Get the Intuitive Tennis iPhone/iPad App 👉 apple.co/3c5IyJp
In today's video, I explain the differences between the flat topspin vs the heavy topspin forehand tennis technique.
This video is not sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something, I’ll receive a small commission.
🎾 Get 10% OFF on Kirschbaum Strings & Grips (ENTER CODE INTUITIVETENNIS AT CHECKOUT)
kirschbaumusa.com/INTUITIVETE...
My Gear:
Racquet: amzn.to/3NbuMl6
Overgrip: amzn.to/39TYbTb
Shoes: amzn.to/3NfFQNZ
Microphone: amzn.to/3QLJwKA
Camera: amzn.to/3NfALpa
Tripod: amzn.to/3QLZZhC
Drone: amzn.to/3nal2gn
🖱 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS
👉🏻 kzhead.info...
🤜🤛 Share this video
👉 • Flat Topspin vs Heavy ...
🎾 Second KZhead Channel 👉 / intuitivetennis247
🎾 Premium Content 👉 www.intuitivetennis.com
🎾 Video Analysis 👉 bit.ly/2Kz8AEK
🎾 Instagram 👉 / intuitivetennis
🎾 TikTok 👉 / intuitivetennis
🎾 Twitter 👉 / intuitivetennis
🎾 Facebook 👉 / intuitivetennis
#intuitivetennis #forehand
Classic Forehand 👉 kzhead.info/sun/iNqzgLdoaIOmapE/bejne.html Modern Forehand 👉 kzhead.info/sun/d9KpmNiwpIBqlX0/bejne.html
Next Gen Forehand next?!
Definitely one of the best youtube coaching , give this man a cigar!
A cigar???
He's legendary
absolutely no doubt !
A medal you mean? Lmao
Nick doesn’t smoke. I seen him eating pizzas though.
6:09, I totally agree. I increased my top-spin (and the angle of the grip too, as you well explained) in order to gain control. I have lost something in the speed of the ball, but I am much more confident during the rally and this allows me to think about the strategy. Actually I have to play some more hits to win a point, but the final balance is in favor of this choice.
Very good insight👏 in ATP (strong player with heavy top spin) and WTA players (not as strong, so tip of racket goes thru across more) for flat top spin forehand.
Nick, I am new to Tennis, I search KZhead to improve my technique, but I ALWAYS end up coming to your channel for better coaching. You're beyond amazing.
I thought I knew topspin until this video, great informative instruction!
Always has great advice and has really been a big help with my game. Thank You.
Very clear explanation! Thank you. Love your channel.
Great video, Nik! Clears up a lot of misconceptions about the topspin forehand and I think your discussion of the role of genetics in the style of topspin automatically produced is spot on.
Best tennis coach, i have ever encountered
I have never seen such a good explanation of this. Thanks.
Great video - would love to see one for the ATP vs WTA backhands too!!
Nice explanation Nic. I practically have all forehand styles in my shot arsenal because the shot I have to hit will be dictated by the incoming ball, example, I can block fast high kicking serves on the rise using a flat half swing forehand with little or no follow through at all because I just want to steer the ball back early especially if the incoming ball is too fast for a swing (Seles), if I get a low ball hit hard away from me I may scramble and try to hit a heavy, low top spin banana shot into the open court because I want to use the pace and angle of my opponents shot against them (Rafa) or I might slice it (Panic 😂) or I could hit flat topspin ripper if the bounce is high enough (Steffi) so being able to intuitively hit different shots is something every player should possess otherwise you become predictable to your opponent, if that happens, you have already lost the game. How to make these shots intuitive? = practice wall...... every day or hit them in your sleep while dreaming 😂
Great insights! I use both strokes, and now, can make a conscious - or reflex - choice based on what is desired, or needed, out of the ball being sent to the other side of the net.
love it !!! thanks for explaining the difference :)
Many thanks Nik. Images 5:27 to 5:37 is worth a lot. You give very valuable tips. Please group them into an illustrated book and they will selll like ice-creams in summer time.
