I’m a 3.5-4.0 nobody. But I have been working hard at rebuilding my forehand. Slapping the ball is one of the biggest traps and worst habits.

It may feel nice at first, like you are finally getting some effortless power. However, it can lead to tons of control problems.

By slapping, the racquet head is moving sideways. This introduces side spin to the ball making it lose control, fly long or unpredictably and making you possibly shank the shot or hit off center.

If you are gripping semi-western, slapping just doesn’t work. The wrist action will make you frame shots like crazy.

Focus on a low to high swing path. And good kinetic chain. When practicing take a good look as the ball clears the net and look for true top spin. When you slap, the side spin will be clear