Years ago, I heard about a banana forehand in tennis.
Today, if you google banana forehand, you’ll come up with countless videos of Rafa Nadal’s reverse forehand. Watching a clip or two, I can’t see why anyone likens it to a banana.
The old banana forehand was, and, for the most part, still is frowned upon by most professionals. The backswing is immediately lowered to near knee level, then rapidly ascends to shoulder height, before dropping again to get below the incoming ball. It really has the appearance of the fruit mentioned above.
It seems a bit inefficient compared to a Sampras or Federer model and certainly not as stylish.
A young woman on a team I coach possesses a true old school banana forehand.
Seeing it at our first practice, it immediately caught my attention. Wouldn’t she be better and more efficient with a more modern technique I wondered?
By the second practice, the conclusion was crystal clear.
No!
Hers is, by far, the best forehand on that 4.0 team and one of the most potent and consistent forehands I see each week.
So, I don’t touch it.
Surely the same wise choice that the coaches of golfers Jim Furyk and Lee Trevino made years ago…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
It may look unorthodox and begin to offend the purist but the proof is in the performance and damn can this player crush her favorite shot.
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