Open or neutral stance: why did two coaches teach me differently?

The short answer

Open and neutral stances are different ways to arrange your feet for a forehand. Both can support an effective shot. A coach teaching you to step forward may be working on a different ball or learning objective from a coach teaching you to hit with a more open base. The useful question is what the instruction helps you do in that situation.

This guide concerns forehand groundstrokes. Start by understanding the positions, then connect them to the ball you receive. You do not need to choose one stance as your permanent identity.

See the difference at ground level

Imagine a line joining the centers of your feet. In a neutral stance, also called square, that line runs roughly toward the net: for a right-handed forehand, the left foot is nearer the net. In an open stance, the line runs roughly along the baseline. Semi-open describes positions between those two arrangements.

These names describe the base you hit from, not the direction every part of your body faces. Your toes do not have to point in the same direction. Your stance also changes as you arrive, swing, and recover; it is not a pose you must hold.

Open feet do not mean unturned shoulders

A unit turn is the coordinated turn of the upper body and racket as you prepare. You can turn your shoulders while keeping a relatively open foot arrangement. Conversely, stepping into a neutral stance does not complete the preparation for you.

Separate three observations: where the feet are, how the body prepares, and where the ball will meet the racket. Calling all three “turn sideways” can create confusion. When a coach gives that instruction, ask which part they want you to change.

Use the diagrams to understand the labels, not to force your joints into exact angles. Allow comfortable foot adjustment and movement through the shot.

Why the incoming ball changes the choice

Consider a ball that draws you forward and leaves time to organize. Stepping into a neutral stance may fit the movement you are already making. Now consider a ball that pulls you sideways with less time. An open or semi-open base may let you hit without adding a step across your body. These are useful starting examples, not rules for every short or wide ball.

Height, depth, pace, available space, and your intended next movement all matter. A stance that works from a predictable feed may become awkward when the next ball arrives deeper or faster. Before changing the swing, ask whether you reached a workable place to hit.

Spacing means creating room between your body and the ball for the stroke. Moving toward the bounce is not always the same as moving toward a useful contact position. If the ball is crowding you, naming the stance will not by itself solve that problem.

Why two lessons can sound contradictory

One lesson may isolate a step into a comfortable feed. Another may introduce lateral movement and recovery. A temporary instruction can make sense within either task while becoming misleading if you carry it into every rally.

Terminology can differ too. Some coaches use “closed” loosely for a step-in forehand; others distinguish a neutral stance from a more crossed-over position. Ask for a demonstration rather than assuming that the same word always describes the same arrangement.

Try three questions: “What problem is this stance solving for me?” “Which incoming ball are we practicing?” “When would you want me to choose something different?” A useful explanation should connect the instruction with what you can observe.

Does one stance produce more power?

The answer needs a defined task. A 2025 study by Caprioli and colleagues tested 42 competitive players performing forehands in structured lateral and diagonal-inward movement situations. Square stance produced higher ball speed in those tests. The study does not establish that every player should use it on every ball, or that it produces better outcomes throughout a match.

For your own practice, separate pace from usefulness. Ask whether you can send the ball toward your intended area, maintain workable spacing, and move again afterward. A faster shot that repeatedly leaves you stranded may not be the improvement you were looking for.

Try a short comparison on court

This is a GEN Tennis practice suggestion, not a validated skill test. Use a comfortable pace, a cooperative partner or coach, and enough space to move. Keep the aim modest: notice what changes when the ball changes.

• First, rehearse each arrangement without a ball. Name the stance and make an easy shadow swing. Check that you can prepare your shoulders and move out of the finish without feeling locked in place.
• Next, use a few predictable, comfortable forehand feeds. Compare neutral and semi-open or open stances without trying to hit harder. Keep the target generous and the feeds similar enough to notice the difference.
• Then change the problem. Alternate a manageable ball that invites a step forward with one that requires a small lateral adjustment. Let the position develop from the task rather than announcing a mandatory stance before every feed.
• Finally, add the next ball. After each shot, organize for another feed. Notice whether your first contact left you room and time to continue. Reduce the pace or movement demand if the comparison stops being clear.

What useful progress looks like

Look for three things: you arrive with room for the stroke, you make the intended contact without an emergency reach, and you can organize for the next ball. Note which conditions make those behaviors easier or harder. You are learning a choice, not collecting perfect-looking still frames.

A short video can help if everyone filmed agrees. Keep the feet, racket, and ball visible. Compare similar feeds before attributing a difference to stance alone. Take the observation to your coach: “On the wider ball I kept stepping across and could not recover comfortably” is more useful than “My open stance is bad.”

How this connects to FLOW

Focus: read what the ball asks of you. Load: arrive with spacing and a usable base. Organize: coordinate preparation and the stroke. Work: recover, repeat, and test the movement against a changing ball.

Progress when the player can apply the idea under a little more variation. There is no requirement to spend a fixed number of weeks on one stance, and no need to force both into every practice. The purpose is a forehand that remains usable when conditions change.

Sources and the limits of this guide

The sources below include original coaching explanations and a comparative research study. Coaching terminology and recommendations differ; GEN Tennis uses “neutral” for the approximately net-perpendicular foot arrangement shown here. Our diagrams and practice sequence are original teaching aids. They are schematic, not motion-capture measurements or an assessment of your individual technique.