How do YOU grip the racket for your return?

[Homey]

I am needing help on my backhand returns. When the other person is serving I have the racket held with a semi-western grip forehand. If the servers serves to my forehand I am able to hit with topspin and drive it deep. However, if he serves to my backhand I don't switch grips and I slice the ball back.

When I slice it I usually end up leaving a short return.

Does anybody switch grips during the serve? (Once they see which side it is going on)

Do you hold the racket with a SW forehand grip and then switch to topspin backhand grip? Or vice versa?

Is there anything I can do to improve this, other than just practicing it over and over at a slow speed?

Your help is appreciated.

 

[ls206]

I hold the racquet in the centre (ready position, might be referred to as the 'split step', not sure) with neither forehand nor backhand grip. When I know which shot I'm going to hit, I take the racquet back and change grip whilst doing so.

 

[matchmaker]

What you are indicating is indeed a moot point.

For people with a doublehanded backhand the solution is to take both hands in FH grip, eastern, semiwestern or full western, depending on personal preference. When the ball goes to the backhand the only thing they have to do is change the bottom hand to BH grip, which is easy and quick as they have their top hand on the racquet.

For onehanders it is indeed a bit more complicated as you only have one hand on the grip and usually the other on the throat. You can be surprised by the speed and left with no other option than slicing, because of a lack of time to switch grips.

Some onehanders use a continental, some their FH grip, some even take it in BH grip. The advantage of taking it in FH or BH grip is you know that if it is goin the other way you have to change your grip entirely. If you take it in continental you have to change it whichever way it goes.

 

[Zeppy]

For my ready grip, I usually use continental.

 

[LanEvo]

for returning serves on FH id do east gripa nd either topspin it back to the opponent or slice it, and as for BH its cont. for slice or a flat return

 

[Hot Sauce]

A really loose eastern grip in both hands. My forehand is eastern, and my 2hbh is an eastern/continental.

 

[pabletion]

I grip it with my normal Wester FH grip, and my left on top ready to swith to 2HBH. I had trouble in the past, with changing grips and trying to regurn with a full backhand swing; only practice will help you there buddy, practice and patience, but trust me, it'll come

 

[Necroblood]

Whenever I return I have a variety of options but my personal preference is a double handed backhand grip (even though I'm a one hander). This way you can handle the high arcing topspin or flat. Sometimes if the serve is slow (below 80) then I can slice it cross court. I rarely use a topspin OHB because for me that requires to long a time. Also if you use a two handed return style you can also get the forehand shots, unless of course it is well out of your reach. I put my right hand (dominant) on the eastern grip, while my backhand grip is near a continental.

 

[TennisTrainee]

I hit my fh and 1hbh with the same grip (semiwestern fh)

 

[phucng_10]

Semi-Western for both FH and BH.

 

[B-rian]

Reading position in a SW or an Extreme SW FH and switch to the 2HBH (Continental/SW) if it goes to the backhand side. I usually have my non dominant hand loosely on the racquet in my ready position tho.

 

[snvplayer]

So you have time to change to continental, but no time to change to eastern backhand ?

It's equivalent to saying a person with an extreme western forehand grip doesn't have time to change his grip to continental when returning.

You are probably not recognizing the ball soon enough. Pay extra attention as the server begins his swing....Practice changing your grip quickly and taking a short backswing..

 

[halalula1234]

i really dont grip i just place my hand on the handle loosely on the eastern and another hand on the neck of the raquet and then set my self up for either bh or fh when the ball comes.. i make it loose but tighten once im sure which way the ball is coming

 

[andreh]

The same grip I use for everything else, continental.

 

[kanjii]

With one hand, sometimes two

Back in days, I would hold it ready for a 1hbh ala Lendl style. Now, I hold it ready for extreme western FH.

 

[JediMindTrick]

What I do is I hold the racquet with the continental grip and if the serve is fast I just block/slice it back like the pros do. If the serve is not fast (second serve or weak first serve) then there should be plenty of time to switch the grip as needed.

 

[PimpMyGame]

I usually get ready with FH grip which I can use to chop back if it comes to my (one hand) back hand. If the ball comes over slow enough I can change grips to hit a topspin BH.

 

[adso1973]

I think that depends on the one that it's serving.. if is good at serving or not..

Once I heard Clerc saying to 1BH to get ready in a backhand position for a first serve and on a forehand position on the second one. In order to
- avoid being surprised on the backhand on 1st serves.. as it's easier going from BH to FH than on the other way.
- Use the best shot on the 2nd serve.