They are trying to psych you into hitting all your shots to their back hand, so they have less court to cover. Hit to their forehand to open up their back hand. They will usually go inside out to your back hand, forcing you to go back cross court with your back hand to their inside out forehand. The first short back hand should be struck down the line to their fh. Then you cover the cc shot to your fh. Then take your fh dtl to their bh it the shot is there. If it's not, then you go back cc to their fh. Disguise also helps. If you show them that you are going inside out to their bh, they will cheat to that side, esp. if their bh sucks.
How to play someone who runs around their back hand to hit all forehands.
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Dreamer
Professional
If they like to run around you can try a few things according to your strengths.
1. Hit deeper/penetrate.
2. Focus more on angles.
3. Take a few on the rise.
4. Hit behind them.
I guess all of these strategies reduce time and exploits positional weakness. Players who run around usually have more ground to recover if they bias too much.
Harder to take advantage if they are gazelles, lol.
1. Hit deeper/penetrate.
2. Focus more on angles.
3. Take a few on the rise.
4. Hit behind them.
I guess all of these strategies reduce time and exploits positional weakness. Players who run around usually have more ground to recover if they bias too much.
Harder to take advantage if they are gazelles, lol.
armsty
Hall of Fame
I love playing guys who like to run around. This gives me an advantage as I like to come to the net and take the ball on the rise as early as I can.
Time is key here. The less time between them hitting shots is crucial. If you can take this away from them by meeting the ball inside the court, hitting deep shots causing them to hit short, etc. this will mean they will need to be quicker to get around the ball.
If you're given a short ball, short angles back will also limit their ability to get around the ball.
Time is key here. The less time between them hitting shots is crucial. If you can take this away from them by meeting the ball inside the court, hitting deep shots causing them to hit short, etc. this will mean they will need to be quicker to get around the ball.
If you're given a short ball, short angles back will also limit their ability to get around the ball.
masterxfob
Semi-Pro
i play a guy like that and he does have an amazing fh, but with **** poor accuracy. most shots come down the middle and are easily redirected to put him on the defensive.
if someone is going to run around their bh all day, they had better have an amazing fh with pinpoint accuracy.
if someone is going to run around their bh all day, they had better have an amazing fh with pinpoint accuracy.
I have superior form in my backhand compared to my forehand but still run around sometimes
Same here. Leaves the fh open.
GetBetterer
Hall of Fame
Nadal does this a lot and most of the time slices his backhands if they get to his backhand.
Personally, from looking at his two-handed backhand it isn't too successful because he runs around his backhand.
He runs around it so much, he rarely uses it. Not to mention that's a tactic many of the people who have beaten him use - aim for his forehand all the time, so he never uses his backhand.
Personally, from looking at his two-handed backhand it isn't too successful because he runs around his backhand.
He runs around it so much, he rarely uses it. Not to mention that's a tactic many of the people who have beaten him use - aim for his forehand all the time, so he never uses his backhand.
Dreamer
Professional
Nadal has a very good 2hander especially cross court. He has more recently developed a very respectable slice. The problem with aiming for his backhand is his inside out is absolutely devastating. The angles he produces from running around is outrageous. However if you hit it towards his forehand side, the space to create the inside out angle disappears.
Dreamer
Professional
omg here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-6v9J8rZyA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-6v9J8rZyA
5263
G.O.A.T.
notice how steep the swing is and how it goes up and across at contact with almost none of this "thru the ball" type swing
as it goes for a clean winner.
mikeler
Moderator
Another thing you have to do on the 2nd serve is go out to their forehand enough to keep them honest. Otherwise that backhand corner of the service box seems to shrink as the match goes on. You can also get some aces this way. If we are talking righty versus righty, then the short backhand slice down the line to their forehand can be effective since they are usually so far away from it.
Limpinhitter
G.O.A.T.
From the ground, I relentlessly hit all shots cross-court and let my opponent deal with it. Most can't. If you hit a series of CC backhands within 5 feet of the courner and runs around to hit all forehands, as long as he's hitting too deep for you to come to net, just wait for him to make the tactical error of trying to hit one DTL to your forehand and hit that one CC as well. Unless his FH is just so much better than both of your groundies, sooner or later, by hitting all of your groundies CC, he is going to find himself on the run and out of position. If he hits an inside out FH that lands short, then you hit a DTL approach shot and cover the net.
BG had the comment in his book about going to the fh to open up getting to someones backhand which is weak. So go deep to his fh corner, then hit the next shot to the bh corner. Be ready to come in behind this shot, because even if they can get around to hit a fh, it will be a predictable shot you can volley off with some success. Mix up the pattern but if you keep going to fh to open up bh, you can be in control, unless their fh is so good you will lose the ralley to open up the corner.
thebuffman
Professional
OP you are getting great advice. consider this as well. mix in some backhand slice cc. see how they handle the low ball with their forehand. if they lift it short, now you are on offense.
^^ I like this advice, but for other reasons. As someone who runs around the backhand when possible, I find it much physically harder (and tiring) to have to sprint forward and out to run around a short slice shot to my backhand. A couple of these in a row and I am pretty gassed and start slicing back (playing into your game if you have a better slice backhand). Don't get discouraged if the first couple of the opponents shots are straight winners - it is hard to keep up.
GetBetterer
Hall of Fame
Dreamer:
That's not what I've been seeing recently. Recently I've been seeing slices or forehands. Very few backhands (two-handed) from Nadal, although when he does hit them, they're not the best that they used to be when he would allow himself to hit backhands, but that was awhile back when he wasn't full of stamina the way he is now.
That's not what I've been seeing recently. Recently I've been seeing slices or forehands. Very few backhands (two-handed) from Nadal, although when he does hit them, they're not the best that they used to be when he would allow himself to hit backhands, but that was awhile back when he wasn't full of stamina the way he is now.
ci2ca
Semi-Pro
Exactly. People who run around their backhand so much actually move their "center" of the court towards their backhand side leaving their forehand a little more open. So roll the ball crosscourt to open up his backhand then when you get the short ball, you attack any way you want.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
Ya i can tell that rafa is really screwing up
by running around his backhand, like
the last major he just won.
That it one of the
many reasons rafa is the #1 player in the world.
He is the best in the business at running around his
backhand.
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His fh is deadly. His bh is also deadly. Uses it to change pace, with slice, big angles, and flat shots, almost always low on passes. It's one of the best two handers ever. Yet, he runs around it religiously. Even people with better bh than fh, run around their bh. Why is that?
