The open stance versus closed stance forehand

No more yoga, no more pilates, let's get back to the tennis stuff! Not that yoga, pilates, and other sports are not good cross training, but you come to this blog for all things tennis, right? This week let's talk about a debated subject: the open stance versus the closed stance forehand. I've seen both, and honestly, I don't think it is wise to choose one or the other; both should be used, and used correctly. Ah, you are shaking your head now, thinking that you know how to hit these shots correctly, and that reading on is not worth it. NOT! A lot of juniors don't understand the mechanics behind the "simple" open stance/closed stance, and it messes up both your swing, and potentially can hurt you.

Additionally to this point, you're rarely hit a "pure" open or close stance. It's not like this is the first thing you think about when hitting, and your legs usually do the automatic go-to that you have trained without making you think "oh, I should hit an open stance shot here." That being said, it's important to train these stances the right way, because it will give your forehand more power if you do it right.

So, what are these stances, you ask? Open stance refers to the stance where your left and right leg are parallel to the baseline. Your legs are often referred to as outer leg versus inner leg so as to not confuse lefties. For a righty, your inner leg is your left leg, and your outer leg is your right. Hence why your right leg, or outer leg, is the leg that is stepping out to the shot. If you check out Andy Roddick and ignore the guy talking about open stances/closed stances, you'll the easy way to visualize the inner and outer leg. Inside or outside leg is also a label used. Fun fact: Andy Roddick is not a lefty. I hope you noticed that he was flipped to show how for a lefty the inner leg would be the right leg, and the outer leg the right. :)
The good side: open stance allows for more hip rotation, and thus more power through your torso into your shot. It also is a shot that is focused on side to side movement to get you in and out of the shot, relying on your legs to propel you to step into the shot and then push you back to the middle of the court. This conservation of steps may be both a good and bad thing-- it'll get you back to the middle faster, but does not allow you to adjust to the ball as much as the closed stance does. For windy conditions and approach shots, you do need more adjustment. The bad side (and there always is a bad side): this shot puts pressure on your shoulder if you do not contact the ball at the right contact point.


Closed stance: this, essentially, is when your inner leg crosses over your outer leg to hit the shot. While "full" closed stance is not the greatest shot, crossing over your inner leg over your outer leg is essential for shots that require more adjustment as well as a more specific contact point, such as approach shots or slower balls. Closed stance propels you into the shot by the use of your outer leg swinging you forward to then return to where your legs are parallel. So, opposite of the open stance, which propels you towards and away from the ball with side to side movement versus front to back movement. This stance does keep your hop rotation at minimum, so the second step out of the ball is essential for the forehand to go over the net at a speed higher than two miles per hour. :) To the left, a visual.

There is a third stance. How shocking! Yes, this stance is called the neutral stance, because your inner and outer leg are perpendicular to the baseline. If you draw a line through your shoes, this line will create right angles when it crosses the baseline (for those of you who did a math refresher). Federer is completing a sort-of neutral stance in the picture to the right. You'll use this shot when the ball is coming at your body, for approach shots, and for returns often. Is it better than any other stance? Not really, but you'll use it. It's kind of a hybrid of the closed stance, because it allows for more hip rotation but still relies on a forward/backward movement.

Which is the best? There is no "best" stance, in my opinion. It is something that you adjust to, and also is based on preference. Your coach will be able to see which stance is better for you, but keep in mind you'll use all three stances for different shots in tennis, and it is up to the correct execution of these shots whether you get the ball into the court, and well!