Forehands from both sides revisited

[tennisdad]

I wanted to start a clean thread to build on this topic from prior threads. My son played from both sides when he was young and started hitting a 2hbh because local teaching pros insisted he hit conventionally. He golfs and bats left-handed.

I really think if he committed to this hitting forehands from both side, it might be beneficial. Thoughts?

FYI, he is right handed.

[tennisdad]

I'm assuming everyone thinks this is a bad idea but no one wants to offend me LOL. I'm really pushing my son to consider it. He's open to it but not convinced because of the discouragement he received when he was younger.

[don_budge]

I wanted to start a clean thread to build on this topic from prior threads. My son played from both sides when he was young and started hitting a 2hbh because local teaching pros insisted he hit conventionally. He golfs and bats left-handed.

I really think if he committed to this hitting forehands from both side, it might be beneficial. Thoughts?

FYI, he is right handed.

As far as I know there has never been a single two forehanded player that has made any kind of impact on the game. If you are considering this it tells me that you are not really serious about your son developing into the best tennis player that he could be. But I suspected as much when you did not reply to the posts that I wrote you you about his serve. You cannot be serious. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS...in the words of the great American poet. The Great John McEnroe.

Seriously...if you are considering a "radical" move have him switch to a one-handed backhand. This is the best way to play the game. Three of the top four players at this years Tour Finals were one-handed backhands. The fact that he golfs and bats left-handed is a good indicator that he is predispositioned for this motion. The right hand is the dominant hand in both the golf swings and batting swing. The left hand is the kiss of death if it gets to involved.

Bad idea? It's worse than that. Your ship appears to be lacking a rudder.

[tennisdad]

Fair response.

As far as not responding to your posts, I actually took it to heart and we worked on it. The court depicted in the video is behind my house. We were out there in 38 degrees yesterday hitting serves. Junior Kick has 76 responses and I was not a member yet and could not link to the videos. I read every one.
I understand everyone thinks its a bad idea. What do you think of his lefty in the video though?

[don_budge]

Bill Tilden wrote in his excellent book "How to Play Better Tennis...a complete guide to technique and tactics" a chapter on "Maintaining Pressure on Your Opponent". So to analyse the left hand forehand of your son in conjunction with that chapter I would say that the forehand looks to be incapable of maintaining consistent pressure on the opponent. It also does not look strong enough to withstand a steady assault by an opponent to that side.

In the course of a tennis match there are so many times that it is not possible to anticipate where the opponent is going to attack...which side that is. The moment that it takes to realize that and the time it takes to switch hands is going to create a situation for your son where he is going to be unable to defend let alone inflict damage. Are you going to switch hands at the net? Well I guess you nave no intentions of going there anyways as the very idea of hitting an approach shot left handed and then...what?

Playing two handed in this manner is not just being "unorthodox" it is not doable beyond a certain level. Better yet tennisdad switch to a one-handed backhand as I mentioned. Your son looks to be plenty talented, strong and tactically oriented to pull it off. From what I have observed in the couple of videos he seems to have somewhat of a knack of playing "percentage" tennis. The one-handed backhand opens another world in terms of options for offence and defence. Fifteen is an ideal age to "wean" the kid off of the two handed security blanket. It is often the age when a boy becomes a man as well. Play the man's game. Most players never grow up and hang on to the junior game and stop evolving.

It seems like a step backwards and in some ways it may be...temporarily. But as he grows into a man he will be so proud to have made the choice to play like a man.

With regard to his serve...as I mentioned he does plenty of things well. Some very well. But the serve is begging for a makeover in terms of aesthetics which in terms make it a much better article. You mentioned he needs to perfect eight serves and he has perfected one. Well...it appears to me that if he is going to hit all eight of those serves off of one delivery it is going to have to be a very friction free setup/backswing. Now that you are a member check out the videos I referenced. I think that the service motion is the one that is most often butchered in the modern game.

Great that you joined by the way. Welcome aboard. I am truly enjoying your participation. Nice tennis court too!

[tennisdad]

I hear everything you say. I do.

but this kid does it and is a blue chip recruit!

https://youtu.be/huajSTM5yaw

[seano]

The kid in the video's dad is a WTA tour coach, Heath Waters. His mother was on the women's tour and was top 100, I believe.

