Forehand Fundamentals
Welcome to the Forehand Fundamentals section of FuzzyYellowBalls.com.
 |
Pivot and Shoulder Turn The first thing that all pro players do when they hit a forehand is pivot with their outside foot and turn their shoulders sideways. This starts their racket takeback. Both hands stay on the racket during this step. |
 |
Take the Racket Back Completely Once the pivot and shoulder turn is complete, the second thing that pro players do is take their racket back using both their shoulders and their arms. |
 |
Swing to Contact The third thing that professional tennis players do when hitting a forehand is swing to contact. They do three things to get to contact — 1) push off their outside leg, 2) rotate their bodies back toward the net, and 3) drop their rackets down and swing forward. |
 |
Follow Through From contact, pros follow through to complete their forehands. They accomplish this by extending out in the direction they’re hitting and bringing the racket across their bodies in a smooth, relaxed motion. |
 |
Swing Path The final fundamental thing about the forehand is the swing path — the path the racket travels along from the start of the motion to the completion of the follow through. Once you release the racket with your other hand, it shouldn’t stop moving until you complete your follow through. |
{ 45 comments }
good
Where are the videos?
Tnx
Tom
None of the Forehand Fundamentals show on video
thanks helps allot
muy buenas las lecciones!
I Love The Tennis & I Love You , Your Site Is Great .
Will, can you please comment on Ana Ivanovic’s forehand (you have it in the Pro Stroke Library). She does not line her non-hitting arm parallel to the baseline when preparing for a swing – is that technically wrong?
great, I’m taking a course here and applying everything on court
thanks a lot!
Thanks to you, now I know what and how to do!
none
friend said interesting web site.
Hi,
Great website with excellent videos. My coach tells me that I flex my wrist at point of contact when hitting my forehand. How can I fix this problem?
At one time I could veiw the video’s, it seems now the video will not open.
Your videos are great. My only issue would be that you explain a step out as a pivot of the outside foot. I think a step out is a clearer way to describe this and alot less confusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFKfERXZyGU&feature=related
Watch how Chuck describes the same thing…its alot more clear, IMHO.
Usually love the site but lately been getting a lot of lag when i go hd any advice
thanks very much for the lessons! it was very very usefull to me!
Good tips.. my rating is 6 for 10
hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii rafael is the best ,,,,,,,,,, vamos rafa,,,,,,,,,,,,, viva nadal
hi,
congrats for your website…
just one question…is it possible to download the videos?
thanks
hi,
could u please tell us why is it so important to extend the not hitting arm infront of the bodey whan u r hitting the forehand?
The non-htting arm helps in measuring the distance of the ball from your body so that the ball would not be too far or too close when you hit it. As you rotate your body, it also provides good momentum to transfer to the ball.
I loved watching the beginning guys hit. It reminds me of the American Idol tryouts.
Will
You have to do this same segment on the fundamentals of the two handed backhand. I can hit clean powerful two handed backhands on my ball machine but during match play it’s no where near how I execute with the ball machine.
Thanks
Hey — I’d look at your feet. Hitting well on a ball machine but having the stroke come apart during a match is typically means your footwork is a little off. Next time you hit on a ball machine, force yourself to move a little bit. Move out, hit, and recover (around a cone, for example). This creates a more realistic match situation than just standing there waiting for the ball.
The email course on the forehand is great. In defense of Kevin and probably many other amateurs, many teaching pros teach you to point toward the ball with the non hitting hand thus putting the arm in front rather than across your body. Thanks for correcting this flaw.
That’s true — it is a very common piece of advice. It has it’s place when folks are first learning but, as we saw in the course, it’s something that interferes with the proper execution of the fundamentals.
