In order to execute an effective forehand stroke one must begin with a backswing. The backswing is either a looping movement that sort of swings the racket in a loop while preparing to hit the ball or a straight back motion to prepare for the return. In both methods, the player must shift his or her weight forward into the contact spot (toward the opponent) and rotate the entire body, pivoting on the back foot. The ball and racket should meet at about the hip level of the player. The player should follow through with the stroke from low to high so that the racket ends up on the opposite side of the body by the neck. The finishing stance should be with the hips and shoulders facing the net. .
One of the advantages to looping the forehand is that the player will be able to use gravity to their advantage, which when making a loop, will give the player more power. It is also easier to use the loop forehand to develop rhythm of one's strokes. A disadvantage to the loop forehand is that sometimes there is not enough preparation time to use this stroke effectively. .
On the other hand, the straight forehand stroke can be used without a lot of preparation time. However, by using this stroke, it is easy to "break" the wrist and let the stroke become stiff and irregular. .
There are two types of spin that a player can use during a forehand. The first is top spin. Top spin improves consistency in the stroke, and also makes the stroke harder for the opponent to return. Top spin is produced by whipping the racket up quickly so that the ball spins off of the racket. A slice is the other kind of spin that a player can put on a ball. The slice is harder to control, but can be very effective in preventing the opponent from returning the ball. The slice is produced by whipping the racket from top to bottom to make the ball go forward but spin backward. This makes the ball spin back when it hits the court on the other side.