This very process will actually facilitate the racquet turning process as we perform both moves simultaneously. I see a lot of amateurs swinging only with their arms which creates a poor swing path. It would be good if you do a refresher on how to augment power in the ground strokes and the drills to follow. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It is imperative that you make contact in front of you in order to have a good backhand. For his two-handed backhand, Djokovic grips his dominant hand with a continental grip and his non-dominant hand with an eastern grip, which is typical of a two-handed backhand. As a result, it boasts a number of excellent academies. Thank you Coach. Additionally this can lead to incorrect grip changes when they should not (e.g., continental grip on both backhand and forehand volleys). And even then, variations of the grip will occur. I don’t advise players changing their forehand grip to a new forehand grip if they used a certain forehand grip for 10 years. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mytennishq_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',108,'0','0'])); This article is structured in the following way: The backhand is the tennis shot where the player swings the racket with the back of the hand moving towards the direction of the stroke. Feels a little weak but assume I should try not to have thumb laying across back of grip? The "Hawaiian" forehand grip is, to put it simply, weird. The continental grip works well for backhand … As you can see from the image, the contact should be in front of the line of your body. But it is considerably more difficult to master than the latter. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We will cover both backhands in this article. The main feature of the backhand slice is the extremely flat and long flight path. It is imperative that you strike the ball in front of the line of your body. Just pick up the racquet, find the right grip and do a few shadow swings. However, it is harder to hit topspin backhands using this grip. Otherwise you will feel that you have to grip the handle very hard in order for the racket not to fly out of your hand on the forward swing. The top hand is the players least dominant hand. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can also use an Eastern forehand grip, which is very reliable but might give you some problems on very high balls. The semi western grip has increased in popularity because it helps players hit their backhands with more topspin, adding more control. Let’s take a look at both: Bottom Hand:eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mytennishq_com-box-4','ezslot_1',110,'0','0'])); The bottom hand is the players most dominant hand. This has … I would say that the “grip changed”. Pluses and minuses? Here, the non dominant hand is the one creating the power, not the other way around. choke up a bit on a return of serve for not control, but slide down for a serve for maximum action? This is important to keep in mind because, basically, it is very difficult to hit a one handed backhand with topspin if the ball is above your shoulder. 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. Then switch to either backhand or forehand grip? Same Q for other pros. Tennis players who just use common sense and have perhaps played table tennis in the past will actually have trouble figuring out the correct one-handed backhand grip for the game of tennis. I’ve been playing tennis for probably 50 years. I find myself reverting to continental grip for these on both slice backhand and forehand drop shots. Here, we’ll share as much knowledge and experience as we can, so we hope you enjoy it! Having a correct grip for your forehand and backhand strokes in tennis is the key to hitting your shots with consistency and power. Eastern Backhand/ Semi-Western Two-Handed Backhand Grip This tennis grip is done by putting your left hand in a Semi-Western forehand grip while your right hand is in the Eastern backhand position. A good slice won’t necessarily be a fast shot but it will keep the ball low, demanding your opponent to hit up. In tennis, a grip is a way of holding the racquet in order to hit shots during a match. Seventy-five percent of the men play tennis backhand grip with double hands too. Your feet should be on a straight line but this time they are parallel to the baseline. 1. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting. Could you comment on non-traditional grip changes such as that of Jack Sock, whose grip change from an extreme western forehand grip to a two hand backhand grip (or even a one-hand eastern backhand grip) is in the opposite or clockwise direction (rather than anti-clockwise). The one handed backhand is one of the most visually appealing shots in tennis. The eastern backhand grip is a very versatile way to hold the racket when hitting your backhand. This is a common variation amongst men on the professional tour. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. A great two-handed backhand starts with the perfect set-up. While they sacrifice variety for power, there is no denying that they rank at the top when it comes to hitting one handed backhands. Your body weight will transition from the back foot to the front one was you hit the shot. Many years of holding the racket in a certain way ingrains a certain feel in the hand so strongly that once you change the grip you feel totally lost. After making contact with the ball, the left arm extends and moves upwards and to the right side of the player (remember we started on the left side for right handed players). Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. But what about those slower, shorter, standing closer to the net strokes? This shot is held in a similar manner to the Eastern forehand. Finally, in between the strokes as we hold the racquet in front of us with both arms, could you talk about which hand holds the racquet the most, I feel that when my left arm (I am righty) holds most of the weight of the racquet (at the wider part of the triangle that connects the grip to the racquet head) the right hand does not get tiered and my strokes are more powerful and consistent, but when I forget and hold my racquet mostly with my right arm, the arm gets tight and tired causing racquet head drop, errors, and timing goes off. