Module 03
The Preparation
Good preparation creates the time and rhythm for the rest of the stroke to flow.
Preparation is the bridge between the ready position and the transfer. We aren't simply trying to get the racket back as quickly as possible. We're trying to arrive in the right position, at the right time, so that the movements that follow can happen without interruption. A good preparation feels less like a series of positions and more like one continuous response to the incoming ball.
How We Work On It
01
Start ready
We begin facing the court in a balanced ready position, with both hands on the racket and our weight evenly distributed. The important thing isn't simply the position — it's being neutral and ready to respond in either direction.
02
Turn and expand
As soon as we recognize the ball is coming to the forehand, we turn and begin to separate the arms. I sometimes describe this as getting big — the chest opens, the arms expand away from the body, and the racket begins moving into position. This shouldn't feel like suddenly jerking the racket backward. The movement begins smoothly, and in response to the ball.
03
Get turned
As the preparation develops, the shoulders and hips turn and the racket moves back with the racket head initially above the hand and elbow. We want to arrive with the body turned, balanced, and increasingly loaded onto the back foot. This creates the position from which we can eventually move forward through the shot.
04
Let the racket drop
As the ball gets closer, the racket head begins to drop. The timing matters. Too early and the racket ends up waiting for the ball; too late and the player has to rush the rest of the swing. With practice the drop becomes part of the rhythm of the stroke rather than a separate movement the player has to consciously perform. As the racket drops and the weight settles onto the back foot, preparation is complete.
On rhythm
The preparation has its own rhythm, and that rhythm is connected to the ball. A slower incoming ball gives us more time and lets the preparation unfold more slowly; a faster ball requires the same movements to happen more quickly. The goal isn't to prepare as fast as possible — it's to prepare in time with what's arriving. At its best it starts to feel almost like a dance with the ball: its movement toward us and our preparation for it happening together.
This is the beginning of the transfer
From here the direction of the stroke changes. We've prepared and loaded the body; now we're ready to move forward. The weight begins transferring from the back foot toward the front, the hips and shoulders rotate through the shot, and the momentum we've created flows toward the finish.
Want to work through this on court?
Lessons are private, so a step takes as long as it takes — nobody moves on before the one underneath it holds up.