The Forehand

The forehand is one of the shots that you'll be hitting the most of; it's the one you'll rely on. So, it needs to be one of your weapons against your opponents. The forehand is usually the first stroke beginners learn, but you'll need to perfect and polish it in order to have a formidable game.

1. To begin the forehand, you first need to stand in ready position. Position yourself behind the baseline at the center hash mark. Keep your feet about shoulder width apart, with your weight on the balls of your feet, completely balanced. Hold the racquet at about waist height in front of you, and bend your knees slightly. Be moving your feet without changing your position, ready to return the next shot.  
2. As you see the ball leave the racquet of your opponent (or your partner, if you're just practicing), determine whether the ball is traveling to your forehand side or your backhand side (the technique for the backhand will be discussed in a later article). 
3. If the ball is coming to your forehand side, begin to turn to the right (if you're right handed; turn to the left if you're left handed) by pivoting on your outside foot and turning your shoulders, planting your other foot at about a 45 degree angle to the baseline, and lowering your racquet. Your left hip (or right) will now be facing the oncoming ball. Watch the ball as it travels, and adjust your position on the court accordingly. 
4. Take the racquet all the way back, and extend your opposite arm to help you stay balanced, and to catch the racquet on the follow through. 
5. Begin swinging forward by swinging with the racquet and rotating your upper body towards the net. You want to make contact with the ball at about waist height, watching the ball until contact. You should already know where you want the ball to go by now, not having to take your eyes off of it before contact. Your grip on the racquet at contact should be firm so the racquet does not jerk or flip out of your hand. 
6. Allow your arm to extend to begin your follow through, then bend your elbow to follow through over your opposite shoulder. The follow through motion should be relaxed and smooth.
7.  Recover quickly back to the ready position, ready for the next shot.

Common Mistakes:

1. Slapping the ball and swinging with your wrist, instead of your shoulders and arm. This causes you to lose a lot of control. Even though you may see players like Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki using their wrists to hit their overwhelmingly powerful forehands, this does not mean you should try to copy it. In fact, they are actually using their whole body to hit their forehands. Developing a solid forehand over time is more important than developing bad habits that take longer to fix.
2. Taking your eyes off the ball before contact. Watch the ball leave your opponent's racquet and continue watching it until you have made contact. Don't look away to see where you want the ball to go before hitting. Keeping your eyes on the ball improves your consistency and accuracy.
3. Not giving yourself enough room. You have misjudged the location of the ball and are too close to hit a powerful shot. This could be a result of your opponent putting spin on the ball, but this happens to many beginners because they haven't anticipated where the ball was going. Try to make sure that your elbow is mostly straight when hitting.

Maria Sharapova hitting a forehand groundstroke. Notice how, after hitting, she immediately recovers and returns to ready position.