Eastern BH grip for slice?

[x Southpaw x]

Just wondering... am I the only one that uses an eastern backhand grip for my backhand slice? I use it because I have a one-hand topspin backhand and I can execute both slice and topspin from a similar takeback, plus, it also seems to have more bite and a nice lefty sidespin... BUT... it seems that EVERY pro uses the continental for their backhand slice. Surely if every pro use the continental, there must be some big reason I'm unaware of...
(PS, not just defensive slice, pros seem to use the continental for offensive slice)

 

[Pomeranian]

I use a continental grip because it's the most effective grip for me. There are other players who can use eastern bh for slice effectively, but for me continental provides the perfect angle and versitility for a defensive shot, lobs, approach, or more of a driving slice. I've experimented with the backhand eastern and it doesn't feel normal for my wrist and my racquet angle isn't open enough.

I would say experiment with continental. For most people it's the most comfortable grip for slice.

 

[str33t]

ive also tried hitting slices with an eastern backhand grip. it works for me. somehow its more powerful and has more bite, but you cant get to low or high balls

 

[Rickson]

Eastern can be used for slice. I use an in between continental and eastern for slice backhands and a strong eastern for drives.

 

[Slazenger]

Just wondering... am I the only one that uses an eastern backhand grip for my backhand slice? I use it because I have a one-hand topspin backhand and I can execute both slice and topspin from a similar takeback, plus, it also seems to have more bite and a nice lefty sidespin... BUT... it seems that EVERY pro uses the continental for their backhand slice. Surely if every pro use the continental, there must be some big reason I'm unaware of...
(PS, not just defensive slice, pros seem to use the continental for offensive slice)

The eastern BH grip squares the racquet face so it's easy to get those biting slices. It requires wrist manipulation to open the racquet face though so it's not good for low balls.

With the continental, you can square the racquet face or open it easily. Good for high balls, low balls, offensive and defensive slices. It's also better for dropshots.

 

[paulfreda]

I slice about half to 3/4's of the time with my SWBH grip. (Wide or very low ball I switch to Continental)
I fan it open on the takeback ... ala Guga's takeback ... and hold on not breaking my wrist thru the ball with a little coming under action with the hitting face finishing facing the sky.
I also like the fact that with this identical takeback, I can rotate (suppinate) my forearm and hit topspin or flat very effectively and consistently.

Slicing with an EasternBH grip is a fine technique.
I think Fed hits many of his slices with this grip ... so if he can do it well, so can you.

 

[mucat]

I use eastern BH grip for slice too! Same reason as you do, eastern BH for topspin and flat, so use same grip for slice. I use to use continental for slice, but back then I use 2HBH, so a grip change was unavoidable anyway.

I can hit high ball, low ball slice with this grip. What I found is, with the eastern grip, the contact point is more in front of me than the continental grip. So I will not be able to slice with this grip if I am late.

 

[Slazenger]

I slice about half to 3/4's of the time with my SWBH grip. (Wide or very low ball I switch to Continental)
I fan it open on the takeback ... ala Guga's takeback ... and hold on not breaking my wrist thru the ball with a little coming under action with the hitting face finishing facing the sky.
I also like the fact that with this identical takeback, I can rotate (suppinate) my forearm and hit topspin or flat very effectively and consistently.

Slicing with an EasternBH grip is a fine technique.
I think Fed hits many of his slices with this grip ... so if he can do it well, so can you.

How on earth do you slice with a SWBH grip?????
I hit with this grip as well and it is poorly suited for slice. That's just the fact.

BTW Fed slices with a continental.

 

[paulfreda]

How on earth do you slice with a SWBH grip?????
I hit with this grip as well and it is poorly suited for slice. That's just the fact.
---------------------------

Well I first learned this when watching a top player at my club take high balls on BH side on ROS facing a kick serve. He would demolish the guy. I spoke to him about it and tried it out. SWBH grip on high BH balls. Then as I kept working with it I had this idea I could not use it on normal or low balls. And this turned out not to be true.
The two keys for success I found were ....
1/ Fan it way .... way open on takeback. Feels strange at first on your wrist.
2/ Do NOT break or move your wrist thru the shot, even at the end when the ball is long gone.
That's it.
I can hit any ball I am not rushed for (cannot be late) or too wide as long as it is not too far below the knee. For an ankle level ball I switch to Cont.

