Hit The Perfect Forehand in 5 Steps – Tennis Forehand Masterclass #tennis
The forehand in tennis is the most important shot after the serve and return. That’s why it’s very important to work on, and master, the forehand. In this tennis lesson, Coach Simon Konov of Top Tennis Training will show you how to hit the perfect forehand in five steps, a true tennis forehand masterclass.
Tennis Forehand Grips
The foundation of any player’s forehand is the way they hold the racket, the grip. We have three main forehand grips in tennis, the eastern forehand grip, the semi-western forehand grip, and the western forehand grip.
Most ATP and WTA tennis pros use the semi-western forehand grip.
Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro use an eastern forehand grip. Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios use a Western forehand grip.
We recommend using the semi-western grip as it allows you to produce topspin and also flatten out the forehand. It also makes dealing with low, medium, and high balls easy.
The Ready Position on your Forehand
The ready position is how you wait with your racket when doing a split step. Try to hold the racket with your forehand grip, as you’ll want to cover 60-70% of the court with your forehand. The racket head should be above the grip of the racket and the non-hitting hand should be either on the throat of the racket or the top of the grip.
Coiling The Upper Body
As early as possible, try to coil the upper body. Coiling the upper body means that you turn your left shoulder towards the oncoming ball, storing energy in the core muscles. This unit turn also ensures the racket starts its swing toward the power position. The quicker you coil, the more time you’ll create on the shot.
Reaching A Perfect Power Position
Once you’ve coiled the upper body and moved towards the ball, you’ll want to reach an ideal power position. Typically, a good power position will include the racket head being above the grip level, the arm away from the body, the non-hitting arm stretched across the body, helping to track the oncoming ball, and the legs loaded, ready to drive into the shot.
Forehand Lag
From the power position, the legs and trunk will then initiate the forward phase of the forehand swing. With a loose arm and wrist, this unloading of the legs and uncoiling of the upper body will result in the racket head lagging behind the arm and grip of the racket. This lag phase will give you additional leverage or force over the ball.
Contact Point
Try to make contact out in front of your body. When you make contact in front, the entire body can support the racket during the strike zone and both eyes can track the ball onto the strings.
Follow Through and Finish
After the contact point, it’s all about finishing your forehand in an arm-friendly way. There are different finishes you can use and each one serves a purpose, but in general, the across-the-chest finish is the one you’ll want to master and use the most often. Have the elbow bend and come across the chest with the racket finishing wrapped around your body.
In the forehand masterclass, Coach Simon will cover all of these forehand topics:
1. Tennis forehand grips
2. Forehand ready position
3. Coil and uncoil on the forehand
4 The unit turn on the forehand
5. The poser position on the forehand
6. Forehand stances
7. The load and explode on the forehand
8. How to use your legs properly on the forehand
9. Forehand lag and how to achieve this
10. The contact point on the forehand
11. The windsheild wiper motion on the forehand
12. Follow through and forehand finishes
Video Timeline:
00:00 – Lesson Intro
00:26 – Tennis Forehand Grips
01:30 – The Ready Position
02:52 – Coiling on the Forehand
05:09 – Power Position
06:40 – Loading the Legs
06:57 – Forehand Stances
08:08 – Forehand Lag
10:10 – Contact Point on the Forehand
10:40 – Follow Through and Finish
#tennis #forehand #toptennistraining
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