Do any high level servers use Eastern BH grip for serve?

HunterST

HunterST

Hall of Fame
I have heard that an eastern backhand grip can be used on the serve to gain some spin and consistency. I've tried it out briefly, and it did seem to help. I can't, however, find one pro using the grip.

Federer clearly using a continental
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApuRt5-gU5Y

Roddick with continental
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9iN1qPaKtw


If these top level servers aren't doing it, it doesn't seem like I should adopt it. Do you think any pros use this grip?
 
Lukhas

Lukhas

Legend
Spin? No. Consistency? For flat yes, it's not a mystery beginners use eastern forehand grip, it's easier to make the racquet head face the ball like this.
 
L

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Don't think any of the guys use a full on eastern backhand for their twist and kick serves.
Instead, they use a continental grip with a half way towards eastern backhand grip.
The consistency is the high arcing flight of the ball, lots of net clearance, dropping well inside the service line, with a full swing speed, but maybe 40 mph slower than their fastest flat serves hit with a grip more towards true conti, or even a dose of eForehand in their conti grips.
You should TRY hitting full eastern backhand on serves. All spin, no pace.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
thejackal said:
edberg, karlovic

raonic and stepanek are maybes
Click to expand...

I just checked pictures I have of Raonic serving and he is holding a continental with an exaggerated pistol grip. I can't find a picture or video in which he's holding an Eastern bh.

Also, I just watched a video of Karlovic, and while he does this weird release with his hand during the serve windup, the slow motion seems to suggest he's actually hitting with a continental grip. Do you have any link to videos or pictures showing him hitting with an Eastern bh?

I don't know about Stepanek, but I can believe Edberg might have used something close to an eastern bh.

Seems to me that an eastern bh grip is rare on the pro tour, unless we talk about cheating over a little bit that direction as LeeD suggests.
 
WildVolley

WildVolley

Legend
PhrygianDominant said:
Djokovic has a grip similar to eastern backhand, so does verdasco, and Sam Stosur.
Click to expand...

How are people defining eastern bh grip? I've always defined the modern eastern bh grip as having the index knuckle on bevel 1 (or the top bevel).

Using that definition, it seems to me that Verdasco holds a continental when serving as seen in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5kHID2vKLE

Djokovic holds more like an eastern bh but I'd define it as either an eastern bh cheated towards continental or a continental cheated towards eastern bh. The pure eastern bh just seems quite rare from my study of video.
 
T

TimothyO

Hall of Fame
The Isomotion31 said:
I used to use it a lot for my second serve. Sometimes go back to it if I'm just not feeling it that day.
Click to expand...

Same here. For flat serve I use continental and make contact more to the front/further out and higher, for spin I use EBH and make contact closer in and lower.

And I must note that it was fellow TT members who provided key advice to help with my serve over the last year. I no longer fear serving and instead see it as an opportunity.
 
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