One fascinating attribute of some select all-time great tennis players is that actually are ambidextrous, either by birth or learned behavior from a young age. Contemporary examples include Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber.
In his ground-breaking tennis instructional book “Absolute Tennis: The Best and Next Way To Play The Game,” author Marty Smith, the director of tennis at the New York Athletic Club, discusses “Ambitennis” and the “Overlapping Dual Forehand” in his chapter on strokes of the future. A short excerpt of the book is excepted below. The book is available for sale and download here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559742/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_.FmrBb2PEN80T
What may for some become a superior way of playing groundstrokes is using the Overlapping Dual Forehand (ODF) and a style of play I call “Ambitennis.” In this stroke, or style of play, players use an overlapping grip technique paired with a forehand swing that uses both the right arm and the left arm, thus eliminating the backhand. Why adopt this stroke? Mainly because of the forehand’s superior physical qualities over the backhand.
At the professional and recreational levels, the forehand is typically stronger than the backhand. For most of you, when the ball comes to your forehand, your mind lifts in anticipation of an offensive situation about to unfold. When the ball comes to your backhand, your offensive expectations are lowered. If you, like most players, favor your forehand, Ambitennis could have you looking forward to every ball crossing the net.
Has the dual forehand been used before? Yes, in fact there have been a handful of professional players in the past, like 1955 Wimbledon singles runner-up Beverly Baker Fleitz, who used the dual forehand method. However, none of these players combined it with my recommended overlapping grip technique. In the past, dual forehand players set up with both hands on the grip and hit their left-handed forehand using one of two grip methods: moving the left hand down a few inches on the grip, which takes time, or leaving the left hand in place and choking up on the grip, which restricts power. In contrast, the overlapping grip sees the left hand move down the grip very little if at all, making it a quick and powerful way to hold the racquet for dual forehand players.
Before discussing the advantages of Ambitennis, I’d like to address the main argument against it: that players can’t hit the forehand well with their non-dominant hand. This argument doesn’t hold, however, when you consider the number of players who have become champions using their non-dominant hand. The story of Rafael Nadal is a powerfully persuading case in point: Rafa is naturally righthanded. As a young kid, he played with both hands gripping the racquet on the forehand and backhand. Recognizing the limitations of that style of play, his coach asked him to change and hit his forehand with only his left hand and his backhand with both hands on the racquet. Ironically, it is his forehand — the shot with no right hand in it — that is his strongest shot and one of the greatest forehands ever. Besides Nadal, there are many other famous examples of tennis champions playing with their non-dominant hand. Margaret Court, who has won the major singles titles in history, played right-handed even though she was naturally left-handed. Former world number one players Carlos Moya and Maria Sharapova are also left-handed but play righthanded. ATP former top-ten player Jurgen Melzer and world number one Angelique Kerber, like Nadal, are right-handed and play lefthanded. And the list goes on. These examples demonstrate that a player can be successful — even legendary — while hitting their forehand with the “opposite” arm.
The way you hold the racquet while waiting in the ready position is a key component of a successful dual forehand. In the ODF, you wait in the ready position with your right hand in your preferred forehand grip. Then, place your left hand angled in your preferred left-handed forehand grip almost halfway above your right hand with your left middle, ring, and pinky fingers placed on top, or overlapping, your right middle and ring fingers. All your fingers are touching the grip except for your left middle, ring, and pinky fingers. Both hands should be placed together as closely as possible to position the left hand low on the grip. When using the ODF, there is no turning of the hitting hand on the grip to the right or to the left as is currently done when changing from a forehand to backhand. Instead, because both hands are already angled in the forehand grip, one hand simply releases off the grip to play the shot. After the non-hitting hand releases, moving it up towards the throat of the racquet to conduct a strong unit turn is recommended but not mandatory. The length of hand movement here is similar to the length that two-handed backhand players move their non-hitting hand down from the throat of the racquet to the grip to hit their backhand.
“Absolute Tennis” is a thorough and comprehensive guide to tennis instruction and in improving one’s tennis game compiled in an insightful and visually engaging book by Smith, the long-time Director of Tennis at the New York Athletic Club. The book is highlighted by Smith’s three unconventional strokes that may become accepted techniques as the game continues to evolve and become faster. The book also includes Smith’s meticulous explanations of every stroke in the game as well as over 500 narrated photographs and 75 drills and exercise explanations that simulate match-play situations, hone stroke technique and boost fitness. Recognizing that tennis is a highly athletic, tactical, and mental game, Smith also dedicates a large part of the book to the body, singles and doubles strategy and the mind. Readers will learn how to improve footwork and movement, integrate winning game plans, and use their inner voice to play with more confidence and success.
More information on the book can also be found at www.AbsoluteTennis.net
Smith has been the Director of Tennis for more than 20 years at the famed New York Athletic Club, the No. 1-rated athletic club in the United States. A native of Australia, he was a top five-ranked Australian junior players and was the two-time Southern Conference singles and doubles champion at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He graduated from UTC with a double degree in Economics and Finance and also received his MBA at St. Thomas University in Miami. He is a resident of Pelham, NY. Said former U.S. and Roland Garros singles champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer Fred Stolle, “With detailed explanations of the strokes illustrated by photos of the greats, and in-depth discussion of tactics, psychology and fitness, Absolute Tennis helps players achieve their best game. Marty Smith is an outstanding teacher and his advice will work for you as it has for his many students over his decades of coaching.”
Said Gerold Marzorati, former editor of The New York Times Magazine and author of Late to the Ball, “Marty Smith is not only an enthusiastic and wise teaching pro with boundless knowledge of mechanics, technique, and strategy. He is also a cutting-edge theorist. This is a book for recreational players, promising young players and their parents, club pros, college-level coaches or anyone who grasps that clear, comprehensive understanding is a means to improvement. Absolute Tennis will transform your game – and could well transform the game itself.”
Said former top 40 ATP singles player Alex Bogomolov, “Absolute Tennis is the definitive modern tennis instruction book. It covers tennis with advice that is interesting, incisive, and useful. There are the chapters on psychology and fitness that my friends on the pro tour will find helpful, while the chapters on strategy and strokes will guide recreational players to play smarter and hit the ball with more power, control, and belief.”
Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” by Chris Lewit, “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Sport of a Lifetime” by Judy Aydelott, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.
