February 17, 2025 – Forehand-Backhand Grip Changes and Learning New Techniques

When I started out in 1976, the consensus among coaches that I worked with was that you didn’t have time to grip change between forehand and backhand. And so I learned to use one grip for both. I ended up with a more forehand grip and developed a strong forehand. The victim was my backhand, where I became steady but never developed a strong attack. As one of my fellow coaches said after I explained this to him, and he tried hitting with the same grip, “I can’t even hit a decent backhand with my forehand grip.”

Since I’ve recently started a comeback as a player competing in senior events, I’ve been working a lot on my backhand. This grip issue was a big issue. So, how did I address it? The exact same way you should.

First, I went to the table and worked out the perfect grip for my forehand. This took about two seconds since I already had that grip. You should do this as well – find the perfect grip for your forehand.

Second, I went to the table and worked out the perfect grip for my backhand. This took a little longer, and involved putting a little more pressure on the racket with my thumb, and a small rotation of the top of the racket away from me. But once I had it, my backhand was much better in drills. You should do this as well – find the perfect grip for your backhand.

Third, I spent a bunch of time practicing the grip change. I could literally do this while watching TV or while walking about coaching a group session. Just fiddle it back and forth until it feels natural.

Fourth, I spent a lot of time at home with a racket, shadow-practicing moving side to side, alternately hitting forehands and backhands, where I changed grips back and forth until the grip change became automatic when I moved to play backhand.

Fifth, I did live drills where I had to alternate between forehand and backhand shots, thereby incorporating the grip change.

Sixth, I did live drills where I had random shots between forehand and backhand, so that I could incorporate the grip change as part of the recognition of whether I would be playing forehand or backhand. By the time I got to this stage it was surprisingly automatic.

Seventh, I played matches with the new grip changes.

And guess what? My backhand is much better – mostly. When I played a tournament against unfamiliar players, I found myself a bit uncomfortable attacking with the backhand, especially early in matches. It got better as the matches went on and I adjusted to the different opponents, but this part still needs work. And so I’ll add:

Eighth, play lots of matches against unfamiliar player with the new grip changes, especially in tournaments.

The sequence above is actually similar to how you’d incorporate any change or new technique into your game – so even if this doesn’t apply directly to you, it should give you a good idea of how to work the techniques you need work on. Go to it!