How To Get More Power On Your Forehand

I know many players who are struggling to generate effortless power on their forehand. In fact, they want to know where those power leaks come from. Hence, I’ll reveal three simple tips to get more power on your forehand and take it to the next level. 

I consider that power on the forehand comes from optimal technique and optimal relaxation. If you get, those two things right, you’re in business with your forehand. Now, let’s go into the three areas that will help you get more power on the forehand. If you try these tips on the court,  your forehand will drastically improve.

Tennis Forehand Grip

First, I want you to get the right forehand grip. My preferred source to get more power on your forehand is the semi western grip. However, you can also generate pace with an easter forehand grip like Federer or Del Potro. 

Moreover, you also want to ensure that your hand and index finger are spreaded. Likewise, you want to make sure that you have the heel of the hand off of the racquet. In fact, these are two common problems that many tennis coaches don’t point out. Thus, it’s absolutely essential to hold your tennis racquet correctly.

First Move

The second tip to get more power on your forehand is the ready position. When you make the first move, you want to feel like the tip of the racquet is up. Therefore, you avoid losing the ability to drop the racquet and accelerate. 

Additionally, you want to assure that you have very little tension in the hand. Hence, you want to be loose and simply let the hand go before making contact with the ball. If you grip the racquet really tight, you won’t be able to fully accelerate. 

Besides having the racquet tip up, I recommend getting your elbow away from the body and pulling your off arm across it. This will allow you to create that stretch between your shoulders and your hips before you go ahead and hit the ball. I’m a big fan of getting the body to work in an effortless way.

The Contact

Now, let’s move into the contact on your tennis forehand. You need the right amount of relaxation so that you can accelerate at contact. Many players struggle with this concept of tension, and grip the racquet way too tight. Consequently, I suggest catching the racquet over your shoulder at the end of your forehand swing. 

If you have more space, then you’ll get more what extension. Thus, you’re going to create that space at the end by catching the racquet in the throat. For instance, if you do this a few times, it will remind you to stay loose with your hand when you swing. Now, if you prefer to don’t catch the racquet, just be aware of having minimal grip tension.  

To summarize, I want you to focus on getting the correct grip, ideally a semi Western. However, you can still get more power on your forehand with an eastern grip. Then, concentrate on having the proper first move with the racquet tip up and off arm pulled across your body. Lastly, remind yourself to reduce tension as you swing and make contact with the ball. You can achieve this by catching the racquet or taking the hand off at the end of your forehand swing. 

By Jeff Salzenstein, Founder Tennis Evolution. 

Jeff is a former top 100 ATP player and USTA high performance coach committed to helping players and coaches all over the world improve.

P.S. – Ready to take your forehand to the next level? Click here to get a free membership inside the Tennis Evolution App. Learn the exact step-by-step system that has transformed the games of thousands of players worldwide.