Most clear explanation in the world
The best drill for me is to alternate flat shots and topspin balls. I noticed that during the game I had a hard time going from one to another. One day I would be super consistent but unable to finish points and the other day super aggressive but inconsistent. By learning to quickly change racquet path I was able to be very consistent but able to finish points whenever there was an opportunity. It’s difficult to do that during matches because adjusting racquet path can lead to long balls. It’s very important to get very familiar with that change to avoid unforced errors
Very good explanation. Thanks much.
🔥🔥
Great to see a coach with a grasp of the history of the game.
Great video Nick, thank you! 👍👍
🙏
remarkable explanation, cleared all my doubts about the two forehand types. I realised that I have been whipping the racquet too much vertically, which sacrifices the pace of the ball and results in my shots landing short all the time. a big thank you!!!
💯
After I watched your video, now I know why my forehand topspin is different from some of my friends'. I'm always impressed by those heavy topspin as I find the ball bounces further and higher back. I want to learn that but I don't know why I can't create those heavy topspin. Now I know that I'm a flat topspin player as when I see my my swing path, it is exactly as what you describe: 'the racket head points towards the fence at some point of the swing path'. I guess now I need to re-learn the heavy topspin by making sure the racket face is always facing me. Thank you for the explanation!
very very interesting as usual. thank you! what about one hand backhand?
Again, the truth of tennis. Thx Nick.
Thanks dude. I hit the flat topspin fh. Was killing me not being able to get the heavy looping top
So interesting! Thanks!
So much of this is how much the racquet drops in your hand before contact. You can see that every time Nick does a flat shot, the racquet head tip is more or less in line with the ball. When he does the heavy topspin, the racquet tip drops way below the ball (Not the hand necessarily, but the head tip) and because the racquet tip starts out below, then it naturally travels upwards in a circular fashion. This to me is a better explanation between the two stroke. Also, I think it's good to know how to do both, even when you have to manufacture it on slower balls because you'll sometimes need that heavy topspin sharp angle shot, even if majority of the time you hit more flat.
I actually feel weird if I'm not hitting the ball with maximum topspin. I pretty much use heavy topspin for all of my major strokes like my 2 handed backhand, forehand, and serve. I don't know why. It just feels right to me. And for me, I find that the heavy topspin saves me if I don't connect with a return quite like I want to and it's a little low. The heavy topspin gets it over the net whereas if I had hit it a little flatter it would have went into the net. And it also keeps me clear of double faults. This I like. LOL!
4:15 is the key learning moment for me in this video - where the strings face after contact with a topspin forehand.
Wow, great video, cleared up something I was struggling with. I was wondering why I keep hitting balls outside of baseline when I hit slightly harder. I seem to be using more of flat top spin and not heavy topspin. I shall be more conscious of using heavy top spin during my practice.
Got it. Thanks. I learned heavy topspin at the first time, but I am now using flat topspint because it is more control to me.
Ty. Best explanation i have heard to date.. and I have been playing over 30 years. I can play with both swings but changed to wtp style within last 5 years and been losing lots of matches due to consistency. I was trying to hit with more power playing younger guys and was going for too much. I think I need to change back to atp style and utilize the wtp style when called for..I will just have to utilize the buggy whip to get more power and pace.. like Nadal... I use to win 85% of my matches and I am now at 40%... How small things make such a difference... Spent so much time trying to work with wtp style it is going to surely screw with my head... The tough part is making my body work with my brain... Cheers
I would use the wta style inside the court., or high balls to crush it. ATP style for baseline play and angles
good point. One thing I learned about spin is to create it you definately need to hit and squash the ball a bit, so you can rip the ball from a point nearer to its core(think about how helicoptor works).
thank you for this amazing teaching! I would like to know what you think about training aides such as the topspin pro for learning topspin. I see a lot of people have ordered it to improve their topspin. but I am hesitant...
No doubt that one can learn new things every now and then. I never knew how a lot of things are dependent on genetic predisposition or hereditary, specially in tennis. Thank you for sharing such knowledge good sir.
I’m not too sure about this. All things can be unlearned. Just takes more effort. Predisposition implies “more likelihood” not unobtainable.
@@maxpowers4436 huh?
