No matter what kind of takeback you have, or what kind of finish, it doesn't matter one bit if your arm, racket, and ball aren't properly aligned on contact, or if you don't use a "arm lift/arm push" technique" through contact. The heart of a tennis stroke is how ball, racket, and body interact THROUGH CONTACT. Despite our focus on preparation, takeback, or followthrough, none of this will lead to a big forehand if contact isn't being executed properly. So let's look at exactly what has to happen at this crucial time if you want the ball to spring off your strings like it does with professional players.

First, on contact we see a perfect double bend aligned on the ball. The wrist and racket are tilted slightly below the hand. The racket face is facing the net, perpendicular to the ground, "squared up" to the ball. Most people never get this perfect alignment betweeen arm, racket, and ball because they don't understand the importance of alignment. Believe me, it's a sweet feeling when you get your arm and racket to line up properly with the ball on impact.

Next, you can see exactly how the MASS OF THE ARM AND RACKET together work the ball on the modern forehand. The entire double bend stays completely intact. This entire structure - of arm and racket - LIFTS STRAIGHT UP THE BACK OF THE BALL. As you lift your arm and racket straight up the back of the ball, you also push forward to transfer body weight into the ball. The wrist must be kept stable as you do this so that the racket and arm work the ball as a unit.

The takeback, the rotation into the ball, the wiper finish - all of it - is to aid the lift upward and push forward that you see here.

Now let's look at the bottom picture. First, notice how the lift/push technique causes the racket to face the ball and net well after contact and to lift straight up the back of the ball. This maximizes the spring effect between ball and strings because it "keeps the plane the same". Most people come across the ball and never get the deep interaction between ball and strings and body that this technique provides. Second, focus on the players arm. See how his arm lifts along with the racket. This maximizes MASS behind and through the ball. The entire arm is pushing and lifting the ball, adding a lot of "weight" through the ball.

Here is what the racket path looks like when this is executed properly:

To see more examples of this crucial push and lift, check out my article on topspin.