nate_ten

my question is:
What can an open stance forehand do that a closed stance
eastern grip forehand can't do?

I play @ intermediate level. Started off with a closed stance eastern
grip forehand. I can hit it pretty well with good power and a fair bit
of control. To me it seems a very natural way of hitting a forehand.
But I see almost every professional player on TV doesn't play it that way.

I am trying an open stance f/h with a semi-western grip since last couple
of days and can't seem to hit it so well. What's the trick? and why does
everybody play it that way?

pedro d

Because the torso rotation generates much more power. It is harder to time,
but with the larger sweetspots on today's racquets it's not that tough.

As to how-to... It's pretty straightforward, rotate your body on an axis of
left foot, hips and center of gravity, making contact about hip high and
slightly ahead of yourself. Without watching you I can't see what you might
be doing wrong, though.

mikescarpitti

....and soon you'll end up crippled like ao many of them too!!!!!!

kunndi

I don't think it gives you *more* power. I think it just gives you more
time (a split second counts)
to prepare for your *next* shot.

kunndi

news:<5ce8e8d5.0308040718.21289dcc@posting.google. com>...

Exactly!

fs

<2fd2ff8c.0308041427.3dc92a64@posting.google.com>,
Michael Scarpitti <mikescarpitti@yahoo.com> :


Also, if you can hit either way then it's easier to reach wide balls
-- whichever foot reaches the ball first is as good as the other.
Otherwise, you may find yourself having to make little skipping steps
which slow you down. That's why players such as Rod Laver were
as likely to hit with an open stance as a closed stance.

But the main reason for the open stance, I believe, is the popularity
of extreme western grip. These lay the racquet back so far that you'd
have to twist yourself into a pretzel to hit crosscourt unless the
stance is way open. The western grip, not the open stance, is what
leads to greater power (as long as the ball is not too low).

big benz

for one thing, when you are on defense, you tend to be in 'open stance'. so
hitting with an open stance saves you the time of turning (into the closed
stance) in preparation for the shot.


you can use an eastern grip with an open stance, but you have to really crank
your wrist back so that the racquet face is normal to the path of the ball at
the contact point. it's a bit harder to hit the ball this way, i suppose, but
you can get more wrist action on the shot, which has it's own benefits in
terms of being able to impart more spin on the ball.

personally, i think that the specifics of the grip are not so important as is
the fact that you want to hold the racquet with a grip which allows the
racquet face to be normal to the path of the ball at the contact point. so
i would say that you would be better off if you find out what stance works
best for you (and which one you find yourself more able to use in game
situations), and then adjust the grip accordingly.

big benz

not true, you can get torso rotation either way

scall5

I'm the same way in regards that I use the open stance on
defensive shots (i.e. those balls that are hit close to my body).
However, when I'm able to move to a shot, I always use a closed
stance. My grip, the semi-western, is the same for both shots.
--
---------------------------
Scall5

big benz

but since the original poster ********ly stated that he plays at intermediate
level, i would think that maximum enjoyment is more important than maximum
performance. at that level, ground strokes are not likely to be coming at
you so fast that it becomes a major liability to set up for the shot in a
closed stance. as it turns out, if a person gets good at the closed stance,
they will often make the adaptation to neutral and open stance as needed
without thinking about it. such is the nature of getting the basics into muscle memory...


there is nothing inherently wrong with a closed stance if executed correctly.

shoulder rotation (and leg drive) are also key when using a closed stance.
if they aren't, then the person is hitting an 'arm shot', which means that
they aren't hitting the shot correctly.