Great explanation! As you said, it’s genetics- my son also hit more flat top spin balls because of that lot of error happens. Would you please make how to improve consistency video?
Great presentation as always.. I wonder if you've done any video on injury prevention on your channel.. Lower limbs especially
I haven’t yet
Can we get a in-depth video on what the off hand does for balance and/or during the stroke? Not much is said about the importance of the off hand and how much that impacts, lets say, the forehand. And great videos!! Able to connect with simple language that people can connect to, intuitively :^)
Intuitive Tennis is so Insightful. $100 lesson on how to correctly hit a solid forehand!
Nikola, thank you for the video. Very informative. The main point I learn is when I hit in the net or long or wide, it is not my fault; it is because by genetic predisposition :)
😂😂, you need fundamentals the rest will fall in place and genetics will determine some stylistic characteristics
When talking about topspin created with the weaker part of the arm with a continental grip and talking about Rod Laver, many people do not know that Laver's forearm was the same size as Joe Frazier's.
An advantage of heavy top spin is that the ball really leaps forward quickly when it hits the ground, so as you say its loaded with potential energy from the high number of revolutions of the ball. I need to get more topspin on my groundstrokes, so videos like these are a good reminder.
It's also a lot harder to hit a ball back that has a ton of spin. If your opponent hits it hard and flat at you, as long as you're there you can just block/redirect it somewhat easily.
Can you please do a video as to why players suffer wrist and elbow injury? I’m not sure if it’s my form or the racquet. I’m 53 and in fairly good shape and recently got back into tennis since high school. But my wrist and elbow seem to be getting worse.
4 causes of tennis elbows kzhead.info/sun/qNppo6aMb4WPd3k/bejne.htmlsi=HqRmJW95RIEtu4dh Tennis elbow exercises and stretches kzhead.info/sun/d6agnZmnZ195Z2w/bejne.htmlsi=VK_P10Y0LToMOhpD
Hi Nikola, Thanks for another excellent video. A couple of questions. You noted the continental grip for the older style flat forehands and the semi-western grip for the flat topspin and topspin forehands. I'm wondering about how well you think flat topspin and topspin forehands can be hit with the eastern grip. Also, how would you say that the point of contact on forehands with an open stance would be affected by using an eastern grip rather than a semi-wester grip? My thinking is that an eastern grip results in the point of contact being slightly less out in front than with an semi-western grip. Would you agree? Back 1969 I started naturally with a semi-western grip with my Dunlop Maxply racquet but no-one at my club had a semi-western grip. I had lots of topspin but not much pace. So a year later I took 2 days on a backboard and switched to the eastern grip. My understanding is that Federer has an eastern grip on his forehand. So I figure if it's good enough for Federer it's good enough for me to stick with. :) What do you think? (FYI, when I get a high ball I think I naturally adjust my grip to a semi-western; FYI 2: I loved your video on the importance of footwork, i.e. moving your feet that you showed when hitting on the backboard. I've heard for years about how important footwork is to one's tennis game but with your video it clicked. It takes more energy for my 67 year old body but boy, being on your toes really makes a difference it getting into position and the timing of my strokes. Thanks so much Nikola.
Thank you Jack. Nothing wrong with the Eastern grip. Contact point depends on this 👉 kzhead.info/sun/f8Z_ddGonYuDm3k/bejne.html
@@IntuitiveTennis Thank you Nicola. Between the tips in your footwork video and the tips in the recommended video re the synching of timing of non dominant arm moving to the left as the dominant arm moves forward I hope to improve on the consistency of getting full power and spin on my forehands.
