Last updated 15 years ago
Hi Gerard,
I think initially it is very sound advice for beginners to keep the same grip for both forehand and backhand. The reason being that it simplifies switching between forehand strokes and backhand strokes.
Having given that advice, there are many players who have a slight variation between backand and forehand grip. Normally the variation will be a slight adjustment in the angle of the racket in the hand. As long as it is a natural change between backhand and forehand that occurs automatically without thinking, there is no real problem with this.
One of the main reasons that the index finger is placed on the rubber in the shakehand grip is that it provides you with a lot of feedback on the exact angle of your bat during your strokes but I've never really thought about the end of the finger being the main pressure point. From what you described above for your backhand, it seems to me that when the thumb moves up the back of the racket, there is a tendency to change the backhand stroke into more of a push using part of your upper arm. When you slide the thumb back down it is more natural to play the stroke in the correct manner. So I suspect that the improved consistency is more to do with the production of the stroke than the pressure at the end of the index finger.
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