You do not need a new racket, a new string setup, or a new “style” to hit better groundstrokes. You need cleaner contact, repeatable spacing, and a swing that starts from the ground up. When those pieces are right, your forehand and backhand stop feeling like a gamble and start feeling like a system.
This is a practical set of simple tips to master tennis techniques that actually move the needle. They are not theory. They are cues you can apply on your next hitting session and measure immediately: contact quality, depth, height over the net, and how often you hit your intended target.
The fastest way to improve: fix contact first
Most players waste months trying to “swing faster” or “rotate more” while their contact point is inconsistent. If contact is late or crowded, everything else becomes compensation. If contact is early, in the right lane, your body naturally organizes around it.
A simple standard: your best shots feel like you met the ball out in front, at a comfortable distance, with a stable head and quiet upper body. If you do not feel that, you do not have a swing problem yet – you have a spacing and timing problem.
Tip 1: Decide your contact lane before the ball crosses the net
Pick one lane where you want contact to happen.
For most right-handers, the forehand contact lane is slightly in front of the front hip, with the ball far enough away that the hitting arm is not collapsed. On a two-hander, the contact lane is more in front than most players think, but not so far that you reach and lose stability.
Call it early. Literally say “in front” as the ball travels. This one decision changes your feet. Your body will search for the lane and start moving sooner.
Tip 2: If you are late, do not swing harder – shorten the backswing
Late contact is rarely fixed by effort. It is fixed by time.
When you are rushed, take the racket back less and get it to the outside of the ball sooner. A compact unit turn with a clean drop is enough. The trade-off is you may feel you lose power for a few balls. You will gain consistency immediately, and power returns once timing is stable.
Spacing: the hidden skill behind “good technique”
Players love to talk about topspin, racket head speed, and hip rotation. But the best ball-strikers are spacing specialists. They keep the ball at a predictable distance so the swing can repeat.
Tip 3: Use a “one step rule” to prevent crowding
Crowding is the fastest way to shank, frame, or jam yourself. The fix is simple: if the ball is closer than you expected, do not lean. Make one small adjustment step to recreate your spacing.
On the forehand, this is often a tiny hop back or a small outside step to open space. On the backhand, it can be a quick shuffle to stop the ball from getting inside your hips.
If you are frequently jammed, it is not because you are “stiff.” It is because you are not giving yourself permission to adjust with your feet.
Tip 4: Keep your head level through contact
A rising head usually means you are trying to lift the ball. That creates mishits and a floating ball that sits up.
Your cue is simple: keep your eyes on the contact area a fraction longer than feels natural. You are not staring at the strings forever. You are preventing the early pull-out that ruins clean contact.
Footwork: make your split step do real work
Most players split step as a habit, not as a weapon. If your split is late, your first step is late. If your split is passive, you drift instead of moving.
Tip 5: Split as your opponent strikes, not after
The timing is non-negotiable. Your feet should land as your opponent makes contact. That landing loads your legs so your first step is automatic.
If you consistently land after contact, you will feel rushed on every medium-paced ball. Fix the timing and the court slows down.
Tip 6: First step is a push, not a reach
Reaching with the foot makes you tall and slow. Pushing off the opposite leg makes you explosive.
Tell yourself “push, then go.” You will stay lower, and your racket will arrive on time without frantic arm speed.
Forehand: fewer moving parts, cleaner results
A strong forehand is not a complicated forehand. The goal is repeatable: load, swing on plane, finish without breaking posture.
Tip 7: Start the swing with your legs, not your hand
If your hand starts the swing, your timing will vary. If your legs start it, the chain is consistent.
Feel pressure into the outside leg as you set, then let the hips start to unwind. Your arm goes along for the ride. This is the difference between a “hit” and a strike.
Tip 8: Aim with your body line, not your wrist
Players try to steer with the wrist at the last second. That is how you miss by two feet even when the swing felt good.
Instead, set your body line early. If you want crosscourt, your torso and feet should reflect that intention before the forward swing. If you want down the line, adjust earlier, not during contact.
The trade-off is you must commit sooner. The payoff is you stop flicking and start driving.
Backhand: stability beats creativity
Backhands break down under pressure because players try to improvise. The fix is to make the backhand a stable structure.
Tip 9: On the one-hander, lock the hitting shoulder through contact
If your hitting shoulder collapses inward, the face opens and the ball floats. Keep the shoulder line stable and drive through with the arm as an extension of your torso.
A useful cue: “shoulder stays tall.” This prevents the pull-up that turns solid swings into shaky contact.
Tip 10: On the two-hander, let the non-dominant side lead
Many two-handers let the dominant hand take over, which makes the swing arm-heavy and late.
Feel the non-dominant hand guiding the racket through contact. Your dominant hand supports. When this is right, the backhand feels earlier and calmer, especially on faster balls.
The net clearance rule that fixes 80% of rally errors
Players miss into the net because they aim at the net. Pros do not.
Tip 11: Give every rally ball a safe window
Pick a clear margin: for most rally balls, aim to clear the net by roughly 3-5 feet. That window forces you to shape the ball and use your legs, not your wrist.
Yes, your ball will initially land shorter if you do not add spin. That is good feedback. Add spin by swinging on a slightly more upward path, not by flipping the racket face.
Practice that transfers: stop “hitting,” start diagnosing
If you want reliable technique, you need simple diagnostics you can run in real time.
Tip 12: Use one variable per session
Most players change grip, stance, swing path, and follow-through all at once. That guarantees confusion.
Pick one variable for 20 minutes. Spacing. Contact point. Split timing. Net clearance. Then judge it with one metric: did the ball come off cleaner, land deeper, and miss less?
If you want a simple structure, hit three sets of ten balls where you only care about one cue. Then play five minutes of points and see if the cue survives. If it disappears in points, you did not own it yet. That is not failure. That is clarity.
When “simple tips” stop working and you need a method
There is a point where quick cues are not enough because your stroke has a baked-in pattern error. That is when you need a defined correction process that eliminates the flaw, not one that manages it.
For players and coaches who want a guaranteed, accelerated fix to groundstroke mechanics, Mili’s Split Method is built specifically for that – a structured approach designed to correct forehand and backhand issues fast and with certainty.
Here is the standard you should hold yourself to, no matter who coaches you: you should be able to explain what changed, why it changed, and how you will reproduce it under pressure.
A final thought to take to the court: do not chase perfect form. Chase repeatable contact. When contact becomes predictable, confidence shows up without you forcing it.