How to hit with forehand

Hi All

I am new to this site and new to tennis as well. Couple of weeks ago I have started playing tennis, it is really very exciting and challenging. But unfortunately I am facing many problems as a beginer. As I am playing with out any formal quoching and I would like to teach my self so I want few suggestions and any good web sites related to tennis quoching.

Firstly I am getting seveire pain in my palm & wrist while hitting the ball with fore hand. Can any body tell me how to play four hand rallies specialy how the swing should be and how hard do I need to hit and what should be the angle. And most importatnly how should I need to hold the bat(grip position). I have been told that I need to buy a over size bat(is 110 size with 27.5 handle). I bought the bat with abouve specification(wilson MACH3). Offcourse I am comfortable with this racket but some times I feel maneouring is bit difficult but I think that I will get accoustem to it.

whoa, whoa, slow down there nellie!

First of all, it is not a bat but a racquet that is used to hit the ball in tennis. Now, getting an oversize is a good suggestion for beginners, but if you get used to hitting with a 95 or even 100 sq. inch. racquet face then you will be doing equally fine.

Second, you really should get at least a few tips from a live tennis instructor or friend who knows the poper techniques. Teaching yourself is something you really can't do right unless you already know the mechanics of tennis. Oh, you can teach yourself to hit the ball alright, but your performance will begin to flatline relatively early. What I mean is that you will reach a stagnant point at which your game does not improve and you will reach severe frustration when playing anyone who knows the proper techniques for hitting.

Now, thirdly. If you are experiencing pain when hitting a forehand, you need to stop and get instruction b/c you are more than likely hitting it so wrong that it is creating uber stress at certain points in your arm. It might also have to do with your arm in particular. We all are built differently as far as how much stress our bones can handle before sending those pain receptors into action. My suggestion is stop now, and seek advice. Even one lesson can have you hitting better than you can teach yourself too, if you get the right coach. Well, that's my advice.

umm if u are experiencing pain u should STOP. obviously, pain is ur body telling u it's taking damage and it doesnt like that. firstly, u should consult a doctor to see if u have arthritis or some other joint ailment (maybe it's just a pinched nerve or something). secondly, i totally agree with zylon, u should probably find a coach, since u cant learn half as well reading about a technique as u could just having a practical demonstration. and finally, i suppose it doesnt help if u come to this board and all we do is ask u to go elsewhere, so i'll try to help...

1. grip. most people employ an eastern grip. western grip is sometimes used on fast surfaces because the ball is more often rising towards u rather than dropping...but lets just do the eastern thing :)

if u keep the face of the racket vertical (so that it's like an axe, instead of a frying pan), u should "shake hands" with the racket handle. that's the eastern grip.

another way to look at it, if u check out the racket handle, it's shaped kinda like a hexagon. one of the "corners" of this hexagon, at about "1 o'clock", will form sorta like a ridge or line going along ur handle. the "v" formed by ur thumb and index finger, when gripping the handle, should line up with this corner.

if u have no idea wut i'm talkin about, just picture the handshake instead of the hexagon.

2. imagine the point of impact, when ur racket hits the ball. at this point, ur shoulders should be square to the target; that is, ur body should be facing ur target. ur weight should be on ur right-foot (Assuming ur right-handed). the racket face should not be open or closed, it should be neutral, and ur palm shoudl be more or less facing outwards.

3. put ur left-hand below ur right-hand. as u follow through ur swing, bend both elbows, but separate them from each other. if done correctly, at the end of your swing, u should be able to smell ur right elbow; it'll be right up to ur face. the racket, at the end of ur follow thru, will be over ur left shoulder.

practice this 2-handed swing a few times, and pay attention to wrist movement and racket movement. u should find that ur wrist returns to a neutral, relaxed position by the time ur swing is finished, and that, due to the natural arm motion caused by the "separate ur elbows" swing, ur racket will have naturally gone from a neutral position to a closed position.

in practice, at high speeds, this kind of swing will "grab" the ball and brush behind it, generating top spin. ensure that when u hit the ball, u dont "pull back" just so that u end up with the racket over ur shoulder. pay attention to swing forward THROUGH the ball. after ur swing, the follow through should naturally put the racket over ur left shoulder.

also to note: during the entire swing, ur weight is on ur right foot. also, there is not too much torso rotation. if ur a beginner, just keep ur body square to the target. as u improve, u may try to add some torso rotation by starting with a 1/4 turn back before u swing, so that u start almost sideways, and end up facing ur target. pay special attention NOT to overrotate. u shouldnt end up spinnin around after ur hit. this'll either cause the ball to dump into the net, if you're early, or sail long, if u rotate late.


so the full swing, should be somethin like this:

1. step in and plant your right foot. take your racket back (u dont have to go very far back).

2. make impact facing the target, ur elbow and wrist slightly flexed, racket face kept neutral, palm facing target.

3. swing foward THROUGH the ball. bend ur elbow (separate ur elbow exercise with 2 hands)

4. at the end of ur swing, ur racket is over ur left shoulder, and ur elbow is bent, relaxed, in front of ur face.


none of this probably makes much sense. u cant really learn a sport by READING about it. find someone who knows how to play and have them give u a practical demonstration

a simple rule of thumb, when deciding whether some1 knows what they're talking about...do they look like the guys on TV? if not, their form is not at the professional level. u may not be able to tell what is wrong, but u can always see that SOMETHING is wrong :)

stop on pain, read up as much as you can on the proper grips and stances methods of serving etc then go out and practise you only need to grip hard at the moment of impact being to tense will result in injuries and ruin your game

one of the things that I teach people who are starting tennis is to hold the racquet like you are shaking someones hand. This will put help your grip problem and also give you a natural topspin. As far as the stroke goes. Start low and finish high. You will have more control that way. Step to your target and follow through. I think that might help you. Let me know if you try it and if it works or not.

Check out this website DVD or VHS format for a live demo.

Teaches you the forehand, backhand, serve, approach, and volleys, on the wall with power and control. Perfect weight transfer hitting thru the ball.
Teaches you the perfect strokes with power and control with the ball coming right back to you control. This technique works before going on the court. Step by step instructions with txt and video for each drill. Emphasizes weight transfer thru the hitting zone for all drills. After completing the drills as requried on the wall. you will be able to hit the tennis ball on the court not push,with power and control in the shortest time posible.
Hitting the perfect stroke== no tennis elbow. Burn 13 calories a minute and
no tennis instructor needed,the DvD is your professional instructor.
Main rule= Forehand and Backhand Must be 45 feet from the wall(no closer)

Tennis is a wonderfull life time sport.

http://www.customflix.com/205868
mrtennis66

Dear Dearram, tennis is far simpler than most people make it. Wait for the ball, tracking it with your racquet in front, then swing up and across your body to brush the ball. The backswing is minimal and taken at the last minute. This way you'll have control. Don't worry about your feet position or anything else. It is as if you played with your hand.

Dearram,

Jeff Cooper at AboutTennis.com has a lot of good stuff for beginners. Some free videos too, to show you the strokes. Go to http://tennis.about.com/
and surf the links.

hello
I have a more than decent forehand
thou sometimes actually often I tend to hit cross court
as I am a lefty, it bothers my tennis partner
I would like to ask how can I have the same accuracy & power while hitting it
down the line
thanks Lulu

Reach out toward the approaching ball with your free arm. And don't just aim this direction or that -- take dead aim at a spot in the opposition's court.