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TennisOne Lessons 
Open and Closed Stance BackhandsDavid W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne While the “modern forehand” today is commonly hit with an open stance by all skilled players, we don’t see the backhand hit with an open stance near as much. And, with the few remaining one-handed backhand players, the open stance is almost never seen. So why is this? Because the one-handed backhand is hit off the front side of the body, (the hitting arm and shoulder are in front of the body, as opposed to the back side with forehands), biomechanically speaking, it is very difficult—nor really offering any mechanical advantage—to hit an open stance one-handed backhand. The rare cases we see when a one-hander uses an open stance are situational. That is usually because an opponent’s shot has placed the player in an awkward or off-balanced position. However, with two-handed players, the stroke sets up a little differently. Many of you have heard the phrase, “the two-handed backhand is like a left-handed forehand for right-handed players,” (reverse for left-handed players, of course). Although this isn't universally true, most two-handed backhand players play the backhand as if it were a forehand for their off-hand. Thus, the same elements of hitting this backhand can be similar to that of the forehand for the off-hand. Saving Time In situations where a player utilizes the open-stance on the two-handed backhand, in addition to the torque generates by the overall body position, (which I’ll talk about in a moment), the net result of the footwork pattern is that a player can save a step or two during the shot and in recovery. Like the forehand, the open stance finish brings the player almost automatically into a recovered “ready position” without the need of a brake step or recovery step that is often seen for most closed or neutral stance strokes. I’m sure I could be mistaken but I believe, from my observation of the game, it was the William Sisters who really legitimized and integrated the open stance backhand into the game and proved that it could be hit—and hit well! In fact, it was Serena who I believe really demonstrated that it could be hit offensively and regularly. I have not asked her if she developed her open stance more by natural evolution or if she intentionally trained herself to hit the shot this way. But, I like the way the shot has evolved now among nearly all top pros who use two-handed backhands. Torque Like the forehand, the open stance backhand provides maximum torque of the upper body relative to the lower body. (I’ve not seen too many articles or instructors really convey this principle.) A closed stance stroke creates an opposite position. That is, as we step into a ball with our front foot (as in a neutral or closed stance stroke), our upper body is literally neutral to our lower body. It isn’t until after the stroke that the body has actually created torque between these two body parts.
Imagine a spring which is not tightly wound yet. That spring can not uncoil with any force if it is not tightened first. With a closed stance stroke, the body is an uncoiled spring. As we swing through a stroke, the upper body now creates this coiled spring position. (Unless the player’s front leg steps out with the stroke, a very common element we see beginners tend to do.) So, the recovery of a closed stance stroke actually involves the uncoiling of the upper body relative to the lower body. On the other hand, the open stance reverses this pattern, allowing the body to utilize the natural uncoiling of the upper body during the contact phase of the stroke, thus adding this mechanical advantage to the momentum of the stroke. By stepping out with the leg closest to the racquet, we must, in fact, coil our body to get the racquet back. (We call this the unit turn.) However, with a closed stance, the unit turn technically involves the whole body, including the legs, as we rotate to the side to step into the ball. (A common phrase in the old-school way of teaching: “step into the ball.”) There are many cases in which I actually recommend the closed stance to players: one is for beginners who tend not to get the upper body turned enough when hitting with an open stance; such players tend to use their arms to swing at the ball. Also, when I see some beginners try the open stance early in their maturation, they tend to pull away from the ball because they fail to get the upper body turned. This is one reason I like to teach the two-handed forehand. The cross-over position of the arms forces the upper body to turn, on both stances, and it becomes a very natural and productive means to teach the modern topspin forehand to beginners. (See my article, Training an 8-year old, Groundstrokes, for more information about this.)
One-Handed Backhand With the one-handed backhand, the arm is already out in front of the body, and this makes the position of an open stance biomechanically difficult; the feeling for the player is somewhat like that of a contortionist attempting this shot! However, in time, I believe one-handed players will learn to use an open stance backhand effectively. I also believe that, due to the huge number of two-handed backhand players, we will see the open stance on the backhand side become a staple of professionals and skilled recreational players alike. Setting up the shot Like the open-stance forehand, the backhand involves the “loading” of the inside foot. That is, for right-handed players the left foot will be the foot that steps out towards the ball prior to the contact phase. Obviously, we will want to move our feet to be able to get into this position, a common fault among many who attempt any open stance stroke! This inside foot then loads up; knees bend, placing more weight on this foot. The upper body, using both hands, turns towards the backhand side, creating the aforementioned “torque” between the open lower body and the closed upper body. The stroke then is initiated by the uncoiling of these two body segments and the off-hand stroke pattern mimics that of a typical forehand stroke. (Usually a high elbow finish, a wiper and wrap finish of the racquet; the butt-cap of the racquet pointing towards the target upon the finish as well as the off-elbow pointing towards the target too). The stroke itself brings the player to a neutral finish position with the upper body and lower body somewhat aligned.
Players will need to be careful in that they don’t let the loaded inside foot swing around with the stroke. Because of the unfamiliar torque the stance creates at the beginning of the stroke, many players tend to carry the inside foot around with the stroke. Open to Closed Stance As discussed in both my books, Tennis Mastery and Coaching Mastery, there is a very distinct footwork pattern that is often missed or not recognized by pros and players when looking at various stances the pros use. That is the pattern where the player starts off with an open stance and within the stroke pattern, the stance closes with the right leg for right-handed players coming forward during or even after the contact phase of the shot. The reason this is a fairly common footwork pattern is that depending on the body orientation to the ball, if the player were to transfer the weight as in a typical open stance position, the player would end up pulling the ball well wide. By bringing the outside foot around and creating a closed stance, the integrity of the trajectory is not compromised and the player can accelerate the stroke. If this did not happen, the stroke would need to change from an angular swing path to a linear "push" to keep the plane of the racquet on target within the contact phase. Or, the player would actually have to decelerate the stroke to prevent from pulling the shot.
Conclusion I like to remind players that there is not one footwork pattern that outsources all others! Pros all hit closed stance forehands and backhands all the time when faced with situations that demand those footwork patterns. In fact, on the run, forehand and backhands are almost always hit with a closed stance. Thus, I like to remind players that this footwork pattern must not be dismissed, and as such, should be practiced within a player’s development. Likewise, those who work on their own game by studying the top players need to recognize those patterns and not just the dominant pattern. A top player must be able to respond with optimal strokes and footwork patterns that are ideal for the situations they may face. That said, it is clear that the open stance stroke is not just a biomechanically effective stroke on the forehand—as well as the dominant stance in most situations among skilled players, but it is a footwork pattern that we are now seeing on the backhand side more and more often. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .
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David has taught over 3000 players including many top national and world ranked players. He can be reached at acrpres1@email.msn.com. |
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