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Tennis TipsOverview
The forehand is the foundation of your tennis game and is the first stroke learned by most players. Without a strong forehand, your game will be limited. Even if you have a solid and reliable forehand, you can always improve it and make it into more of a weapon on the court.
Step 1
Take to the practice court and practice forehands from all areas of the court. Work on cross-court shots, down-the-line shots both flat and topspin. If you're less comfortable with one angle in particular, work on it even more. Retreating to your comfort zone might feel better, but it won't do as much to improve your on-court effectiveness when it comes to match play.
Step 2
Have your hitting partner feed you short balls so you can get comfortable putting them away. Players who neglect to practice this can easily get flustered in a match when presented with a short ball that should amount to a free point. The more confident you are in this situation, the more your opponents will fear hitting short balls to you, which will put them under pressure when they're on the court with you.
Step 3
Concentrate on your preparation. Getting your racket back early in preparation for the shot is key to smooth forehands. Reacting to shots rather than anticipating them is a sure-fire way to having to hurry your backswing and follow-through, which will increase your errors.
Step 4
Keep your feet moving. This works in tandem with early racket preparation. Staying on the balls of your feet means you're always ready to move laterally or to move forward into your shots. Being caught flat-footed is one of the most common mistakes made by tennis novices. Even intermediate and advanced players have to occasionally stop and remind themselves to move their feet. It's a good habit to get into!
Step 5
Make more of an effort to hit the ball out in front. If you do this with your body weight moving forward, and have your racket head accelerate into the shot with a high follow-through, your shots will have more velocity and sting.
Step 6
Practice taking the ball early. Hitting the ball when it's on the rise makes for a more aggressive shot that will keep your opponents on their heels. Taking the ball at the top of its bounce makes it difficult to hit with power, since the ball is barely moving at that point, and you have to generate the power yourself. Hitting a ball shortly after the bounce means harnessing the energy of your opponent's shot as well as giving him less time to respond to your return.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Don't go for too much. If your forehand isn't your best shot, it can be tempting to try to do too much with it and go for the big shot. Missing them usually leads to more frustration and a lack of self-belief. For now, forget about the power and simply concentrate on hitting accurate forehands. Even if the power is lacking, if you're able to consistently hit forehands and keep them in the court, your confidence in the shot will improve. Then you can go for a little more power gradually. Even if you never get the power you'd really like, a consistent forehand will force opponents to create winners, which can lead to errors on their part. Consistency will win you a lot of points!
Experiment with your grip. If you find that you're not able to keep the forehands in the court, playing more topspin may help. Using a semi-Western or even the more extreme Western grip will help you keep the racket face in a more closed position and allow you to impart spin on the ball. Being comfortable hitting a topspin forehand can work wonders for your confidence since it's more of a low-risk shot than a flat forehand.
- WARNING : Don't avoid your forehand. Like many players who are uncomfortable with their backhand and run around it to play a forehand, some players with a weaker forehand often move out of position to play a backhand. Even if you have more confidence in this stroke, it'll likely be a defensive shot because you're putting yourself out of position. This will give your opponents the aggressive edge, and they'll probably exploit your forehand even more. The problem with resorting to your comfort-zone shot is that your weaknesses never get addressed, so they don't improve. It's better to simply practice your forehand more than ever. Practice hitting them at every opportunity, with either a partner or a ball machine, and you'll soon see results.
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