High forehand is holding me back.

[CashDudeHomie]

Hey everyone, I think I'm a 3.5 player, been playing for 2 years, but I'm having trouble with the high forehand. I try to take them before they get that high but sometimes it's not possible. I want to be able to crush them with top spin, but I find the ball going long or into the back wall a lot of the time. When the ball is about waist height, I can crush it to either side of the court. I'm guessing I need to adjust my grip to more semi western or something on the high balls? I could just forehand slice them, but that would look cheesy and won't help me advance to the next level. Thanks for any tips and pictures or whatever you guys have.

 

[Mad iX]

You just have to learn to crush it too even when they're higher than you like.
You don't need as much topspin when they're nice and high. Use a less loopy forward motion and just whack the ball a little flatter with more of a closed face. Power through the ball. It sounds like you're getting plenty of pace just need to aim downwards inside the court a bit more.

 

[The Prodigy]

learn to take it off the rise. play closer to the baseline.

 

[35ft6]

If it's a high forehand and you're inside the service box, then yeah, maybe go for a winner and try to "crush" it. But if you're at the baseline, don't try to crush it, just get it back deep.

If it IS short, like close to the net, hit the ball so that racket face is perpendicular to the target. With a closed racket face.

 

[paulfreda]

I'm guessing I need to adjust my grip to more semi western or something on the high balls? I could just forehand slice them, but that would look cheesy and won't help me advance to the next level. Thanks for any tips and pictures or whatever you guys have.

Hitting a slice on a rising ball takes some practice, but it will result in a very nice return. I do not see how that is cheesy. Topspin is not needed for every shot. Just look at how often Roddick, Fed and Gonzolaz cut it back these days.

Sounds like you play with an Eastern FH grip. This is indeed a poor grip for high balls. But you can just lay your wrist back [easier with a SW] and square the strings [make parallel] to the net with the throat vertical, not horizontal. That will add some 27 inches of height to your contact point. Now just hit a windshield wiper type swing and you should be able to be fairly consistent with some practice.

And, of course, you can always back up and wait for it to come back to your waist to hit it. Yes, this is defensive, but you should master this first. It is all about the feet sometimes.

 

[wemic]

Clijsters executes a pretty nice one in this slow-motion video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYoq2Rb8iuc

 

[Geezer Guy]

You know what happens to balls that are too high? If you just wait a split second, they'll come down right in your strike zone. Move your feet! Back up about a yard and wait for that ball to drop right where you want it.

 

[Trinity TC]

Hey everyone, I think I'm a 3.5 player, been playing for 2 years, but I'm having trouble with the high forehand... I'm guessing I need to adjust my grip to more semi western or something on the high balls?

Yes, many players make a subtle grip change so that the racquet face is squared up properly to the shot. Oddly enough, many players aren't aware that they are doing this because it's a fairly small adjustment. Good luck, Homie.

 

[mucat]

Clijsters executes a pretty nice one in this slow-motion video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYoq2Rb8iuc

Thank you. She hit it very much on the side. But it is only shoulder height. Someone need to post some male players.

 

[CashDudeHomie]

Thanks to everybody! I'm gonna try these pointers next time I hit the courts.

 

[tennis_hand]

men's top 5 seeds are out. Besides Jokerman and Murray, who are in the other semi final?

 

[travlerajm]

I struggled for years on high forehands, until I figured out the secret.

The secret is to take the racquet back with a higher backswing. If your backswing is too far below the ball, it will be awkward to hit the high ball. As long as your racquet head is above the contact point on the backswing, it won't be that hard to hit a high ball. Of course, if you are like me and have a well-ingrained habit of taking the racquet back too low. It will take lots and lots of reps to fix this. But I was able to do it. You can too.

 

[bradio]

agree with travel...my high forehands also improved when i started taking my racket back higher and when i shortened my backswing.this allowed my swing to be more compact and i could meet the ball in front and control my placement a lot better.

 

[EliteNinja]

Just hit one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d2e_liYldQ



Watch the video a few times and take note of how he does it.

Even if you can't do the Federer-jump-smash forehand, you can still incorporate elements from the technique:

1. The racquet takeback is high and occurs during the shoulder turn.
2. He gets really square to the ball.
3. He gets into position early so he can move forward into the ball.
4. The finish on his swing is lower than where his takeback started.
5. His power comes not from the jump, but the foward momentum and his massive trunk rotation into the ball.

 

[35ft6]

Just hit one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d2e_liYldQ

Tip number 1: do not attempt this forehand. Go for something safer and less spectacular.

 

[mucat]

Tip number 1: do not attempt this forehand. Go for something safer and less spectacular.

I was thinking about the same thing. Now, everyone watched this will start jumping on high ball. It is not a shot for us mortal.

 

[travlerajm]

Just hit one of these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d2e_liYldQ



Watch the video a few times and take note of how he does it.

Even if you can't do the Federer-jump-smash forehand, you can still incorporate elements from the technique:

1. The racquet takeback is high and occurs during the shoulder turn.
2. He gets really square to the ball.
3. He gets into position early so he can move forward into the ball.
4. The finish on his swing is lower than where his takeback started.
5. His power comes not from the jump, but the foward momentum and his massive trunk rotation into the ball.

I would've crushed that ball with a high 2hb.

 

[tennis_hand]

I was thinking about the same thing. Now, everyone watched this will start jumping on high ball. It is not a shot for us mortal.

i think, it is nothing wrong to jump and hit. sometimes u unconsciously jump and hit.
the ball is so close to the net, u just jump a little and hit forward with a closed racket face.

 

[mucat]

i think, it is nothing wrong to jump and hit. sometimes u unconsciously jump and hit.
the ball is so close to the net, u just jump a little and hit forward with a closed racket face.

Unconscious air time because of your topspin strokes is not the same as consciously jumping before you hit the ball. It requires very very good timing which 90% of us do not have 80% of the time.

One more thing, less leaping will usually generate cleaner hit. Cleaner hit means more accuracy and easier access to power.

 

[paulfreda]

Elegant tip for high balls to FH

The secret is to take the racquet back with a higher backswing.

This is very good advice IMO.
Simple and effective.
And it also applies to high balls to the BH.

 

[dave333]

Try a more western grip. I use a grip between semi-western and western and at the baseline, I can just smack the ball if its high and it'll still go deep.

 

[kimizz]

Crushing the high ball is a shot I make when im feeling confident at the court. Like today. I dont know if these tips can help you but works for me...and I gotta tell ya the feeling is awesome when you make the shot.

I have open stance, very big unit turn so u feel the energy storing in the core region of your body.Huge knee bend! I kind of aim the ball with my non-dominant hand as the racquet is in the back. Then I release all of the power to the shot...i actually aim a bit down so its not a normal topspin shot. So go for a flat killer and dont drop the racquet too low on the takeback.

But Im not hitting like this all the time, it takes confidence and you need to have a brilliant tennis day. But if im in this situation suddenly Id rather try for the winner than a conservative pusher shot how will you learn if you never try it!