Tennis Forehand

The forehand in tennis is a shot made by swinging the racket across one’s body with the hand moving palm-first.

In tennis, except in the context of the phrase forehand volley, the term refers to a type of groundstroke—a stroke in which the ball has bounced before it is struck. It contrasts with the backhand, the other type of groundstroke.

For a right-handed player, the forehand is a stroke that begins on the right side of the body, continues across the body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the left side of the body. It is considered the easiest shot to master, perhaps because it is the most natural stroke. Beginners and advanced players often have better forehands than any other shots and use it as a weapon.

There are 4 key things to keep in mind when hitting a forehand:

1) Positioning or stance

Typically in the early stages of learning the technique, you would stand perpendicular to the net with your non-dominant shoulder pointed at the net. This is referred to as a “closed stance”. Sometimes, you’ll see pros and other great players hitting forehands with an “open stance” where their body is open and facing the net. Depending on your level, you might hit forehands with either or both type of stance.

2) Backswing

A proper backswing is really about upper body rotation. Keep in mind that the arm you use to take the racquet back should actually be in harmony with the hips and shoulders turning first. You know you have completed the set-up of the swing properly if your shoulder is closed (with your body facing the side of the court and the shoulder is pointed at the net).

3) Forward Swing and Contact with the Ball

This part of the swing is all about weight transfer. You’re taking the energy and torque from your backswing (and shoulder and hip turn) and transferring it through the tennis ball and towards your target. A good thing to keep in mind here is that to assist with your weight transfer, you should step towards your target with the non-dominant or opposite foot. For right handers, you would step forward with the left foot.

Two other points are important here: one, your swing should be slightly low-to-high. In other words, from the backswing position, you should start the swing below the ball and finish the swing with the racquet up high; two, the point where you contact the ball should be slightly in front of your body – not behind it, and not too far out in front. The contact point should be a comfortable distance away from your body.

4) Follow Through

After you connect with the tennis ball, continue your swing through the ball with the racquet ending up high. There are a few images here that people use which work well: one, you can imagine placing the racquet into your non-dominant hand (or “catching it”) after impact; and/or two, you can imagine scratching your back with your racquet over your non-dominant shoulder after following through.