Forehand blue

[ktncnttl]

My forehand is the weakest part of my game. The best I can do with my forehand is throwing moonballs 7feet above the net at my opponent all day. If i try to be fancy and go for the winner it usually ends up as UE. Actually throwing moonballs all day actually works pretty well at my level (3.5 to 4.0). However it is kind of lame to hit just another moonball when I get that short ball perfectly setup for a winner but I guess thats where my "talent" lies, throwing moonballs.

I have been playing tennis for almost 5 years and I don't think my forehand will improve much. My moonball is actually pretty good though, deep, heavy and lots of spin. I think I will just improve on my moonball and become a moonball expert.

So my question is, how to take my moonball forehand to the next level without trying to be fancy?

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Get some lessons and/or get a subscription to easitennis.com. Of course you can improve, don't be lazy.

Search for "clips". You will get good clips and reviews at the site.

Read about good FH technique. There are many threads on that. Again, don't be lazy.

 

[donnyz89]

at your level, if 80%+ of your forehands are beyond the service line and u can get most of your moonballs in you can win a lot of matches. but what about backhand? volleys? short balls doesnt mean putaway all the time, especially low shortballs, try to put those balls deep to the corners down the line and try volleys to finish points.

 

[obackvalobasha]

you neeeeddd to have a shot to finish of a point spacially when it comes to short ball. thats fine if you have week forhand but can you take blow some balls from service line with your backhand?

 

[Superior_Forehand]

Nadal's forehands go about 10 feet over the net. Im not sure if they are considered moonballs.

 

[obackvalobasha]

10 feet i think you are little over counting. i havent seen him play live but from tv it looks like 5 feet the move

 

[ktncnttl]

you neeeeddd to have a shot to finish of a point spacially when it comes to short ball. thats fine if you have week forhand but can you take blow some balls from service line with your backhand?

My backhand is my bread and butter shot. Let me put it this way, I frequently run around my forehand to hit my backhand.

 

[obackvalobasha]

wow man you are a spaical case. then start doing what most people do when they have one weak wings. just moon balls until you get a back hand shot and hten break down your opponenet's back hand. because most people do have weak Bhand no? then little by little work on your forhand when you are practicing.

you will be fine

 

[Grimjack]

I'm kinda the opposite. My forehand is my weapon. My backhand is the furthest thing from a weapon...BUT, I can roll it deep and crosscourt all day. It's not quite a moonball, but probably sorta like a two-handed equivalent of the old Sabatini cross-court BH. High, looping, deep, and with enough spin to be heavy *enough* and very consistent.

My BH won't beat you, but you can't beat it, either. Hitting over there is like hitting off a wall. The wall ain't gonna hit winners, but good luck getting past it.

And you know what? I'm perfectly happy with that. I grind out points and I'm good at it. As long as my fitness level is up to snuff and my forehand doesn't desert me any time soon, a nuclear-grade FH combined with reliable, maintenance-free serve and BH is plenty to compete to at least 5.0 USTA. Don't see why the same wouldn't be true of your FH/BH combo. Error free is every bit as good as winner-producing, so long as your error-free stroke isn't setting your opponent up for winners.

I say keep moonballing happily. This strategy is probably going to keep you from getting any higher than 100 in the world. But if your goals are somewhat more modest, just maximize what you've got. It's plenty enough to keep winning if you use it wisely.

 

[Ken]

Lots of unique situations here. ktn, the good thing about your forehand is that unless people are playing you for an extended period of time, or have played you before, they're not going to try to hit to your forehand on purpose. All many players are taught is "find their backhand and pound it". The moonballs will keep you going until maybe the 4.5 level, and if your backhand is a weapon its possible to go further.

But even then, I have to assume that your backhand works a lot better than your forehand does. While your moonball will get you a little bit further (great for recreational tennis, leagues, fun, which is what tennis is for), it's worth at least trying different shots with your forehand for the sake of variety.

