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Photo Lesson: How to Hit the Overhead Smash

By Jeff Cooper, About.com

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Point of Contact

Point of Contact(C)2007 Jeff Cooper licensed to About.com, Inc.
At contact, the elbow and wrist have both fully straightened, so that the arm is fully extended at a slight forward angle, and the long axis of the racquet is vertical. This is the ideal point of contact for an overhead smash: at full extension; slightly to the right, where the right arm naturally travels; and in front enough to be easily seen and to gain extra power from the body's forward momentum.

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