Been watching you for so long and only now realized that you are croatian... Lol Pozdrav! 🤗
🙌🙌
Awesome analysis,really quality content
Thankyou , Nico
Nik you are fine technically sound coach.. Great information
Another great video from you. You make it easy to learn the correct way for all the strokes in tennis. I appreciate your knowledge and teaching technique. Now I have a request... you probably get alot of those from your audience. I would like to learn how you hit a very short cross court backhand. I have played with two very good players that can hit a sharply angled backhands from the add court where it lands in front of the service line and spins off to the right. Looking for that stroke analysis and technique from YOU. The best
Excellent information as always. It would be great if you ever decide to schedule 1 or 2 week tennis clinics in the Scottsdale, Arizona area. I'll be the first to sign up!
lol what a self-DDOS
lol what a self-DDOS
dude... this a good video
Exactly what I was looking for 👍 Kinda in the middle of figuring out what to do at the contact point. When I hit hard flat forehand ball goes out and when I hit hard topsin forehand ball goes low at the net. So difficult to find a balance 😅. Your video has helped now I see they are both fine if executed properly :)
I simplify it. If I'm hitting behind the baseline it's a heavy shape ball (topspin). If I attack, step into the court it's a drive topspin shot. Try it and you will win more points.
Im similar to you- should we use a 16x19 pattern racket for added spin and launch angle or use 18x20? What types of players should use 18x20?
Hey Nick. When you're trying to hit with more of a upward swing path for more topspin, what should you be thinking about? Should you bet thinking about your contact at all? Should you think more about your finish? Thank you.
Racket to contact. If it’s topspin, then ball needs to meet strings more towards the leading edge of racket. If not, that’s how shanks happen. If going for flat, then just meet it dead center of string sweet spot.
Hi Nik, can you do a video on how to aggressively hit a chest-height forward that is a sitter that has little pace in the mid court?
btw, I use an eastern forehand grip.
Hi NIck, When you say the racket stays on the "outside" on the ATP topspin FH, outside of what? The ball? The body? or what?
Thanks!
What is the best height to hit a heavy topspin forehand? Hitting lower eg just above waist height, means you have more work to get the ball up and down? Compared to hitting it just below chest height?
Im sure you are aware of tennis evolution. About balls being slower and courts too . What do you think is the best forehand that you mentioned here in this video(also backhand please) that is a most applicable to this present tennis?
Do a video on how you warm up for a match or practice
👍
What is the optimal height to strike to ball, should it be at belly height or chest height to get heavy top spin?
Great
I think flat topspin is naturally favoured by those who like to take the ball on the rise, and heavy spin by those who let the ball drop. I hit flat most of the time as I like to take the ball early, but when the ball is too short, the heavy spin ball is more natural. Nothing scares a club player more than a heavy deep ball down the middle.
Im more of a flat hitter with and eastern grip but I struggle playing against heavy topspin opponents, can you give me some advice on out to play against them! Great video btw!
I will
Hmm. Maybe hit the ball on the rise (and in your strike zone )with a slice? Make them hit another ball. I don't have anyone who hits that heavy ball around here
If you put the same amount of energy into the ball yes more spin causes more friction that dissipates the speed somewhat but more energy goes into the ball which causes a bigger bounce increasing pace after the bounce.
I grew up with the continental grip and am just now coming back to tennis. What about the eastern grip? [seems like an easier switch for me to make]
Eastern is ok kzhead.info/sun/iqmGktF8rKSsgaM/bejne.htmlsi=qtLXtXgiirdWrC8W
Suggestion: you can paint the ball half black to show the spinning
When the ball reaches a peak higher than my head and still makes it in. Feels good 👍.
Nik, what does this mean for the amateur/recreational players watching your channel? As a guy should I be trying to develop more of an ATP style heavy topspin forehand? Or do I just do what comes natural to me and not think about it?
Try to develop topspin while learning all the fundamentals. Recreational players are rarely able to hit heavy topspin. In most cases it’s a flat topspin forehand and there’s nothing wrong with that if performed correctly
Can you make slice serve progression?
I think another reason for the often flater forehands on the WTA is height. Women are obviously smaller in average, and since the height of the net and the dimensions of the court are the same in women's Tennis, they often aren't able to hit forehands at the height of their waste. Instead, their contact is much higher, often between waste and shoulder level, which makes it much more difficult to produce a decent amount of spin.
Sir... i play tennis like Fabrice Santoro... but i cant increase my power... can you give me advice how to increase my double forehand and double backhand? I hit the ball too flat...
I use a multifilament string strung at 62 lbs. I don't get a lot of topspin but I do have more control. Would I be able to increase topspin if I were to string the racquet at say, 54 lbs?
