Photo Lesson: The Basic Eastern Forehand

Preparation for Linear Power

The classic Eastern forehand groundstroke gets most of its power from linear motion -- from the legs, body, and arm moving forward and upward. In this photo, the body is completely sideways, and the forward motion of the stroke has been set up by the left foot's large step toward the net. The standard backswing on this stroke has the racquet pointed at the back fence. Here, the racquet is pointed a little farther in the direction of the left fence, mostly because the wrist is laid back for extra power. Beginners don't need to lay the wrist back, but it won't harm their strokes if they do it to the extent shown here.