All right, now that we’ve covered serving, let’s talk about actually hitting the ball. There are two ways to hit the ball: forehand and backhand.
Forehand is when the player holds the racket face forward with their palm open. For right-handed players, forehand is played on the right hand side of a player, and if you are a left handed player it’s played on the left.
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| Foreha |
Hitting forehand is the natural way a player hits. This type of hit is a key to winning any match. It’s the first hit most players learn, as it’s the easiest of all the hits to master.
Here are the technical steps of hitting a forehand.
1. Position yourself just inside the baseline and near the centerline.
2. Have your feet shoulder width apart, just like you do when you are serving.
3. Make sure you hold your racket about waist level directly in front of you. Also make sure your knees are slightly bent.
4. When the ball is coming toward you turn your shoulders to the right if your right-handed, and to the left if your left-handed, lower the racket towards the court.
6. Pivot right or left, depending on which hand you hit with. Then take your other foot, step forward and plant it towards the left or right net post. While doing this, swing the racket backward and pull it up from the ground.
7. Pull the racket back until it reaches your waist level, make sure your arm is extended and relaxed. Your arm and the racket should be perpendicular to the net.
8. As the ball reaches you, begin driving the racket forward using your shoulders. Don't let your arm change positions. Grip the racket firmly but avoid squeezing the handle too hard.
9. You should make contact with the ball slight in front of your body.
10. Follow through with the hit, make sure that your racket ends up by your shoulders, pointing at the sky and in the direction of the ball you just hit.
That sounds like a lot I know, but here is a picture that shows what you should be doing. Don’t worry though, as soon you as you get out on the court and start hitting the ball you’ll get the hang of it.
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| Backhand |
The Backhand technique is a bit more difficult than the forehand, but is also just as important. This technique can be used as a defensive move or an offensive move. With backhand, right-handed players play this on their left side, while left handed players play with their right side. Confused? Don’t be. It can be thought of as a backwards shot. You still use whatever hand you use to hit the ball normally.
Here are the technical steps for hitting a backhand:
1. Start at the baseline, near the centerline
2. Move from the ready, neutral position while pulling the racket back.
3. Keep your right, or left hand loose on the grip
4. Move the racket toward the inside of your body, with both arms held close.
5. Cross over with your right foot, or your left.
6. Dip the right or left shoulder to the front
7. When the ball is near release the racket head, it should be like throwing the shot from your right shoulder.
8. Follow through by going up and over the right, or left shoulder, for a two handed shot, and extend your playing arm straight out for a one handed shot.
Okay with step eight, there are two ways you can grip the racket; two hands or one handed. Either works fine, you’ll just have to try both and find out which one seems more comfortable to you.
Here’s a picture of a backhand in action
Both of these types of hits are important for offense and defense. Once you start playing you’ll get the hang of both and be able to volley with your opponent. Volleying is hitting the ball back and forth with your opponent. It's important to point out that with all types of hits the player needs to hit the racket in it's sweet spot. That's the very center of the racket. Hitting the ball there gives the player more power and control!
There are some great videos that take about a minute to learn the tricks of the forehand and backhand strokes. http://www.tennischannel.com/babolat/
There are different trick hits that professionals use. These include the overhead shot, the lob and the trick shot. If you’d like to learn more about these shots I suggest going to the following website. http://www.all-about-tennis.com/backhand.html
Today's information came from the following places.
abouttennis.com
http://paltennis.org/forehand/
http://www.ehow.com/how_4778_hit-backhand-ground.html
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