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Because you are only using one arm; you need the assistance of your body to hit a hard yet controlled backhand. Formula 1 drivers can drive at 300 km / h because they trained for years and learned to control the car at high speed. The backhand comes in two variations - the single-handed and the double-handed or two-handed backhand. For his two-handed backhand, Djokovic grips his dominant hand with a continental grip and his non-dominant hand with an eastern grip, which is typical of a two-handed backhand. I’ve won 3 futures since graduating, and I broke the top 400 on the ATP rankings. Wrapping Up As a beginner, the different types of tennis grips are one of the first things you’ll learn. So yes, I hold my forehand grip all the time until I need to switch to the backhand grip. With your stance neutral, you’ll be able to use the full weight of your body through the shot. Continue the rotation of your belt buckle around as it finally rotates back towards the net. Extend the right arm and comfortably and naturally grip the racquet handle. This grip is mostly common among older recreational players who were taught tennis a long time ago. This … As your shoulders rotate, continue lifting your arm and turning your body. I have broken it down into 6 steps: On the two handed backhand we need to have both hands properly gripping the racket; the hand that is pulling the racket (the same you hit your forehand with) will be at the bottom of the grip and the hand that is pushing the racket will be at the top. 関連記事 両手打ちバックハンドストロークのイメージをつかもう これは分かりやすい！ 両手打ちバックハンドストロークの基本（1） これは分かりやすい！ 両手打ちバックハンドストロークの基本（2） ダブルハンドバクストロークは肩から始まり、肩で終わる Contents 1 片手バックハンドのオススメの握り方は？ 2 片手バックハンドのフットワークで注意すべき点は？ 2.1 必ずクローズドスタンスで、右足を軸にして打つ事! The way in which you grip a tennis racket determines how the ball will behave when hit. There are different grips to use depending on the type of shot you want to execute. If you are just starting out in tennis, I would recommend using this grip if you choose to hit a one-handed backhand. It is mostly used by players who have two handed backhand because the second hand helps controlling the ball. I have not observed the pros switching grips. When tennis first started, most players only hit slices on the backhand side. I think I resort to setting the grip already in advance correctly and having the student hit lots of balls. Make contact with the ball in front of you. Even its name is a bit of a joke. . I find my hand almost half off the racquet. First, make sure that your body weight is on the front leg. You mentioned that high balls may be difficult with the Eastern forehand grip. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mytennishq_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_6',109,'0','0'])); As is with every tennis stroke, it is important to develop a good foundation in order to have a solid backhand. With this slight exaggeration I am showing you how the grip is changed with the off-hand. I don’t think there’s any tips on how to transition from a serve grip to a forehand grip, I’d leave that to the unconscious. Your grip tension should be as low as possible. Only hitting million balls. In this video article, you’ll learn the differences between a table tennis backhand grip and a tennis backhand grip as well as why we hold the racket in tennis in a way that’s not really common sense. The majority of the women play tennis backhand grip with double hands. At the same time you bend your knees a little and transfer your body weight to the front foot. Take a look. There are 6 popular tennis racket grips, all of which have their place and purpose within the game. Or, do we switch from forehand to backhand without stopping at continental? In the end, we will see how to generate some topspin and how to correctly follow through. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'mytennishq_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_8',112,'0','0'])); Once you choose the grip you feel most comfortable with, you need to learn how to position your legs and feet when hitting a backhand. I am just working on it. I thought that was the point of learning the grips and changing between them. The feet positioning on the backhand is reliant on the shot that is hit to you. link to How To Stop Your Tennis Racket From Slipping, link to The Top 10 Best Tennis Academies In Florida. With this hand you hold the handle in such a way that the Palm of your hand is flush with the butt cap. The login page will open in a new tab. Also you could say my dominant grip is a strong continental, and non dominant strong eastern. The method for finding the Eastern grip for your one-handed backhand is very similar. Your body weight should be on the outside leg (left leg for right handed players, right leg for left handed players). Put your hands closely together so as not to lose strength and control of the racket. The racquet needs to be horizontal with the head on the right side and the handle on the left side. This is where you want to live if you want to consistently hit a good one handed backhands. No matter what your level is, you can always gain by developing a better base on your groundstrokes. Then simply slide down your non-dominant hand in a very comfortable way to the handle, and you’ll very likely hold an Eastern forehand grip. But the continental grip feels awkward on my forehand side. So yes, let your hands find the best grips for different situations. I think we have a misunderstanding, Julia. The most common grip for the one-handed backhand is the eastern backhand grip. Hitting the ball on the rise will also help you generate pace on your backhand slice. Having his left hand on the racquet throat helps Federer make sure he turns his back somewhat … What about strength of grip during the shot? Novak Djokovic is a master at hitting open stance backhands, showing the world it can be a weapon. These cookies do not store any personal information. (See Picture above for a visual of the two-handed grip) Once you have the two-handed backhand grip down Here is where you start letting go of the non dominant hand. Thanks, Srimati. If you sit in the Formula 1 car and step on the gas you’ll crash. After you complete the grip change just slide your non-dominant hand down to the handle. Why is this important? 5. You will very likely hold the racquet now with an Eastern one-handed backhand grip. During the whole backswing, your right arm and your tennis racket are arranged at right angles, forming a so-called “L-shape”. On a slice, the player should use one arm and hit the ball from a high to low manner, as the racket face stays open through the shot. As for changing grips during play for recreational players I don’t think that would work because there simply isn’t enough repetition for the player to become so familiar with two grips and know exactly how the racket is angled in space. When I use the throat of the racket to change to my 1H BH, and I stop the stroke when the racket is at contact point, many times I have the bottom edge further out than the center and the result is a sailing ball.