[tennisdad]

The kid in the video's dad is a WTA tour coach, Heath Waters. His mother was on the women's tour and was top 100, I believe.

Yeah my boy just played him in a tournament.

lost in third set

[don_budge]

I hear everything you say. I do.

but this kid does it and is a blue chip recruit!

https://youtu.be/huajSTM5yaw

He certainly looks like a million bucks doesn't he? Very interesting. But he is still in the junior game. But in his favour most of the pros are playing the junior game. Actually the time is right for this sort of play because of the slow surfaces that have become so prevalent in the modern game of tennis. Gone are the days of the slick pavement and the slicker grass which he would have a very tough time against someone who could really push the issue like John McEnroe for instance.

It will be interesting going forwards to see how this holds up in the future. I believe that they are going to have to speed up the surfaces as the game is the other side of dull now. Only Roger keeps us awake. Without Roger in the game there is going to be one gigantic hole to fill. This ambi fellow doesn't change my mind and I stand by my recommendation for your son to go one-handed. But I certainly won't be offended if he doesn't. Ambi...there's a new pronoun.

[tennisdad]

Ambi...there's a new pronoun.

You mention that no one of significance in tennis hits ambidextrous. Couldn't that be because the pool of conventional players is tens of millions and the pool of players that can actually hit from both sides is what, dozens? hundreds maybe?

My son can do it because I went mad scientist in my back yard with him when he was 4 years old:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HoSeDgj1BE

Heath's dad started him when he was 3 years old.

What's the population pool for a valid test sample?

[johnyandell]

Remember Luke Jensen? Served with both hands. Think I posted this link before from Chris Lewit. I filmed a couple of his kids last summer with two forehands. I think it's a viable option. Could be an element of future tennis. When I was growing up no one had or taught the two-hander. There was a time when you had to keep one foot on the ground serving. Extreme forehand grips were taboo. The game has evolved obviously and that will continue.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/classiclessons/chris_lewit/future_trends/part_2/

[stotty]

I think tennisdad's son hits forehands off both wings really well. It's a great skill to develop. We had a guy at my club around twenty years ago who could hit forehands equally well off both wings though he never employed it in a game. He said he found it mentally confusing under pressure to do it. He was a very good player who had a national ranking.

I guess the question you have to ask is where is the benefit? By adopting two forehands we must assume that a forehand is a superior shot to a backhand?

Djokovic went into Nadal's forehand for fun in last year's Aussie Open final, and Nadal's has the toughest forehand to deal with in the game. It wouldn't have mattered if Nadal had had two forehands, he still would've been beaten. So a good backhand can match a good forehand. Connors had a backhand to match any forehand too. Roger's backhand isn't too shoddy either.

So I put it to the forum: where is the benefit?

[johnyandell]

I guess until we see someone do it at a high level we won't know. I love my backhand but I can force much better off my forehand. Probably every player up the chain to the highest level feels the same. Especially Rafa.
And the serving with both hands could also be interesting... Not to mention two slice backhands. I am not ready to teach it but still think it could be viable.

[tennisdad]

I think tennisdad's son hits forehands off both wings really well. It's a great skill to develop. We had a guy at my club around twenty years ago who could hit forehands equally well off both wings though he never employed it in a game. He said he found it mentally confusing under pressure to do it. He was a very good player who had a national ranking.

I guess the question you have to ask is where is the benefit? By adopting two forehands we must assume that a forehand is a superior shot to a backhand?

Djokovic went into Nadal's forehand for fun in last year's Aussie Open final, and Nadal's has the toughest forehand to deal with in the game. It wouldn't have mattered if Nadal had had two forehands, he still would've been beaten. So a good backhand can match a good forehand. Connors had a backhand to match any forehand too. Roger's backhand isn't too shoddy either.

So I put it to the forum: where is the benefit?

I think you answered your own question: look how good someone's backhand has to be to compare to his own forehand: you had to use Djoker as an example.

[nytennisaddict]

in the comments, these guys mention that at a higher level (where the ball is moving faster, and less time to pretp) the grip changes to lefty fh become awkward, clumsy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_56iYI8ZRA
possibly explained by the above comment,... under pressure (either defensive, or taking on the rise), this atp pro switches to 2hbh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iosXeyBb9U