Producing topspin with closed stance?

racquet_jedi

racquet_jedi

Professional
I was taught by my dad to use an eastern forehand grip and to hit flat. If I switched my grip to between an eastern and semi-western, (would that be called semi-eastern?) would I be able to produce topspin (even just a little) with a closed stance?
 
jasoncho92

jasoncho92

Professional
Semi-eastern and semi-western are the same grips. And its definitely possible to produce topspin w/ a close stance because i do and i use the same grip as you. Its actually really easy to
 
wihamilton

wihamilton

Hall of Fame
I wouldn't recommend hitting your forehand w/a closed stance -- use neutral or open. The more extreme your grip, the more body rotation you need to get your racket through the strike zone. A closed stance doesn't allow you to rotate the body as much as either of the other two.
 
A

AceofBase

Rookie
neutral stance is where you just stand there not to close or open, take a wider stance so that you turn and push more into your shot which enable you to hit almost any grip too. And dont forget to brush up or side way if you still use the eastern grip. And plus a with a wider stance its better cause its set you up for the run better moving too.
 
wihamilton

wihamilton

Hall of Fame
Neutral stance is where you are sideways to the net. In other words, your feet are parallel with the sidelines.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
Noveson said:
They are the same thing;)
Click to expand...

No, they aren't the same thing. When you are in an open stance, your feet are facing toward the net, or turned in the direction you are hitting. When you are in a neutral stance, your feet are perpendicular to the net or where you are hitting. In the closed stance, your feet actually slightly face away from the net or away from the direction you are hitting.

Most people with a one-handed backhands hit with a closed stance on the majority of their backhands.

Most people who hit with a modern forehand use the open stance because they push and torque off the leg on the hitting side. In a closed stance, your weight will naturally want to shift toward the offhand side.
 
P

paulfreda

Hall of Fame
Producing topspin with a closed stance.
Think about it.
There is no room for the low to high finish from a closed stance.
Tom Okker in the 60's would hit top with a Continental but he hit the ball back at his right hip and hit what we now refer to as a reverse FH finishing on the same side.
On the other hand with a SW or W grip one hits out front with an open or semi-open stance and there is nothing to block the finish on the left side.
Think windshield wiper in front of you.

A closed stance is best for a flat or cut-drive shot.
 
G

Geezer Guy

Hall of Fame
racquet_jedi said:
I was taught by my dad to use an eastern forehand grip and to hit flat. If I switched my grip to between an eastern and semi-western, (would that be called semi-eastern?) would I be able to produce topspin (even just a little) with a closed stance?
Click to expand...

You can put topspin on the ball from any stance. It's just a matter of hitting low to high.
 
U

Uthree

Rookie
paulfreda said:
Producing topspin with a closed stance.
Think about it.
There is no room for the low to high finish from a closed stance.
Tom Okker in the 60's would hit top with a Continental but he hit the ball back at his right hip and hit what we now refer to as a reverse FH finishing on the same side.
On the other hand with a SW or W grip one hits out front with an open or semi-open stance and there is nothing to block the finish on the left side.
Think windshield wiper in front of you.

A closed stance is best for a flat or cut-drive shot.
Click to expand...

I agree. We can hit topspin from any stance but the easiest stance to hit topspin and is the open stance partly bcause clearing out the left hand side is easier. Racket jedi should check out the www.bradlangevad.net. Explains this concept best and its free.
 
drakulie

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
paulfreda said:
Producing topspin with a closed stance.
Think about it.
There is no room for the low to high finish from a closed stance.
Click to expand...

That's not true. I hit with both an eastern and a closed stance, and produce topspin very easily, and I don't hit a reverse FH.
 
U

Uthree

Rookie
This is the old chestnut isn't it closed v open stance. Even the top biomechanists coaches can't agree on it. Love to see them head to head. So its what you experience I suppose. I sat open stance unless out of position. Many coaches still teach closed stance for beginners which then then have to re-teach which then needs to be retaught.
 
onehandbh

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
paulfreda said:
Producing topspin with a closed stance.
Think about it.
There is no room for the low to high finish from a closed stance.
Tom Okker in the 60's would hit top with a Continental but he hit the ball back at his right hip and hit what we now refer to as a reverse FH finishing on the same side.
On the other hand with a SW or W grip one hits out front with an open or semi-open stance and there is nothing to block the finish on the left side.
Think windshield wiper in front of you.

A closed stance is best for a flat or cut-drive shot.
Click to expand...

I can hit a topspin FH using a closed stance and a earstern BH
grip for my forehand. Is it optimal? no. can it be done? yes.
 
P

paulfreda

Hall of Fame
I did not mean to say it was not possible.
It just isn't a natural technique; top from a closed stance.
Of course it can be done.
Lay your wrist way back and hold it; then hit even with your front hip and you can do it.

Look at old clips of tennis back before 1975.
It was all flat balls and cut shots. Especially the women.
Did Mac or Jimmy hit top ? Rarely.
This is because the game was played on grass and equipment was wood with very small heads. I cannot believe how small my old T2000 is.
The modern extreme grips [which allow and encourage more open stances] came in as grass faded from being the dominant surface and equipment began using technologies available. First metal then graphite, then composites.
Yes many still play with Easterns now.
But they rarely are known for hitting lots of topspin.
Why do you think Lyndsey hits so many reverse FHs ?
And name me any player who hits Eastern who wins on clay.
 
