You need a defensive power forehand when your opponent is making you run or when you are too nervous to hit an agressive shot. The key to this shot is to complete the upper arm rotation before the acceleration stage in such a way that a viewer on the sidelines would be unable to distinguish the two stages. The strike will be more controlled and certain, but the shoulder can still furnish acceleration.

Below left is the starting point for our discussion, the end of the contraction stage.

In the figure above, the racquet butt is pointing at the oncoming ball, and the elbow has not quite reached the body plane. This is an important point in that, when you are nervous or hurried, you might fail to get the elbow in front of the body plane for the most powerful strike. However, if you practice this shot and develop a good "jab," you will be able to hit a strong defensive shot from an awkward position, thus likely regaining the initiative.

In the illustration, the legs do not provide any driving force. You do not need good balance or even forward motion, and you can even hit this shot off the back foot.

Below left is the key movement. The upper arm has been rotated early to increase stability and accuracy. In another lesson, we will illustrate some problems that can arise when you are in a defensive position and fail to control the upper arm rotation. The key point is that the upper arm rotation must stop and allow the shoulder to take over and continue the stroke in a straight line toward the ball.

	Move your cursor over the image to see the transition

Below is the third in the series of images. It is the strike stage. This stage looks like any other power forehand strike. The difference is that, since the upper arm rotation has been executed earlier, it is not available for the acceleration burst or snap just before the strike.

	Move your cursor over the image to see the transition

Early execution of the upper arm rotation is a common device for a variety of situations and can be found in the repertoire of every high-ranking professional. It provides the ability to adapt to changing circumstances while still delivering a good blow to the ball. You must build up your ability to "jab" the racquet forward while keeping it from rotating in order to make this maneuver effective.

The most critical moment is when you must transition the movement of the racquet from the upper arm rotation to a straight-line motion dominated by the shoulder. If the rotation is not arrested properly, the racquet motion will not stabilize for the final forward thrust. This is discussed in the next lesson.