Knowing how to hit a forehand is vital to the game of tennis. It is the shot used most often, and is many players’ most reliable stroke. Because of this, knowing how to hit a forehand means knowing what will possibly be the most important weapon in a tennis player’s arsenal. The forehand can be effectively executed by following a few simple components that have to do with racket grip, footwork, windup, swing, and follow-through.
Racket grip
First thing’s first: one must know how to hold the racket for hitting the forehand. If one holds the racket wrong, the ball could end up going straight into the net or the ground, or even over the fence.
Hold the tennis racket as if it’s a frying pan, as if you can flip pancakes on the face of the racket head. Make sure the hand is gripping the end of the handle.
Footwork
Footwork is extremely important when it comes to tennis. Always be moving. Never be flat-footed. If you are not in the process of hitting the ball, be on the balls of the feet, bouncing up and down.
This helps with reaction time and moving toward the ball if the ball does not go directly to you, which is a lot of times the case. It also helps with speed and power used when moving toward the ball. It is harder to quickly dash toward a ball flat-footed than if one is bouncing on the balls of the feet. Bouncing on the balls of the feet, this allows one to spring off the ground and move toward a ball with greater momentum.
This bouncing is necessary for preparing to receive a ball for any shot. But for groundstrokes like the forehand, one must also use the split step.
Split step is when one stops bouncing on the balls of the feet. This is when one plants the feet in order to stay firm and grounded for hitting the ball. When the ball is coming at you and it feels like it is time to start winding up to hit it, split the feet a little more than shoulder-length. Aim the feet at a bit of a diagonal angle, not just straight forward.
Wind Up
Now twist the torso away from the court so that the non-dominant shoulder faces the court. This is so that there is more momentum for the swing. Aim the racket arm away from the court, hip-level. It also helps to have the other arm facing the court, with the hand aimed at the ball.
Swing (Making Contact)
This is where one actually hits the forehand. When the ball is slightly in front of you at waist-level, swing the racket at the ball while twisting the torso toward the court.
The racket face should hit the ball slightly in front of you at waist-level, and the racket arm should be fully extended.
Follow Through
Make sure to follow through. Making contact with the ball in the right spot is the most important part, but the follow-through is what puts spin and power on the forehand.
To properly follow through, simply swing the racket arm up to the non-dominant shoulder. The racket hand should end up at the non-dominant shoulder.
You Did It!
By knowing racket grip, footwork, windup, swing, and follow-through, any player will know how to properly hit a forehand. With having learned how to hit a forehand, players will likely have gained their most reliable weapon in their arsenal of tennis shots. Some of these components are more important than others for hitting a forehand, but all of these components are essential for hitting an excellent forehand.
Knowing the steps are vital for hitting a forehand, but there is one more component that is even more important than the others: practice. The more one practices, the better one gets. With enough practice, a forehand will become muscle memory. A forehand may start as a soft dink, but by doing it over and over again, it may very well become a powerful, unreturnable fireball.
Great piece!