What is the difference between forehand stroke and backhand stroke in table tennis?
William Rodriguez
Published Jan 19, 2026
The most noticeable difference between the forehand and backhand groundstroke is the side of the body where you make contact with the ball. With forehand groundstrokes, the ball is struck off to the player's dominant side.
What is the difference between a forehand and backhand stroke when would you use a forehand stroke when would you use a backhand stroke?
The Basics of Forehand and Backhand Strokes.
A backhand stroke has a shorter swing and uses a forearm to hit the ball, whereas a forehand stroke uses the whole arm swing with a little twist of the upper body.
What is forehand and backhand grip in table tennis?
The backhand grip shifts that part of your hand round to the forehand side. As the thumb comes up and the hand slides around, the crease or 'V' is left on the forehand side. The forehand grip does the opposite. The the hand moves around the bat (the other way) the crease comes unto the backhand side.
What is forehand stroke?
Forehand (Groundstroke)
The tennis forehand is a stroke in which the inner side of the palm of the dominant hand that is holding the racket faces forward. Essentially, the tennis forehand is made by swinging the racket across one's body in the direction of where one wants to land the ball.
What is forehand stroke in table tennis?
A forehand shot is essentially hitting the ball with your hand's most natural position. For instance, a right-hander would hit the ball from the right side of his body, while a left-hander would hit from the left side.
36 related questions foundWhat is the major technique difference between the forehand and backhand throw?
When executing a backhand, the disc is pushed back behind the body and then fully extended outward. The disc needs to travel a long distance from point A to point B, before being released. When executing a forehand, the disc is also push back behind the body.
What is the key differences of forehand and backhand smash?
The forehand is a looser stroke.
The first key difference between the strokes is that the forehand is a looser stroke, while the one-handed backhand is a firmer stroke.
What is backhand stroke?
In the game of tennis, a backhand is a tennis stroke in which the racket travels across the player's body, striking the ball with the palm facing towards the chest and the back of hand moving towards the opponent on the follow through. In tennis, a backhand stroke can be one handed or two handed.
What is a tennis stroke called?
Did you know there are several different types of tennis strokes? Those stokes are serve, ground stroke which can be a forehand stroke or backhand stroke, volley, lob or overhead. A continental grip is commonly used with a serve, volley or overhead stroke.
How many strokes are there in backhand?
The backhand can be a one-handed or two-handed stroke. Due to the fact that the player's dominant hand "pulls" into the shot, the backhand generally lacks the power and consistency of the forehand, and is usually considered more difficult to master.
What is forehand and backhand grip in badminton?
The backhand grip, also known as the thumb grip, is similar to the forehand grip except the complete bottom of the thumb is in contact with the 3rd bevel and the index finger is lowered down to a position below the thumb.
Why forehand and backhand is the most important grip skill in badminton?
You should learn to switch quickly from the forehand to backhand grip, and vice versa. This enables you to quickly prepare for your strokes and hit the shuttle at the highest point, hence delivering quality shots.
What is forehand smash in badminton?
The smash shot is hit with power and speed downward into the opponent's court. The angle and the steepness of the shuttlecock's trajectory make it hard for the opponent to retrieve and return.
Is forehand or backhand better?
The forehand, for most players, is the more confident shot when talking about the forehand and backhand. It is normally more of a weapon in matches, and generally thought of as the easier shot.
When throwing a forehand or backhand the power comes from the?
1.)
Power comes from the momentum of your core, shoulder and arm, while your wrist controls the spin and direction of the flight path. The speed will impact the power of the throw, while the spin helps stabilize the disc and help flying through the wind.
What discs are better for forehand?
Knowing forehand throws also means upgrading your skills as a disc golf player – which is important. In this review, we feature 8 of the top forehand discs available today.
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- Prodigy P Model S. ...
- Infinite Discs Chariot. ...
- Yikun Shu. ...
- RPM Ruru. ...
- Yikun FU. ...
- Divergent Discs Alpas. ...
- X-Com Zion. ...
- Prodigy D Model US.
How do you do a forehand stroke in badminton?
Your body should face sideways, not the front. Move your racket arm towards the back and extend your chest to the widest extent possible to ensure you can do a full swing. Inhale (breathe in) as you stretch/extend your chest to the widest extent. This helps you feel more comfortable.
What is stroke in badminton?
A stroke is the swing motion of our racket arm. It is not a shot. We need proper strokes to execute certain shots! The power of any badminton shot (clear, smash, drops, etc) is directly related to how well you can perform your stroke.
How do you hold a forehand in a badminton racket?
1) Forehand Grip
Gently hold the racket and you should still be able to move and twist the racket with flexible wrist movement. Clench tightly only when hit is executed. The ring and last finger are there to prevent racket slipping out of hands. This grip method is safe to be used in almost all forehand shots.
What is the backhand grip in tennis?
The continental grip is often used for a single handed backhand grip. The more the racket is turned away from the body (" 1 o'clock" position above) the more the thumb is placed at the back of the racket as a back-bone to the backhand shot. This grip is often referred to as the Eastern backhand grip.
How do you play backhand in table tennis?
How do you play a backhand drive?
- Start with bat around waist height, in front of your body.
- Close the bat angle slightly.
- As the ball approaches, move your bat forwards and up.
- Contact the ball just in front of your body.
- The contact should be quite flat, roughly in the middle of your bat.
When should you perform a backhand stroke?
Squash/Tennis: The backhand is performed in such a way that the tennis ball is hit from the side of your body. Badminton: The correct technique for a backhand stroke will allow you to hit the shuttle at your backhand area when it's in mid-air (above your head).
What is the forehand grip used for?
Forehand Grip
This grip is used to hit shots that are on the forehand side of your body and around the head shots. Hold the racket head with your non-playing hand so that the handle points towards you.
Why is backhand important in tennis?
The backhand can be an aggressive and powerful attack shot that is used to return an opponent's shot and, when executed correctly, will manoeuvre an opponent around the court or win a point.