This video might answer your question kzhead.info/sun/fN56fLGNnp15g6M/bejne.html
These days. You can find special texture strings that will add spin
No players in the modern era use a flat forehand. *Tomic has entered the building*
And medvedev
Hi Nik, the head of your racket never really seems too drop much lower than your hitting hand when you hit waist to chest height balls also in the matchplay examples you posted. Is that because you would hit it long if you dropped it lower at your speed? And how do you keep the head of the racket from dropping too low before striking the ball? A problem I suffer from …
My FH is flatter than most that’s why the racket doesn’t drop below. Dropping too low is a problem I’ll cover that down the road.
Try incorporating an L shape between the racket and forearm
Great but now you have to do a video telling us what ATP and WTA are?
😂😂
Hey nick I've watched literally like almost 100 of your videos since I first started tennis about 2 weeks ago, you are the best coach man, the fact that you yourself are actually a pro is super important. I'm just wondering how long do you think "on average" it should take a athletic person in there 20's/prime to be able to hit as hard/good as you did here @7:49 (not in a game but exactly how you did it dropping the ball for yourself). I know video makes things seem a little slower but I ask because I feel like I can already do it that fast and maybe even faster on the perfect balls and I am super surprised because I tried doing what you did there dropping balls for myself as I have only ever practiced with the wall and with my 55yr old mom that I take it really easy on and I cant believe it but in the first 2 days I am able to give it like 90% max swing and am absolutely smoking the balls, easily as fast as ntrp 6.0+ (I just don't have the consistency yet as I need ALOT more hours of course). (I am a weight lifter and am very strong as well, and I have really worked hard on perfecting perfect form in which I have accomplished that) Anyways trying to keep this short for you, really looking forward to the feedback, much love man.
It’s not about how hard you hit but how consistently you can get the balls in. Keep going it takes time and patience 👍👍
What you describe has little relation to tennis. There aren't homeruns so no points for hitting hard. Self-feeding balls is most useful for teaching. If that's your goal, practice aiming for small sections of courts and be able to hit the spot each time. For practice a wall is more useful- try to find one with space for 2 bounces for more realistic amount of time to react. Also, there aren't NRTP 6 leagues, so no idea what you are referencing. Ranking and ball speed aren't correlated.
@@rsmith02 No idea what your talking about that it has little relation to tennis.. I think you guys took my question as if I would get the ball in very rarely and have no consistency but just hit it as hard as a I can and get a few in... I could get multiple in a row hitting that hard in my first days of doing it whilst using perfect form and I would focus on my aim going from corner to corner... And there is no better/more needed practice then feeding yourself balls if you basically only hit on the wall. Also Idk where you have been but NTRP "technically" goes up to 7.0, 7.0 being literally Federer and the other goats and 6.5 is like average to slightly above average pro and 6.0 is the beginning of pro play. So I was saying that I could hit basically as hard as anyone on my fastest ones, and granted yes that makes complete sense as a very strong & athletic guy that is swinging 90-100% as hard as possible with perfect form that it would be as fast as the pros/anyone, but of course the power only matters if you have consistency to go with it, but from day 1 I cold get at least a few in a row hitting that hard. So I couldn't disagree more with you saying it has little relation to tennis, hitting hard is much more important then consistency/playing like a pusher, consistency without good power will get you know where against a hard hitting player that will have a field day with all your easy consistent balls and put them away for winners all the time giving you literally 0 chance to win.
Does Stan Wawrinka have the flat topspin ground strokes compared to his compatriots?
Bautista Agut, Florian Mayer, Bernard Tomic are the ones I was able to identify with flat topspin. Wawrinka comes over the ball although less than most ATP FH’s
Aren't all ATP players able to flatten their strokes considerably when attacking, say, short balls? Also, I remember a video (I think it from FYB, but it's been almost a decade since I've seen it) where they estimated RPMs on Federer's forehand. He hit a few shots in the 700-900 range (so, very flat) and some >2700 in the same rally during point play... It seems unusual and, sure, it's Federer, but I imagine people on average can still vary the shape of the ball a lot at that level.