In my case, neither of my groundstrokes will explode of the court. However, they're extremely consistent, I can manage any spin, pace, or depth I need, and I WILL be able to blast winners if the occasion calls for it. I can handle aggressive baseliners until they screw up, I'm about the same level as you. (around 3.5) I usually just end up moving to the net though, my volleys are my weapons. Which is great for me, although I'm definitely working to improve my serve. It's stuck at around 80 mph for now.

What are your strengths? What weapons do you have? As soon as you get back on that, I can find something to base your game around of and possibly work around your forehand.

 

[obackvalobasha]

very thoughtful ken and grimjack. actually if you have one shot to finish off a point or short ball. hey just keep the ball deep and havey moon and sun balll all day long. you will be fine. but i have to agree with what ken said for the sake of variety you should try something different now and then. now in matches which counts you can play safe but atleast on the pratice matches or in rallys. Just step in take the ball early.

look at some good forahnds fromtry to model it thats what most amatures do.

 

[donnyz89]

My backhand is my bread and butter shot. Let me put it this way, I frequently run around my forehand to hit my backhand.

u r just like the annoying kid I played 2 days ago! man he drove me nuts, a left hander who LOVES his backhands.

 

[fedex27]

10 feet i think you are little over counting. i havent seen him play live but from tv it looks like 5 feet the move

thats becuase of the angle, its hard to tell unless your at court level

 

[obackvalobasha]

gsring you probably right.

 

[Thereallovebone]

Don't limit yourself like that. A "moonball" just isn't going to cut it when it's time to hit a passing shot. And to "moonball" a waist high forehand from mid-court is a crime. If you have a decent topspin moonball then you already have a foundation to build a more driving topspin shot. Next time you're on the court concentrate on flattening out the shot (not as steep of an upward lift) and also closing the racket face a bit more than on your moonball. I think you'll find with some practice you can have a decent driving topspin shot that will make your game much more versatile.

 

[obackvalobasha]

actually moon ball is not that bad for passing shot. I think you made some good points thereallovebone. I think he can do a good job top spin lobbing. also moon ball angle shots cross court. no?

 

[Thereallovebone]

obackvalobasha-
Sure, a topspin lob has it's place but if you know it's coming every single time then there is no way it's going to be effective against a good player.
They will look for it and CRUSH it. As for the crosscourt angled shot, you cannot possibly moonball that shot. That is called a "sitter" and anybody with a half decent volley will dispose of it in short order. The moonball has it's place as a backcourt rally shot. In fact the high balls to the backhand can give some people a lot of trouble. But that cannot be the only shot you
play off the forehand against a good player or you will lose. It's that simple.

 

[joesixtoe]

well how do you hit a short ball for a win? i hate short balls, i love deep wons so i can go for cross court winners. how do you hit a short ball for a winner? spin? or flat? cuz i hit with a western grip, and i'm scared to go for winners on short balls.

 

[Thereallovebone]

My favorite play off the short ball is to hit a relatively flat shot with a slight bit of topspin on it down the line to my right handed opponent's backhand corner and follow it to the net. If I hit it with enough pace I can usually cover the down the line pass because they generally won't have enough time to pull it crosscourt.

 

[Jon Hampton]

Nadal's forehands go about 10 feet over the net. Im not sure if they are considered moonballs.

Nadal's balls are more like anti-gravity balls...he launches them and then the extreme topspin with gravity makes them crash back down only to rebound around head height against his opponents.

 

[obackvalobasha]

you can jump on the short ball and flatten it out or can top spin it over deep where your opponenet is not standing and come to the net and finish the point.

when you are jumping on the ball if you see reach to the ball when it OVER the net try to hit it down word to the opposit court ( kind alike forhand spike), or you can wait and propear early to see where your opponents move and hit the ball with top spin and angled corss court.

when you are going for the angle cross court or inside out make sure you give your self some exta spin and not SOO much pace as if you were to go for winner without angles on a short ball.

on a short ball make sure you propear early as you moving in to the ball to to attack it. that makes your oppnent guess as to where u will hit the ball. you can find him wrong footed