increases as you pull your arms inward, giving you more speed into the ball. This is why a pure arm swing is less effective and requires greater physical strength.

[@jessalvo6375]

Coach Daniel, kudos to you. I've been a certified teaching pro since 1979 under the tutelage of DVDMeer. He hinted the trapping of the ball by the net but didn't expound on the prying and extension. I just realized this on my own and when the Fed came into the picture, slow mo videos confirmed my Eureka moment which I realized very early on even before my quest at PTR's tennis university when I started playing a la Jimmy Connor's grip and his T2000 metal racquet. But then I attributed the power to the trampoline effect of the racquet and not on the technique. I have to hand it to you because now, I can use your full and detailed explanation to teach again to the young ones of the world. Hats off to you Coach.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I hope that I can help crack the code for many players and coaches so that they too are better able to understand the mechanics behind the swing. I sincerely appreciate your comment. Thank you.

[@dignasevilla9732]

Coach Daniel, you are most welcome. You deserve all the acolytes. You make most sense now than all the teaching pros before you because we have The Fed and Nadal who prove you are on the right track. Please keep the passion and the sharing. The community and the industry will benefit immensely. Jesty Salvo PS I'm using my nurse's iPad.

[@dignasevilla9732]

Correction: accolades

[@kevincampbell256]

This is actually awesome. I hope people see how great this is in understanding the racket natural momentum to create a swing path and how the body plays part in creating the swing path we know as the tennis forehand swing path.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@raysfonexchange]

Damn Dude...... this is some seriously awsome info! You've explained it like no other and you Sir, should receive a medal! Subd

[@HammerItTennis]

ray edmondson thanks for the comments! Appreciate the kind words.

[@raysfonexchange]

@@HammerItTennis seriously i cant thank you enough for sharing this. As a new tennis player understanding the physics/mechanics is crucial!

[@robinhoodwink9345]

Thanks for the a fully functional way of explaining swing .

[@zicotu9407]

Simple and excellent idea! Thanks so much Coach!

[@HammerItTennis]

Zico Tu thanks for the comment!

[@honkeyness9427]

Going into the swing thinking that it’s a full loop on one side of the body has completely fixed my one hand backhand and improved my forehand. I’m actually seeing/feeling the sine wave on both sides. Really important ideas here.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thanks for the views! Glad that you are seeing improvement!

[@lordbyron3603]

Nicely done. I liked the hula hoop turned wave motion.

[@HammerItTennis]

Thanks! I think it really helps to visualize the proper racquet path!

[@akhileshkumarroy3587]

Great concept true game changer Thanks coach Daniel

[@HammerItTennis]

Glad you like it!

[@silverporsche81]

OMG, this should be in the tennis text book from the beginning. ALL the beginners must learn this first before start swinging. Period

[@betterthanamasterofone]

That's some great insight on the follow thru. A very simple and elegant explanation.

[@lowgascostsorangeman2688]

Very good explanation.....makes a lot of sense physics wise and logically!!!

[@nec1211986]

Best tennis video i have seen so far

[@TNToncourt]

I'm working on this and it feels good. Thanks for posting.

[@GermanShephard123]

This is an amazing explanation! I keep hitting the ball over or high..want to learn how to control the ball. When i swing forward, the face is inconsistent..i think this video has helped me finally understand the physics of the swing..thank you

[@HammerItTennis]

Glad you like the video and it is helping you master your swing! Thanks for the comment!

[@GermanShephard123]

@@HammerItTennis coach Daniel - I am sure you already covered this in another video but I was wondering if you can do a video on the following question: I have an really good lag in my forehand. However, I because I keep my wrist loose, sometimes that opens my racket face open which leads to uncontrolled shots. I saw your point that the wrist is set before the swing occurs forward, what role does the forearm or arm play in the forehand? To better elaborate, does the forearm rotate as you are swinging forward? Hope this makes sense.

