Crosscourt forehand rallies are overrated

[WestboroChe]

Never met a player at my level whose backhand is better than my forehand

Given enough time and pressure, they all break down

It’s not “better”. It’s just more reliable. The forehand is the one that does the damage but it’s prone to go off. If Graf is my inspiration on the BH than my FH is inspired by Robby Ginepri. It’s really good when it’s on but when it’s off it’s ugly. Bottom line is I’m comfortable rallying on either side until I get my moment to attack. In the past I was impatient and gave away too many points going for winners or rushing the net.

But yes. Almost everyone’s BH will breakdown if attacked consistently. It’s the nature of the game. Thequestion is do you have the consistency to do while also avoiding your opponents strength? My BH is good but if my FH really disappears that day (which it does do) I’m probably not going to win.

 

[GuyClinch]

Never met a player at my level whose backhand is better than my forehand

Given enough time and pressure, they all break down

This. Whenever I meet a player who says his backhand is better then his forehand - I think okay this guy must have a weak forehand. The backhand is indeed better but it's because of a deficient forehand..

 

[Dartagnan64]

This. Whenever I meet a player who says his backhand is better then his forehand - I think okay this guy must have a weak forehand. The backhand is indeed better but it's because of a deficient forehand..

My forehand is more powerful but my BH is more versatile. I feel comfortable from either wing knowing on the BH side I can hit a 2H drive, a 1H slice or a lethal drop shot. My FH slice and droppers are a mess. I can also swinging volley better from my BH side. Volleys and lobs are about equal.

So "better" is a difficult concept for me to determine. Give me a short ball and I'd prefer to take that on my FH. Give me a low ball or a wide stretch ball and I'd far rather take that on my BH side.

But for sure I'd rather not get into a FH-BH exchange with a lefty. I'll go at their BH and change directions to do so. Of course this will be in the second set when I finally realize they are left handed.

 

[srimes]

My forehand is more powerful but my BH is more versatile. I feel comfortable from either wing knowing on the BH side I can hit a 2H drive, a 1H slice or a lethal drop shot. My FH slice and droppers are a mess. I can also swinging volley better from my BH side. Volleys and lobs are about equal.

So "better" is a difficult concept for me to determine. Give me a short ball and I'd prefer to take that on my FH. Give me a low ball or a wide stretch ball and I'd far rather take that on my BH side.

But for sure I'd rather not get into a FH-BH exchange with a lefty. I'll go at their BH and change directions to do so. Of course this will be in the second set when I finally realize they are left handed.

No doubt my FH is better now, but I went though a brief phase as a junior where I had more confidence in my 2HBH. It just seemed more reliable and I could attack more freely, especially during tournaments. A 2H stroke naturally more stable than a 1H, even if it is more limited. I think it's a mental/confidence thing.

 

[Crocodile]

Judging by the analytics research what we should be working on more is;
1. Serve and next shot
2. Return and next shot
The reason is that most rallies end within 5 strikes at the balk so if you can master these skills well that stats suggest you will win the match 68 percent of the time,
I believe that training should resemble the key parts if the game and just going Criss court rallying for no intended outcome is maybe wasting time. It may make you feel better however because you get a workout,
What I would do is possibly start off with player A feeding cross court followed by a cross court return by player B and then play out the point as a live drill.

 

[GuyClinch]

Judging by the analytics research what we should be working on more is;
1. Serve and next shot
2. Return and next shot
The reason is that most rallies end within 5 strikes at the balk so if you can master these skills well that stats suggest you will win the match 68 percent of the time,
I believe that training should resemble the key parts if the game and just going Criss court rallying for no intended outcome is maybe wasting time. It may make you feel better however because you get a workout,
What I would do is possibly start off with player A feeding cross court followed by a cross court return by player B and then play out the point as a live drill.

Yeah well that is how many people practice hitting cross court - feed it in and then rally cross court. You can make a game out of it - or just practice some drills. I like the "X" drill where one person his DTL and the other hits crosscourt. You want to build up your skills so that things feel "automatic" - its going to be a lot easier to do this on groundstrokes then on serves for rec players. Rec players generally do not have proper serve motions but their groundstrokes can approximate pro ones..