Open stance backhand?

TheShaun

Hall of Fame
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg
 

A.J. Sim

Rookie
hmm, you do have a point. I prefer a closed stance myself and most pros like Henin and Fed (who have the best one handers in the game) use a closed stance. It's stable and comfortable so why not use it?

Petr Korda uses an open stance in this photo:

Korda5.jpg
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg

I'll occasionally use an open stance if I'm not in position or in an awkward position.
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg


Is your backhand 1 or 2 hand? It appears that two-handers hit with a more open stance.
 

TheShaun

Hall of Fame
i use a 1 hander and the instructor knows because she tried to get me to change my stance after watching me hit.

surely i'll hit the occasional shot with an open stance because of the position i'm in. but if i have time to set up there's no way i'm going to hit a backhand as though i'm hitting an open stance forehand.
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
i use a 1 hander and the instructor knows because she tried to get me to change my stance after watching me hit.

surely i'll hit the occasional shot with an open stance because of the position i'm in. but if i have time to set up there's no way i'm going to hit a backhand as though i'm hitting an open stance forehand.

I agree...
 

Rickson

G.O.A.T.
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg

A 1hbh is supposed to be hit with a closed stance. Your female instructor must be a 2 hander. She sounds like a
bimbo to think that all backhands should be hit with an open stance. A 1hbh can be hit with an open stance
during emergency situations, but ideally, it should be done with a closed stance.
 

curio

New User
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible.
It's quite hard to master but not impossible.
Proper weight transfer and really driving through the ball to accelate the game is especially difficult with an open stance backhand
when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?
OK, open stance one-hand backhand is really useful for return of service and... some emergencies :p.

But the fact that she told you that close stance backhand is obsolete proves that she really don't know what she is talking about:shock:
 

Jonny S&V

Hall of Fame
hmm, you do have a point. I prefer a closed stance myself and most pros like Henin and Fed (who have the best one handers in the game) use a closed stance. It's stable and comfortable so why not use it?

Petr Korda uses an open stance in this photo:

Korda5.jpg

Actually, I think he started by stepping into the ball with his left leg and then opened up into the ball since he was on the run.
 

Uthree

Rookie
practicing backhands off the backfoot is is good coaching. Maybe the coach could have said 'coaching ONLY closed backhands is old school'.
 

msc886

Professional
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg

Seems like your coach needs to be coached. 1 handed backhands will always be done best with closed stance (even the 2 hander is hit best with semi closed or closed stance). Obviously it can't be old school if almost all the 1 hbh pros use it. However having a good open stanced backhand is good when you're out of position. If you want to practice that, play table tennis with tennis strokes and you'll hit open stanced backhands a lot.
 

Skycat

Rookie
I personally have never seen any pro who hits 1hbh with open stance when he/she has enough time to set up.
I know many two handers often hit backhand with open stance, myself also, but 1hbh with open stance?:confused:
 

Jonny S&V

Hall of Fame
I personally have never seen any pro who hits 1hbh with open stance when he/she has enough time to set up.
I know many two handers often hit backhand with open stance, myself also, but 1hbh with open stance?:confused:

Actually, I just remembered that Kuerten would do it on clay a lot. Is this just me?
 

Chauvalito

Hall of Fame
I personally have never seen any pro who hits 1hbh with open stance when he/she has enough time to set up.
I know many two handers often hit backhand with open stance, myself also, but 1hbh with open stance?:confused:

I haven't either.

Do not listen to your coach, return of serve, desperation shots sure, but never when you have time to setup.

Even the Fed when under pressure will sometimes do a little jump/hop to get into a closed stance before he hits the ball.

Gasquet is part of the modern generation, does he hit with an open stanced one hander.

Your coach could be nominated for giving the worse advice ever for stroke technique...I'm not exaggerating
 

ericwong

Rookie
I personally feel a closed stance is a viable choice to hit a 1BH. That is because you need the unit turn to gain enough leverage to drive the ball. An open stance is used during emergencies or returning hard serves. Sometimes open stance can lead to unforced error if the pace is low and most likely , will shank the shot.
 

Uthree

Rookie
I haven't either.

Do not listen to your coach, return of serve, desperation shots sure, but never when you have time to setup.

Even the Fed when under pressure will sometimes do a little jump/hop to get into a closed stance before he hits the ball.

Gasquet is part of the modern generation, does he hit with an open stanced one hander.

