Lag and Stroke (not Snap) the Modern Forehand
There are many ideas on the technique of the Modern Forehand. One concept that requires clarification is the idea of “Lag and Snap”, whereby the wrist lays back at the bottom of the backswing and then “Snaps” in order to move the racket head into the ball to create ball speed, spin, etc. So does this really happen? I have spent several months diving deep into this subject including speaking with numerous professional players and evaluating slow motion video on TennisPlayer.net. So what are the results? Yes, there is certainly a lag in most of the high level, modern forehands we see today. Nearly every professional player has a natural lag in their forehand. So what is natural? The lag is a bi-product of a soft grip, a rhythmic swing and the body rotation that characterizes the modern forehand. These three concepts blended together will create a natural lag.
So what about the “Snap”? Does a snap really occur into the contact? The answer is no! In nearly every example, the wrist position at the lag is almost identical to the wrist position at contact. The Pros are not snapping their wrists into the ball, because they know the power and control is generated through balance, rhythm and timing. The wrist must “hold” so they can stroke through the ball with extension and drive through the playing shoulder. To learn more about about this concept, please check out my two videos located here on my website:
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