This is written by a right-handed player; therefore, where indicated, please change to the other side if you are left-handed.

1. Tennis is a sport that relies heavily on muscle memory; therefore, it requires a lot of repetition through practice if you want to improve. Every practice session should have at least one goal that you want to accomplish.
2. Decide which forehand grip works for you. This may be a difficult decision for the beginner if you do not fully comprehend what you want to achieve; thus, it is important to discuss this with the instructor or coach.
3. The position of your body to receive and execute your best forehand shot is important. There is the open stance comely used by some professionals and there is the traditional turning of the body to the right.
4. Timing the contact of your racquet to the ball is probably the most important step to hitting a brilliant forehand. Your racquet should be positioned, which means that the bottom of your racquet handle should be pointing to the net (this is called opening the face of the racquet) the instant you realize that your opponent is hitting to your forehand.
5. It is very important to keep your eye on the ball and watch it contact the center of your racquet strings. This will become automatic with practice. Never take your eye off the ball to check the direction of the ball, otherwise you will throw off the trajectory of your shot and possibly send it long or into the net.
6. To get the best shot, you must follow-through with your swing after you make contact with the ball. This means your racquet should be up around your left shoulder at the completion of your swing. If you do not follow through properly, you are truncating the swing and this leads to errors and loss of consistency.

Practice your forehand until it becomes second nature and you are hitting the ball automatically(instinctively), rather than thinking about the shot, which will avoid that split second of indecision that is enough to distract you, disrupting your timing and inevitably cause errors.