Racquet Mail: How to Create a Better Forehand

Question:

I am finding that my swing and my backhand grip are much better than my forehand. When I go for a forehand shot, it usually ends up with a tremendous amount of topspin making it difficult to hit. Still, my opponent on the other side of the net seems to see it coming every single time. What am I doing wrong? On the other hand, when I hit with a backhand swing, I feel way more comfortable. I keep my eye on the ball, I swing low, and I have excellent follow through, control and power. How can I create a forehand that is as effective as my backhand and swing?

Answer:

It may be the case that as a tennis player will develop one hand more than the other. In many cases, a player’s backhand grip will far exceed his or her forehand, creating a miss-balance in their play. Common problems include a large top spin or bottom spin, which may make the ball seemingly hard to strike but is actually very easy for the opponent to return. This is in contrast to a comfortable, easy feel to the backhand, and because of such, play with that grip will have much more power behind the ball, more control, eyes are kept on the ball and there is real follow through. A key to good tennis play is to balance the fore and backhand grips.

The best way to begin to improve is to remain calm during the forehand shot. A lot of times what happens is there is a slight imbalance, which causes stress and anxiety and leads to more and more of a difference. Taking ones time throughout the stroke and making sure that technique is followed instead of speed will provide a foundation upon which the player can then work on developing speed. That way, when the player gets up to speed, the technique is sound, it is just a matter of calibrating hand eye thought coordination. This will lead to less stress and more successful swings.

Loosening the grip is also a good way to remain calmer and less tense throughout the stroke. One can develop a scale of grip by hitting a racket that is held tightly and while held just tight enough not to fall out of the hand. Assigning a one to ten scale, many players whom are professionals will use a tension of 40 ~ 60, or half way. Make sure to hold the racket just off perpendicular from the ground. This will better guarantee less of a spin and more power being placed in the delivery of the ball, making much harder for you to strike. This will give the strike much more versatility than simply by relying on spins alone for the technique.

Once the grip issue is addressed, then there are addition areas to tweak, including direction of strike and depth of shot, both of which enable an easy means to target exactly where the ball will land. This will make the forehand much more powerful.

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This post involves:

coordination, forehand, hand eye, loosening the grip, opponent, stress and anxiety, stroke, swing, swings, tennis play, tennis player, top spin, topspin

... and focuses on:

Racquet Mail, Strokes, Tennis Tips

Posted by Ken DeHart on February 9, 2009 in Racquet Mail, Strokes, Tennis Tips. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.