Forehand Topspin – How big a gooseneck with the wrist?
roxicus asked 5 years ago
Some players gooseneck to the point where the paddle, just prior to contact, appears to be in a straight line with the forearm, e.g. https://imgur.com/a/0tquhjy
Others gooseneck but less dramatically so that the paddle, just prior to contact, appears to be on a bit of an upward angle relative to the forearm, e.g. https://imgur.com/a/CJCKLmw
1. What are the pros/cons of each?
2. To maintain the extreme goosenecking in the first example, are folks locking their wrists?
Tom Academy Coach answered 5 years ago
Hi Roxicus, yes thats right you often see players with a slightly different wrist position especially whennyou compared blocking or topspin shots for example. Usually for topspin shots you want to have the wrist in the position in the first picture so pretty much in line with your forearm, this allows you to be relaxed and make use of the wrist just before contact and accelerate into the ball.
Sometimes for blocking or driving players find it easier to be in the more upright position as you showed Dan in the second picture because as you said the wrist is more fixed adding stability. So my answer is really rty to be flexible and experiment with which wrist position feels best for you on blocking and topspin shots to find a comfortable balance. Try to avoid locking the wrist completely as this will make you tense and it’s thennhard to adapt, simply having a stable and comfortable feeling is enough.
