Returning a “bad" shot

I'm a beginner that's trying to get into the game and just joined a club. I usually play with the other beginners and occasionally with intermediate players and I've noticed a trend, I miss way more often trying to do a full forehand loop against beginners than intermediate players. Even though I still lose a lot more against intermediate players it feels like when I try to loop against them, because the ball has spin to begin with, my shots tends to stay in a lot more. Against beginners when I practice my full loop motion I miss a ton more because it feels like their ball has nothing on it and my ball just flies into space.

It's gotten to the point where unless the player puts a lot of pace or spin on the ball I'm afraid to do a full forehand loop so I do an abbreviated flick from far back which is almost never the optimal choice. What exactly is so different between these 'bad' shots that I keep missing vs the 'good' shots that I can loop and how do I start practicing the full forehand loop form against players my own level without sending the ball behind the line?

Hi Peter,

It may be that the ball is coming through to your bat better from the better shots.

Against the slower shots, try to get your bat moving more forward into the ball first rather than just the upward movement.  This may help.

Let me know how it goes.