Tag: forehand

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Tennis Strokes

Through the years I’ve given lots of tips regarding specific strokes and tactics. I think it’s good, once in a while, to step back, get general, and look at the basics. Below are some basics to the main strokes in tennis. You’ll see a theme in all of them, consistency.

Serve – Starting the point. That is the main purpose of this stroke. It is also the most important thing to remember. Start the point. Players at all levels get caught up trying to do too much with their serve and forget that to win your serve, you’ve got to get it in (preferably on the first serve). So how do you get it in? 1. Take a little off of it. The pros can blast aces, you can blast faults. 2. Reach up and hit the ball at the highest point you can. If you climb a ladder to the point where you contact the ball, you can see more of the service box over the net. The higher you hit the ball, the better your chance of hitting the box. 3. Add topspin to your serve. Use a continental grip (like holding a hammer), swing up with a motion from about 7 to 1 on the clock face.

Forehand – Once again the name of the game is consistency. And once again, one of the best ways to be more consistent is with topspin. With topspin you can hit the ball harder and deeper in the court, and give your opponent a difficult ball to hit. Use a western or semi-western grip (like holding a frying pan) and swing from low to high. Your follow through should go over your opposite shoulder.

Backhand – You guessed it, get it in. This one’s a little trickier. One hand, two hand, slice, drive. Your skill level and type of backhand determine the exact technique, but consistency is still the number one priority. 

Volley – Most people make the volley more difficult than it needs to be. Use a continental grip (like holding a hammer). Keep the racket out in front of you, step forward, and punch or block the ball. There should be little to no back swing.

 Overhead – There are a few important things to remember here… 1. Get the racket up into the ready position (back scratch position)  2. Turn your body sideways to the ball (similar to the serve stance).  3. Point your other hand at the incoming ball. This will force you to turn your shoulders and get the racket arm in the loaded position. Remember to keep your feet moving and use small shuffle steps to adjust to the flight of the ball.

Remember, consistency only comes through practice, focused practice. So get out there and practice the basics!

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Slice Approach shot

Since we have been talking about the slice backhand the last 2 weeks, let’s explore one of the ways you can use it. One, often overlooked, offensive weapon in tennis is the slice approach shot. A slice approach stays low, giving your opponent a hard passing shot to hit. Plus, after hitting rallies of topspin balls, an opponent will, many times, overrun an approaching slice, causing an error. Lets examine the execution.

An approach shot is one used as you come forward towards the net. Normally you would chose this shot when you are moving forward to get a “short ball”(one roughly in the middle of the court), but you could hit an approach shot when returning a serve or in the middle of a ground stroke rally. One mistake or misconception that some people have is the need to come to a stop when you hit an approach shot. By definition, you are approaching the net….moving forward. You don’t want to take away that court position advantage by stopping the forward momentum to hit the approach shot. So how do you hit an effective approach without stopping and without running through it? The answer depends on whether it is a backhand or a forehand approach.

  1. Backhand slice approach-“dance to the net”..use a karaoke step to hit the approach while continuing your forward momentum. This step allows you to continue forward momentum while putting your body in the correct, closed position (body perpendicular to the net) for hitting a slice backhand. See the video below for a great demonstration of the karaoke step versus the “inside step” on a backhand.
  2.  Forehand slice approach-“power volley” the approach…the stroke is basically a forehand volley with extra punch. The key is to studder step as you come forward so that as you hit it, you are stepping into the shot with your opposite leg (left leg for right-handers, etc)

 

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Topspin Forehand

I mentioned last week that keeping the ball deep holds your opponent at bay and produces errors. The best way to keep the ball deep, and your opponent off balance, is with topspin. If you don’t hit your forehand with topspin you may need to devote quite a bit of practice to master this stroke. Let’s look at a few pointers.

  • A semi-western grip (hold the racket like a frying pan) helps generate topspin and gives more support since your palm is behind the handle
  • As you take your racket back and line up for the incoming ball, make the butt of your racket point at the ball (this gets your wrist in the right position)
  • Take the racket back hip high or lower – some people take it back higher and drop it before they swing forward, that’s ok too
  • Swing from the low racket back position to a high finish over your other shoulder, hitting the ball out in front of your body

Try to visualize these tips and then practice the topspin forehand. Also revisit Hit De-fence to help you remember to hit through the ball while hitting topspin. If topspin is new to you, you’re probably going to need video to see the mechanics of this stroke. Check out the master Roger Federer. Watch for the pointers mentioned above.

