How to Do a Tennis Forehand Ground Stroke

Any beginning student of tennis has been mortified by the experience of setting his or her feet for a ground stroke, salivating at the opportunity to hit a passing shot that devastates an opponent, only to see that shot take off like a Bobby Bonds home run--going, going, gone--over the net, over the court, over the adjoining two courts and an unsuspecting pedestrian. It doesn't have to be this way.

Instructions

1. Focus on staying "on top" of a ground stroke. The reason a ground stroke can be hit with velocity and still stay in play is overspin. Overspin makes a shot curve down, allowing it to travel fast but not too far.

2. Set your feet at right angles to the shot, back foot at 90 degrees, front foot at 45 degrees.

3. Begin your stroke with your racket waist high, even with your body.

4. Make your stroke from that position, moving it to a follow-through where your wrist is higher that your shoulder.

5. Practice this stroke in slow motion, and your will see that if you attack the ball when it is roughly waist high, your racket will indeed stay on top of the ball.

6. Imagine the strings of the racket "grabbing" the rough surface of the tennis ball. As they do, they will not only propel it back towards your opponent, they will spin it back to forward--top-spin.

7. Practice the forehand ground stroke by yourself by simply dropping the ball, allowing it to bounce and executing your shot. One of the advantages of this shot is that the only thing you need to practice, is a basket of balls.