The Forehand Drive
1. As the ball approaches, drop the racquet head down and back, behind the body.
2. Step across directly toward the right sideline with the left foot so your rear end is turned away from the ball.
3. Allow the weight to go forward toward the left foot, passing on it just before or just as you hit the ball.
4. With the eye never leaving the ball until you actually hit it, swing the racquet head around the body so the flat face of the racquet, with the short strings up and down, meets the ball on the lower right rear surface (away from you) and, with a stiff wrist and firm grip on the racquet.
Swing directly through, continuing the swing until the racquet head has travelled around your body and ends on your left with its opposite face turned to your opponent’s court.
Few players realize that the follow-through is the thing that controls the drive. The reason so many players balloon shots into the backstop is that they swing into the ball, and as soon as they hit it they stop the racquet. The ball, with no spin to take hold of it, goes “poof” into the air.
Timidity, fear of error, often stops a player from finishing his follow-through and results in the very thing he fears, whereas if he had had the courage to hit the ball and follow through, he would have made his shot. Never hit a drive without completing the arc of your swing, and that is just as true of the slowest, easiest shot as it is of the hardest. Indecision will ruin any shot. Make up your mind, and then play the ball with definiteness and decision to the very end of your swing.
The Backhand Drive
Everything I pointed out in “The Mechanics of the Forehand Drive” is equally correct for the backhand if you substitute “right” for “left” and vice versa. You step over with the right foot directly toward the left sideline, let the weight pass on to the right foot, and meet the ball on its lower lift surface.
The one great difference in the backhand lies in the point where the racquet face contacts the ball. All forehands are hit directly in front of the body in a space between the lines of the front (or left) hip and the back (or right) hip. (Remember that the player is standing sideways.) On the backhand, the ball should be met sooner, that is, nearer the net.
The latest point to hit a backhand drive is the line of the front (or right) hip, and from there to a point about two feet forward of the hip will produce the best results. The earlier you meet the ball, the sharper cross-court will your shot go. The reason for swinging soon is easily seen, since if you allow the ball to get on a line with the body, the arm must swing back against the body, and at the moment of hitting it is still cramped in its swing. The secret of a good backhand lies in the freedom of the swing and the long follow-through. Most players have a tendency to poke at a backhand, so there is little control or power to the shot.