Use of lag in the forehand topspin and keeping bat closed

Hi Slicepong,

Thanks for the nice comments on our video. I know what you mean about using a kind of lag effect with the arm and upper body and it can be very effective. I think the main thing is that you have a good and effective use of everything together, so the legs, waist and upper body right through to the wrist and energy going into the bat. But this lag effect you mentioned is good because it creates almost a whipping effect and gains a lot of acceleration through the ball which obviously helps with power!

With the bat angle, definitely having it closed at the end of the backswing is important and gives you a much better chance as you said of it being closed on contact. I find another thing that helps with keeping the bat angle closed is the use of the elbow and arm to snap shut and complete the stroke, if you use too much shoulder or upper arm in the shots this can cause the bat angle to change throughout the stroke. So really visualise keeping the bat angle fixed and having a relaxed arm using the elbow to whip through the ball. Also thinking about the contact and making sure you’re brushing the ball with your forehand topspin even when going for more power, this will mean your bat angle is closed and your aren’t hitting the ball too flat which can cause errors.

Hope that’s helpful and anything else, just give us a shout!