Every Monday it happens.
Players walk off court saying:
“That felt great.”
We fixed their contact point.
We didn’t tweak their string tension.
We didn’t change their racket.
We didn’t tell them to swing harder.
And when contact is right, the forehand feels effortless.
Certainly more fun.
That’s what most adults are missing.
You Start in Ready Position. Every Time.
You start every shot — including the return of serve, your backhand and your forehand — in the ready position.
That’s a staple.
It happens on every stroke.
Hips and shoulders parallel to the net.
As the ball approaches your forehand side, you turn both hips and shoulders together so they become perpendicular to the net.
That’s your turn.
Coaches call it coil.
I call it a simple – turn towards the incoming ball.
Once you’re in position, let your feet fall how they need to.
However it’s easiest for you to coordinate your best forehand — do that. Work with what you can do best.
I’m not a big believer in hitting every ball in open stance when it’s coming right to you. It’s much more powerful to step in when you can — you’ll feel it more.
Open your stance when the ball pulls you wide.
Just know you have options.
The goal is balance and usable power — not power for the sake of power, but power for the sake of deep balls that keep your opponent back and away from the net.
The Non-Dominant Hand Is Your Contact Marker
As you turn and the racket goes back, you let go with the left hand (for right-handed players).
Place it slightly out in front.
Keep it there.
If you could catch that incoming ball — great — hit it instead.
Mark that hand in the same spot on all your forehands so you know where you can reliably make contact every time.
Mark that hand where it spaces you out best and call it home.
That hand becomes your built-in contact marker.
Not beside you.
Not jammed.
Not late.
Out in front.
If you notice your forehand tightening late in sets, this is often why adults lose leads in matches.
Not Enough Space Creates Insecurity
When you crowd the ball, something feels off.
You know it immediately.
That’s insecurity.
You feel rushed.
You feel jammed.
You feel like you have to muscle it.
That’s tension.
And tension kills speed.
Power never comes from big muscles or swinging with all your might.
It comes from:
- A loose shoulder
- A loose wrist
- Racket head speed (swinging the racket FAST)
- Using the whole body
Not just the arm.
Release the Racket
Once contact is set up correctly, throw the racket loosely off and away from your body and around to the other side.
Let it release.
That release allows you to swing faster.
Faster equals racket head speed.
Racket head speed equals deeper, heavier balls.
Not necessarily screaming winners.
But deep balls that keep your opponent back and defensive.
That’s real control.
This is exactly the kind of fundamental we rebuild during our small-group sessions in Mallorca, where the focus is calm match confidence and learning how to carry clean contact into real points.
Finish Back in Ready Position
You started parallel to the net.
You turned perpendicular.
You should finish parallel again.
Back in the ready position.
Balanced. Organized.
You don’t have to catch the racket, but it’s a terrific way to check yourself and hit clean.
“I Feel Weird.”
When I drill that non-dominant hand into adults on Monday, they’re often surprised I’m so firm about it.
When they don’t use it and I ask why, they say:
“I feel weird.”
Of course you do. It’s new.
When have you ever seen a pro hit without it?
It’s not necessary because the pros use it.
It’s necessary because it works.
It makes your life easier.
It makes you more balanced.
It makes you look like a player.
Trust me on this one.
Why Forehands Break Down in Matches
Under pressure, balance is the first thing to go.
As the ball is approaching and you’re moving toward it, that hand out in front is helping you read depth.
Is the ball coming deep?
Good — get back behind it.
Is it landing shorter, maybe inside no-man’s land?
Great — move forward and meet it.
The hand doesn’t change as you move.
It stays your marker.
When it drops, you lose your reference.
Contact drifts beside you.
Space disappears.
The swing shortens.
Now the arm dominates.
Now the ball lands short.
Now you feel like you have to force it.
And suddenly it’s “mental.”
It’s not.
It’s contact.
It’s always contact when you’re out of position to the ball at hand.
Fix the contact point.
Balance returns.
Racket head speed returns.
Confidence returns.
And that forehand that felt effortless on Monday?
It shows up when it matters.
This is exactly the kind of detail we rebuild during our small-group adult tennis camps in Spain — so it doesn’t disappear when the score gets tight. The Mallorca page is here.
