Lag And Snap On The Modern Forehand

This video addresses the concept of "Lag and Snap" on the modern forehand, and what you should do to make your forehand a consistent, powerful stroke.

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#PerformancePlusTennis #JohnCraig #PPT

[jesoby]

If the grip is properly loose and the kinetic chain from ground up is correct it certainly feels like a snap as the racket head catches up but you're right that there should be no intention to robotically snap.

[jflow]

For me there definitely is a lag and a snap. . When you get into the slot, your racket butt is pointing at the ball. This to me is lag. Natural lag, Intentional lag, etc., we can put a label on it, but I know i arranged for this to happen with my body. As I swing forward, the racket starts to accelerate nearly catching up with the wrist to the point of contact. This did not magically happen, but rather my body arranged for this to happen. I either slowed down my wrist to allow the racket head to catch up (similar to a golf swing) or I gave the racket head a little help using wrist flexion (snap). In my opinion. both are legitimate ways to line up the racket face to hit the intended shot. In addition, there is tremendous power in snapping just prior to contact that can be managed after some practice.

Some instructors in more recent YouTube videos are in denial, saying that you should maintain the lag that you started with in the slot all the way to contact. When I slow down their demo videos, I see that even they lag and snap (they use wrist flexion to arrange for the racket to accelerate into position just prior to contact).

[Cameron-uelu]

Lag and snap, the holy grail...thank you, this is the first vid I have seen that really explains the process and comes with a warning on the tin, , , I am almost there :)

[ronniemcinerney]

looseness is key but opening the hips earlier would encourage lag also.it will happen naturally.

[gwlaw]

Thanks so much. I just started trying this and found the timing really difficult on the snap. Glad I can forget about it and just concentrate on the swing.

[gregoryphillips]

You're so right. There's an instructor currently on you tube who has his students just flicking their wrist at the ball on the forehand. I wrote him and told him that this is all wrong. If you do a slow motion on any of the great forehands including Agassi, Becker, Lendl, Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer, the meat of their hand meets the ball flush on contact and then the follow through ocurrs. It happens quickly but that's the motion every time.

Great video.

[PerformancePlusTennis]

Thanks Poida! Good point about the "Lag and Snap Guy" actually not playing a live ball in his demonstration. More insightful videos will be published starting next week. All the best!

[PerformancePlusTennis]

Hi Poida, I certainly agree about the ambiguous terms and "buzz words" that offer little value. I have a complete, yet simple training methodology that is in video production now that addresses many of the issues you mentioned. BTW, did you review my video on grip tension? It is visible here on YouTube and on my website. Look forward to your feedback. Kindly, John Craig, Performance Plus

[kumarsabaratnam]

Yes, lag & snap is difficult & meant for exceptional players who like to play aggressive taking risks to finish points quickly.

[tennfunn]

Let's get the dog solid! Thanks, you always simplify things with your approach. A previous video tip of keeping the arm angle (forearm and upper arm) consistent has helped me with contact and accuracy. Thank-you!

[TeamTennisfr]

I totally agree. I'm bored with that racquet lag stuff. The point is to be relaxed with the wrist and to have the general motion in mind. Lag comes by itself (French tennis coach).

[Fernwald]

Just re-watching your lag and snap video, John. I've been doing a lot of experimenting with my forehand mechanics and one thing I've concluded is that the lag and snap is not a major power contributor. If you're familiar with the difference between a cause and an association, the lag and snap is not the cause of greater forehand power. It is associated with this greater power because it accompanies the true cause. And that true cause is a tendency to a whipping motion with the forearm as opposed to hitting with the upper and lower arm moving more as one piece. Jack Sock exaggerates this whipping motion by pointing his racquet head forward as he goes into his backswing. This keeps the hitting arm elbow high and far away from the torso. From this position, simply firing that elbow forward to begin the forward swing will create a whipping motion. The whipping motion creates more racquet head speed for an equivalent effort than a "one piece" motion. That's why whips create that cracking noise--the acceleration of the whip's top section is so great it creates a strong perturbation of the air.
An extreme motion like Sock's is likely tough to control for us mere mortals, but in my experiments where I only partially imitate Sock's motion (e.g., using just a moderate forward pointing of the racquet head at the beginning of the backswing) I've found that not that much practice is necessary to control the stroke. And the power increase is very noticeable. A further benefit of that heightened and separated elbow is that the backswing itself is shortened so that there is less risk of hitting the forehand late.

[PerformancePlusTennis]

Yes, the attempt the snap on the forehand is a very misleading concept. The right combination of swing rhythm and lack of tension will result in a natural lag and controlled racket head speed. Good luck, and let me know how it works for you!

[robinhoodwink]

When learning this lag forhand on my own it looked like a wrist nap. Finally my wrist is injury is getting better.

[olcaytokeskinkan]

You're absolutely right, coach! I've repeatedly tried to implement the "lag and snap" technique intentionally. But every time, I had another problem. Sometimes timing, sometimes contact point error, sometimes disproportionate use of force, etc. If you try to do it naturally, as you described, "lag and snap" occurs spontaneously. I saw this by following my own videos. Thank you, coach.

[petersnizek]

I couldn't agree more. Very well explained. I see so many people playing this ghetto-style forced lag and snap forehand and even kids that are playing competitive tennis are trained this (wrong) way. If the swing is carried out correctly, the lag and the subsequent snap happens naturally due to the inertia of the racquet, while the wrist is actually not forcedly involved at all. This preserves high control/accuracy, still allowing for a strong punch while it remains easy on the wrist. Also the Kung-Fu like roll on the follow through swing is a waste of time and energy as the ball was hit long before. For high speed and a strong top-spin everything that happens before the racket hits the ball is decisive. From a timing perspective, the kinetic energy potential must be completely accumulated shortly before the racquet hits the ball.

[joakimster]

Ive been watching a lot of youtube tennis videos, you´re the first one giving advice on what to think of  the other video´s advices - thats really meta web :-)
- And good explanation!

[petehill]

Thank you for making this video. I am a recreational player 54 years of age. I am continually working on my game. Most recently this prevalent teaching of lag and snap has been very confusing. It has also been detrimental to my swing. I have had A gut feel that something was not right. My personal experience with thinking about lag and snap interrupts my rhythm. Thank you for making this video

[adimperial]

Yes totally agree. That other online coach is one of the guys I think is a fraud

[imateapot]

The lag is because the wrist is relaxed. As you start rotating your arm and the racquet handle and much of the throat forward, a relaxed wrist allows the rest of the throat and face to continue backwards. Then it rebounds on its own into the slot based on Newton laws. Practice the lag with a 30 inch wood dowel. If the racquet comes to a full stop before the forward swing there will be very little or no lag and rebound affect. The racquet must be moving back before the forward swing to get the lag and whip affect. So it is very difficult to time. To do it like Federer with a high drop is next to impossible. If you do an atp style lag your hand will turn over naturally.