Tennis Forehand Analysis Video

Video- Pro Maria Sharapova SLOW MOTION forehand

"Ready" Stance Phase

 

 

 

 

• General Instructions:
• Standing on the middle of the baseline, hold racket in front of you, pointing toward the net vertically, with both hands, keep your feet in motion (up on your toes) getting ready to recieve the ball with your feet shoulder width apart. Knees are slightly bent for a fast push-off. Back is slightly leaned forward.

•  As you're leaned forward with the racket in front of you, the pectoralis minor will abduct the scapula  forward to bring both arms together, while the serratus anterior protracts the scapula away from the spine that produces the forward movement to stabalize the shoulder when you reach forward to hold the racket.  
• Internally rotate the shoulder joint as you flex it by isometrically contracting the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major muscles. 
• Slightly flex both elbow joints by isomectrially contracting you biceps brachii, brachialis and bracioradialis.
• Begin by slightly flexing your hip joints by slightly concentrically contracting you rectus femoris, Ilipsoas, pectineus and tensor facia latae.
• Knees are stabilized by isometrically contracting the semitendiosus, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and gastrocnemius

Preparation Phase

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• General Instructions
• Release left hand, while the right hand is still holding onto the racket. Recognize that the ball is going to your forehand side. Balance yourself in a sideway stance as you begin to position yourself for the stroke. Let go with your non-dominant hand. Keep this hand in front of you for balance. Your dominant hand will move back and lower. Racket is now pointed away from your intended target, and it should be about waist height. Dominant hand is fairly straight but not locked. Dominant leg is moved behind while the left leg is forward. Knees are slightly bent with some weight shifted to the rear foot.

• (Non-dominant hand)
• Levator scapulae elevates the scapula so that your non-dominant hand out in front of you guides the ball your recieving, while the rhomboids angles the scapula upward while the trapezius are being fired helping your non-dominant, guiding arm up
• (Dominant hand- Holding racket)
• Adduction of the trapezius middle, upper and lower fibers as well as the rhomboids during backward movement toward the midline of the body; Scapula goes back toward the spine during retraction of the shoulder girdle. Downward rotation of the rhomboids which hold the scapula against the thoracic wall, rotating the scapula medially and downward which is the point you are holding the racket back getting ready to accelerate.
• Flex your left shoulder joint by isometrically contracting the anterior deltoid and pectoralis major muscles. Externally rotate and extend your right shoulder joint by concentrically extending your deltoid, pectoralis major teres major, latissmus dorsi and infraspinatus. Abduction of both shoulder joints by concentrically contracting your supraspinatus, deltoid, and upper pectoralis major muscles.
• Extend your right (or dominant arm) elbow joint by eccentrically contracting your triceps brachii lateral, long and medial head.
• Externally rotate while diagnally abducting the right hip joint by concentrically contracting your [hip external rotators] -gluteus maximus, piriformis, gamellus superior and inferior, obtuator externus and internus, and quadratus femoris... And concentrically contracting you [hip abductors] gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembanosus.
• Internally rotate the left hip joint by concentrically contracting your gracilis, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus.
• Extend the right knee by eccentrically contracting your vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris, and vastus lateralis. Flex your left knee slightly by concentrically contracting your semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris,  and gastrocnemius.

Push Off Phase

 

 

• General Instructions
• After preparation for the forehand, push off your back foot, rotate your body (torso) back toward the net, drop the racket down and swing forward to your contact point- which will be out in front of your body about waist high. Hit the tennis ball by dropping the racket down slightly below the path of the oncoming ball and then swing forward slightly up at it. Your upper body is now facing the net. Racket should be made contact with the ball when the racket face is parallel to the net with shoulders are perpendicular to the net. At this point, your weight is shifting forward as your body begins to lean forward.

 

• Abduction of the pectoralis minor when the scapula is protracting in forward movement away from the spine during push off, while the serratus anterior upwardly rotates as acceleration is in motion which means the point where the racket is making contact with the ball. You will brush of a little under the ball.
• From external rotation position, begin to slightly internally rotate your pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major and subscapularis. Flex the shoulder joint by concentrically contracting your deltoid, pectoralis major and coracobrachialis. Also begin to diagonally adduct the shoulder joint by concentrically contracting your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and coracobrachialis muscles.
• Begin flexing the right (or dominant arm) elbow joint by concentrically contracting your biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis while the other elbow joint is in isometric contraction.
• Diagnally abduct your right hip joint by concentrically contracting your gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, and tensor fascia latae while also externally rotating the hip joint by concentrically contracting your gluteus maximus, piriformis, gamellus superior/interior, obtrutator externus/internus and quadratus femoris.
• Internally rotate the left hip joint by concentrically contracting your gracilis, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and gluteus medius.
• Extend your right knee joint by eccentrically extending your vatus mediualis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris and vastus lateralis. Flex your left knee joint by concentrically contracting your semitendinosus, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and gastricnemius

Follow Through Phase

 

 

• General Instructions
• Swing directly through the ball and extend out in the direction you hit the ball. Continue to rotate your body and when you've extended out fully, bring your forearm and wrist with the head of the racket to opposite shoulder. At this point you have brought your racket across your body in a smooth motion. Trunk is still rotated with weight transferred to leading foot. You will finish your motion with your upper body turned further around than facing the net.
• As racket and arm are completely above your shoulder the pectoralis minor will abduct the scapula all the way forward to allow the follow through to be complete, while the serratus anterior provides a stable platform for the humeral head. Traperizius upper and middle fibers along with the levator scapular and rhomboids elevate the scapula to allow the arm to completely swing the racket above the shoulder.
• From slightly internally rotating, finish your internal rotation by concentrically contracting your pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major and subscapularis. Diagonally adduct shoulder joint by concentrically contracting your pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and coracobrachialis muscles. Non-dominant hand externally rotates the should joint by isometrically contracting your infraspinatus and teres minor muscles.
• Completely flex the right (or dominant arm) elbow joint by concentrically contracting the biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis
• Completely extend your right hip joint by eccentrically contracting your gluteus maximus, biceps fomoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. Stabilize your hip joint.
• Left knee joint should be stablized, while right knee joint is fully extended by eccentrically contracting your vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris, and vastus lateralis

Recover Phase

• General Instructions
• After you've followed through completely, it is important to recover back to the baseline in preparation for another shot. You bring the racket back to where you started with it, and shuffle back to the middle of the baseline with knees slightly bent and still up on your toes. Your racket is now out in front of you and again you're in "ready stance".

• Trapezius and rhomboids adduct the scapula slightly back into position. Now that you are in recovery, as you're leaned forward with the racket out in front of you, the pectoralis minor will abduct the scapula forward bringing arms together while and the serratus anterior protracts the scapula that produces the forward movement to stabalize the shoulder when you reach forward.
• Horizontally abbduct the shoulder joint by eccentrically contracting your middle and posterior deltoid, infraspinatus and teres minor muscles.
• Return to recovery position by isometrically contracting your triceps and biceps brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis
• Abbduct your right hip joint away from the center by concentrically contracting your gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, and tensor fascia latae. Left hip joint is stablized.
• Slightly flex your knee joint by isometrically contracting your semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius.