The Myth of the Follow Through

For as long as people have been playing tennis, the advice "follow through" has been a cornerstone of lessons.

Because there is a misunderstanding of exactly what the follow through does, however, it is often taught incorrectly, and can hinder your strokes.

Following are some myths about the follow through...

Myth #1 -- Carrying the Ball on the Strings

Many juniors believe that by following through correctly, they can keep the ball on the strings longer, allowing you more control on your shot.

In actuality, the ball is against (not "on") the strings for only three-to-six milliseconds. What is a "millisecond?" As a reference, once the ball hits the strings, it takes you 30-to-40 milliseconds to hear that sound or feel the shock!

The ball is gone and off the strings almost at the instant of contact, and the racquet cannot catch up. As you continue your follow through, the ball has been long gone.

And even if you could keep the ball on your strings longer, why would you want to? The longer the ball is on the strings, the more chance there is for it to move and slip, thereby decreasing control.

Myth #2 -- Your Follow Through Determines Direction

As we explained above, the ball is projected from the strings so quickly, the follow through has absolutely no affect on the ball's direction, spin, height, depth or overall trajectory.

The only thing that determines where the ball goes is the angle of the racquet face at contact, and the angle from which the ball is approaching.

Trying to "carry" a ball on the strings causes you to slow down before you hit the ball

Trying to follow through in the direction you want the ball to go, especially on the serve, does seem to help some players, because it may make them move their bodies differently before the shot.

Understand, however, that you cannot carry the ball on the strings, and that following through has no influence on the ball that has already departed.

Myth #3 -- Turn the Racquet Over for Topspin

By now, we know that extra motions made after the ball has left the racquet do nothing, and can even hurt your stroke.

What gives a ball topspin are the angle of the racquet face at contact (slightly closed) and the direction of the racquet's path (upward), which give the ball topspin. See if you are turning your racquets over after your shots, which may be causing a shorter swing, decreasing depth, and making you slow down before contact.

The Real Purpose of the Follow Through

If you were to hit a stroke on a court where a pole was stuck in the middle of the court next to where you were hitting a forehand, and your racquet was stopped by that pole immediately after you hit the ball (not allowing you to follow through), the ball would travel just as if you had followed through!

The lack of a follow through would have no affect on the shot.

The same is true of basketball players who are fouled on the arm before they are able to follow through. TV commentators often say that a player must be allowed to follow through, but as we now know, once the ball has left a player's hand, the follow through has no affect no the shot.

Why then, should tennis players follow through?

If you do not follow through and you try to stop at contact, you will have to decelerate much earlier in the shot, losing pace.

Think about a sprinter who runs through a finish line, rather than stopping at the line. Why do they do this? In order to stop at the finish line, the runner would have to begin slowing down before he got there.

This is the real value of the follow through -- it allows the correct stroke to be completed and lets you slow down naturally.

Note that some players who use an exaggerated wrist snap and forearm acceleration, especially on the "windshield wiper" stroke, will appear to have almost no follow through. These players use a combination of power and spin on their shots, generated from their hips, racquet path and other factors.

Again, as long as you are able to hit the ball where you want, when you want and how you want, without causing a repetitive stress injury, an otherwise unique stroke is acceptable.

Knowing why you need to follow through, rather than just that you should follow through, will better help you improve your strokes.