How to play a tennis forehand

A forehand is the shot you usually play when the ball lands on the same side of the court as your dominant hand. It's a lot of players favourite and most reliable shot.

When starting out playing tennis, there are a few simple steps that you can follow to instantly improve your forehand technique and enjoy more rallies. 

LTA expert coach Matt Smith breaks down the four key factors to learn how to play a forehand.  

Step one – hold the racket in your dominant hand 

Start by holding the racket in your dominant hand at the bottom of the racket grip.  

Don’t worry too much about how you hold the your grip to start with, just make sure the racket is comfortable in your hand. 

However, as a general tip, we’d suggest holding the racket as if you’re going to shake someone’s hand. 

Step two – be ready 

Be in a good athletic ready position with the racket in-front of you, on the balls of your feet ready for the incoming ball. 

Think of it like a goalkeeper ready before a penalty. You then read the incoming ball with your eyes and react to it as quick as possible.
 
Tennis is a tricky sport where there are a lot of moving parts (like the incoming ball, outgoing ball, you and your opponent) so you need to be ready to move. 

Step three – beat the bounce 

When the ball comes over the net, you want to get yourself in the right position, set and ready to hit, ideally as it crosses over the net, or before it bounces.  

Stand side-on with your racket in your dominant hand, and facing towards the opponent's side of the court, getting your racket back, ready to hit. 

Top tip: When you’re turning into position, use your non-dominant hand to point at and follow the ball as it comes over the net. This will help improve the consistency of the turn of your body and your shots generally. 

Step four – play the ball in front 

So, when should you be looking to hit the ball? 

The best point to play your forehand is when the ball has bounced and is roughly between knee and waist height. 

As much as possible, try to play the shot with the ball in front of your body. We often call this the ‘contact point’. 

Think of it a bit like a boxer, you want your weight behind you before you ‘punch’ the ball in front. 

Step five – the racket swing 

Here are some expert tips for perfecting your forehand racket swing:

• For the shot itself, swing through as you hit the ball finishing in a comfortable position
• When you’re starting, the racket follow through doesn’t have to be too far – it can be more like your pushing, to aid control
• Keep in mind that the ball will generally go in the direction the strings point
• As you improve, try to have a longer swing, finishing with the racket over your non-dominant shoulder and your elbow pointing at the opposite end of the court

Bonus tip: After you’ve hit the shot, you want to recover back into a good position ready for the next ball. This tends to be back to the middle of the baseline, and ready, repeating these steps.