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Tennis overhead smash: check your form with your phone
The overhead is the answer to a lob: a smash hit from above, like a serve but at a moving ball. Most missed overheads are lost in the footwork, not the swing: get behind and under the ball early, and the stroke itself is simple.
No equipment needed. Practise at home. Just do the swing properly in front of your phone. No court, ball or shuttle is needed, and a racket is optional: the coach judges your movement, so a shadow swing at home in a hallway or garden is enough.
What good looks like
- Turn side-on as soon as you see the lob, and point at the ball with your non-hitting hand.
- Take small steps back to get under and slightly behind the ball.
- Take the racket into the trophy position and reach up to hit the ball at full stretch.
- Finish across your body with the weight moving forward, then recover.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Letting the ball drop too low
Hitting it below full reach costs power. Be underneath it so you can reach up.
Turning late
If you face the net, you have to arch back. Turn side-on early.
Watching only the racket
Keep your eyes on the ball until contact, and point at it first.
What Formanti checks on your overhead smash
At the top of the reach, not at the follow-through where the arm is already coming down.
- Reach: hand clearly above your shoulder. an overhead shot is hit up high
- Arm height at the top: 130–180°. Reaching high, body extended
- Elbow: 125–180°. Near-straight arm at contact for power
- Elbow lead: elbow up before you swing. lead with the elbow, then throw
- Speed: against your own other swings. power comes from a quick whip, not a push
Your ready stance
Hold still between swings and the coach talks you into position.
- Knees: 115–165°. Soft, bent knees let you push off in any direction
- Back lean: 0–30° forward. A little forward: not upright, not hunched
- Feet apart: 1.2–2.2× shoulder width. Feet wider than your shoulders, for balance
What your report looks like
When you finish, you get a report like this one.
- How many swings were in range, out of how many.
- The one thing to work on next, then the next, each with a drill.
- Every swing as a picture with your skeleton on it: ticked, or flagged with what was off.
What you hear and see when you are off
Hand not high enough
The coach says: “Reach up, hit it at the very top.”
On screen: Reach up: hit it above your head.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings and freeze at the top: your hand should be clearly above your head before you whip down.
Arm too low
The coach says: “Get that arm up a bit higher.”
On screen: Lift your hitting arm a lot higher at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too high
The coach says: “Keep that arm a bit lower.”
On screen: Keep your hitting arm a lot lower at the top of the swing.
Drill: Shadow 10 swings in slow motion and freeze at contact: check where your elbow is before you speed up.
Arm too bent
The coach says: “Straighten the arm more. Meet it long.”
On screen: Straighten your arm a lot more through contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: your arm should be almost straight with a soft bend.
Arm locked straight
The coach says: “Keep a little bend in the elbow.”
On screen: Keep a lot more bend in your elbow at contact.
Drill: Slow shadow swings, pausing at contact: keep a soft bend and finish with a wrist snap.
Elbow not leading
The coach says: “Get your elbow up before you swing.”
On screen: Get your elbow up before you swing.
Drill: Without a racket, point your hitting elbow at the sky, hold it a second, then throw your hand up to the top.
A slow swing
The coach says: “Swing through faster. Snap it.”
On screen: Swing through faster.
Drill: Shadow swings with a loose grip and a loud 'whoosh' at the top.
Legs too straight in your stance
The coach says: “Bend your knees”
On screen: Bend your knees.
Drill: Hold a low ready stance for 20 seconds between reps.
Hunched over in your stance
The coach says: “Chest up, don't hunch”
On screen: Chest up, don't hunch.
Drill: Hold the ready stance with your chest proud for 20 seconds.
Drills you can do alone
- Footwork ladder: shuffle back from the net, turning side-on each time, then shadow the overhead swing and recover. 10 sets.
- Toss and smash: toss a ball high above and in front of you and catch it at full reach, checking your arm is extended.
How to set up your phone
Prop your phone up 2 to 3 metres away with your whole body in view, at about hip height. For the overhead smash, stand side-on to the camera on your hitting side: how far in front you make contact and how big your backswing is can only be judged from the side. It all runs on your phone and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I hit a better overhead in tennis?
Get your feet right first: turn side-on early, move back and get under the ball, then reach up and hit it at full stretch.
What is the difference between the overhead and a serve?
The motion is similar, but the overhead is hit at a moving ball, so the footwork and the early turn matter more.
More tennis practice
Forehand · Backhand · Serve · Volley · Slice backhand · Lob · Drop shot