Web Tennis Drills - the best collection of tennis drills and games for kids, doubles and singles players, but mostly for coaches or parents who look for new ideas to implement into teaching their students/children.

Forehand Technique - progression drills


Begin practicing the tennis drills without hitting balls. Get used to the technique and repeat it many times until the actions become comfortable.

1. Grip drills

Here are a few ways to teach your students how to achieve the proper grip for the Forehand stroke:
- Hold the racquet in front of your dominant shoulder with the hitting side facing straight forward, the tip of the racquet pointed straight up (toward the sky) - like a "Stop Sign". The palm is facing in the same direction with the racquet's hitting face.
(Click here for a video demonstration) - members only
- Hold the racquet in front of you, above the dominant foot (right for right handed players), and about waist - chest high. Racquet's hitting face should be pointing straight forward, the tip of the racquet straight to the right side. (also called the "Contact Point")
(Click here for a video demonstration)- members only
- Place the racquet on the ground in front of you with the tip pointed straight forward and the bottom of the grip toward you. Pick up the racquet by the handle - that should give you the proper forehand grip.
(Click here for a video demonstration) - members only

2. Contact and Follow-Through drills

For this tennis drill, the player stands at the service line facing the net with an open stance (feet and hips pointed towards the net).
Racquet is held in the Contact Point position (see "Grip Drills", second drill).
The player, from the Contact Point position, swings diagonally low to high from right to left and finishes with the racquet over the non-dominat shoulder. Hips and shoulders rotate also in the direction the racquet travels so that the player ends up with the chest and hips facing the side (left) fence, racquet drops behind his back and dominant elbow is pointed also toward the side (left) fence. The weight is transfered to the non-dominant foot (left for right handed players) which pivots on the heel, while the dominant foot (right for right handed players) which also pivots has the heel elevated and the toes touch the ground. The head stays still following an imaginary ball.
Repeat this action until it becomes comfortable (without hitting balls yet).
(Click here for a video demonstration) - members only

3. Pre-stretch, Contact and Follow-through drills

The player stands at the service line, shoulders turned away from the net (chest facing the right side fence), body weight on the dominant foot. He holds the racquet with the bottom of the grip to the net, hitting face pointing to the ground and the tip of the racquet toward the back fence.
From this position, the player swings the racquet through the Contact Point and Follow-through.
Just as the previous step (number 2), the player will rotate hips and shoulders so that at the end of the swing his chest faces the left side fence. Head stays still, following an imaginary ball.
Repeat this tennis drill until it becomes comfortable.
(Click here for the video demonstration) - members only

4. The Loop, Pre-stretch, Contact and Follow-through

For this tennis drill, the player stands on the service line, open stance, holding the racquet with the proper grip comfortably in front of the waist.
He will turn the racquet, slowly, into the Stop Sign position (see "Grip Drills" - Stop Sign), turn the hips and shoulders to the right side bringing the racquet up and to the side and with the hitting face away from the body. The dominant elbow will lead the racquet back and to the side (imagine that if you had a wall behind you, the elbow would touch it first as you turn and take the racquet back).
Continue turning until the shoulders and the racquet's hitting face are sideways (toward the right side fence), the body weight is on the dominant foot (right).
Lower the racquet and go through the Pre-stretch position, then continue through the Contact and end over the opposite shoulder (follow-through).
(Click here for the video demonstration) - members only

Great Tennis Drill to Learn the Loop

Have a partner stand to the player's right side holding a racquet pointing with its tip towards the player's waist and about two feet away.
The player will go through the above mentioned motion moving his racquet over, behind and under his partner's racquet, then continue through the Contact Point, and Follow-through. Repeat the tennis drill until the player feels comfortable with this motion. 
(Click here to see the video demonstration) - members only

5. Add the Footwork

The players stands at the service line, open stance.
He turns to the side going slowly through the Loop phase as he walks slowly toward the right side fence; after a few steps he stops putting the right foot (dominant) out close to the "imaginary" path of the ball, goes through the Pre-stretch, Contact Point and Follow-through motion.
He, then, will push off the right foot and do a cross-over step (right foot steps in front  and beyond the left foot) followed by the side shuffle steps to recover to the initial position; all this recovery must be made facing the net.
Repeat this tennis drill without hitting balls until it feels comfortable for the player.
(Click here for a video demonstration) - members only

6. Forehand Progression - practice tennis drills with balls

Go through every step mentioned above (one at a time) hitting balls at the same time. Have a partner/coach or ball machine feeding balls for you.
(Click here for a video demonstration) - members only