The Windshield Wiper Tennis Forehand
Step by Step Instruction and Practice Techniques
Courtesy of FuzzyYellowBalls.com
The windshield washer tennis forehand should be worked on
after you have mastered the classic tennis forehand. This is the forehand that most professional
players are using because you are able to hit with a lot of power and generate
a ton of spin on the tennis ball. It’s a
great shot that is both aggressive and consistent.
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What is the Windshield Wiper Forehand?
The Windshield Washer tennis forehand is a type of forehand that has a bit
of different mechanics. It gets its name
because the path the racket travels looks very much like a windshield washer
blade moving across a car. This is the
forehand that you will see many of the professional tennis players using on the
tour. Professional Tennis players Rafael
Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick all use the windshield washer forehand
technique.
Why would you want to use this technique?
Simply put. It creates a ton of
top spin and also lets you hit the ball very hard. The extra top spin pulls the ball back down
in to the court and then jumps very high.
This makes it hard to return. It will
allow you to hit the tennis ball higher over the net and generate tighter
angles for your shots.
How to Hit the Windshield Wiper Forehand
Instruction and Practice Drills
Step #1: The Swing and Follow Through
The first step of the Windshield Wiper Tennis Forehand step by step
instruction is to learn how to swing and follow through correctly. The swing path to the tennis ball will be
more vertical than with the classic forehand.
With the windshield wiper forehand you will be swinging “up” instead of
swinging “through” the tennis ball, like in the classic tennis forehand
stroke. The motion of swinging up on the
ball will create the spin that is generated with the windshield wiper forehand.
Step #2: Move Back and Increase Speed
In this step you will move back in to no mans land and practice hitting some
balls with the correct windshield washer tennis forehand technique. Choke down to the middle of the tennis racket
in this step as well. You will slowly be
increasing your speed and slowly adding in the full motion of the Windshield
Wiper tennis forehand so that you can eventually hit with the normal swing.
Step #3: The Full Windshield Wiper Motion
The final step of the windshield washer tennis forehand instruction is to move
back to the baseline and hit using the entire motion. Don’t start with hitting as hard as you
can. Be sure the motion is correct and
then increase the speed and power of your swing. The windshield washer is a very versatile
shot. It’s very consistent because you
can hit the tennis ball high over the net and the spin will bring it back in to
play. The top spin also causes the ball
to jump high and will be hard to return.
Next - Advanced Tennis Forehand Techniques
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