[@HammerItTennis]

When you say the racquet face opens? What exactly are you meaning? Open to the ground? or swing path? or faces more to the right? The forearm will natural roll and help close your racquet face in relation to the swing path as you extend outward. kzbin.info/aero/PL4EFDvXAXAhtmwxf1T8fRGm21mrleT4-L is the playlist with the Hammer It Method concepts that I have posted so far. In the video showing the Swing Stick kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJvJc5hmit-JY6M at this part I am showing how Brian should extend to the target. You can see how his forearm rolls naturally as he extends.

[@GermanShephard123]

@@HammerItTennis perfect! Exactly what i needed..thank you! You deserve more subscribers than 6k coach..

[@HammerItTennis]

Adnan Arif hey I really appreciate that! I’ve been trying to increase my uploads to hopefully get that sub count up!

[@Gatorpsychosis]

Another excellent explanation for the forehand...

[@oozonyt]

This is excellent explanation for the "how", Daniel! So we've established what plane the racket needs to move into. Do you have contact point explanation for forehands? I'm specially interested in how you can control contact point for ball's launch angle (I'm struggling with a newly acquired racket that has a larger launch angle than what I'm used to!).

[@HammerItTennis]

What do you mean by saying the racquet has a larger launch angle than you are used to? The launch angle is set and determined by the angle your shoulders and arms set. I try to minimize the variance of the arms by using the shoulders to set this angle.

[@llama9841]

this is settled all the things that puzzled me. Thank you so much!

[@latinguitarmastery]

this was quite helpful thanks!

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you! Glad you like the content!

[@jermainehayes8328]

This helps a lot. I think I developed bicep tendinitis over the yrs from using my arms incorrectly.. no one never explained it to me like this.

[@HammerItTennis]

Hitting the ball shouldn’t hurt! Hope you finally get some relief! Let me know how it goes!

[@jermainehayes8328]

@@HammerItTennis thanks. Its sporadic. But i've been watching different forehand videos. One mention letting the racquet do the work. That clicked as well.

[@HammerItTennis]

@@jermainehayes8328 yes. Use the leverage of the racquet combined with racquet head speed so you are doing less work!

[@gustavocamposmed]

BEst explnation ever!!! thnk you sir! brilliant

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you!

[@jackquinnes]

Excellent analysis, guys.

[@zackaaron6487]

Hello, at 4:28 you essentially visually show the correct racquet path. Obviously, it would be benefitial to consistently maintain this path each and everytime you make the stroke (any stroke). Could you please recommend some drills/practicing technique(s) one could use to increase the consistency of the racquet path? In another words, basically, I want to have identical racquet path every time.

[@Tracks777]

Excellent video

[@nickweir4767]

Will give it ago - thanks for presenting this. What about in wheelchair tennis ?

[@HammerItTennis]

The arm and shoulder mechanics would still be the same! I haven’t worked with anyone specifically playing wheelchair tennis, so I’m not familiar with how the non-dominant arm works with balance and steering the chair while hitting. However, the looping of the hitting arm in a vertical loop would help give power.

[@skalenskij]

Very logical explanation, even I understood. Thank You!

[@dcweber1]

Great analogy. It’s actually an inverted sine wave.

[@watcher687]

You’ve hammered it!👍

[@HammerItTennis]

Yes!

[@eventhorizon908]

Most excellent video and explanation, from Robotics, Physics, Engineering point of view. The video should be called Anatomical Planes: Vertical and Horizontal.

[@suwonlee5175]

Great explanation about the principle of forehand. It seems a bit difficult for beginners to understand though. It would be the best explanation if you can boil it down and include more details.

[@chrisallen5214]

Can you please do this for the return of serve!!

[@yourx123]

wow! amazing video. thanks man!

[@michaelobell7032]

As a Union carpenter I can relate 👍💪🎾

[@dima1985yes]

Awesome stuff!

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you!

