(or, How Roger can beat Rafa)
Because Roger Federer is my idol, I try to imitate him by playing with one-handed backhand. Thus I was somewhat distressed when Nadal beat him five times in a row on clay, using his relentless cross-court high topspin forehand assaults on Roger’s backhand side. During the 2007 Master Series at Hamberg, Roger managed to stop Nadal’s winning streak by stepping around to deliver his thundering forehand and by being more aggressive. This strategy, however, is somewhat risky because, barring a winner, it leaves a vast open court on his forehand side. Indeed, Nadal exploited this weakness during the French Open a few weeks later by countering with pinpoint down-the-line shots, forcing Federer to stretch out for his subsequent shot, resulting in numerous errors, again denying him the only Grand Slam title he has failed to capture so far.
This led me to ponder if there is an intrinsic limitation to the one-handed backhand stroke. Indeed, most of today’s young pro players are now using the two-handed backhand for power and consistency. However, a two-handed backhand is essentially a forehand of one’s left hand assisted by the right hand. So there is no reason why one cannot go one step further by mastering one’s left-handed forehand. This has the advantages of allowing a greater variety of swings as well as a wider wingspan.
A complete switch from an one-handed backhand to a left-handed forehand may not be as difficult as one thinks, as it is well known that Nadal was born right handed but was trained as a lefty tennis player and the million-dollar grunting Maria Sharapova was originally born as a left-hander but was trained to play tennis with her right hand. One could argue, however, that those switches are only possible because they were made during their childhood. Thus the important question is: can a grown-up right-hander train himself/herself to hit forehand with his/her left hand and gain proficiency in a reasonable amount of time? To prove that it is indeed possible, this 69 year club-player undertook the challenge to supplant his shaky one-handed backhand with a left-handed forehand.
I am happy to report that after several months of patient practice I am now quite comfortable hitting balls with my left-hand. I am confident that within a year my lefty forehand will be nearly as proficient as that of my right hand. With Roger’s athleticism there is no reason why he could not master the stroke with less time if he so desired, not that I delude myself into thinking that he would heed my advice. Furthermore, I firmly believe that playing tennis with double forehands will be the wave of the future as the result of a natural historical progression from one-handed backhands to two-handed backhands to left-handed forehands (for a righty). However, it is reasonable to ask why so few people play with double forehands and why no champion with such strokes has been produced thus far if double-forehand play is indeed superior. This is due to force of habit as few teaching pros are willing to try something new that has no track record. It’s catch-22, because if youngsters aren’t exposed to such a technique there is no way a champion can be produced. So stand up and be counted, the double-forehand tennis players of the world, because the tennis revolution is now upon us.
Here are some of the benefits and advantages which I garnered during this experiment:
- A sounder and more balanced development of one’s body and mind: I consider this to be the greatest benefit of switching to the double-forehand play. One can readily see that a one-handed backhand tennis player has rather unbalanced hand-arm development: the dominant limb is considerably more muscular and stouter than the other one which appears to be rather underdeveloped. This is not aesthetically pleasing, especially for a lady who aspires to have a modeling career during or after her tenure as a professional tennis player. Playing forehands on both sides will guarantee a more balanced development not only on one’s upper limbs but also on one’s brain, as it is well known that right and left parts of the brain control the opposite sides of your body. If this were the only benefit for switching to double-forehand strokes I would have gladly done so without any hesitation.
- Learning good form without the baggage of old bad habits: When a grown-up starts taking tennis lessons the coach usually has a much harder and longer time to accomplish a task compared to youngsters (I am a typical example as can readily be attested by my coach). This is due to the fact that grown-ups usually have acquired bad tennis habits which are much harder to correct than learning it anew. There is an old Chinese saying that it is easier to change dynasties than to change one’s character (habits). Everybody also knows that it is much harder to edit someone’s essay than to write a new one yourself. By learning left-handed forehands one is starting with a blank slate, making it easier to acquire good form on strokes.
- A considerably wider wingspan for easier court coverage: A left-handed forehand can stretch farther than a two-handed backhand because one is not constrained by the right hand. If one extends both hands holding rackets one can see it covers nearly half the width of the single’s court. Thus one can cover the whole court with less running, a considerable bonus for senior citizens who are not as agile as their younger counterparts.
- More freedom on swings to create greater variety of strokes: A forehand stroke with the left hand can attain more freedom on swings than a two-handed backhand stroke. For example, lunging to reach a ball and cross-court shots with extreme angles can be accomplished with much less effort.
- An expanded repertoire to confound your opponent: If one has mastered the left-handed forehand in addition to what one has already acquired previously, one can employ additional weapons to confuse one’s opponent. An adventuresome player can further learn to serve as well as to volley with one’s left hand. Using this expanded arsenal during a match will confound and frustrate the person on the other side of the net.
- An excellent way to retrain one’s footwork: My coach has already given up reminding me about my footwork (shuffling) when I miss a shot. I am notoriously lazy when it comes to footwork, thinking that the dexterity of my right hand can overcompensate and save the day. Unfortunately it invariably turns out not to be the case. Since the dexterity of my left hand cannot be relied upon, I can no longer be complacent if I am to make a decent shot. Thus I have no choice but to move (shuffle) to a position which will provide me with a comfortable stroke.
- Smooth transition from two-handed backhand to one-handed lefty forehand: As stated earlier, a two-handed backhand stroke is simply a left-handed forehand stroke with an assist from the right hand. Thus a left-handed forehand stroke can be mastered easily by gradually letting go of one’s right hand without too much effort.
- Easy hand switch of the racket: One may argue that it is rather cumbersome and confusing to switch the racket back and forth between the two hands. This is simply not the case because the grip of the racket between strokes is identical to that of the two-handed backhander. Thus one only needs to make a necessary body turn and then release one of the hands to prepare for the next stroke.
Disadvantages:
- None comes to mind, but if one really wants to push it, here it is: There may be the possibility of equal-opportunity suffering of tennis elbow or callus formation on both hands instead of just one hand. Yet one may as well argue that it is a plus rather than a minus because it could considerably reduce the likelihood of injuring one’s dominant hand by not placing undue burden on a single hand!
The idea of playing with double forehands was crystallized during the numerous on and off-court conversations with my coach Peter Van Lingen. He is very knowledgeable and was an accomplished tennis player in his own right: member of the South African Davis Cup Team and had competed in all four major Grand Slam events with good results. His comment that “if he were to start his son on tennis right now he would teach him to play with forehands on both sides” had prompted me to undertake the experiment I have described here. So I express my sincere thanks and dedicate this piece to him.
