How To Hit Flatter On The Forehand

If you’d like to discover how to hit flatter on the forehand, you’ve come to the right place.

I’ve seen a lot of players who have trouble with hitting the ball late, and with too much topspin.

Unfortunately, a lot of coaches will simply tell you to hit the ball earlier, or more out in front.

But, they won’t actually give you any real tangible tips to help you do so.

That’s not going to work.

In this article, I aim to change that, and give you a couple of valuable tips on how to hit a hard flat forehand.

There are a couple different things you’re going to want to focus on, to avoid being late and mishitting. The main four being:

Focusing on making the correct 1st move
Keeping your head at contact
Focusing on your finish
And focusing on your aim

So let’s get into each of those, and look at how to hit a flatter tennis forehand.

Forehand First Move

In order to hit flatter forehands, make sure you greatly exaggerate your first move.

Start your racquet preparation on the first move as soon as you realize that the ball is coming to your forehand.

Don’t wait until the ball has bounced on your side of the net before you start preparing.

Once you see the ball come off your opponents racquet, set the racquet early WITHOUT taking the racquet back. (This is very important.)

You’re essentially finding the ball with your strings as the ball crosses the net towards you.

That way you will never be caught taking your racquet back when you should already be set and ready.

Contact Point On The Flatter Forehand

If you want to limit the amount of mishits you make on your forehand, make sure to keep your head and eyes at the contact point AFTER the ball has left your racquet strings.

I know this might sound like strange advice, since the ball has already left your racquet at this point.

However, there’s a method to this madness.

I’ve noticed that when players look up too early after hitting their forehand to see where the ball is going, they tend to make more off center hits.

Therefore, I recommend that if you regularly miss hit the ball, you should try keeping your head and eyes focused on the contact point a little longer after the ball has left your strings.

This is one of the most powerful tips you can use to clean up your tennis forehand instantly.

So give it a try the next time you’re on the court, and see the difference for yourself.

Flat Forehand Finish

I often get asked by players, how can I develop a proper tennis forehand swing and finish?

Well, I’ve got a neat little trick for you. It’s going to help clean up your contact point and keep you from hitting late.

Best part…all you have to do is focus on holding your finish longer.

Here’s how you do it.

When you’re hitting your forehand, I want you to have a clear picture in your mind as to how you’re going to finish.

And I want you to try finishing by catching the racquet at the end of the swing with your non dominant hand on the throat of the racquet.

Focus on making a high finish without wrapping the racquet over your shoulder.

If you do this correctly, you will find that you’ll hit the ball more out in front naturally and gain extension on your forehand.

You shouldn’t be thinking about hitting out in front or swinging earlier.

Just focus on using the type of finish I described above and it will happen automatically.

When you catch the racquet using a high finish while keeping your arm relaxed, your forehand will improve dramatically.

Aim On The Forehand

The final piece of the puzzle is to focus your aim.

You need to have the right targets. If you are struggling by hitting the ball late, an easy correction is to aim crosscourt.

Be willing to miss wide crosscourt if you are often late. If you commit to this new target approach, you will stop hitting the ball late.

It is important to remember that – since you are exaggerating with your aim – you can try to hit the ball to the crosscourt alley targets.

If you miss a forehand wide crosscourt, and you still hit the ball clean of your racquet, this is a positive mistake.

Do this more and more, and you will correct that problem of being late on your forehand.

Give those four forehand tips a try the next time you step on the court. I’m confident you’ll dial in your technique and start to get more power on your forehand.

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.

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