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Hi guys,
I’ve been practicing shakehand for the past month or so and could use a few pointers.
As a background, I played penhold (Jpen inverted->Cpen short pips – single sided) for ~7 years. Had a very good coach for 2 years of weekly coaching so I’d like to think the basics are pretty solid. Been without coaching for a year now, so I’ve been figuring out shakehand pretty much on my own. I chose to stay with short pips on the forehand and use inverted on the backhand.
Questions
Grip: I’m using a moderate-depth neutral grip. But slightly extend the index finger into the blade surface for forehands (~2-3cm like Wang Liqin), and push the thumb against the rubber on backhand. Is this alright? Or should I keep the index finger stationary on all strokes? For those that use the forehand oriented grip, how do you close the angle to attack high balls on the backhand? Do most people switch between forehand and backhand grips?
Backhand feels pretty natural, but for forehand, how do I close down the angle and still allow for wrist freedom? With penhold, I can press the thumb and pivot vs the extended backside fingers. The grip is firm but wrist is relaxed. Backside fingers also adds reinforcement on hard hits. With shakehand, thumb pressing doesn’t help much and I have to consciously angle down using the wrist, which kind of locks it. Also, I have to keep in mind of not “pressing” with the index finger or I risk “scooping” on bigger forehands. How do you deal with the angle and still use the wrist/finger for power (for drives and smashes, not looping)?
Stance/Contact Point: With penhold, I play a very low/wide forehand oriented stance. With shakehand, I naturally default to a more parallel or slightly left foot forward stance. For those who switch to 10-4 or even 11-5 for forehands, again, how do for keep the proper angle and still use wrists? Do you forget the wrist altogether? Where is the optimal contact point from a top-down view?
Also, with penhold I squat very low on forehand and contact at roughly chest or even above height. With shakehand I find a waist to lower chest contact point with a higher stance more natural, what are your preferences? Where is the optimal contact point from a sideways view?
Sorry for the long post.
I’ve been practicing shakehand for the past month or so and could use a few pointers.
As a background, I played penhold (Jpen inverted->Cpen short pips – single sided) for ~7 years. Had a very good coach for 2 years of weekly coaching so I’d like to think the basics are pretty solid. Been without coaching for a year now, so I’ve been figuring out shakehand pretty much on my own. I chose to stay with short pips on the forehand and use inverted on the backhand.
Questions
Grip: I’m using a moderate-depth neutral grip. But slightly extend the index finger into the blade surface for forehands (~2-3cm like Wang Liqin), and push the thumb against the rubber on backhand. Is this alright? Or should I keep the index finger stationary on all strokes? For those that use the forehand oriented grip, how do you close the angle to attack high balls on the backhand? Do most people switch between forehand and backhand grips?
Backhand feels pretty natural, but for forehand, how do I close down the angle and still allow for wrist freedom? With penhold, I can press the thumb and pivot vs the extended backside fingers. The grip is firm but wrist is relaxed. Backside fingers also adds reinforcement on hard hits. With shakehand, thumb pressing doesn’t help much and I have to consciously angle down using the wrist, which kind of locks it. Also, I have to keep in mind of not “pressing” with the index finger or I risk “scooping” on bigger forehands. How do you deal with the angle and still use the wrist/finger for power (for drives and smashes, not looping)?
Stance/Contact Point: With penhold, I play a very low/wide forehand oriented stance. With shakehand, I naturally default to a more parallel or slightly left foot forward stance. For those who switch to 10-4 or even 11-5 for forehands, again, how do for keep the proper angle and still use wrists? Do you forget the wrist altogether? Where is the optimal contact point from a top-down view?
Also, with penhold I squat very low on forehand and contact at roughly chest or even above height. With shakehand I find a waist to lower chest contact point with a higher stance more natural, what are your preferences? Where is the optimal contact point from a sideways view?
Sorry for the long post.
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