Frequently Asked Technical Questions:

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THE FORWARD TRANSFER MOVE

Question:
Of all the contact moves, why do you consider the Transfer Move to be the most aggressive?

Answer:
Any time you are elevating your weight forward you have to have a confident but patient mind set. To win tournaments you must be able to hit easy balls away!! The transfer is a very aggressive shot because you are most often in control of the point, hence you have received an easy mid court floating ball. You have time to load the legs into a semi-open stance, let the ball drop and snap the hips into the shot. You can’t afford to push this ball as your feet are well inside the court. It is also an aggressive shot because you tend to hit the ball very flat and beat your opponent with pace and depth. In my opinion the forward transfer is a go to shot after a good first serve or when receiving a second serve that is short and ready to hit.

Question:
What is the difference between a forward transfer and a lateral transfer?

Answer:
I do agree that both these moves look very similar but like all the 15 contact moves that I teach these are always aspects that define a move and clearly make it different from the others. Of course there is sometimes a merging of moves where there is not a clear and clean defined balance move or perfect stance etc...or, the player is rushed and off balance and improvises....but lets’ look at how the forward transfer is different to the lateral transfer-

1.) The balance move of a forward transfer is a leg curl and the balance move of a lateral transfer is a side kick
2.) The weight goes towards the target on a forward transfer and weight shifts sideways on the lateral transfer
3.) The lateral transfer is hit off a moving stance whereas the forward transfer is hit off an unstable stance
4.) The forward transfer can be hit as a backhand, forehand and run around whereas the lateral transfer is a run around forehand ONLY
5.) Usually I teach the lateral transfer as a inside in shot only whereas the forward transfer can go either inside out or inside in.

Question:
What are some common errors made when hitting a forward transfer?

Answer:
1.) Not setting the feet into a semi-open stance. I.e. both feet are not facing the side fence and/or the feet are too close together
2.) Not letting the ball drop into the strike zone. This is very common, as players tend to rush the shot and want to finish the point off too quickly. This makes them hit down on the shot and hit the ball into the net. Plus, they also lose power.
3.) Losing the angles in the legs means the player comes up with their legs as they hit the ball. The legs straighten up and all balance and athletic loading of the muscles is lost .A really good way to fix this is to have the player able to see the ball that they have just hit bounce under the tape of the net as they are looking through the net. Or wear an athletic training belt that has a bungee chord attaches to the waist and pull down to stop the player jumping. It is important to snap the hips not jump up.
4.)  Kicking the leg to the side fence is also common instead of curling the leg to the butt (leg curl). This tends to make you fall off the shot and lose balance and power while also dragging the ball into the net. It is important to keep a vertical body axis and keep the chest up.
5.) Having all the weight on the front leg. Like the step down the weight needs to go from the back foot to the front foot. A lot of the time this comes from the initial set up into the stance. I like to teach stepping from the front foot BACK into the semi-open stance....you can’t transfer your weight if you don’t know where your weight is!!! You need 65 percent of the weight on the back foot!
 
Question:
What are some good teaching points?

Answer:
1. Freeze the finish.... a lot of players try and recover too early and do not get full extension with their swing. Hold the shot as if posing for a photograph. Sometimes (when doing fed ball).... I like them to hold their balance till the ball hits the back fence just so they can get this concept of holding the shot.
2. Teach the move with shadow boxing first. I am a big fan of shadow boxing as students can practice the footwork and contact move with a punch instead of swinging a racket which I believe is more complex as the racket can make you fall off balance or distract you because you become obsessed with grips and swing lines. Plus, shadow boxing with split steps and ready steps included can be done in tight spaces and with a big number of students. Get the Rocky music going.... they love it!!!
3. Finish the swing with a shoulder wrap. A shoulder wrap is when the swing finishes around the shoulder. A lot of students finish at the hip (ball goes in the net) or finish around the neck (makes student loose the angles in their legs)
4. Teach it throwing a medicine ball. Because the transfer is such a powerful shot anything that strengthens the core muscles and emphasises leg drive is great!! A medicine is fantastic for both these reasons plus it also strengthens the shoulders. Make sure you do it left and right handed to fix muscle imbalances.

Question:
Why is the transfer step down your favourite shadow tennis contact move, especially in warm up before matches?

Answer:
The forward transfer is one of my favourites as it can be trained with a variety of out steps especially running around footwork but most importantly it really gets the feet moving well and is an aggressive offensive shot. It encourages a good mind set of taking the ball early before you play. If you are playing and hitting a lot of transfer moves then you are in control of the match and finishing points off early....don’t be on the court longer than you have too....the mind set before a match needs to be “I will win the match and not wait for my opponent to make errors!”

Question:
Is the run around Transfer down more of an inside out or inside in shot?

Answer:
I believe this is personal preference and can be easily discovered by setting up target areas then assessing and experimenting. A lot of the time one direction will feel more natural... and ...of course inside out shots go over the lower part of the net and longer part of the court.

Question:
Should all players be taught the Forward Transfer?

Answer:
Some players are more elevated than others. I have found a lot of the time that old school adult players like to hit off the front leg and from a neutral stance. ... they are much more grounded as players i.e. they like at least one foot on the court at all times. A lot of players find the transfer set stance and footwork doesn’t work for them or they don’t have the confidence to use this move in matches. You might find of all the 15 moves you only use 6 of them. All I can do is point and hope you look!!. Like going into a restaurant elect from the menu and use what works for you. This is why it is so important to communicate with your student and teach them moves that THEY feel comfortable to use when the pressure is on and it matters when you miss i.e. in match play!!