Answer 2 of the Same Questions?

Question

Let me start out with my bio. I use a Western forehand grip and have a Babolat AeroPro Drive Cortex to replace my broken KSting 105. I played for over three years since last year until the racquet broke.

I skipped a year due to being lazy about finding another racquet and decided to order this racquet which I did not regret. But now I noticed some inconsistency in my shots unlike last year.

In the beginning of the play, I hit low balls that land on no-man's land towards the net while near the end I start hitting the ball high but near the baseline. I'm trying to hit those lucky shots I made when the ball hits low but lands on baseline but I actually don't even know how I hit those.

Was it cuz my wrist was bent back and firm (I usually forget those for my Western Grip and somehow get sloppy with the wrist). Maybe my follow through was more forward? Any thoughts?

Answer 1

When your shots are going deep and low with a low bounce you are either hitting it Flat or with Underspin. Without seeing your swing it's hard to tell which but I'd imagine you are hitting Flat.

Hitting a top spin stroke will cause the ball to Arc over the net and then sharply come down as the differences in air pressure above and below the ball force it downward.

Hitting Flat means you are imparting virtually no spin.. that's how the flight path remains linear as opposed to arcing. Hitting flat means reducing the amount of Low-to-High swing you are taking. Generally the stroke is more around the body than low to high. And the outcome is a low flying shot that stays low after bouncing.  

Flat strokes are typically considered situational put-away shots. Because of the stroke mechanics it's difficult to keep the ball in if it's hit beneath your contact point, especially the closer you get to the net.

So you're better off learning to get depth on your top spin. It can be an amazing offensive weapon if your stroke has a good amount of top spin and very close to the baseline because it will put the person in a defensive position on most strokes. Keeping the player defensive is a great way to construct shots in your favor, keeping you in control.

I would only use a flat stroke if I am taking the ball on the rise at chest to shoulder height. In which point the stroke path goes around my body at the shoulder level.

And just as an additional note there really shouldn't be a point where your wrist is very firm. Power in your stroke comes from racquet head speed and pronation of the wrist.  If you don't allow the wrist and racquethead to pronate (meaning roating over through impact) your racquethead speed and consistency will be very low.

Sorry for the wall of text X(