The serve, forehand and backhand are tennis strokes. As far as ranking, the tennis forehand ranks closely behind the serve when it comes to importance in the game of tennis. 1 The forehand stroke is one of the most important tennis techniques. 2 In order to be successful in the game of tennis, a player must master the forehand stroke. 2 The forehand stroke is the most frequently used in tennis. 2 The primary purpose of the tennis forehand is to return the ball so it will land in the opponent’s court. The key being to place the ball somewhere in the court that will make it difficult for the opponent to return.
The forehand, if hit powerfully and precisely, can dictate the game of tennis. 3 The forehand stroke is played after the ball has bounced on one player’s side of the court in an effort to return the ball to the opponent’s side of the court. The forehand stroke is broken down into four phases. The first phase is the preparation phase in which the tennis player’s feet are shoulder width apart with their weight on the balls of the feet as they hold the racket in one of the three grips; the eastern, western or semi-wester hand grip.
The second phase is the backswing in which the entire body pivots and the shoulder and hips of the non-racket side face toward the net. The backswing increases range of motion and is used to accelerate the racket and load the trunk muscles. 1 Followed by, the forward swing which has the player flexing at the knee joints, the racket arm dropped below the intended contact point with shoulders and hips face the net. The final phase is the follow through. During the follow through, the ball is hit toward the intended target as the racket arm swings across the body and up toward the chin creating topspin on the ball.
Of the four phases, the follow through is a constant changing variable due to factors grip, the type of shot player and the tactical intention of the shot. It is important for the tennis player to feel the balance point within their body which is an important aspect as balance is a key factor in the performance of the forehand stroke. Muscular force is the action initiated for the forehand drive which continues with momentum and terminated by the contraction of antagonistic muscles. The pattern is predictable with accuracy being the goal.
Specific skills and proper mechanics require mastery in order to achieve maximum success of the tennis forehand. Tennis players need to practice proper mechanics along with timing in order to produce maximum velocity. Tennis players are efficient if they are getting the job done, adaptable if they are able to adjust to conditions, and explosive if they are able to get good racket head speed. (Elements of Tennis Technique) Should anything extra be added or modified, it is possible that the potential velocity may not be realized.
Many players make the mistake of leaning from the waist which limits the stroke you can make and puts too much strain on the upper body and lower back muscles. 2 It is important that the legs and knees get used rather than your waist. The court surface is an important component in Tennis. Depending on the court surface, tennis players will need to allow for adjustments. Court mediums can be grass, carpet, clay, or hard surface. The most common courts found in clubs and indoor courts are hard surface. Hard courts are fast and fall between clay and grass. Flat surfaces are more predictable when compared to clay and grass.
The surface is flat, smooth and hard which allows for good traction between the court and the player’s foot ware. The flat surface provides a quicker bounce up of the ball. According to Burke, a synthetic turf tennis court surface provides an enjoyable experience, and can be adjusted to provide the type of play the owner wants it to have. Most players enjoy playing on this surface due to the comfort it offers. 4 The surface provides great shock attenuation. Most of the shock from impact is not returned to the body. A synthetic turf tennis court, because the surface is loose granules, provides great foot release without foot-lock. (Burke) A player will have more traction on a concrete court versus the turf court.
Linear and rotational traction is required in order to perform stopping and timing movements. The tennis court surface has the potential to reduce the impact force, but when compared to the player’s shoe, the shoe has more potential to reduce impact force. 4 Lower impact injuries can be the result of an inadequate level of traction between the shoes and surface. Not all court surfaces are created equal. Surfaces should be well kept to avoid irregular ball bounces and non-uniform traction.
Due to the number of different playing surfaces in the game of tennis, the tennis player must be able to adapt to the changes offered by the different surfaces. Tennis players will make considerable adjustments to their game based on the surfaces they play on. 4 Most tennis players will have a favorite playing surface. Speed and accuracy are the results that a tennis player hopes to achieve in developing their forehand swing. To be successful in the game of tennis is dependent on the player’s technique as well as biomechanics which play a vital role in stroke production.
A fundamental mechanical structure is founds in all tennis strokes. 11 The backswing provides the distance. Tennis players need to be able to control the direction of the racket and the timing of the entire movement. The skill level of the tennis player depends largely on the mechanics of their forehand swing. The force of impact is determined by the racket speed at the moment it comes in contact with the ball. When maximum distance is used for accelerating that is when maximum velocity can be obtained.
Body weight support is necessary for the forehand drive because shifting weight when striking the ball will increase ground reaction force to the body and the ball. A player wants to be balanced to direct power and energy without losing control. Forward momentum will carry the racket through the ball after contact. The follow through helps prepare the player for the next stroke. It should be long and the arm and racket should wrap around the body. It dissipates kinetic energy off the racket and that is when the player wants to arrive at the right point and balanced to be ready for the next stroke and to be able to play the ball back.
The player’s body must absorb the remaining energy of the racket and the upper extremity. Slowing down the whole body minimizes eccentric muscle forces required to dissipate the energy. The center of gravity controls the player’s balance. One way players may be able to enhance their performance is to understand the muscular coordination of the forehand stroke. The prescription for improved performance consists of mastering the mechanics of the forehand swing which in turn increases the racquet speed which leads to a more effective weapon in the game of tennis. 2
A tennis player that effectively masters the four phases of the forehand swing will increase their performance level. Common tennis forehand errors are the incorrect grip firmness which depends on wrist strength and the angle of the racket coming in contact with the ball. If the angle of rebound equals the angle of incidence, it will be realized that firmness of grip is an important factor in the direction taken by the struck ball. 3 The firmness of the grip is a technical point for increasing the speed of the ball as it rebounds of the racket.
When considering the inefficient motions and positions of various joints from a biomechanical aspect, the outcome can be detrimental to the speed and spin of the ball and may also be a cause of increased injury. 12 Repetitive eccentric forearm muscle actions may be the primary cause of tennis elbow. Elbow kinetics of the forehand stroke has a pattern for player to produce a flexion torque throughout the swing. The rapid rotation of the trunk and upper arm makes the elbow joint extend causing the flexor muscles to contract as they try to control and maintain the position of the arm with the elbow slightly fixed.
The torque is generated largest at the elbow. The upper arm is both horizontally adducted and externally rotated which causes the forearm and racket hand segments to lag behind. The combination of torques produces large forces on the medial side of the elbow and later side of the elbow joint. Tennis elbow is greater in players who play with a more bent elbow technique. Medial elbow tendinous is a condition that many tennis players are predisposed to due to the valgus loading and the large torque present at the elbow. 7 There is a great variation in the reported incidence rate of tennis injuries.
Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, followed by the upper extremities and the trunk. Most acute injuries occur in the lower extremities, whereas most chronic injuries are located in the upper extremities. 10 Tennis strokes are hard on a player’s joints. A large demand on the joints is common in the tennis forehand. Many tennis injuries are in the upper extremities and mechanically caused due to the large load on the joints and the extreme range of motion used in the performance of the tennis forehand stroke.
The forehand stroke has a fundamental mechanical structure and a player’s inefficient use of the mechanics or improper mechanics leads to sports injuries. In the highly technical sport of tennis, the technical skills and biomechanics of the player’s strokes determine the level of play. The tennis forehand stroke is one of the most important tennis techniques. In order to be successful in the game of tennis, a player must master the most frequently used stroke in the game of tennis, the forehand stroke.