Your coach could be nominated for giving the worse advice ever for stroke technique...I'm not exaggerating

its fascinating to see an an alternative idea shot down in flames. Open stance one handed backhand why not? maybe Federer would have won the French Open if he hit more opens stance bhs. why can't we think ahead of the top players instead of being locked in to their weaknesses
 

BURN-E

New User
I'll take terms like new and oldskool just to make things easier... In my opinion there is no newskool because it is also really old stuff allready..

For one handed I don't really know, but if you have a two handed backhand open stance is the key.
(Okay, for some it isn't, and that's because they play the "old-school" way..

In my opinion; The oldschool way, you hit the ball and make a swing towards it.
try to imagine it like a line of points, where you hit the ball and take it on the line wth your racquet.
--> less spin)

New-school.. (which is as old as oldschool) you try to move your racquet in the opposite way then where you want to hit it. You only touch the ball in one point and you "smudge?" it away.
So you make a lot of spin.

In this "newschool" movement the open stance is the key.
when your legs are in close stance you simply can't move your arms and body to the other side of your body, you get blocked.
In open stance this is much easier and smoother. your arms and body can turn whole the way and there is no resistance of the body.

and also remember, if your righthanded:
The lefthand is the engine/boss; 80%
The righthand is it's helper 20%
You'll have to picture them as a mechanisme, a ?leverage?




Sorry for the english but hope you know something more now... Maybe you can put this theory on one handed backhand..
But this is why open stance is used in 2HBH
 

Uthree

Rookie
I'll take terms like new and oldskool just to make things easier... In my opinion there is no newskool because it is also really old stuff allready..

In this "newschool" movement the open stance is the key.
when your legs are in close stance you simply can't move your arms and body to the other side of your body, you get blocked.
In open stance this is much easier and smoother. your arms and body can turn whole the way and there is no resistance of the body.

One school of thought is that most players could improve by getting the feet more open on some shots. Its fair to say these are not new theories but I'm told by coaches its not easy to teach this way. Anyway when I stopped lessons and moved my feet more open on all shots (including volleys) my game improved heaps. I'm interested if others have had the same experience.
 

chess9

Hall of Fame
I haven't either.

Do not listen to your coach, return of serve, desperation shots sure, but never when you have time to setup.

Even the Fed when under pressure will sometimes do a little jump/hop to get into a closed stance before he hits the ball.

Gasquet is part of the modern generation, does he hit with an open stanced one hander.

Your coach could be nominated for giving the worse advice ever for stroke technique...I'm not exaggerating

Well, I demur. :) Just a mild demurrer, your honor.

IF, and that's a big IF, you are very flexible in the torso, such as one finds in tall thin folks, then that shot might be doable. I am flexible in the upper body, though only 6' tall, and I often hit that shot when in a hurry. It is not a good shot for me because I was classically trained in the 1950's and '60's.

Just my humble opinion. :) I'm sure I'm wrong as usual.

-Robert
 

Solat

Professional
are you sure that your coach was encouraging stepping forward on your left foot? coz that isnt open stance, that is stupid.

open stance would be if the feet were level
 

In D Zone

Hall of Fame
Open Stance 1hbh is only use for defensive purpose or return serve. To use for all shots - you must have a big arm and upper should strength to be able to plow throw the ball.

The rest is already covered by everyone else in this forum.
 

Carlito

Semi-Pro
I have never even heard of the idea of an open stanced backhand, Either one handed or two handed. I understand haveing to do it if caught out of position or off balanced. But to say left foot in front on a one hander is rediculous. If a coach told me that I would start looking for another coach.

That picture of Korda is misleading. That guy had a text book backhand. One of the best in the game. He must have just been out of position in that shot.
 
I use an open stance BH when im on the run or pulled out wide. Look at the williams sisters for examples.

When im not chasing down the ball, i close my stance
 
I just came back from a drill session where i was told by the instructor to use an open stance back hand. as in left leg in front, right leg behind. i'm working on my one handed backhand so i found this to be rather uncomfortable if not impossible. when i told the instructor that i prefer to lead with my right foot, a more closed stance, she told me closed stance is old school, nobody does it, don't do it! when i'm practicing my back hand i try to picture roger or justine, if a closed stance is good enough for no.1's why isn't it good enough for me?

2006_08_08_federer_backhand_1.jpg

2007_07_25_henin_swing_2.jpg

If you are using the one-hander then definitley use the close stance for the back-hand. But if you are a two-hander (like me), the explore the open-stance back-hand. One thing I found that works for me is that I recover more quickly then when I'm using a close-stance. It will also help you to return off the back-hand wing better on hard serves, since most of the time you don't have time to get into position to hit the close-stance (although some pros still do) :?
 
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