[@susanfox7172]

awesome

[@bailadorr]

Great video

[@pjakobsen]

Brilliant

[@HammerItTennis]

Thank you!

[@edwardgrunder5628]

Great explanation!! But what is the purpose of turning the shoulders back toward the net if the shoulders are breaking the plane ?

[@saniemeyer]

Yeah, i had the same question, but think i figured it out. Watch parts 6 through 8 of his HammerIt forehand mini series. You should be rotating your shoulders to bring the racquet into contact, but you should try to direct your energy out in front toward the target. After full extension your shoulders have to continue turning. But the point is that you are not TRYING to rotate BEYOND THE POINT OF CONTACT as that will tend to cause you to over-rotate and mis-hit/mis-time the ball. Daniel, please correct me if this is the wrong interpretation. Thanks for the great video.

[@HammerItTennis]

Edward, are you meaning, why do some players turn their backs more toward the net in the unit turn phase? Or are you meaning after contact?

[@HammerItTennis]

Shaun, you should absolutely try to direct the energy toward the target, and yes this will cause the shoulders to have turned about 180 degrees, if you achieve maximum rotation. You can think of the rotation of your shoulders in two ways: 1-rotation around your spin as the center point, and 2- the shoulders as levers changing position relative to each other. In both scenarios the key is that your spine is the rotational point/fulcrum. This causes the right (right handed player) shoulder to be directed toward the target, which will force the racquet to the left side of the body. I will leverage/rotate my shoulders through contact but yes in a toward the target type manner, which is why my right shoulder ends up pointing toward the target and my shoulders have rotated 180 degrees. Appreciate the input and thanks for the comment!

[@edwardgrunder5628]

HammerItTennis after contact

[@HammerItTennis]

When I go into the Unit Turn phase I am doing a couple of things. I am loading my weight on my right leg more, storing energy. I am coiling my trunk and back muscles. I am setting the racquet away from my body and within the target line. As I begin to transition into the Forward Swing, all that energy is released toward the target. I am also going to rotate and leverage my shoulders. As I hit they continue moving driving my right side toward the target. Because my spine is the center point, my right shoulder will eventually point toward the target if I make a full rotation. If I do not rotate my shoulders at all and leave my left shoulder pointing at the target I cannot get my arm into the best position to leverage into the ball. It would force your rotational point of the racquet plane (your right shoulder) to be the farthest point away from the target. Your contact would be late and you cold not maintain optimal angles for maximum leverage into the ball. Plus you'd sacrifice all momentum from your body, the torque from your trunk, the leverage from your shoulders, and the angular momentum and acceleration that is created by your shoulder rotation! Great questions. Thanks for the comments.

[@tennis9281]

Hi Daniel, fantastic channel! I have two questions for you. First one is about the backhand. Is the forearm release during the extension happening on both the one handed and two handed backhand at the same way it does on the forehand? Second question is about the forehand. Is the forearm release happening a bit later for a down the line compared to a cross court shot? Thanks in advance

[@HammerItTennis]

domenico scarpino thank you for your comments about the channel! On the backhand it depends on the shot a little more than the forehand but for the most part, on a one hander your right arm does release and extend toward the target and on a two hander your left arm extends more from the shoulder and your right arm extends more from your elbow as the upper part of the arm stays tucked. On the forehand, the direction of the shot is only changed by your footwork positioning. The mechanics are the same, you've just lined up differently. This repeat-ability gives you more consistency. The difference of your stance should not be noticeable to most players. Great questions! Thanks for the views!

[@tennis9281]

Thanks a lot Daniel! Please allow me just this follow up question. When you say "extend from the shoulder" on the 2 handed, you mean that the string are pointed to the target and not to the ground as it happens on the forehand extension? I think the one handed has probably a more similar mechanic to the forehand in the extension. What you think?

