Dominating Tennis

Forehand drills: contact, power and spin

7 drills105 minutes in all6 you can do alone
  1. 1

    Out front

    15 min · Alone
    1. Put a flat marker beside your intended contact area, clear of your feet and swing. Adjust it for comfortable spacing.
    2. Drop-feed 20 forehands and aim for clean contact in that area.
    3. Count clean contacts in the chosen area. Repeat with the same setup next session.
    Number to beat
    14 of 20 clean contacts out front
    Why it works · StrikeHow to hit a modern topspin forehand
  2. 2

    Hit and freeze

    15 min · Alone or with a partner
    1. Hit ten drop-fed forehands and finish each stroke normally. Pause the side-view recording near contact to inspect the ball relative to the hip.
    2. Take twenty fed balls to alternating depths. Adjust with small steps; review every fifth stroke on video.
    3. Film ten comparable rally forehands from the same side view. Mark the contact frame and count contacts in front of the hip; count ambiguous frames separately.
    Number to beat
    8 of 10 filmed contacts in front of the lead hip
    Why it works · StrikeWhy you hit the ball late in tennis, and how to fix it
  3. 3

    Hold the shoulders

    15 min · Alone
    1. Tie a band to the fence at hip height. Do twenty reps: open the hips against the band while the shoulders hold, then release.
    2. Shadow twenty forehands with your off-hand on the throat of the racquet through the turn. Count "hips, shoulders" out loud.
    3. Drop-feed twenty forehands with a phone filming from behind you. Count the swings where your belt buckle turns before your chest.
    Number to beat
    15 of 20 swings with the hips visibly first on video
    Why it works · StrikeHow to use hip and shoulder separation for a heavier forehand
  4. 4

    The chain count

    15 min · Alone
    1. Shadow-swing 20 forehands, counting out loud: legs, hips, torso, arm, racquet.
    2. Drop-feed 20 forehands from a comfortable knee bend and easy turn. Coordinate the legs, trunk and arm.
    3. Count how many land past the service line without you trying harder.
    Number to beat
    12 of 20 balls past the service line at comfortable effort
    Why it works · StrikeHow to hit harder in tennis without swinging harder
  5. 5

    Drop and let go

    15 min · Alone
    1. Hold the racquet with your thumb and two fingers. Make twenty shadow forehands and feel the head fall behind your hand as your hips turn.
    2. Take a full grip, held loose. Hit twenty drop-feed forehands. Listen for the sound at contact, not before it.
    3. Film from behind. Count the swings where the racquet head is visibly behind your hand as your chest starts to face the net.
    Number to beat
    14 of 20 swings with visible lag as the hips fire
    Why it works · StrikeHow to get racquet lag on your forehand
  6. 6

    The low-to-high ladder

    15 min · Alone or with a partner
    1. Choose a visible clearance reference and a broad landing area inside the singles lines. Take ten comfortable drop-feed attempts with a rising path. Count clearance and landing separately.
    2. With a partner, repeat ten similar feeds; alone, repeat the drop feeds. Score success only when both targets are met. Keep every miss in the ten.
    3. With a partner, test ten rally attempts. Keep that score separate from the feeds. Alone, repeat the same feed conditions before comparing rounds.
    Number to beat
    Authored training goal: 7 of 10 attempts clear the reference and land in the chosen area
    Why it works · StrikeHow to hit topspin in tennis
  7. 7

    Two flights, two targets

    15 min · With a partner
    1. Agree on a generous landing area and two visible clearance bands. Take ten similar feeds through the higher band. Count attempts that meet both clearance and landing.
    2. Repeat ten similar feeds through the lower band at comfortable effort. Keep this score separate; retain every miss.
    3. Take twenty mixed feeds. Call the intended band after reading height and depth, then adjust if needed. Score the called flight and landing separately from the quality of the decision.
    Number to beat
    Authored training goal: 14 of 20 attempts meet the called clearance band and landing area
    Why it works · StrikeWhen to hit flat and when to hit topspin in tennis