Hi guys, I've noticed that most professional doubles player uses the thumb backhand grip while defending & lifting, and personally I've always used the neutral handshake grip (or maybe the panhandle grip in a backhand motion if its going wide on my right forehand) to defend and lift. I saw a video on youtube where a guy says that we should use thumb grip so that the shuttle drives instead of going up, but speaking from experience, I've had compliments about my defending skills by opponents and lots of front court players weren't expecting the flat drives going towards them, which results in them playing into the net. Question is, are there any advantages/disadvantages as to using thumb grip or neutral grip for defending backhands? If so, should I change my defend grip? Thanks
I think backhand is the most common defensive grip. You can even use your backhand on the forehand side to some extent. However, you should always start out by having a "hand shake" grip. If you do you will have the option of both using backhand and forehand defense. If you're too committed to either one of them then chances are that you will get into trouble should you be attacked on the other side.
The advantage of backhand preparation is that you can defend much better against smashes to the body. In doubles almost all smashes will come at you or near to you, providing that your partnership is positioned well in defence. Backhand defence is effective at covering most of these, including ones slightly on your forehand side. You still need to hit some forehands, but hitting a forehand from a backhand preparation is not too hard. It's much harder to do the reverse: you will get a floppy backhand. Should you change? That depends on what you want. If you change, you will certainly get worse before you get better. You will have to put in some effort to learn a new technique. You are happy now with your current style of defence, and if you change you will be unhappy with your new style at first. Ultimately, a backhand preparation is superior to a neutral one, for defence in doubles. We know this because all the best players do it. Like anything else, it takes time to learn, especially when you've been using a different technique for a long time.
after pondering and then play. I think the grip is more of a neutral one, but tend to be backhand. I don't mean it's completely the thumb grip, but it's a neutral grip with the thumb getting up and the index finger down. so for me it's a neutral grip but the backhand way, just like when we do the backhand for the sides (I do it like Lee jong bak teaching, neutral grip but the thumb is raised). and for me, it's better this way as there are times where the smash is loose (too high and or too slow) and we should counter it. If I prepare the thumb grip I can only just do the block or push while if I use the neutral grip in backhand way I can immediately switch it to the forehand way and do the drives or smash it back, not only block or push, as I just need to raise my index finger and bring my thumb down there is a difference in power and switching speed between a backhand thumb grip and backhand neutral grip (or the bevel grip, as the neutral and bevel grip are similar) for the pros, I think maybe it's the case of teaching. before and still untill now, the grip that was teached are backhand and forehand,so we do backhand with the backhand grip and forehand with the forehand grip, although we could also do the opposite, but it was somewhat prohibited
I really doubt that. The teaching is lagging behind the pros, not the other way around. They know how to defend.
In my view, as long as you are waiting with your thumb up the racket, then you are ok. For example, if you are using a "neutral" grip, but using the thumb up the racket, then thats fine. If you are using a "bevel" grip, then thats fine. If you are using a thumb grip (backhand grip as some people call it) then thats fine. However, you must be using the thumb. If you are not pushing with the thumb, you will never have the same control that you can achieve whilst using the thumb. The reason people should wait ready to play a backhand (using any of the above grips) is that most shots will come either at the body or the backhand - the body is the one you should be worried about! If you do not take it early, you will play a poor quality shot, and the only way to take it early reliably is with a backhand grip. If the shuttle comes wide on the forehand side, then its easy to relax the grip and play a forehand. But you need to defend against the body shots as a priority. I personally use a thumb grip - its the best one for taking the shuttle early.
What if I'm defending on my forehand side with a backhand swing? (Like LYD for example) should I use the thumb grip for that? I personally find that while the thumb grip has more counter attacking shots on the backhand side, the range of movement is really limited on the forehand side if I use the grip. Which makes me wonder, does professional doubles player change their grip to more of a neutral one with a backhand swing while taking shots on their forehand side or do they still use the thumb grip and the reason why its so powerful is that they've been trained to do so?
Yes, this is the grip I've been using for defense since I first started and it really does wonders for me, the neutral grip with a backhand swing upwards. I think the reason why most players use the thumb grip is probably because of the accuracy & power since I can only do drives & lifts with neutral grip instead of the crosscourt drives/ downwards defense when returning flat smashes that most doubles player usually do.
A good question - I presume you mean shots out wide and relatively low, as opposed to the high ones you can attack. I will answer regarding both - the high ones I still use the thumb grip. Most players would switch to forehand (including me if I have time). For the low ones, the reason you find the range of motion limiting on the forehand side is you are not taking the shuttle early enough in front of you - if you keep the racket out in front, you will be fine with the thumb grip. However, if the shuttle starts to get in line with you, then the thumb grip is not possible - a more neutral grip is needed. My point is: MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR THUMB! I hope that as you improve you will realise (as will others reading this) that you need to use the grip that is right for each situation and situations are rarely perfect. So you should be able to take it early with the thumb grip on the forehand side, but really you should be using a forehand defence - its much more versatile. But of course sometimes that doesn't work and you end up swinging backhand. And if the shuttle is really late and your only option is to switch to a more neutral grip, then you should do that - whatever it takes to return the shuttle in each situation! There is no "fixed" grip. However, there IS a grip and technique you should aspire to use - the one that gives the best options. For shots close to the body but on the forehand side e.g. racket hip and slightly wider - aspire to use a backhand grip and take it early (probably easiest with a thumb grip!). For shots wide of the body on the forehand side, use a forehand hitting action. People will sometimes get caught out - in those situations, just get your racket to the shuttle and get it back! Good luck!
