This complete training session covers the fundamentals of the forehand technique from the back of the court, progressing from racket preparation, to the forehand swing, and finally to hitting balls.
These drills will help players correct technical flaws in this stroke and improve their confidence when playing from the back of the court.
Progression 1
Automating the correct forehand preparation position
The objective of this first progression is to automate the correct racket preparation position for hitting a forehand from the back of the court.
The coach places two cones in front of each player at the back of the court — one about 1 meter ahead of the other and slightly offset to the right (for right-handed players).
Players start at the back cone.
On the coach’s signal, players perform three small jumps in place and then simulate the start of the forehand motion, stepping forward with the left foot and shoulder (for right-handers) to the front cone.
At this stage, the motion stops with the racket in the prepared position — it is not yet brought forward into the swing.
Players hold their preparation, allowing the coach to correct their position before returning to the ready stance.
The correct forehand preparation from the back of the court should have:
The non-dominant arm is used to help aim at the incoming ball.
The coach can also guide players physically through the preparation movement.
Video credits: 👉 CLASES DE PADEL · PROGRESIONES Golpe de DERECHA 🎾 desde fondo PISTA ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Padelarte.com – YouTube
Progression 2
Automating the correct forehand swing
Players remain in position at their cones.
On the coach’s signal, players perform three small jumps and now complete the full swing after preparing the racket.
The arm transitions from the back to the front in a lateral path, with the racket head kept horizontal rather than vertical.
Players aim to strike the ball in front of their body with a straight arm, finishing above net height with the racket face slightly open — this is a low-to-high motion.
The non-dominant arm stays in front at the start of the motion and moves to the side naturally at the moment of contact, helping maintain stability and avoiding excessive shoulder rotation.
Players avoid any unnecessary wrist movement during the swing.
The focus here is on a flat shot, without any sliced spin.
Progression 3
Applying the correct forehand on hand-fed balls from the coach
Players remain positioned at the cones from the previous drill.
The coach stands just in front of them and hand-feeds each player 5 balls to hit a controlled, flat, parallel forehand.
Players apply the key points practiced in the previous two progressions.
When one player is hitting, the others in line shadow the motion without a ball.
Progression 4
Maintaining proper lateral distance from the ball on the forehand
The goal of this drill is to address a common mistake — hitting the forehand with the arm too close to the body, without maintaining proper lateral spacing from the ball.
The coach now sets up two lanes at the back of the court, each about 1 meter wide.
The first lane (to the left for right-handed players) is where the player will move in, and the second is where the coach will send the ball.
The player’s feet are not allowed to enter the second lane where the ball will be, forcing them to keep proper distance from the ball.
Players start behind the first lane, and the coach, standing nearby, hand-feeds balls into the second lane.
One at a time, players move into the first lane, hit a parallel forehand following the spacing rule, then exit forward in a sprint before looping back to the end of the line.
Progression 5
Maintaining proper distance on the diagonal forehand
The coach adjusts the cones so the lanes are angled diagonally.
Players now perform the same drill as before, but hit a diagonal forehand — still without stepping into the second lane where the ball is fed.
Progression 6
Improving non-dominant arm position during the swing
The coach removes the previous cones and leaves only one cone at the back of the court in the player’s usual defensive position.
Players use a ball-collecting tube, held in the non-dominant hand (in the middle of the tube), to extend the arm and increase focus on its role.
The coach stands nearby and hand-feeds easy balls.
The player positions themselves correctly to hit the ball, aiming for the incoming ball with the tip of the tube. At the moment of contact, the tube moves to the side toward the pocket area while the racket makes contact.
Players line up behind the cone. Each player hits a parallel forehand with this rule, then exits forward before returning to the back of the line.
Knees remain slightly bent throughout the movement.
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