# @mytenniscoaching on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbg-HrfgW1o
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68734243-mytenniscoaching-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/af45070ba5.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-01T23:00:04.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Steve Whelan | International Tennis Coach Developer (@mytenniscoaching) — https://gondola.cc/mytenniscoaching

## Caption

Conversation #14 

Tennis coaches often talk about “the forehand” as though it were one fixed movement that players simply repeat.

How many forehands do you have?

It’s a question I regularly ask players and coaches.

The usual answer is:

“One.”

But the forehand is simply the name we give to a family of shots played predominantly from the racket side of the body.

A forehand struck when you are stretched is different from one struck when you are jammed.

A defensive forehand is different from an attacking forehand.

A high, heavy topspin forehand requires a different movement solution from a low, driven ball.

Your movement changes depending on:

* The ball’s speed, spin, height and trajectory
* Your position and available time
* Your opponent’s position
* Whether you are attacking, defending or neutralising
* The outcome you are trying to create

These aren’t technical errors or imperfect versions of the same “correct” stroke.

They can be functional adaptations to different problems.

This does not mean anything goes. Each solution still needs to be effective for the player’s intention and the demands of the situation.

But players don’t need one perfect forehand.

They need a functional range of forehands that can adapt to the game.

So perhaps the question isn’t:

“How well are you coaching the forehand?”

It’s:

“How many different forehand solutions are you helping your players develop?”

Tell me in the comments: how many forehands do you think a tennis player needs?

The conversation, as always, continues tomorrow.

## Stats

- **Views:** 2,113
- **Likes:** 24
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- **Comments:** 3

## Tags

14

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