Interactive Forum: Open and Neutral Stances

[EricMatuszewski]

This month's Interactive Forum gives us a chance to discuss the Open and Neutral Stance on the forehand as shown in these high speed clips of David Nalbandian.

Having been hit at nearly identical locations to the same target, these two forehand clips give you a unique opportunity to contrast the footwork variations without distraction.

Why did he hit open stance in one version and neutral in the other. Was it arbitrary?

Do the footwork variations have influence over the rest of the stroke?


Neutral Stance






Open Stance

[EricMatuszewski]

Quick Time Versions

Neutral Stance




Open Stance

[jkfisch1]

It looks like he hits the ball farther out when hes open stance.

[johnyandell]

Farther out in which direction?

[jmhtennis]

open or neutral

I think the tendency is to use the neutral stance when there is time to step into the ball. I think you can get a little more juice and control because you keep the racket on the line of the shot for a bit longer. I think using the open stance, for myself anyway, is a time issue. If you are forced into making a quick decision or are on the run (like the majority of high level tennis players are for most of the time) you end up hitting with and open stance.

What I noticed right away about Nalbandian is that his body follows through almost the same with the open and neutral stance. His momentum carries his body forward and around with both stances. So is the swing virtually the same with both stances? I wish we had a side view to see where he is making contact with the ball relative to his hip and his body.
J

[johnyandell]

Advance the Quick Time movies to the contact point. Look at two things--the angle of the shoulders and the height of the contact.

What do you guys see there?

[jmhtennis]

Ok John. It looks like the contact point for the open stance is much higher (closer to the shoulders) than the contact point for the neutral stance. The open stance must allow him to hit down on the ball a bit more.

[johnyandell]

He won't be hitting down, but yes. In pro tennis one of the biggest stance differences is ball height. Very difficult to play netural stance on a high ball--and since so many balls are so high in pro tennis...

The other factor is the rotation. With the open stance and the extreme or more extreme grips, the torso tends to rotate more at the contact. See that shoulders are more open with the open stance, indicating more rotation.

[beenawhile]

Not sure, but the neutral stance shot looks somewhat unintended in this case - as if he expected to hit a high ball with an open stance, but then had to over correct at the last minute to hit a shorter ball. He adjusts to hit a neutral stance shot - in order to keep his balance and move forward - but he doesn't really whack it the way he should have, rather it he is somewhat defensive and happy to get the ball back given the fact that he misjudged the shot a bit.

Was this during a match - or warm up? Looks kind of casual?

Steve

[johnyandell]

Match.

[ruymendes1]

forum

ITHINKTHAT if the player has a quick footwork and great anticipation capacity, just like Federer has, he can, mostof the time,get out of the ball and, in time, reagroup,to make the swing on a neutral stance.
I WILL MAKE A PREVISION-FEDERER,on most of his winners, hit a neutral stance shot.

[carl reisig]

what I need to know

Ah, John---

When are you going to take your video equipment to the trout stream
to give us slow mo of the perfect cast (yours) ??

And then do the same for the various spey casts??

And then explain to us the secret of combining tennis and trout fishing
into one lifetime??

If you give me an address, I'll send a couple of flies tied for tennis
players.

Regards,

carl

[johnyandell]

The very next issue... of Troutfisher.net....

John Yandell
828 Franklin St #204
SF, Ca 94102

The Upper Rio Grande below Creede was yielding 18-20" wild browns in abundance.

[BrianGordon]

The very next issue... of Troutfisher.net....

John Yandell
828 Franklin St #204
SF, Ca 94102

The Upper Rio Grande below Creede was yielding 18-20" wild browns in abundance.

A story I've heard many times growing up around the "Hemingway" crowd in the big hills!

[johnyandell]

I had the trout in my hands many times, I can assure you--lucky enough to be there for the last couple of days of the stone fly hatches--only lasts a week or less on this water. After that, nobody knows where all those gorgeous fish go--but it's not feeding on dry flies all day by the banks, that's for sure.

At the ranch where I stay I will admit, though, that a few people are drinking like Hemingway.

BUT what do you say about the forehand stances on a note of more interest to probably most subscribers???