Forehand
The forehand is the shot played on the same side of the body as your dominant hand. For a right-hander, that is the right side. In padel, forehands appear most often as ground strokes from the back of the court and as drive volleys at the net. Most players develop the forehand faster than the backhand because the swing path is more natural.
What is a forehand?
A forehand is any shot taken on the same side of the body as the dominant hand. The motion swings the racket across the body from back to front, with the palm facing the target through contact. In padel, forehands appear most often in back-court ground strokes and as attacking drive volleys at the net.
When do you use it?
Use a forehand whenever the ball comes to your dominant side. Forehand ground strokes handle balls bouncing off the back glass and side glass on the dominant side. Forehand volleys are common at the net when the ball comes to the dominant-side hip or above. Many servers also serve with a forehand grip.
How to play it
Use a continental or eastern grip. Step toward the ball with the non-dominant foot, turn the shoulders, and contact the ball in front of the body with the racket-face square or slightly closed. The follow-through finishes high across the body and over the opposite shoulder. Keep the wrist firm at contact.
Coach tip: Aim forehands at the opposing player’s backhand side - it is statistically the weaker side at amateur and intermediate level. That single positioning rule wins more points than any extra technique work.
Common mistakes
The biggest forehand mistake is over-hitting from the back court. Players try to drive forehands flat and hard from deep, and the ball pops up off the back glass for an opponent at the net. The fix is to add slice on back-court forehands so the ball stays low after the wall rebound.
