High Forehand shots?

Question

Hello, I've recently been playing with a lot more topspin on my forehand groundstrokes. I have no problem with low balls but usually if the ball is slow and a little higher up...I tend to hit them WAY OUT, esp on short second serves. It really irritates me b/c those are the balls I 'should' be putting away easily. Then I try to compensate for that and not put so much spin and I hit the net. I don't take lessons so I don't have a coach etc to get advise from.

Thanks. I should clarify I'm a doubles player. What I ended up doing was slicing the ball short, cross court. I need to re-read all the responses, but I do appreciate the details. I am known to go for to much....that usually happens when I watch the big girls hit on TV.

Also...if I change the swing...do I need to change the contact point of the ball..instead of "picking the ball up" hit more towards the top?

Answer 1

take those high balls a little earlier if you can, but if that isn't possible due to them being surprisingly slow try a more flat stroke with less spin. And if it's quite high do kind of a mini smash with a flat stroke, no cut, no top. And those are also good opportunities to hit a sweet drop shot, but follow it in and cut off their desperate attempt to retrieve the dink you just hit.
Maybe you are just trying to do to much with these types of balls, maybe a little patience and move them far to one side or the other, or what the heck, even a dead center drop shot is good because you can force them to try and hit it by you or risk hitting it out themselves.
But my bet is that if you're really aggressive and like to smack that ball a flat smash would work well. Just hustle to the ball as fast as possible and smash that sucker so hard and flat that they don't even see it coming!
Have Fun, you've got me all fired up to play now;)))

Answer 2

I am assuming to get more topspin, you started brushing up the back of the ball more? If that is the case, when you are hitting a higher forehand, you'll have to hit out or forward, a bit more than up. Of course you still want to brush up the back of the ball, but make your racket trajectory from 4-o-clock to 10-o-clock instead of from 5 to 11 or 6 - 12 as you might be doing for more topspin. Good luck!

Answer 3

It's just a matter of practice. You will get the feel of the right stroke and you'll know it when you make contact. It just feels right. There is always going to be that margin for error. The idea is to make it a small margin of error. Maybe you don't want a topspin in this situation. Practice a slice and put it away. It will just go over the net and go dead.

I remember one coach who put a quarter in the corner, first to the forehand and then moved it to the backhand, and said to practice hitting the coin with the serve. Then he switched the quarter to a dime. If you can master that, the chances are you won't lose your serve often.

Good luck!

Answer 4

If the ball is chest high, you need to swing through the ball with a level swing plane. This is a difficult shot for most beginner and intermediate players because the racket face must remain completely level through the contact point. Many times, when attempting this swing plane, a player's racket may open upward just a slight degree. This racket bevel, added with the level swing, will greatly exagerate the flight path, causing it to hit the back fence most likely. The opposite is true if the racket closes downward; it will drive the ball into the ground or net.

Keep these principles in mind. The low to high swing is the least powerful method striking the ball, yet it is also the most conistent. The high to low swing is the most powerful method of generating pace. Yet, of course, there's little opportunity to hit a shot of this trajectory from the baseline and have it land on the other side. Now, the level swing is right in the middle of these two strokes in pace generation. We don't have many opportunities to hit on this swing plane from the baseline due to gravity pulling the ball down into the net.

Now, that being said, you must keep in mind the level swing that you need for this higher contact point does NOT need to be swung as hard as a low to high swing. So, don't try to kill the ball, because the swing plane will generate the pace for you. Another note is that this higher contact point is hopefully being made from inside the baseline. Meaning, you're closer to your opponent. So, even a mildly hit ball will get into your opponent's court faster, seeming as though you hit it harder. If you find yourself hitting this higher contact ball from behind the baseline, I'd encourage you to raise your swing plane a tad and not go for a winner. If you hit completely level from behind the baseline on this higher contact point, there is a very good chance you either won't clear the net, or at best hit a short ball that your opponent can capitalize on. So try to elevate your swing slightly, still making sure you make a thorough stroke THROUGH the ball to insure depth.

FOCUS on level swing plane and racket face. As you begin to learn this stroke, keep your swing pace at a manageable speed. As the stroke gets more engrained, then increase your swing speed until you master the stroke. Proper mechanics are imperative for this shot.

There are so many variables of contact point and your swing plane will change slightly with each one. But basic principal is to level your swingplane as the ball rises. It may be different degrees you have to do to accomplish it, but with repetitive practice it will become second-nature.

I did not mention anything about grips. You can be very adept at hitting this shot with either a Western, semi-western, or Eastern grip. Although I always suggest either semi-western or eastern. They are more powerful, more versatile grips.

Good luck!

Answer 5

taking them earlier is the ideal situation... unfortunately things aren't always ideal on the court... the key for me has always been to shorten my backswing... almost to the point that it no longer exists... just kind of put the racket up in the air just below the point of contact and explode from there... people have the tendency to use the same low to high swing on high balls that they use on low balls and in the process rocket the ball out of bounds... keep your back swing short and start it about a foot (plus or minus... this depends entirely on your individual swing) below the BALL not your waist... I think that if you shorten your backswing you'll be in better control of the ball and you'll learn how to approach it so that when the situation arrises during a match you'll be able to crush it with confidence...

Answer 6

take the ball earlier, and on the rise. when you take it on the rise you need to time it correctly, so experiment a little.