When I have plenty of time I can wind up and hit the thing really hard and it slides like crazy on the other side.

It tends to give the opponent short balls, so you have to compensate somehow. But this is often a great change of pace making a baseliner forced to move forward.

Try it.
------------
Edit in; Of course everything above is about hitting slice/underspin.

 

[ShcMad]

Just wondering... am I the only one that uses an eastern backhand grip for my backhand slice? I use it because I have a one-hand topspin backhand and I can execute both slice and topspin from a similar takeback, plus, it also seems to have more bite and a nice lefty sidespin... BUT... it seems that EVERY pro uses the continental for their backhand slice. Surely if every pro use the continental, there must be some big reason I'm unaware of...
(PS, not just defensive slice, pros seem to use the continental for offensive slice)

I believe there's quite a few people on the board using the eastern bh grip for slices. Now, among pros, I don't think there's any. Maybe... maybe Steffi Graf used to, but I ain't sure about it. Some ppl dub it the "German Slice."
But, anyways, as posters above said, it's hard to slice with that grip on low-bouncing balls because it's such an offensive slicing grip that has more of a closed face than the continental grip. Shoulder-height bouncing balls would be easier to manipulate with that grip since you'll be able to use it for penetrating slices that push your opponent deep behind the baseline.
I believe pros use continental bcuz they're just able to slice just as good with that grip.
To tell you the truth, I myself am practicing the bh slice these days cuz I suck at it. I either end up framing the ball or hitting a floater everytime I try... I mean I know the concept, but I just cant seem to hit it well constantly. It's just embarassing for me to hit 1-handed topspin backhands on shoulder-height balls knowing my slice sucks.

 

[Slazenger]

As an aside, imo Guga doesn't hit with a SW backhand grip.
It looks full eastern to me. His knuckles are all lined on the top bevel

Compare to JHH whose index finger knuckle is on top left bevel, but her knuckles are slanted with the last couple almost on the top right (continental) bevel.
This IMO is a SWBH grip.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Just wondering... am I the only one that uses an eastern backhand grip for my backhand slice? I use it because I have a one-hand topspin backhand and I can execute both slice and topspin from a similar takeback, plus, it also seems to have more bite and a nice lefty sidespin... BUT... it seems that EVERY pro uses the continental for their backhand slice. Surely if every pro use the continental, there must be some big reason I'm unaware of...
(PS, not just defensive slice, pros seem to use the continental for offensive slice)

You are not the only one. The EBH grip is a good grip to hit slices. Depending on who you watch, the grips range from the Continental to the Eastern backhand with many players lying inbetween these two grip choices.

I happen to like the Eastern for slices as well.

 

[Yuki Kirihara]

Steffi used continental for slices, I'm pretty sure. Or at least she did sometimes, I found a picture of it somewhere earlier and it definitely looked like a continental to me.

I started using a mild eastern backhand and came over to continental naturally.

I had too much drive, and the the continental grip gave more spin. So while it seems for all of you the eastern gave more bite, the continental gave me the bite I needed. It went from a hard shot that bit (not at all bad) to a driving shot that skids.

Works quite well for me.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Steffi used continental for slices, I'm pretty sure. Or at least she did sometimes, I found a picture of it somewhere earlier and it definitely looked like a continental to me.

I started using a mild eastern backhand and came over to continental naturally.

I had too much drive, and the the continental grip gave more spin. So while it seems for all of you the eastern gave more bite, the continental gave me the bite I needed. It went from a hard shot that bit (not at all bad) to a driving shot that skids.

Works quite well for me.