👍
Great video as usual, but one thing i'm confused about is you mentioning genetic predisposition as reasoning for the style of your stroke. You look like a pretty tall player with strength but impart a flatter WTA style forehand... I also know a few 4.5+ strong male players who use a WTA style forehand so I don't think it's genetic predisposition on the men's side, but rather how they learned their tennis...no?
what should i do if I have driven the opponent outside the court and want to hit a winner. Should I put more flat topspin so that the ball is faster and the opponent cannot reach it in time?
Just place it properly, and close in on the net for a put away
If you consider some of the slap forehands seen in players like Del Potro and Nick Kyrgios, there remains some degree of effectiveness of a flat forehand.
Nick Kyrgios a slap forehand??
@@OscarEggen - He does not hit it every shot, but on occasion he winds up and hits a very flat forehand with a slapping motion. Check out some of the vid highlights on Kyrgios.
is topspin done with copper grip? also what grip is used when you do single backhand shot ? thanks ...
Great video! I watched Connors use a flat shot throughout his career and his opponents speak of how tiring it was to dig out every return
Some atp players will flatten out their shots like Federer especially when he hits inside out. Is that a conscious decision? Early in his career, Roddick had a powerful relatively flat forehand but later in his career his forehand became more of a heavy topspin shot with much less penetration. He really struggled to hit winners from the baseline. I never understood why he changed it.
My two cents: The Federer inside out fh your referring is most likely when he inside the court and taking the ball early and higher than the net. In this case you want to drive through the ball almost hitting down on it. Yes, it is a conscious decision, but these guys are so good it is an ingrained habit when on the attack. (offensive mode) The flat ball penetrates and gets through the court quicker leaving less time for the opponent to get the ball back. As for Roddick, the reason may be twofold: 1. His coaches (Connors and someone I don’t recall right now) attempted to make him more consistent and reduce unforced errors 2. It is speculated that he developed what is called a “dead arm” where the power and snap that he had in the beginning of his career deteriorated significantly. He did string his racquet with poly at an incredibly high tension ~70lbs, which is not a power setup. Oddly though, his incredible serve held up until he retired.
Doesn't federer, thiem, wawrinka have a flat TS rather than heavy TP?
Heavy topspin
Gde je ovo?
Whether the young aspiring players should concentrate on flat forehand with speed or try top spin
p i c k l e b a l l
More and more people actually prefers to hit flatter topspin nowadays. About a decade ago everyone loves heavy spin. The trend seems to change
Learning the “modern day” swing after stepping away for a few decades, I was amazed to learn the primary difference starts with the grip. You’d think someone would have figured it out earlier. We were all trying to get topspin even in the wooden days.
Borg figured it out back then!
Watch Fed and Djok at Court level they don't hit many loopy balls like that. Come on Nick
how do atp players "flatten" out a shot for a fast winner shot?
What do you mean your genetic predispositions don't allow you to hit heavy topspin?
You still don't get it, Nick. "Forearm pronation" are the words and action that you are looking for. You aren't using the words or the action that create the maximum topspin. It's nothing to do with your genetic predisposition. It's because you don't understand it. Watch Nadal or Federer or any Pro in slow motion. Or the moratoglou video where Patrick shows how the wrist works (it's the forearm not the wrist). And it's nothing to do with strength. Just watch a ten year old who understands prpoer technique. The power comes from wrist flexion. That's different from pronation. The power comes from racket head speed in the last few centimetres before contact. This is when the wrist flexes (not a muscle movement), like a whip. Watch Federer in warm up. I know your channel is called intuitive, but what's the point of a coach if it's intuitive?
The wrist is passive (stable) in an extended position at contact and shortly after on all high-level players including Federer and Nadal Nadal FH 👉 kzhead.info/sun/rZGzY5RrjIyJnI0/bejne.html Federer FH 👉 kzhead.info/sun/ZbFyiKuKZJRrjGw/bejne.html Role of the Wrist on the FH 👉 kzhead.info/sun/oNRweLpvrXp7dmg/bejne.html
I freaking hate topspin training with someone who uses topspin is the worst ever
Confirmed that I hit like a girl
Wrist should not be pronounced 'vrist' but as 'rist'. W is silent 👍😅