|
TennisOne Lessons 
Open, Closed, and Neutral Stances: Pros use them AllDavid W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne It is common to classify “modern” forehand groundstroke techniques as those that incorporate an open stance with regard to footwork patterns. But that implies that the open stance is an integral and essential part of the modern forehand technique and that it only uses that footwork pattern. In fact, many teaching pros consider the closed stance forehand as “old school” and not a pattern to be learned, let alone practiced. Some even equate this footwork pattern with the “waiter’s service grip” or the eastern grip on the volley.
This is somewhat confusing to me because, among touring pros who make a living playing this game, there are numerous situations and sequences where the closed stance is not only useful but preferable. In addition, a common problem among beginners, who are taught to use open stance footwork patterns early on, is the inability to learn to coil the upper body. This results in the player being too open at contact and often forces the student to “push” the ball rather than create optimal angular momentum on the shot. I’ve found, with beginning students especially, that teaching the closed stance helps students develop an excellent stroke pattern early on; making it much easier to add the open stance once the desired swing path and stroke mechanics have been developed. In my series, “Training an 8-year old,” (my daughter Kyla) within three months, I was able to add an open stance forehand to my daughter’s arsenal of strokes, after she first developed a very solid closed stance forehand. Situational Use One of the most prevalent uses of the closed stance forehand occurs when a player is on the run to the forehand side and can’t set up early, a distinct requirement of a solid open stance forehand. When players actually try to hit with an open stance while on the run, their balance can become severely compromised; the ability to create an efficient “recovery step” is then rendered nearly impossible. The closed stance creates a natural “brake step” following the stroke, often seen occurring almost simultaneously with the stroke itself. (Players must be careful in the timing of this step.) If you watch closely, the pros maintain their trailing or back leg and foot behind them during the critical point of contact, often dragging the toe or the foot for a moment before allowing the leg to swing around for the brake step. If a player allows the back leg to swing around simultaneously with the racquet at the contact phase of the stroke, the player must decelerate the stroke otherwise they will pull the ball well to the side of the court. Most players’ bodies naturally recognize this “pull” and not only decelerate the stroke, but end up “pushing” the racquet to counter this early turn. Check out the following pros hitting a a neutral or closed stance forehand.
As you can see from each of these video clips, the closed stance plays a very important role when hitting balls in certain situations. Ideally, the modern forehand incorporates not just all three footwork patterns, (Closed, Neutral, and Open), but as you will see, various swing elements differ in situations as well. We see “reverse finish” forehands, “conventional” finishes over the shoulder, and “wiper” finishes that can be seen to finish anywhere, from shoulder height to the lower hip.
So, if you want to be a complete player, look to work on all stroke patterns that will be used in all the various situational positions on the court. Open to Closed Stance It is common to see a player set up with an open stance yet bring the stance closed during the stroke. This is what I call an “Open to Closed” stance pattern. Players must understand that if the lower body uncoils early or ahead of the swing, the upper body—and subsequently the hitting arm and racquet—will be pulled ahead of the contact window. This pattern, common among beginners, is what helps contribute to a “dinking” stroke pattern. Because the body knows it is going to be too early on the swing as a result of opening up too soon, the player automatically lays the racquet back to delay contact. As this becomes more ingrained, players then simply “push” the racquet through the contact window in line with the target. This is called a “linear swing path,” where the racquet literally moves forward as a unit and the ball is hit with very little rotational swing contribution. While this “bunting” move creates a perception of aim, it limits the progressive advancement of speed and spin, thus relegating the student to being a true “pusher” or dinker for life. The open to closed stance begins with a right handed player moving out wide to the forehand side and stepping towards the ball with the inside right foot. As the swing is generated, the player moves the left foot forward, allowing the upper body to counter against the opposite rotational movement of the lower body. Again, if the lower body were to rotate out at this stage instead of coming in, the player would pull the ball too far to the left and most assuredly out. Here are some pros hitting the Open to Closed stance forehand.
It has been said that “tennis is a game of emergencies.” I believe this is more true at the lower recreational levels, mainly because players fail to train, and thus master, the optimal footwork patterns that give them the best chance to intercept, execute, and then recover in a way that helps players minimize excessive footwork needs and maximize the effect of any given shot within the circumstances. Establishing the Open Stance It is essential to understand one very important concept: Anytime an open stance forehand is to be used, preparation footwork patterns are essential if optimal execution, balance, and recovery elements are to be incorporated successfully. If a player sets up off-balance on an open stance forehand, the issue of overall stroke stability can be severely compromised. There are several articles here at TennisOne that articulate the optimal hitting mechanics of an open stance forehand along with the footwork patterns associated. The purpose of this article is to recognize that, not only is the open stance forehand not the only footwork pattern associated with advanced forehand execution, but that there are important considerations that must be understood, practiced, and employed for the “modern” forehand that includes an open stance component. Compare the similarities between most top pros when they hit an open stance forehand.
As you can see, there are distinct similarities between these different players hitting the open stance. A short list of these would include:
When students of the game can identify similarities of any given shot, the chance for understanding, and then emulating them, is greatly increased. So, get out on the court and practice these three distinct forehand strokes – your game will be the better for it. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about this article by