In this discussion, we continue the discussion in the preceding lesson and take a very close look at the most critical and unstable transition in the forehand. This transition takes place between the contraction stage and the strike stage and thus involves the rotation and acceleration stages. Below left is a figure illustrating the starting point for the contraction stage. Becky is holding the racquet as I pull it forward to impart the physical feeling of the pull.

Click on Image to See QuickTime Video of Pull	Click on Image to See QuickTime Video of Push
Dial-Up Modem	Dial-Up Modem

Above right is illustrated the push or punch of the strike stage. Becky is exerting force against the racquet handle in order to impart the feeling of the push or punch movements. These two movements are radically different and require a rapid shift between the muscles used to execute them. The rotation and acceleration stages must be used to smoothly fuse these two movements for a successful strike at any speed. At high speeds, any bobble in this this transition can lead to a mishit, which will likely end the point. How the rotation and acceleration stages bridge these two different movements will require some experimentation to understand. But key to making a smooth transition is developing the contraction and punching movements using the exercises above. Click on the center of the images above to see the exercises in QuickTime video. Note that, at slow speeds, the movement on the right above is similar to pushing a heavy piece of furniture. At high speeds, it is similar to a karate punch. It requires a bit of patience to develop the ability to push at high speeds, maintaining the racquet configuration and not allowing it to rotate.

A key problem is how to come out of the acceleration (upper arm rotation) stage and get the racquet to move in a straight line afterwards. Typically, once the upper arm rotation starts, it is difficult to "rectify" this movement into a straight line. To do this, some body movement might be necessary. Having the back arched to the forehand side can greatly facilitate this transition. See the images below.

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The familiar arching movement seen in the figures at the left can be significant in making a smooth transition from the acceleration stage into the punch. The shoulder plays a significant role in forming the punching motion at the strike. If this movement were to be executed at a very slow speed, it would be a push. Pushers develop the idea of this movement at an early age but never discover how to use it at high speeds due to the instabilities inherent in the high-speed transition. If you imagine a large, heavy, square object in front of the racquet in the figure to the left, you can sense how a pushing or shoving motion would be able to move it forward.       In the figure to the left, we see the push/punch motion again. Since the ball is below the racquet, this photo must have been taken after the strike. However, the racquet orientation has not changed significantly from its configuration before the strike. Note how the shoulder in both photos has been curled forward to contribute to producing the punch.

In our next discussion, we examine the rotation/acceleration elements of the critical transition.