How to make good use of an inside-out forehand?

[Golden Retriever]

I have a good inside-out forehand but it is not good enough to hit winners. It does solicit weak returns but usually only after the 2nd or 3rd successive hits.

So how do I make the most out of the weak returns? Go to the net? But what if the return isn't weak? My net play is not my strong attribute so if the return isn't weak I'd be in trouble. Hit another inside-out forehand? Wouldn't that make me predictable? Hit a down the line winner? That's the hardest shot in tennis and I'd be the one bearing all the risks.

 

[Rui]

I have a good inside-out forehand but it is not good enough to hit winners. It does solicit weak returns but usually only after the 2nd or 3rd successive hits.

So how do I make the most out of the weak returns? Go to the net? But what if the return isn't weak? My net play is not my strong attribute so if the return isn't weak I'd be in trouble. Hit another inside-out forehand? Wouldn't that make me predictable? Hit a down the line winner? That's the hardest shot in tennis and I'd be the one bearing all the risks.

What do you mean by 'inside-out?' And what do you consider a 'weak return?'

I'll assume you are talking about running around your backhand to hit back across.

In a rally you describe, a short ball would be considered a desired return. A short ball you could use as an approach shot. Otherwise, develop the DTL forehand; it will open up the court. And, it sounds like your volley is a harder shot with plenty of risk.

Therefore, develop your DTL forehand and your volley or be prepared to rally from corner to corner until someone misses or your opponent goes DTL.

 

[Bagumbawalla]

Yes, definitions or terms vary in different areas, so a bit more information is always welcome.

I will assume you mean (as above) running around your backhand on the ad side to hit a crosscourt forehand.

People do that when the forehand is their weapon and they can either hit an outright winner or put the opponent in trouble.

I would suggest that you work on your backhand-- make it a strong and reliable shot and learn to hit it dtl or cc at will. The advantages are that-- if it is perceived that your backhand is good then it will be attacked less often, and, also, by hitting a backhand you will leave yourself in a stronger court position to reach the next ball.

When you do get a fairly short ball to the ad court and decide to put it away with a forehand drive then keep you stance fairly open and wait (if possible) for the opponent to commit to a direction. Now, you have the option of driving the ball dtl or cc-- in that kind of situation, it is as much a matter of psychology/strategy/percentages as it is outright strength.

 

[phoenicks]

Yes, definitions or terms vary in different areas, so a bit more information is always welcome.

I will assume you mean (as above) running around your backhand on the ad side to hit a crosscourt forehand.

People do that when the forehand is their weapon and they can either hit an outright winner or put the opponent in trouble.

I would suggest that you work on your backhand-- make it a strong and reliable shot and learn to hit it dtl or cc at will. The advantages are that-- if it is perceived that your backhand is good then it will be attacked less often, and, also, by hitting a backhand you will leave yourself in a stronger court position to reach the next ball.

When you do get a fairly short ball to the ad court and decide to put it away with a forehand drive then keep you stance fairly open and wait (if possible) for the opponent to commit to a direction. Now, you have the option of driving the ball dtl or cc-- in that kind of situation, it is as much a matter of psychology/strategy/percentages as it is outright strength.

great insight there, to add on sth, inside out forehand require a lot more running, and tend to tire you out quicker unless you have exceptional conditioning. Look at Jim courirer, he burnt out after winning his slam, inside out playing requires much more energy.

 

[lovethetriangle]

Angle it to the right corner service box or shorter even, good setup for a deep winner the other side.

 

[Nellie]

I like the inside outside forehand crosscourt sharply to do a couple of things. 1) I think if I am in a forehand to backhand rally, I will win most of the time. 2) I like to make the opponent move to hit on the run and to leave a lot of open court for my next shot

 

[albino smurf]

Inside out FH is best for moving your opponent out wide to set up a crosscourt FH. I've been working on mine to hit outright winners, but it is a tricky shot that requires a lot of practice and control. If you can hold it and disguise your shots well it is deadly, allowing you to wait and see which direction your opponent will cheat towards and then BABBAM! open it up with a big nasty screamer. Also it is awesomely effective against lower level players with weak backhands.
I'd say get better at it or coming to net if not both. Until then use it for setting up subsequent shots.

 

[Daycrawler]

An inside out forehand. My strategy is to hit my backhand into that corner like four or five rally balls then hit a shorter angle ball and then they give me a weak ball and I run around my backhand and slam it into the corner and if I hit it big enough they just push it back and I have an short ball that I either drive down the line and follow it in or hit a good dropshot.

 

[Karma_struggle]

I'd say that if you go cross-court into the corner on your first inside out forehand, and if you're uncomfortable going for a DTL winner after, try hitting for spin. So run around your backhand, but instead of pounding a winner DTL, try to at least rip it deep with some spin. Hopefully it'll at least give your opponent a really awkward ball to hit, especially if he's on the run, and the spin will give you a little more margin for error.

 

[mikeler]

If you can hit a shot that puts you in a good position, don't worry if your opponent knows where it is going. I hit 90% of my kick 2nd serves to my opponents backhand. They know it is going there, but still have a hard time hitting aggressive returns off it.

Send several forehands to your opponents backhand to get him off the court before hitting a big forehand to their forehand. Hopefully this will be a winner or generate a weak enough reply that you have easy volleys at the net.

 

[Daycrawler]

If you can hit a shot that puts you in a good position, don't worry if your opponent knows where it is going. I hit 90% of my kick 2nd serves to my opponents backhand. They know it is going there, but still have a hard time hitting aggressive returns off it.

Send several forehands to your opponents backhand to get him off the court before hitting a big forehand to their forehand. Hopefully this will be a winner or generate a weak enough reply that you have easy volleys at the net.

Yeah my coach tells me, it doesn't matter if they know where the ball is going if you execute your plan well enough.

 

[mikeler]

I played this guy in high school tennis (righty vs righty). He could not hit a good cross court backhand passing shot, but he could absolutely rifle a down the line backhand as hard as any pro. My plan was to attack his backhand at the net and just cover the line every single time. I must have done this 20 times during the match. The problem was that his backhand was so heavy that I could not control my forehand volley well enough to win the point outright like I had hoped before the match. Then the next ball would be a forehand shot for him and that would eventually lead to my demise. He knew where he was going, I knew where he was going and it still did not matter.

 

[snvplayer]

W/ inside out forehands, you are looking to gain a control of the point and position yourself inside the baseline.

Usually weak reply should be some sort of a floater than lands in mid court.

Once you are inside the baseline, you can either try to go inside-in with your forehand, or hit a strong inside-out approach shot to finish off the point.

It's usually situational which way you should go and both shots have their pros and cons.

 

[kelz]

Maybe hit a winner off it or something