closed racket face

[katelyn16]

i have ajr tournament player who has a very good two handed backhand the other pros at the club say she closes her racket face on her backswing right before forward swing she has won the last 5 tournaments 12 and under need some opinions on this subject thanks

[tennis_balla]

Difficult to offer any true advice, since we cannot see the player play in question. However, just because someone has results doesn't not mean they should stop developing their game and/or technique if needed especially if they are such a young junior.

Take that however way you want, like I said with such little info its impossible to say for sure.

[TheIrrefutableOne]

most good players have closed back swings, it helps prevent the racket from opening up before contact

[julian]

Originally Posted by katelyn16

i have ajr tournament player who has a very good two handed backhand the other pros at the club say she closes her racket face on her backswing right before forward swing she has won the last 5 tournaments 12 and under need some opinions on this subject thanks

Please see blogs of blog.tennisspeed.com
http://blog.tennisspeed.com/

for a corresponding problem for forehand

[LeeD]

Closed racketface, like patting the dog, is fine for a 2hbh hit predominantly with the left hand. Everyone does it, must be ok.

[katelyn16]

any tips for keeping racket even on backswing when she meets ball racket is very even she has a medium loop on her two hander i can get her to not close on the backswing but she looks too stiff

[julian]

Originally Posted by katelyn16

any tips for keeping racket even on backswing when she meets ball racket is very even she has a medium loop on her two hander i can get her to not close on the backswing but she looks too stiff

Please explain the word "even"
Please describe grips of both hands
Some punctuation in your post would be appreciated as well
A video with a link below could help a bit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPBM-hE1Dhw
See as well post #8 below

[julian]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Closed racketface, like patting the dog, is fine for a 2hbh hit predominantly with the left hand. Everyone does it, must be ok.

The only issue here is that we did NOT ask OP about the grip
Capability to generate topspin is an issue as well with "closed face"

[TennisCJC]

I don't think a slightly closed face on the back swing is bad. Many pros do it. If she is exaggerating the motion and really closing the racket face, it could be a problem in my humble view - you don't want a lot of manipulation of the racket head in the swing to get it into a good contact position. My view is "excessive" movement just gives you more things that can go wrong under pressure. But, a motion that closes the racket face slightly is normal. Even some 1 HBH's do this.

[julian]

Originally Posted by TennisCJC

I don't think a slightly closed face on the back swing is bad. Many pros do it. If she is exaggerating the motion and really closing the racket face, it could be a problem in my humble view - you don't want a lot of manipulation of the racket head in the swing to get it into a good contact position. My view is "excessive" movement just gives you more things that can go wrong under pressure. But, a motion that closes the racket face slightly is normal. Even some 1 HBH's do this.

Once more-the issue of grip is basic
BTW:OP does NOT say "slightly closed face"
See the video quoted above as well

[katelyn16]

even racket means not closed not open. she has continental on right hand. eastern on left. she is right handed player. she can hit ball flat or topspin. she is the number 112 and under player in her district. her age is 10 yrs old. i am her grand pap and also teach tennis. every thing seams perfect when she meets ball. the other pros at the club insist that she change. i am not so sure. thanks for the help. i just want to make the right decision

[LeeD]

Watch women pros.
Short ones, they hit with more aggressive left hand grip, closer to E or SW.
Tall ones don't worry about high balls.
Which is she going to be, in the FUTURE?
Almost every pro closes the racketface on the beginning of the forward swing of a topspin 2hbh.
We don't look at ChrisEvert for tips on 2hbh anymore.

[Mahboob Khan]

Originally Posted by katelyn16

even racket means not closed not open. she has continental on right hand. eastern on left. she is right handed player. she can hit ball flat or topspin. she is the number 112 and under player in her district. her age is 10 yrs old. i am her grand pap and also teach tennis. every thing seams perfect when she meets ball. the other pros at the club insist that she change. i am not so sure. thanks for the help. i just want to make the right decision

Here we go. Right hand -- continental grip
Left hand -- Eastern FH

With this combination the racket face should be on the edge (not open, not close) or maybe slightly close by 91 degrees.

If with this grip combination the face of the racket is closed in the backswing this means she is turning her wrists to make this happen. This is an extra thing and must be eliminated.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by TheIrrefutableOne

most good players have closed back swings, it helps prevent the racket from opening up before contact

Not on 2hb's, unless they're hitting a low ball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1qv6S7KJug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k40zmz1uvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XphTboHQLtA

[LeeD]

Agassi.
At impact, it's for sure closed.
At the end of the backswing, while still backswinging, it's closed.f
At the intiation of the forward swing, it's perp to the ground.

[katelyn16]

i taped her and she is slightly turning right wrist in before forward swing. now the quistion is do i correct or let it go. her backhand is very good. thanks for the help.

[LeeD]

If her backhand is "very good", let it go and work on her other strokes.

[TCF]

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[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Why would you change anything? How the racket is during the backswing doesn't matter. What matters is whether she is accelerating through contact and hitting it cleanly. And by the fact that she's been winning tournaments, I'd say her shots are fine. If anything, wait and see if any REAL problems come up later. At this point, unless you are a super technical coach, which neither you nor any of your peers are, leave it alone.

As long as the ball is doing what it needs to do, and she isn't risking injury, everything is fine.

[julian]

Originally Posted by xFullCourtTenniSx

Why would you change anything? How the racket is during the backswing doesn't matter. What matters is whether she is accelerating through contact and hitting it cleanly. And by the fact that she's been winning tournaments, I'd say her shots are fine. If anything, wait and see if any REAL problems come up later. At this point, unless you are a super technical coach, which neither you nor any of your peers are, leave it alone.

As long as the ball is doing what it needs to do, and she isn't risking injury, everything is fine.

The second sentence is NOT correct for levels higher that beginner