[@HammerItTennis]

@@tennis9281 in a two handed backhand the left arm mimics the right arm of the forehand more. So your left arm extends in a straighter line out from the shoulder, as the right elbow stays tucked underneath. The left wrist releases and the racquet face will roll the strings over the ball and point more towards the ground, like the racquet face does on the forehand side. I haven't been able to release as many videos lately, but the channel is monitored daily! I appreciate your comments and questions! Thanks!

[@tennis9281]

@@HammerItTennis Fantastic! This clarifies everything. Thanks a lot Daniel and hope you will find some time to record and post other videos soon 🙂🎾

[@markj6302]

Really liked this video. The initial loop (that goes straight forward, would it be fair to say that this is the REAL swingpath of the swing that we need to focus on? The shoulders turn, but is this just to accentuate how far the end of this inital loop is? ... and the racquet wrapping around our body is just because its attached at the shoulder? If this is the case, i think i knw why my forehand lacks power and often feels late. I swipe across it too much... instead of the first swing path, i make contact in the 2nd swing path

[@HammerItTennis]

String Snapper what you are calling the initial loop (the Racquet plane) is a vertical plane and I would agree is the more primary of the two planes. However, the “2nd plane” (the Shoulder plane) adds power from your core and is the primary control for your shot’s vertical launch angle creating your shot height. The two planes work like two gears and they merge at contact. You are right you will lose power if you simply are using one plane vs both. The majority of one plane swingers typically use the shoulder plane more and therefore “swipe across” the ball as you indicated. Work on incorporating a better extension through contact to help engage the racquet plane. Check out my How to Hammer the Ball video for more details about how to learn the Racquet Plane.

[@markj6302]

Thanks will do. I tried some shadow strokes focusing on extending the first swing path (racquet plane) and i felt like my shoulders didn't rotate as much through the shot. My current stroke, my shoulders go through 180 degrees or so of turn (from unit turn to finish) but with a focus on extending the first swing path, its more like 90 degrees (unit turn to finish - i finish more with my chest facing the net, rather than the other fence) Also, my racquet arm elbow kind of points to the target after the motion (when the elbow bends and the racquet wraps around my body). Does that sound right to you?

[@HammerItTennis]

your shoulders set the launch angle but also they help drive and power the shot, however, think about a golf stroke for a moment. If you are chipping you wouldn't finish your stroke over your shoulder, and if you were driving the ball 300+ yards you wouldn't be able to also finish with the club pointing at the target in front of you (rather it would be over your shoulder). The tennis stroke is no different. The amount of shoulder rotation is different depending on how much power you want in the shot. If I am not powering the shot as much my shoulders will not rotate as much. If I am hitting a "full power" shot my shoulders would in fact rotate 180 degrees with my hitting arm elbow and shoulder pointing at the target at the finish. The key is that the arms don't swing interdependently but rather move with the shoulders. Mix this power with the leverage of the wrist and arm then you will be Hammering It :) The forehand mini-series helps out line this general road map. Check it out! Great questions!

[@markj6302]

Great info, thanks! A lot to think about. I had a hit yesterday trying to really focus on extending the racquet plane, and i was hitting the biggest forehands of my life. i found it worked really well for down the line shots, but i struggled with hitting cross court... kind of like i needed more time to get my body behind the ball to hit that angle. Hmm. Maybe too much of the first plane, not enough of the second. LOL

[@HammerItTennis]

String Snapper I teach hitting the same way for each shot just your stance positioning changes for your desired target line. So in a sense you are right you need to get your body “behind” the ball. The stance should primarily dictate where the shot is aimed (again think like a golfer changes his setup position - not just changing the direction they swing). The ball should come out of your hitting stance the same way each time, which will help you become more accurate with your aiming.

