There are a number of aspects that differentiate the "traditional" forehand from the "modern" one. However, one of the most relevant is the stance of the player during the stroke. In the traditional forehand, both feet are aligned perpendicular to the net resulting in the label of "square" stance. Conversely, the modern forehand has been referred to as the "open" stance because both feet are aligned parallel to the net.
However, there are other ways of positioning your feet to produce the forehand stroke. We can consider the "closed" stance, in which the front foot is crossed in front of the back, and also the "semi-open" stance in which the closer foot to the hitting zone is slightly behind the other foot.
Even though the closed stance was the one taught in the early days, there is a general consensus in the literature that this type of forehand is less effective when playing regular strokes and is used only in emergency situations such as
* when you are hitting on the run,
* when you are playing a defensive forehand, or
* when you are coming to the net if the ball bounces well in front of you.
Some experts also have expressed concern over the closed-stnace forehand
blocking the entire hip area, which potentially can lead to injuries being sustained in the hip as well as in the lower back. Obviously with this type of forehand the transfer of momentum forward is almost nonexistent, which makes it very difficult to use if you want to hit with power.
World-class Tennis Technique (p. 149 - 150)
There are a number of aspects that differentiate the "traditional" forehand from the "modern" one. However, one of the most relevant is the stance of the player during the stroke. In the traditional forehand, both feet are aligned perpendicular to the net resulting in the label of "square" stance. Conversely, the modern forehand has been referred to as the "open" stance because both feet are aligned parallel to the net.
However, there are other ways of positioning your feet to produce the forehand stroke. We can consider the "closed" stance, in which the front foot is crossed in front of the back, and also the "semi-open" stance in which the closer foot to the hitting zone is slightly behind the other foot.
Even though the closed stance was the one taught in the early days, there is a general consensus in the literature that this type of forehand is less effective when playing regular strokes and is used only in emergency situations such as
* when you are hitting on the run,
* when you are playing a defensive forehand, or
* when you are coming to the net if the ball bounces well in front of you.
Some experts also have expressed concern over the closed-stnace forehand
blocking the entire hip area, which potentially can lead to injuries being sustained in the hip as well as in the lower back. Obviously with this type of forehand the transfer of momentum forward is almost nonexistent, which makes it very difficult to use if you want to hit with power.