I finally started getting coaching from a really good player. He is proper coach and also great doubles and mixed player. He was showing me the grip he uses for his forehands such as clears, smashes and drops = basic grip I thought I was using the basic grip until yesterday when I started reading more & I found I use the alternative basic grip. I have only practiced the proper basic grip a night but it felt weird, I had no control and my timing was way off, kept hitting everything to the left! Now maybe I jus need more practice but should I change my grip to this grip or is my usual grip (alternative basic) fine? With my usual grip, I can clear full court, have full control of direction, my only concern is power of my smash but then is that just me or is that the grip?? Will my current grip hinder my process, hinder my game?? Cheers for the info
It's always a strange feeling when you fix your grip. The main reason you're hitting it to the left is your lack of wrist rotation. When you hit with old grip, the head of the racket was pretty much facing the net when you hit. You didn't really have to rotate the head too much to hit the bird "correctly". Since you changed your grip, you're hitting it the same way you did with your old grip and so you're now not giving enough wrist rotation. I would take your racket cover and use that to get the motion down a bit at least. I prefer it this way because you'll feel air resistance against your racket when the head is facing forward. When your racket head is slightly turned, you'll feel less resistance. I think it's a little helpful thing to do since you'll get automatic feedback through the resistance.
The grip you have been using, which you call "alternative basic grip", is a small adjustment intended for when the shuttle is somewhat out in front of you -- as when hitting a smash from an ideal position. It's not suitable for situations where the shuttle is level with you (directly overhead). The standard basic grip will be better for your usual clears, for example. When players use this "smash grip" for clears, they often have problems hitting out the sides when playing a clear from their forehand corner. You have likely compensated for this problem through long use, and therefore it's natural that you now find your shots are heading off to the left. This problem will disappear in time. Summary: Your "default" grip for forehand overheads should be the basic grip For smashes where you are well set-up behind the shuttle, the "smash grip" is better
To be honest I have found that now my clears and smashes are very accurate with the alternative basic grip. I have been told to change to the basic grip as its easier to change to backhand as your kinda already there or something like that? Is that true. What is the benefit of this grip, should I try and perfect this basic grip??? Just looking for opinions. Some folk ave said, it doesnt realli matter as you change your grip to 30 different positions. I have found I do change my grip for clears say if I am in left of court and do a cross court clear, I def shift my grip to help with the angle. Is this correct??
The time taken to change grip is not an issue here. When we get down to this level of detail about grips, theory starts to have a limited effect on learning, and experimentation becomes more important. The best guide is how crisp the shot feels (i.e. whether you are hitting without slice), and how easy it feels to generate power. You may not be aware of all the grip adjustments that you make naturally. It's possible that you are actually using the correct angle of grip, even if you don't consciously realise it. The main concept that I'm trying to get across here is that overhead shots have different attitudes: some are out in front of you, some directly overhead, and some behind. To maintain a good hitting action, you will need to adjust your grip for each of these situations. And as you say, it can often be helpful to adjust your grip to help control the angle of a shot. For example, this can help you keep round-the-head forehands from going out.