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Hit De Fence to create more Offense

The last couple of weeks we talked about getting setup to hit with power and consistency. As you practice and develop that consistent power you can start to use it constructively against your opponents.  If you watch the tennis pros play, you’ll see that most of their ground strokes land well behind the service line, closer to the base line. Hitting the ball this deep reduces the angles that your opponent can create and makes them hit from a defensive position. In fact, many times, if the ball is close to the base line, you can cause an error from your opponent.

Here is a good way to condition yourself to hit the ball deep.

The next time you are practicing(moving your feet & hitting from the Strike/Power Zone), hit 10-20 forehands from your base line to the opposite fence. That’s right, I want your ground stroke to make it all the way to the opposite fence before it hits the ground. You really have to hit through the ball to hit it that far. This will give your shots better pace as well as condition you to hit deeper. Once you get the feel for hitting that hard, add some topspin and try to bring your shot down just inside the baseline. Just make sure your setup and consistency are in place first, then you can add the power.

Remember..Hit “de-fence” to put them on defense.

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The Forehand Power Zone

*improve forehand consistency and power

   Last week we talked about consistent setup for your shots and hitting from the strike zone (or Power Zone). Consistent setup allows you to hit with more power AND consistency in your shots. This week we take a look at a specific shot, the forehand. The forehand is most players’ best offensive shot. To make it a more consistent, more powerful weapon, it helps to hit it from the same spot, relative to your body. This is the Power Zone.

   The power zone for your forehand (and backhand) is between your knees and chest, approximately two feet from your body. Hitting balls in this zone will allow you to add the most control, spin and power to your shots.

  The best way to insure that you hit balls from your power zone is with your footwork.

 *move your feet to position balls in your Power Zone

  • Stay light, on your toes, knees bent

  •  Split-step(bounce evenly on balls of both feet) as your opponent makes contact

  •   Take small adjustment steps as you get closer to the ball

  •  Use shuffle steps to recover quickly after shots

By practicing good footwork, you can turn different types of balls (high, low and wide) into shots you can hit from your power zone. Keep your feet moving to turn on the power!

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Attack the short ball-forehand approach shot

One of the best ways to win points in tennis is to recognize and put away short balls(balls that bounce around the service line.) When you see a short ball immediately go on the attack. Move forward into the court, turn your shoulders, but keep your body facing toward the net. Keep your opposite hand on the racket as you rotate to help insure a full shoulder turn, and keep you balanced.


    As you close in on the ball, step into the shot with your non-dominant foot(left foot for right hander), and explode forward(pushing with your dominant foot and engaging your core muscles). The key is to time the forward push as you start the forward swing, making contact with the ball on the rise and/or above the net. Launch yourself forward not upward, but neither foot should be on the ground at contact. Put topspin on the ball to clear the net and keep the ball from going long. Down the line is a high percentage shot in this instance.

Next time we’ll discuss what to do if you can’t get to the short ball while it’s on the rise or above the net.

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Forehand Power Zone 

 *improve forehand consistency and power

   The forehand is most players’ best offensive shot. To make it a more consistent, more powerful weapon, it helps to hit it from the same spot, relative to your body. This is the Power Zone.

   The power zone for your forehand (and backhand) is between your knees and chest, approximately two feet from your body. Hitting balls in this zone will allow you to add the most control, spin and power to your shots.

  The best way to insure that you hit balls from your power zone is with your footwork.

 *move your feet to position balls in your Power Zone

  • Stay light, on your toes, knees bent

  •  Split-step(bounce evenly on balls of both feet) as your opponent makes contact

  •   Take small adjustment steps as you get closer to the ball

  •  Use shuffle steps to recover quickly after shots

By practicing good footwork, you can turn different types of balls (high, low and wide) into shots you can hit from your power zone. Keep your feet moving to turn on the power!