How I Totally Botched Carmen’s Forehand At First
Right, saw this video about Carmen Corley hitting killer forehands. Thought, “Yeah, that looks slick, gotta try it myself.” Grabbed my racket, charged out to the local court like a man on a mission. Didn’t even stretch properly, just wanted to smash some winners.
Step one: Mimicking her setup. Tried that slightly wider stance she uses, knees kinda bent. Felt okay, bit awkward but manageable. Held my racket like she showed, maybe a bit looser grip? Okay, cool.
Step two: The backswing. Carmen takes it nice and low, kinda circular. Easy, right? Nope. My first few tries, I whipped it back too fast, too jerky. Felt like my racket was wobbling all over the place. Couldn’t find the rhythm she had. Hit the first few balls. Mostly sailed long or plopped into the net. Embarrassing.
Step three: The swing through the ball. This is where she explodes, right? That snap. So I tried to whack it hard. Massive mistake. Forgot the other stuff! No smoothness. Rushed it. Was just swinging my arm like mad, shoulder hurting already. Ball flew everywhere except where I wanted. Smacked the fence twice. Got dirty looks from the dude practicing his serve next court. Awkward.
Took a breath. Walked to the net, leaned on it. Replayed the video mentally. Okay, point by point.
- Loosened my grip. Like, properly loose fingers. Scary at first, felt like dropping the racket.
- Slowed the whole thing down. Seriously dragged the backswing back. Made it smoother, less rushed.
- Focused on that low-to-high path. Pointed my knuckles down like she showed, brushed up.
- Kicked in my legs. Bent those knees, pushed up and forward. Not just arm swing!
Small win moment: Finally felt the difference. That brushing sound? Way more noticeable. Felt the contact out in front, racket moving up and across. Ball started kicking more after the bounce. Didn’t hit any outright winner yet, but way more consistent depth. Landed a few deep that pushed the imaginary opponent back. Felt solid. Felt satisfying. That “snap” wasn’t about pure arm power, it came from the whole chain: legs, body rotation, the smooth swing.
Big takeaway? Trying to copy her raw power first was dumb. The base mechanics – grip loose, smooth take-back, good knee bend, brushing up on the ball – that’s what makes the winner shot possible. Gotta build the foundation before the fireworks. Still takes loads of effort, but at least I’m hitting the court consistently now! #WorkInProgress
