Your Strokes: Modern Club Play: Fully Open Stance

[johnyandell]

Would love to get your thoughts on "Your Strokes: Modern Club Play: Fully Open Stance"

[bababing]

Really insightful! I am now understanding the differences in "open stance." Now I have to film myself and see what stance I use.

[bman]

Very good article. One of your best. Two main points I have observed over and over at the club level which are illustrated here:

1)Open stance often leads to short groundstrokes
2)Neutral stance is better on lower balls

[johnyandell]

Bman you and I are in agreement here...

[10splayer]

Yeah, another good article, and it goes to something I tend to believe in, which is, that a true open stance (as opposed to a more semi-open) need not ever be forced on a student. They will gravitate towards when needed.

Another point/question I've been pondering lately is how often good players actually lift the left leg during the the stroke. Anyone ever notice this or have a theory?

[stotty]

Good article

I like articles that deal with club players in relation to pro players.

Interesting how pro tennis filters down to club players in one form or another, either thru coaching, or TV osmosis.

The days of teaching a closed stance on forehands is more or less finished, mostly due to the fact most club players have more extreme grips these days.

With young kids, I initially teach a neutral stance on forehands then move them to a semi-open stance as soon as they are able. I feel the semi-open stance is too complicated to learn from the start. But most kids take to semi-open forehands like a duck to water if it is introduced at the right time.

I have a different view with open stance backhands. If kids (ones with talent and potential) aren't taught an open stance reasonably early (before aged 12) they have difficulty learning the shot to a degree where it becomes second nature. Deep down they are always far more comfortably with stepping in with the front foot.

I teach a talented 8 year-old boy whom since day one I've allowed to play
his two-handed backhand off any foot he happens to land on. I can post a clip as evidence if anyone is interested. He has never had any preconditioning to step in with his front foot. The result is great. He can hit an open or closed stance as a situation dictates. I feel with two-handed backhands this is the way teaching should go. It does work. I've tried it with around half a dozen kids with good success. I can post clips if anyone is keen.

Interesting 10splayer's observation about the left foot...find myself scratching my head over reasons for that one.

[johnyandell]

I agree on the teaching progression for stances! More on the left foot later...

[GeoffWilliams]

I agree on the teaching progression for stances! More on the left foot later...

Listen to this guy.