The Pro Return: Part1: Compact Classical

[privas]

Ready Position Grips; Coming Over the Ball

John, the return of the first serve using a single handed backhand is a monumental task unless one uses a continental grip and chips the return. Making a grip change to come over the ball seems a bit too difficult, even from a 2/3 grip like Federer in the ready position. Obviously if you can read your opponent's serve, or if there is a certain pattern there, then you can anticipate and favor, say, a backhand grip over a forehand grip in the ready position. However, assuming every thing else is equal in the ready position, would it not be more reasonable, say, if you are a right handed player, to favor a backhand grip in the deuce and a forehand grip in the ad court? I guess one would still have to make a grip change to a continental to chip the opposite side. Oh well. Just a thought. Maybe just gotta hit a million balls, and anticipate. Pedro

[johnyandell]

There is no problem waiting with a backhand return grip. Lendl did it. But in reality the fraction it takes to turn the grip is less than the time for the unit turn so timing isn't really a limitation.

I would agree that most players at most levels will do well with a slice drive or chip return unless the ball is slower and lower.

[tennis_chiro]

How do you make your grip change?

John, the return of the first serve using a single handed backhand is a monumental task unless one uses a continental grip and chips the return. Making a grip change to come over the ball seems a bit too difficult, even from a 2/3 grip like Federer in the ready position. Obviously if you can read your opponent's serve, or if there is a certain pattern there, then you can anticipate and favor, say, a backhand grip over a forehand grip in the ready position. However, assuming every thing else is equal in the ready position, would it not be more reasonable, say, if you are a right handed player, to favor a backhand grip in the deuce and a forehand grip in the ad court? I guess one would still have to make a grip change to a continental to chip the opposite side. Oh well. Just a thought. Maybe just gotta hit a million balls, and anticipate. Pedro

I teach my students to wait with a forehand grip and their non-dominant (left) hand in the backhand grip position so that the left hand is ready to pull the racket back in the backswing while the right hand is moving to the backhand grip. There isn't time to change the grip separately from the backswing when returning a big serve. My assumption is that you do not control the racket with the left hand on the righty forehand backswing, even though the modern forehand keeps the the left hand on the grip until the completion of the unit turn. If you learn it this way from the beginning, you can use your regular forehand grip on forehand returns and regular backhand grip on backhand returns without giving up any time for an extra move. But you have to build the habit from the very beginning. The same is true for changing grips on volleys; it doesn't have to take any more time to change grips on volleys if you learn to make the change as you move toward the ball; but that means the left hand has to be intimately involved in setting up the backhand volley.

When you are forced to lunge wide for a backhand return or volley, you may not be able to use the opposite hand and you will probably be forced halfway into a continental grip.

Also, a lot of players today do control the backswing on the forehand with the left hand as the extreme forehand grip change is made.

don

[bottle]

I've got to-- by now-- go with this "flying grip change" which I first discovered in RACKET WORK: THE KEY TO TENNIS by John M. Barnaby and which has always worked pretty well for me.

But as with anything that Don says, there's always something else, something new that one should perhaps take the time to learn.

That would be the suggestion of a small grip change (flying of course) for a backhand volley with both sides still to be called "continental" at least in my case.

[stotty]

Continental

I teach my students to wait with a forehand grip and their non-dominant (left) hand in the backhand grip position so that the left hand is ready to pull the racket back in the backswing while the right hand is moving to the backhand grip. There isn't time to change the grip separately from the backswing when returning a big serve. My assumption is that you do not control the racket with the left hand on the righty forehand backswing, even though the modern forehand keeps the the left hand on the grip until the completion of the unit turn. If you learn it this way from the beginning, you can use your regular forehand grip on forehand returns and regular backhand grip on backhand returns without giving up any time for an extra move. But you have to build the habit from the very beginning. The same is true for changing grips on volleys; it doesn't have to take any more time to change grips on volleys if you learn to make the change as you move toward the ball; but that means the left hand has to be intimately involved in setting up the backhand volley.

When you are forced to lunge wide for a backhand return or volley, you may not be able to use the opposite hand and you will probably be forced halfway into a continental grip.

Also, a lot of players today do control the backswing on the forehand with the left hand as the extreme forehand grip change is made.

don

In 2008 I watched Nadal play Federer in the Wimbledon final. I was actually there, just a few rows from the action! I watched both players return serve with some scrutiny. I made a point of it.

