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Tennis – the forehand: introduction

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This is the intosport.com tennis academy. This video guide will teach you the basics of the forehand. There are lots of different types of forehand shot so mastering the basic forehand ground stroke is an important stepping stone in building a good all-round game. The basic forehand should be the most natural shot to hit and it should be one that you can rely on and regularly win points with. We’re going to concentrate on the basic flat forehand that you’d play from around the baseline when the ball has bounced once.

• 1. Forehand Technique +

  Let’s start with the grip. There are several forehand grips, as a beginner you should start by using the continental or chopper grip as you improve you should look to progress to a semi-western grip which will enable you to hit the ball harder and with top spin.

  When you hit a forehand you should be sideways on and slightly behind the ball. Moving into the right position is very important and you’ll need to be preparing to play the shot as you move across the court, from the ready position move a half turn away from the ball and as you do draw the racquet back around your body, you may find it comfortable to rest the shoulders of the racquet on the open palm of your free hand, at this point your feet, shoulders and hips should be lined up towards the advancing ball.

  Begin your backswing, keeping your arm bent at right angles, finally step forwards and swing through the ball in a low to high arc allowing your wrist to rotate towards the ball and aim to hit the ball just after it has reached the highest point of its bounce. You may find it easier to allow the ball to drop a little further as this will give you more time to concentrate on playing the shot. Whilst the racquet follows through across your body, allow your weight to transfer from your back foot to your front foot. Recover quickly by moving back behind the baseline and into the ready position.

  You want to develop a consistent accurate and powerful forehand so here are some great practice drills to help you.

• 2. Forehand Drill +

  When you practice you should stand about 1-metre behind the baseline, this will give you time to adjust to your partners shots when they land close to the baseline and will also allow you to move forwards to the ball and play shots comfortably when the ball lands further into the court.

  To start off with try a short forehand rally with your practice partner inside the service boxes. You should hit the ball across the court to each other. This will help give you the feeling of controlling the ball. Once you’ve mastered this you can work your way back to the baseline and keep the rally going using the full length of the court.

  To practice consistency place a line of markers about 2-metres inside the baseline, practice hitting the ball so it lands between the markers and the baseline. To keep track of your movements keep track on how shots you can land within that zone in a row.

  Place markers on the court one in each corner; try practicing a variety of combinations hitting to alternate corner markers, or right then centre then left then centre and so on. As you improve you can combine both types of practice by hitting a combination of shots down the line and across the court, but remember as with all practice drills make sure you move back to the ready position after each shot.

• 3. Recap Forehand +

  Move a half turn away from the ready position, swing the racquet back and keep your eye on the ball. Step forwards, swing through the ball and aim to hit it just after it has reached the highest point of its bounce. Allow your weight to transfer and your racquet to follow through and recover quickly into the ready position.

  So now you have the basic forehand mastered be sure to check out all the other useful video guides, tips and fitness advice at intosport.com.

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