Will: I’m a 4.5 aggressive baseliner. (and I don’t want to give up hard hitting because it is fun and my hard hitting penetrates my opponent and wins or sets up points). I finally solved the problem of hitting groundstrokes too long— past opponent’s baseline. The only change–adjustment I made is : fight to get lower. What I now do is when I prepare to stroke the ball (and before I transfer weight forward) is to really bend both knees and sort of sit (with a straight back)…then step into ball and finish the unit turn and stroke, and rising up as drive ball and follow through….and I put more topspin and control on the ball. At the same time I am pleasantly surprised to note that I still drive through the ball toward opponent’s court & baseline for good penetration. I swear I tried all kinds of other adjustments without success (bringing me to frustration & near DESPAIR). Lesson: Persevere. Mikee
please may some answer me..Does roger federer opens his wrist or performs any wrist movement during the beginning of his swing?
Thanks a lot for this marvellous lessons!. I am self taught, and one of those rare people who finds easier to execute the backhand (extreme one handed backhand, a la Gaudio hehe) than the forehand. This tips helped me to spot a flaw with my follow through, and now i can hit some nice forehands. Thanks a lot Will.
its awesome it has really improved my tennis skills…….
its awesome it has really improved my tennis skills…….
I got 3 emails with videos for the forehand with the 5 step method. The first 2 had video instruction the 3rd did not. Am I missing something?
I received the first 2 videos of the 5 step forehand but the 3rd email did NOT have a video. Am I missing something?
I am very new to the game and these videos really helped introduce me to the fundamentals. Great job putting these together. It really helped me to understand the mechanics of the forehand and I can see improvement. Granted, I have a long way to go, but I understand the specific pieces I need to work on. Really good stuff
THIS SITE IS FOR LOSERS WHO DONT KNOW HOW TO PLAY TENNIS
Dear Arunia, as far as i remember, your name doesn´t appear on the top ten, well neither in the top million, so that convert you in a double loser, a loser who call others a losers. xoxo.
Is that the reason you came to this site? Eventually every tennis player will lose to someone who plays better on the day. Even world number 1's get beaten many times before they reach the top rankings. People come to this site for information and how to play better. No doubt many here could beat you!
I doubt you've mastered everything on here
Hi FYB,
To compliment these 5 forehand fundamentals could you also add a few brief paragraphs on the importance of how to watch the ball and keep the head still while playing the stroke – this could actually be a 6th fundamental. We're always reminded to watch the ball – yet even many good club players tend to look ahead of the ball while timing their contact. Federer has been observed to watch the ball differently from many other top pros while executing his strokes ~ this is particularly noticeable on Youtube slow-motion video clips. Could FYB please comment on this and explain how tracking the ball is linked to how we watch it. It would be good to have all this information on the FYB site for reference.
i totally agree. I was watching some of the French Open, Nadal/Hewitt and the close up of their shots … both were watching the ball closely … almost after they had hit it. I find this to be very difficult to do … thus the reason that i mishit so many shots eh
Here is an interesting tennis website by Mark Papas – the analysis he gives can get a bit complicated and involved, nevertheless it makes a good read. The article on Federer Vision is particularly good. If anyone has any comments as to how accurate or sound the information is I'd like to hear them.
소무ㅏ
Thanks
Hi FYB,
Thank you for this information… These fundamentals are awesome and great things to think about while practicing/rallying. I have a fairly consistent forehand, but I have one major problem:
When I try to add power to my shot, it has a tendency to go out (over the baseline).
Is there a good trick to add power to my shot while still keeping it in the court as much as possible? Is it one of the fundamentals that I am not doing consistently which is causing this to happen? I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks for the videos. I think they are great. Can you tell me why some players hit off their back foot at contact and others hit off their front foot at contact? In this video I noticed all the women hit off their front foot at contact and the majority of men, but not all, hit off their back foot at contact. When I am watching a match on TV I notice that all players sometimes hit off their front foot and at other times they hit off their back foot but each one seems to have a preference. My guess is fast balls are hit off the back foot in men’s tennis because they don’t have enough time to step into the shot where the women don’t hit as hard so they can step into the ball for more pace. Also I am guessing high balls are hit off the back foot and low balls are hit off the front foot. Also, short balls seem to be hit off the front foot as well. I am guessing also that people who use an eastern grip hit off their front foot while people who use a western grip hit off their back foot because they need to open their stance more to hit the ball. People who use a semi-western grip alternate what foot they hit off depending on the situation. I would like to hear your opinion?
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }