Tennis Tip #16

The follow through is something that will help you hit the ball in to the court. Without this, you will lose a lot of control. But what is a follow through? This is what you do after you make contact with the ball. When you follow through, you want to continue your motion up; this will also help add topspin. Many tennis players have their follow through "forced" but is the last thing that you should do. After you make contact with the ball, your arm should be loose, and your racquet's momentum should carry your arm. Moreover, your follow through should go across your body, and go upward. Some tennis players, notably Rafael Nadal, follow through without going across their bodies. He is able to do this with the racquet speed that he generates, and the spin he adds with his wrist snap. Following through can also make sure that you are hitting up, because without a correct follow through, you may be hitting down, or hitting with less spin. Lastly, you cannot forget to continue moving after your follow through. Just because your racquet stops, doesn't mean that your body should stop moving! In addition, for slices, it is a completely different motion, which we will discuss at a different time. However, when you hit these shots, you will go up, but not follow through across your body. But stay tune because in the next tip we will discuss slices.