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The forehand: how the shot is built
Preparation, contact point, and the mistake that leaves most club forehands short.
The forehand is the shot most players build their game around. It is also where bad habits pile up, because it is the shot people teach themselves just by hitting balls.
1. Preparation starts with the body, not the arm
The first thing that moves is not the racquet: it is the shoulders. The torso turn is what loads the shot. If you prepare by taking the racquet back with the arm alone, you lost half your power before you started.
2. Contact happens out in front
The ball is struck in front of the body, not beside or behind it. This is the most common error and it explains why so many club forehands land short: you arrive late and hit the ball once it has passed you.
If you have to lean back to strike, you were late. The fix is almost never in the arm: it is in the feet.
3. Low to high
Topspin does not come from the wrist: it comes from the racquet traveling from below the ball upward and forward. That path is what makes the ball clear the net and drop in.
4. The finish matters
The stroke ends with the racquet up, crossing over the opposite shoulder. It is not decoration: if you brake at contact, the ball leaves with no spin and no depth.
Grip decides a lot
A semi-western forehand generates topspin without losing power. An eastern produces a flatter, more penetrating ball but is harder to lift. See tennis grips.