Last edited:
z-money

z-money

Semi-Pro
racquet_jedi said:
I was taught by my dad to use an eastern forehand grip and to hit flat. If I switched my grip to between an eastern and semi-western, (would that be called semi-eastern?) would I be able to produce topspin (even just a little) with a closed stance?
Click to expand...

goof you can make topspin even with an eastern. swing low to high abit steeper and hit the ball early. that changed grip will help but still i can hit better than average topspin with a continental grip you just gotta have some fun with it is all. think PETE SAMPRAS smallest stick but the most spin. in 2001 or 2002 they tested who puts more rpms on the ball. and my more than double it went to pistol pete. pete once hit a serve at rafter and it went clean through the string bed. now thats some spin
 
Slazenger

Slazenger

Professional
paulfreda said:
I did not mean to say it was not possible.
It just isn't a natural technique; top from a closed stance.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: Exactly what is unnatural about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNm-Vo38Jeo&mode=related&search=

I know you are in love with extreme grips but try to be objective in your advice. Especially to people who do not have the technique or the strength to make these grips feasible for them.

paulfreda said:
Look at old clips of tennis back before 1975.
It was all flat balls and cut shots. Especially the women.
Did Mac or Jimmy hit top ? Rarely.
This is because the game was played on grass and equipment was wood with very small heads. I cannot believe how small my old T2000 is.
The modern extreme grips [which allow and encourage more open stances] came in as grass faded from being the dominant surface and equipment began using technologies available. First metal then graphite, then composites.
Yes many still play with Easterns now.
But they rarely are known for hitting lots of topspin.
Why do you think Lyndsey hits so many reverse FHs ?
And name me any player who hits Eastern who wins on clay.
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what this has to do with the original post. We aren't talking about pros here.

Anyways to the OP, you can produce plenty of topspin with a closed stance with your grip.
 
N

NLBwell

Legend
Great job, Slazenger. Shows that people who say you can only hit a shot one way (especially only the "modern" way) are being silly.
 
soyizgood

soyizgood

G.O.A.T.
racquet_jedi said:
I was taught by my dad to use an eastern forehand grip and to hit flat. If I switched my grip to between an eastern and semi-western, (would that be called semi-eastern?) would I be able to produce topspin (even just a little) with a closed stance?
Click to expand...

It's called extreme eastern. I use that grip and it allows for good topspin and for hitting flat. It feels more natural for me to use that grip.
 
soyizgood

soyizgood

G.O.A.T.
Closed stance works for Eastern type grips because their contact point is closer than that of a semi-Western/Western grip. Because Eastern generates a flatter-type stroke, there's no real need to open up the stance so much. The topspin from a Eastern stroke tends to bounce at the other person and dips low, rather than bouncing really high. With Eastern, the goal is to hit deep, low, and with good court angling.

I hit my stroke, extreme Eastern, with a mostly closed stance. I will open it up just a tiny bit so I can hit the ball more in front of me. But I can generate topspin with a closed stance for as long as I don't wait for the ball to dip too low for my comfort zone.
 
LafayetteHitter

LafayetteHitter

Hall of Fame
Uthree said:
This is the old chestnut isn't it closed v open stance. Even the top biomechanists coaches can't agree on it. Love to see them head to head. So its what you experience I suppose. I sat open stance unless out of position. Many coaches still teach closed stance for beginners which then then have to re-teach which then needs to be retaught.
Click to expand...

I've often wondered if some coaches do this to keep the cash flow coming. Not knocking any of the teaching pros here but i've heard this mentioned by others as well locally. I was taught closed stance for about 6 or 8 months and then basically had the coach switch me over to open stance which then felt odd after hitting closed stance since the beginning. I just couldn't help but wonder if it make it confusing by switching midstream was a cash flow insurance program to help pay for the Hummer.
 
B

BillH

Rookie
I've always thought that the development of the open stance had more to do with footwork and the ability to recover back to the middle of court than producing a certain type of spin. When your front foot is crossed over in front of your back foot, it is more difficult to move sideways as qucikly as from an open stance.
 
U

Uthree

Rookie
LafayetteHitter said:
I've often wondered if some coaches do this to keep the cash flow coming. Not knocking any of the teaching pros here but i've heard this mentioned by others as well locally. I was taught closed stance for about 6 or 8 months and then basically had the coach switch me over to open stance which then felt odd after hitting closed stance since the beginning. I just couldn't help but wonder if it make it confusing by switching midstream was a cash flow insurance program to help pay for the Hummer.
Click to expand...


Coaches motives are genuine but I’d like to see them consider that teaching open stance may be better for beginners. At the moment the open stance preference may still be a minority view.
 
U

Uthree

Rookie
BillH said:
I've always thought that the development of the open stance had more to do with footwork and the ability to recover back to the middle of court than producing a certain type of spin. When your front foot is crossed over in front of your back foot, it is more difficult to move sideways as qucikly as from an open stance.
Click to expand...

Good for movement and also the ideal way to hit the ball. Better for balance, consistency and injury prevention.
 
P

paulfreda

Hall of Fame
Coaches should really teach both as there are advantages and disadvantages for both. But coaches are human and may not be able to or want to teach what they are not personally comfortable with. That is why an eclectic approach is valuable; learn from several coaches as few have a grasp of all the complexities of tennis [or most any discipline for that matter].
 
U

Uthree

Rookie
paulfreda said:
Coaches should really teach both as there are advantages and disadvantages for both. But coaches are human and may not be able to or want to teach what they are not personally comfortable with. That is why an eclectic approach is valuable; learn from several coaches as few have a grasp of all the complexities of tennis [or most any discipline for that matter].
Click to expand...

Yes coaches do teach what is personnally comfortable for them. Often the players have to learn the closed stance first which may not be personally comfortable for them and they don't know of any other option. As a student I have experienced this and so have others.
 
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