In this lesson, we provide video of professional forehands from the WTA Challenger Circuit. These six videos illustrate a wide array of forehand styles that can be seen among players who are relatively new to professional tennis. During this period of their development, many aspects of their forehand are still in formation. As a result, there is a much wider variance in the forehand at this level than is seen in the higher professional ranks. Most notable is the length of time during which the player keeps the racquet butt moving forward before accelerating the racquet head into the path of the ball.

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Second is the variation in stability the players demonstrate. Stability determines not only the speed at which the ball can be struck consistently but also the player's ability to recover for the next exchange. Players with a high degree of stability expend less energy and thus have a significant advantage as a point progresses or the match wears on. In some cases, players must slow down their swing in order to maintain stability. In other cases, players who do not have good stability, but are swinging the racquet fast, must use considerable strength to keep the racquet on course for a clean strike.

It is also important to study the variation in elbow positioning because this is a key factor in determining whether the racquet face will tilt downward at the moment of the strike, sending the ball short or into the net. Since there is almost no sensory feedback when this happens, players are usually very surprised to see the ball go into the net.