Everyone is different aren't they. I have also found that adjusting my grip a bit on days I am not hitting the slice well also helps me groove it back in whether that is more towards continental or eastern.

 

[ask1ed]

The continental: place your racquet in front of you, so that the frame is edge on and you can't see the face or strings at all. It's sort of like a wind shield wiper blade, out in front, as you move it side to side, and volley that far out in front of you. No time to change grips at the net, and that's why virutally all pros use it at the net and to slice off bh. The players like Agassi who use ebh grips are bad volleyers, on a pro scale. Rafter, Edberg, Sampras, Fed, Cash, Becker, Roche, Laver, all used the continental to bh/fh volley, due to time lacking at the net, and can be opened or closed on line with ball. Some pop ups occur, not due to grip, but due to coming from too high and "chopping down" on the ball, rather than punching through on a horizontally identical plane as ball flight path.

Here is a video of Rafter using a continental on bh volley, and a general good site for volley tips:http://www.jericho.ca/tennis/The Backhand Volley.htm

Notice on the video of rafter his racquet lined up exactly on plane with his forearm, the continental grip, which is far more flexible on low balls/high/medium than the ebh grip, which places the racquet behind the forearm, and palm on top of the bevels.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

The continental: place your racquet in front of you, so that the frame is edge on and you can't see the face or strings at all. It's sort of like a wind shield wiper blade, out in front, as you move it side to side, and volley that far out in front of you. No time to change grips at the net, and that's why virutally all pros use it at the net and to slice off bh. The players like Agassi who use ebh grips are bad volleyers, on a pro scale. Rafter, Edberg, Sampras, Fed, Cash, Becker, Roche, Laver, all used the continental to bh/fh volley, due to time lacking at the net, and can be opened or closed on line with ball. Some pop ups occur, not due to grip, but due to coming from too high and "chopping down" on the ball, rather than punching through on a horizontally identical plane as ball flight path.

Rafter also use an Eastern backhand grip for volleys and so do other pros.

You are wrong again.

I will agree with you that the preferred grip is continental from the standpoint of no grip change but pros use the easterns to volleys as well. I proved this in a video of Rafter making a volley in an eastern grip.

Most of the "popping" up is because of the arm moving from the elbow or wrist too much. When the volley motion moves predominantly from the shoulder, there is less chance for popping up. It helps a player to control the balde of the racquet at contact.

 

[ask1ed]

Maybe we should take another poll: watch the rafter video: Is he using the ebh or the con. grip? By def. he's using the con. grip. with racquet lined up online with forearm, in windshield wiper mode. I guess you're wrong again. The ebh places the rac. behind the forearm and palm on top of the rac. I know of no pro using the ebh but Agassi, and look at his ohb volley. Sucks. If you want to be a good volleyer, use the continental grip, for baseline slices as well.

 

[Mahboob Khan]

I use a version of Eastern BH grip for my slice. With continental grip my wrist is in a sensitive position and I can't use it. I know many Pros use continental grip for slice. It is possible to hit slices with eastern bh grip. It's just a matter of practice.

 

[ramseszerg]

eastern-driving, offensive slice, when you have time to set up
continental-defensive slice on the run, or for dropshots (technically also a slice shot)

so, my advice is learn both if you are serious about going up one on that ntrp ranking.

 

[mucat]

Some posters mentioned eastern BH grip is not good for low ball. I use this grip and I do not have problem slicing low ball. Can anyone explain why the problem with low ball? BB?

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Some posters mentioned eastern BH grip is not good for low ball. I use this grip and I do not have problem slicing low ball. Can anyone explain why the problem with low ball? BB?

It is the wrist angle that some players have with the EBH that calls for the face to be a little too closed. On lower balls, many players like the natural wrist bend and the continental grip combination to have the face open a tad. With the Eastern backhand grip, you will have to bend back the wrist some to get the face angle right.

On ther other hand, if you like the wrist position with the EBH that is fine. Your swing path will help add lift to the ball. I also do not have a problem hitting low balls with the EBH on a slice. It is a nice grip.