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Neutral, Open, and Closed. 3 stances, but which stance when?
In the last article we looked at the preparation and the backswings on the
two-handed backhand.(Click Here.) We saw how the players used a body turn to initiate the
preparation. We saw the high speed footage reveals that the loop back swing is an illusion,
and that virtually all players start straight back and keep their hands quite low
throughout the preparation.
Now let’s see how the top players complete the set up and examine the variety of
possible hitting stances. Let’ see what good players have in common, and when they use which
stance. Then in the next article we’ll take a close look at the forward swing, the contact, the
finish and the wrap.
Stances
It’s well accepted that the modern forehand is hit primarily with an Open Stance,
although it can also be hit with a Neutral Stance, typically if the ball is low or the player is
stepping in to pick the ball up on the rise. On the forehand you just don’t see the Closed Stance,
with the player stepping across the line of the shot on a diagonal.
Unlike the forehand the two-hander can…
