federer's grip

[yuancf]

Hi John:
i have a question. Can you describe what grip federer uses to volley? Is that the same as his seve? index knuckle on center of bevel 2? I feel awkward with that grip on backhand volleys. And what about his overhead?
Another question: What grip does he use to hit backhand? How come I feel his torso actually goes backwards after he hits the ball?

[John Yandell]

Good question--again it is very hard to tell about the grips from the videos. I think you have it about right--index knuckle on bevel 2 and the heel pad partially on bevel 1.

Serve might be a little stronger with the hand sliding down partially off the handle. These are more impressions that rigorous opinions.

Backhand grips I'll have more to say about in the next article. It very hard to generalize about body movement in any of the shots because every ball is a little different and a lot depends on court position and the ball they are hitting. He'll go backwards if he has to, but don't confuse the motion of the torso rotating back around for recovery with the stroke itself.

[yuancf]

Thanks for your response John.

Can you tell me the exact position of the heel pad? I know the position of the index knuckle because it's very obvious but i'm not sure about the heel pad.

[John Yandell]

To be honest I'm not sure. I haven't examined all the videos and not sure we have a clear shot . Try putting the center of the heel pad on the edge between 1 and 2.

[yuancf]

You've misunderstood me. What I'm asking is the position of the heel pad on the hand.

[John Yandell]

Take a look at the articles on the forehand grips in Advanced Tennis. There are pictures and descriptions there.