Switching grip

[Alvaro3663]

I've always used semi western for the forehand and continental for the backhand. Just last week I started using an eastern backhand and it feels that switching from bevel 4 to bevel 1 is too far away. Does anyone switch from 4 to 5 and hit the ball always with the same face of the racquet? Seems odd to me, but it is a shorter path. What about if you play full western forehand and eastern backhand, do you need to switch 180 degrees or you just keep the same grip?

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Have you tried the 4 to 5 switch? Give it a while and it may start to feel natural in a relatively short time. There have been some elite players who have hit with the same face.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Alberto Berasategui ('94 French Open final) is the first player that I became aware of who used the same face of the racquet for hitting FHs and BHs. Pretty sure there have been others since.

 

[Alvaro3663]

I tried the 4 5 switch just hitting balls, not playing. Right now, the action of thinking about switching it to the other side messes with my mind. Is there any downside of hitting with the same face? Do the strings suffer?

 

[heninfan99]

There are a few legends of tennis that hit with same side of the racquet for both fh and bh they include Alberto Berasategu and @Shroud

Switching a bevel is optional for them.

 

[TennisCJC]

Com' on man. Justine had SW on the forehand and an extreme eastern on the backhand - see her video below. She was close to bevel 8 on the backhand. It can be done. She uses her off hand to switch the racket face as she turns her shoulders. You'll have to practice and commit to split step (so you react quickly), early turn of the shoulders and mastering changing the racket face angle as you turn your shoulders.

Stan Wawrinka also uses similar grips and he uses opposite sides of the frame.

I like changing sides of the racket but I really cannot give you any logical reasons why. Only a few pros have used the same side. I did saw a rec player who used the same side of the racket a few weeks ago and he was a pretty solid player. If you use the same side of the racket you'll have to change from your EBH to SW which is a one bevel change.

What if you want a conti for a sliced backhand?

All in all, it seems simpler to use opposite sides to me.

 

[Shroud]

I tried the 4 5 switch just hitting balls, not playing. Right now, the action of thinking about switching it to the other side messes with my mind. Is there any downside of hitting with the same face? Do the strings suffer?

I never change grips between fh and bh using a sw fh grip for both fh and bh. Or a western fh grip for both. Yes hit on the same side of the stringbed. Strings wont suffer since odds are at one point you will switch to the other side of the stringbed and it all evens out

Only big upsides imho

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I tried the 4 5 switch just hitting balls, not playing. Right now, the action of thinking about switching it to the other side messes with my mind. Is there any downside of hitting with the same face? Do the strings suffer?

You never spin racket in your hand between points? Many, if not most, players do. Even if you use the same face for FHs and BHs, is that face always going to be the very same one from game to game? Or even point to point?

 

[dct693]

I use the same side of the racquet for all groundstrokes. Forehand is semi-western. Backhand is mid-way between semi-western and Eastern. It's a minimal grip change. Changing to Continental for slice and volleys takes the longest.

 

[weelie]

In an effort to optimize, I did once try to start using the same side, to mimimize switching between eastern backhand and semi-western forehand. Did not work for me. Maybe if I had full western, it made sense, otherwise it just feels like extra juggling for no real benefit.

In my ready position, I have a forehand grip for both hands. The 2HBH is not that fussy, so if I am in a hurry, it probably does not matter if I would have continental or eastern backhand as the dominant hand grip. My grip is the the eastern, which is probably due to having played one hander as a kid. Slice is with continental, so I have tried playing 2hbh with continental as well, as one coach suggested using that grip... felt awkward to me.

 

[Mugu]

Com' on man. Justine had SW on the forehand and an extreme eastern on the backhand - see her video below. She was close to bevel 8 on the backhand. It can be done. She uses her off hand to switch the racket face as she turns her shoulders. You'll have to practice and commit to split step (so you react quickly), early turn of the shoulders and mastering changing the racket face angle as you turn your shoulders.

Stan Wawrinka also uses similar grips and he uses opposite sides of the frame.

I like changing sides of the racket but I really cannot give you any logical reasons why. Only a few pros have used the same side. I did saw a rec player who used the same side of the racket a few weeks ago and he was a pretty solid player. If you use the same side of the racket you'll have to change from your EBH to SW which is a one bevel change.

What if you want a conti for a sliced backhand?

All in all, it seems simpler to use opposite sides to me.

her follow through on the backhand is incredible. maybe she retired because her arm fell off!