What are your predominant grips, forehand and backhand?

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Permalink Reply by Angie on December 24, 2011 at 7:05pm

I'm in between a semi-Western and Eastern forehand.  For my two-handed backhand, my left grips it Eastern and my right either grips it Eastern or slightly Continental.  As with you Tim, I've slowly moved away from a strong Eastern forehand.  I've flirted with grip changes with my backhand, but nothing else feels quite right.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 25, 2011 at 1:33pm

Yeah, I was experimenting with possible two hander grips and found having two Aussie grips on both hands gave me the best contact for the flat. I'm a one hander but I was trying this out for someone who wanted to learn a two handed backhand. 

The only time I like using the strong Eastern is for the double bend forehand whip, Agassi style. That is the best flat forehand for returns period. Great for returning serves that are bombs, because that forehand is the bomb itself. :)

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Permalink Reply by Meags on December 25, 2011 at 4:15pm

I hold my grip on the same position for fh and 1hbh, so its full western both sides. Great, I don't have to change my grip except for slice and volley. I'm very flexible and can flatten out easily enough as well as spin. Even with these grips I pressure the back of the ball more so than brush up against it. My backhand I love, its probably my most reliable shot, I like to think it looks like stan wawrinka's!!

Tim next time you are having a knock try this grip, you'll prob like your fh but find the bh a little extreme......you'll need to cock that wrist if you don't you'll probably break it!

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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 25, 2011 at 7:30pm

Ah, I went out and hit right after I posted this. I had been looking at Novak's forehand over and over and noticed how quickly he turned his wrist. All of a sudden, the full Western forehand became much more to my liking. I could get alot of topspin on the drive. I just wasn't used to turning over the forearm that much on the full Western flat.

My thumb joint is on bevel 5 when I hit my topspin backhands. Is that the grip you use on yours? If your thumb joint is on bevel 6, you're right, I wouldn't like it much. But you're saying you pressure the back on the ball and do ulnar deviation/ radial deviation primarily?

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Permalink Reply by Meags on December 26, 2011 at 6:19am

Ahhhh the bevel system ...............5 being the bottom bevel then yeah pretty much so 5/6 anyway. I dont like this system as it is dependant on hand and finger size being equal imo.

I like to simplify it, think of the numbers on a clock with 12 being continental (racket face straight up racket face facing fence), 1 (or 11) being eastern, 2 (or 10) being semi western and 3 (or 9) being western (racket face facing ground). An extreme western would be 4 (or 8) ocklock.......haha.......

 

I suppose what Im saying is I have the V between my finger and thumb on the third bevel, the side bevel with the racket face facing to the ground, I actally manipulate my wrist in a way that can go extreme western to semi western on either side dependant on the shot i want to play. Its a versatile position although low sliders are difficult and stretched backhands but you get used to it. Its also a very aggressive grip, you have to go for your shots esp on return of serve, I need to change grip to block back, which is easier to do on my bh than my fh for some reason.

 

Djokovic fh does something that not many players do he turns the face of the racket completely behind him on the backswing, Ive tried this and i dont like it, it knocks my timing, but it deffo suits him, you can see it here around 10 secs in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AJYfkJ4hc

 

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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 26, 2011 at 5:25pm

So you have exactly the same backhand grip as I do! Well, it's the one that works for me for everything, high or low ball. When I block back, I just move my index knuckle an eighth of an inch and lay back my wrist if it is low. 

Yeah, that Djoko racquet face turn has been intriguing me for the last four months. It was hard for me to get it to work, but then I went and looked at a video again of him practicing. He turns his wrist open, butt cap to the ball much earlier than with the hand from the 6 o'clock position (back fence). It appeared to be more like 5 o'clock (back fence right hand corner). All of a sudden it made much more sense.

I think he looks like his racquet face turn is at 6 o'clock when his chest and shoulders are fully coiled and his elbow is tucked at past 6 off his right rib cage. But for practice sessions, he does not fully coil sometimes, and does it at 5 o'clock.

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Permalink Reply by Meags on December 27, 2011 at 3:21am

I agree tim I think its all about preparation time, when he has time the racket head seems to go further, in some ways it seems like its waiting for the shot.....

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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on December 27, 2011 at 5:37pm

He's got to have such great anticipation and early preparation to pull off that wristy/elbowy windup. Either has great spatial measuring ability along with sense of the hand shaping the swingpath.

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