[@kumarswa]

nice!! thanks

[@user-ww1tf3ed1b]

Good point. Interesting demo. Must have found 300 ways to say the same thing over and over again. Might have confused as many players as he helped. Please re-do what is a great point in need of a little better "splaining". 1) racket path wants to be linear towards the target, best achieve by keeping the stroke to the side of our body. 2) Developing players discover that rotating our torso is the real source of power. It drags the arm ,with a bent elbow ,around to the point of contact . The elbow straightens as the arm and strings follow the ball in a short linear trek towards the target. After comfortably following through linearly, the rotation of the torso pulls the racquet off the target line and across the body for a comfortable finish. **Advanced players will often cheat and hit with almost no bend in the elbow to gain extra power from the torso turn but the timing is more difficult.

[@tonyyeung8585]

Hi Daniel, Can the same principle be applied to one-handed backhand? Thank you! Tony

[@HammerItTennis]

Tony, yes basically the same idea. There are few nuances for the backhand, but one of the biggest mistakes I see the most on one-handed backhands is that players pull the racquet out of the racquet plane (on the left of their bodies) too quickly as they are trying to swing across the body too soon, as opposed to letting the turn of the shoulders move the racquet across. As you are hitting the backhand try to maintain the racquet plane and continue to go up in the plane after contact. The turn of the shoulders will force the racquet to finish more on your right. I will get to the backhand soon enough! Thanks for the question!

[@FairwayJack]

good stuff !!

[@monstertrucktennis]

.....instant sub.

[@Bacat4321]

This became so complicated! Omg!

[@HammerItTennis]

Which part are you having trouble with?

[@robertrenk7074]

I'm lost. What the hell is he talking about?

[@HammerItTennis]

The natural path a swinging object wants to follow as its path is being moved. If your racquet is not allowed to follow its natural path then it is hard to be consistent.

[@robertrenk7074]

Well I’m totally confused after watching this video twice. I don’t know what the hell is going on

[@HammerItTennis]

Robert, what part are you confused about? Basically, this video shows that a flat one plane swing across your body is not what we are seeing with high level swings. A two plane motion made up of a vertical (racquet) plane and another plane set by the shoulders work together to give the motion.

[@FairwayJack]

like

[@HammerItTennis]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@thangmeu]

You must have a Ph.D in Physics, Sir.

[@HammerItTennis]

I appreciate that thought! I do not have a Ph. D. in physics, but I did study physics and astronomy in college! Astronomy is alot of physics and motion laws that help with the swing mechanics.

[@thangmeu]

Do you have any online courses like "hammer serve"? Lol...I make that name up but if you do I will pay for it. You are way better than a lot of internet coaches out there.

[@HammerItTennis]

@@thangmeu I appreciate that! I currently do not have any paid courses but I would like to get some content like that out. Right now you can get all my content on my KZbin channel, Facebook and Instagram accounts for free!

[@marctens]

Good concept too much talking get to the point we are not scientist show positive instead of negative

[@TheYoudhruv]

What he checking out on his left ? quite distracting.

[@HammerItTennis]

Hey sorry! Sometimes when filming things happen outside of my control! Seems that right when I begin filming other players always decide to come play right beside me...!

[@TheYoudhruv]

@@HammerItTennis Nevermind, its all about content and you have great content. Loved your service and forhand videos. Keep up the great work 👍

[@HammerItTennis]

Dhruv thanks! Glad you like the content!

[@tizmon]

too bad. what you said the ideal, actually hitting with the vertical racquet plain is the today’s top forehand technique. pioneered by nadal, there are people who actually start from the racquet side of the body and ends with same side thus achieving you yourself said ideal swing path everyday ever since nadal got attention, what 15 years ago? again it’s really too bad because you know the ideal swing plain for maximum accuracy is vertical and on straight line to the target. yet you fail to recognize people who is using that plain for maximum power as well. yeah, hammering it for well over a decade right in front of your eyes and still not understanding it. i gave you a great gift for recognizing that ideal racquet path is straight to the target therefore vertical. what you don’t see is it’s a industry standard to actually match this ideal racquet path with actual hitting swing. just like nadal and the others are doing. go make new video based on new light.