Harder forehand loop

Anthony Capasso Asked 9 years ago

Hi alois

i have finally gotten my forehand loop under control where i can make it very consistently. I can put it where i want, get decent spin, and make it confidently. 

I found that my opponents are returning it too easily recently. Even when i swing as hard as i can within reason and maintain good technique, my opponent still returns the ball often and low.

i recently got beaten badly at a tournament not because i failed to make the forehand, but because i had no answer when they returned it. This was even more discouraging when they were overpowering me with their spin and speed. 

I dont think the problem is my strength as I am stronger than many people who put more shots away than me. It may also be that I am hitting with speed but not enough spin to force an error as i hear my opponents complain about the ball being dead when it goes into the net. 

At the tournament, i would make an error on their foreland loop due to a lot of spin mainly. Even when I tried placing the balls in many different places, they still had no problem making a good return.

What should I do? Some people say that I may be trying to make my contact too spinny. If I try to hit flatter, my control will definitely decrease. I dont know how to combine speed and spin to make a powerful shot. I am usually good about getting one or the other. Please help. Thank you. 

Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago

Hi Anthony,

The key here is to get the balance right between the thin and flat contact.  The fatter the contact the faster the ball will go.

It takes a bit of practice to get the balance right when you are hitting the ball faster.  When you hit the ball faster and flatter makes sure it doesn’t get the the stage where you are hitting it completely flat either as this will be a very low percentage stroke.