The forehand can be a fickle stroke. We demand so much out of our forehands-consistency, power, spin, placement, changing direction, on the run, inside-out, put away ball-that it needs to feel just right for us to feel like we are playing well. Making great contact is the key to a confident shot, and in order to make great contact you need to know what technique to use on that particular forehand. The question to ask is “are you on the run or stationary?” If you are stationary, in order to hit a heavy spin rally ball, you need to use your hips to rotate into the ball. This will create the power, spin and feel that you are looking for in your repetitive rally ball. Excellent examples of this use of hips are Nadal and Verdasco. These are prototypes of the modern forehand. When you’re on the move and hitting an offensive shot use your hands and stay locked in your hips. Hit the ball out in front and clean with your front shoulder staying in, and this will create a powerful and accurate forehand. Use this technique on the run and on the first serve return. The epitome of this type of forehand is Sampras. To hit a terrific forehand in today’s game you need to master both techniques- the hips and the hands.
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