Follow-through is a word often used in sports involving a ball. English follow-through means ‘to follow the ball’. It refers to a motion in which a batsman takes a batting stance in the direction of body rotation after batting, or a motion in which a pitcher throws a ball and continues that stance naturally without stopping.
According to the English glossary, ‘follow through’ is a combination of the verb ‘follow’ meaning to follow and the adverb ‘through’ meaning completely. ‘follow’ is derived from Old German ‘fulgojanan’, and was borrowed into current English in the middle of the 13th century through Old English ‘folgian’ and Middle English ‘folwen’. ‘through’ is derived from the Old German ‘thurx’, and the Old English ‘purh’ was used in the late 14th century when the spelling order was changed. Like ‘thorough’, it is used as an adverb or preposition without distinction.
Follow-through was first used as a golf term in 1896. In golf, the follow-through is a process of impact and is an essential motion to create a strong impact and good ball quality. According to American baseball terminology expert Paul Dixon’s Dictionary of Baseball Terms, follow-through was first used in American baseball in 1906. The use of the word follow-through in tennis is estimated to have been around the same time as golf.
Tennis strokes can be divided into four movements: backswing, forward swing, impact, and follow-through. (Refer to this corner #945, ‘Why do we say ‘stroke’ in tennis?’) A follow-through is an action in which the stroke is maintained until the end after hitting the ball. A follow-through allows you to increase the forward speed of your swing without stopping the racquet. Even after hitting the ball, you have to maintain the follow-through so that you can send the ball properly. When performing all strokes, such as forehand, backhand, volley, and serve, you need to do a good follow-through to finish the shot. If you stroke the ball to the end after impact, you can not only make a good pitch, but also make a strong hit. Also, if you do a good follow-through, you can prevent unexpected injuries in advance.
In the Korean media, the word follow-through has been used mainly in golf since the late 1980s. As the number of golfers increased rapidly after the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the word “follow-through” and posture were explained through golf lessons. Following golf, I was able to meet the word follow-through through lessons in tennis.메이저놀이터