I am a righty but I play with a lefty two-handed forehand and backhand

[palmerpursuit]

I am 17 and just finished my first year on my Varsity Tennis team...I was 11-3 overall and I have a unusual way of playing..I am naturally righty..and I serve right handed but I play with a lefty two-handed forehand and two-handed backhand...In my mind the two-handed backhand is actually my forehand because it is on the right side...I am very fast and I get to pretty much every ball and I have been doing well playing like this...Are there any pros or other players that you have seen playing like I do???

 

[dave333]

I know the number 2 player of one of the best teams in the state is like you except he uses a 1 hand forehand

 

[kingdaddy41788]

Jan-Michael Gambill... but he sucks...

 

[palmerpursuit]

jm-gambill plays with a two handed righty forehand...so its different from me.

 

[Andres]

jm-gambill plays with a two handed righty forehand...so its different from me.

How's a lefty two handed forehand different from a righty two handed forehand? The position of the dominant hand?

 

[Andres]

Wait, a lefty two handed forehand can't ever be hit on the righty forehand side.

Shouldn't be a lefty two handed backhand?

Or is it a weird hybrid with changed hands, ala Santoro?

 

[palmerpursuit]

Yes on a lefty two hander the left hand is at the base while on a two-handed righty forehand the right hand is at the base...gambill is righty and plays with two hands..I think he switches his hands before each shot...But even though I am righty I keep my hands in the lefty two-handed position on both sides.

 

[palmerpursuit]

My forehand is a lefty two-handed backhand and my backhand is a lefty two handed forehand.lol

 

[zapvor]

I am 17 and just finished my first year on my Varsity Tennis team...I was 11-3 overall and I have a unusual way of playing..I am naturally righty..and I serve right handed but I play with a lefty two-handed forehand and two-handed backhand...In my mind the two-handed backhand is actually my forehand because it is on the right side...I am very fast and I get to pretty much every ball and I have been doing well playing like this...Are there any pros or other players that you have seen playing like I do???

santoro! i know someone else that does that and he plays for college div.1

 

[palmerpursuit]

Santoro plays with a two-handed righty forehand NOT a two-handed lefty backhand....soo I dont play like him.

 

[Tennismastery]

Gene Mayer was a right-handed player who served right-handed, volleyed right handed and overheads were right handed. However, his ground strokes were two-handed on both sides with his dominant hand choked up as the top hand and his left hand was the bottom hand.

Jan-Michael, was right handed but switched position of his left hand, being two-handed on his right side, (resembling a left handed backhand), and then hit a conventional two-handed backhand on his left side.

Monica Seles, Santoro, Marion Bartoli, Peng Shuai, Akiko Morigami, Akiko Nakamura, among others, all play with two-handed forehanda and backhands with their dominant hand remaining on the bottom hand for both sides.

 

[zapvor]

Santoro plays with a two-handed righty forehand NOT a two-handed lefty backhand....soo I dont play like him.

yea but its the same concept. hes righty and you are lefty. but its the same.

 

[stevekim8]

nadal is naturally a righty (it's true)
but he has lefty forehand and two handed backhand
(like you!)
hehe

 

[J to tha C]

Yeh there is a player who plays down at the club where i teach..
Imo (thats my opinion ownly) he is restricting himself to a full variety of shots, wen u play the slice or fh/bh volley do you still use 2 hands?

 

[palmerpursuit]

When I volley I use just my left hand on my forehand side(like a lefty)and I keep two hands for a backahnd volley...I also slice the ball all the time using just my left hand(hand at the bottom of the racquet)on my forehand side.

 

[J to tha C]

Ok well its an interesting tatic and if it suits your play good on you, there are no rules against this although it isnt really seen in mainstream tennis because of the limitations it causes.
Try playing left handed: single fh and dbh and see what occurs. Obviously may feel wierd at first but i believe you would benefit from having a strong right hand.