Federer waits with a central (seems continental) grip and then adjusts it accordingly to play whatever comes at him. He visibly turns the grip from it's waiting position to either his regular forehand or backhand grip as the ball is approaching. I remember seeing this and thinking it seemed a good method...a really good method. It all happens in a millisecond so you can never be sure of what you are seeing...but it looked this way

Nadal waits with his full forehand grip, then either keeps it or changes it to a backhand grip if the serve happens to come that way...which it often, understandably, did. Nadal seemed good at doing this and never seemed caught for time despite the extreme grip changes he has to make. He does, though, stand further back than Federer.

I really like Federer's method. Nadal is not a big server, and you wonder whether against bigger servers like Roddick, waiting with a continental might be an advantage for Federer. After all it's likely he could play a decent return off either wing with a central grip were he to get caught out. I have never seen Federer play a big server at close range so have no idea if he ever resorts to this solution or not.

I say wait with a continental and get good at adjusting from there. If Nadal can make such extreme changes, albeit from long way back, then making changes from a continental would seem much easier.

I'm just guessing....I've never had the pleasure of returning a 140mph plus serve...can't be easy.

[tennis_chiro]

Not new; this is old school

I've got to-- by now-- go with this "flying grip change" which I first discovered in RACKET WORK: THE KEY TO TENNIS by John M. Barnaby and which has always worked pretty well for me.

But as with anything that Don says, there's always something else, something new that one should perhaps take the time to learn.

That would be the suggestion of a small grip change (flying of course) for a backhand volley with both sides still to be called "continental" at least in my case.

What I'm talking about is not new. Braden taught it to me when I went to work for him in 1970. And it was a Jack Kramer principle from at least 25 years before that. Vic said that one of the advantages Jack had against Gonzales was that he changed grips and could hit a better forehand volley down the line than Gonzales. In those days there seemed to be some dichotomy of thought about whether to change grips on the volley. Of course, that assumed that if you did change grips, you would make the grip change as the move was made to the ball, not in a separate movement, and with the left hand holding the racket as the right hand rotated around the stable racket; thus it did not take any additional time. Since then it seemed the continental grip has become ubiquitous and there are very few people talking about changing grips on the volley. If you try from midway, then you are making a grip change as you move to the forehand side and there is no hand to hold the racket while the grip is being changed. Obviously, Federer does it very well and a lot of other players as well, but does that make it the best possible and simplest way to go about it?

don

[privas]

Rapid grip change for the one-hander

I appreciate the excellent responses to my question; I plan to experiment with the suggestion of the non-dominant hand in the "backhand grip position"...the non-dominant hand is usually glossed over. I would have loved to have seen Federer and Nadal play during their intense rivalry days 2005-2008.

John's comments about "low and slow" are well taken. Often I stand further back on the return of serve to give myself additional time to make the grip change; however, at this point the ball often reaches me at shoulder height and this simply defeats the purpose of trying to hit a one-hander to begin with.

Off to the practice courts with the 2/3 grip and the above suggestions!

Thanks, Pedro

[jeremy93]

Fantastic! I am looking forward to next month already. John or anybody... I am curious if you have any thoughts as to which foot you should step forward with (Andy Murray style footwork) prior to split stepping? In my opinion it probably doesn't matter but I'm curious. Thanks in advance!

[johnyandell]

Probably the back right foot

[doctorhl]

Rapid grip change for the one-hander

I appreciate the excellent responses to my question; I plan to experiment with the suggestion of the non-dominant hand in the "backhand grip position"...the non-dominant hand is usually glossed over. I would have loved to have seen Federer and Nadal play during their intense rivalry days 2005-2008.

John's comments about "low and slow" are well taken. Often I stand further back on the return of serve to give myself additional time to make the grip change; however, at this point the ball often reaches me at shoulder height and this simply defeats the purpose of trying to hit a one-hander to begin with.

Off to the practice courts with the 2/3 grip and the above suggestions!
Thanks, Pedro

Privats: Please let us know about your left hand experimentation for grip change. I hold a semi western fh grip and can’t seem to move the racket far enough with fingers on the racket throat for a full bh topspin. I tried putting nondominant left hand on the top of the racket grip and got enough racket turn, but felt uncomfortable because I balance the racket with my left hand on the throat during movement on the bh. Anybody else use a different method for nondominant hand placement for grip change from forehand to one handed bh?