| What is a backhand? It is any shot hit from your | | | | your leading foot it is important to figure out where in |
| non-dominant side. There are two main ways to hit a | | | | relationship to your body you should strike the ball. |
| backhand: one-handed or two-handed. Most players | | | | Unlike the two-hander, which we'll talk about in a |
| decide which way they are going to hit their backhand | | | | moment, the contact of a one-hander is well out in |
| early in their training. Both ways have various strengths | | | | front of your leading foot. To hit an effective |
| and weaknesses. In general, people are "naturally" | | | | one-hander you need lots of room; if you catch the ball |
| either one-handed or two-handed players, and I'll | | | | late it will cause you to tighten your shoulders and hit |
| discuss why this is the case below... | | | | the ball wide. |
| People are either "naturally" one or two-handed | | | | With the superb footwork, step, and contact point out |
| players. When I watch a student hit a backhand for | | | | in front the final element to hitting a successful one |
| the first time I start them with a two-hander and see | | | | handed backhand is the follow through. One-handed |
| how they react to it. If it is comfortable for them I keep | | | | follow throughs should be long and directed towards |
| them with it, but if they have difficulty a switch to the | | | | where you are aiming. One of the biggest problems |
| one-hander is in order. How do I know when to make | | | | beginning one-handers face is they over rotate the |
| the switch? The single thing I'm looking for is how much | | | | dominant shoulder causing them to "whip" the follow |
| they extend their follow through. If they like to push | | | | through. An ideal one-hander finishes with the shoulder |
| their dominant hand through the court more they are | | | | low and the follow through on a single linear path |
| almost always a "natural" one-hander. On the other | | | | towards your target. If someone were taking a picture |
| hand, two-handers tend to have a more compact | | | | of you from the front immediately at the end of the |
| follow through that wraps around the body. It is | | | | stroke they should not be able to see your chest; your |
| important to pick the style that best compliments your | | | | body should be facing the sideline. Watch Federer or |
| natural hitting tendencies; hitting the wrong type of | | | | old footage of Sampras and notice how they lengthen |
| backhand can cause years of pain and frustration. | | | | their follow throughs; very rarely do they over rotate |
| Trust me, I know! Let's now discuss each type... | | | | or pull the shoulder away. |
| The One-Hander... | | | | The Two-Hander... |
| The one-hander was the "traditional" way of hitting a | | | | If you're not convinced that the one-hander is the way |
| backhand. Watch footage of most professional | | | | to go then you may be a natural two-hander. The |
| players from the middle of the 20th century, and you'll | | | | two-handed backhand has exploded in popularity in |
| notice that most of them are hitting a one-hander. The | | | | recent decades. Look at many of the top players in |
| one-hander is a beautiful stroke when done correctly; | | | | the world and you'll see that they are hitting |
| simply watch the fluidity of Roger Federer... And | | | | two-handers. Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Andy |
| Federer is not the only example! Pete Sampras, Boris | | | | Murray, Jimmy Connors, Serena and Venus Williams, |
| Becker, Tim Henman, Justine Henin, James Blake, | | | | as well as Andy Roddick are only a few world class |
| Martina Navratilova are only a few world class players | | | | tennis players that hit the two-hander. Two-handed |
| that endorse the one-hander. One-handed players tend | | | | backhands tend to compliment players who prefer to |
| to enjoy attacking the net and moving forward into the | | | | play most of their points from the baseline. |
| court. | | | | Why the recent explosion in popularity? For starters |
| The importance of the one-hander is that it affords | | | | the two-hander is a relatively easier stroke to use |
| several advantages that the two-hander doesn't. It is | | | | compared to the one-hander. It is also highly popular |
| much easier to learn how to hit an effective slice | | | | with junior players because they can develop |
| backhand. It is generally easier to hit balls below your | | | | significant amounts of power; and for many people, |
| knees, and balls that stretch you wide since your | | | | having the second hand on the grip gives them a |
| effective reach is greater. It is also often times easier | | | | greater sense of stability that the one-hander doesn't. |
| to learn the backhand volley as well, since this stroke is | | | | Unlike the one-hander, you don't need as much room |
| also one-handed. Interestingly, many of the best | | | | space to hit it effectively. However, the two-hander |
| volleyers in the history of the game (Stefan Edberg, | | | | also has a few draw backs. First, it can be much more |
| Patrick Rafter, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova) all | | | | difficult (although not impossible) to learn how to hit an |
| had one-handed backhands. However, on the other | | | | effective slice backhand since the follow throughs are |
| hand, it can be difficult to hit heavy topspin with a | | | | much different. Likewise, it can be harder to learn |
| one-hander, especially when the ball gets high above | | | | backhand volleys and it can be hard to hit effectively if |
| your shoulders. For young junior players it can be | | | | you are stretched out wide. |
| frustrating to learn the one-hander because early on it | | | | Despite the disadvantages the advantages clearly |
| puts you at a distinct strength disadvantage (this is part | | | | trump in many circumstances which is why the |
| of the reason why many juniors nowadays learn | | | | two-hander is immensely popular in today's game. So |
| two-handers). | | | | how the heck do you hit the two-hander? Like the |
| If you've decided that a one-hander feels like the way | | | | one-hander we'll start by discussing the appropriate |
| to go the next question is how do you hit it? Let's start | | | | grip. The dominant hand should be in the continental |
| by discussing the appropriate grip. A continental grip is | | | | orientation. The non-dominant hand's palm should be |
| the way to go. The continental allows you to hit both | | | | pressed directly against the back panel of the grip |
| topspin and slice without having to change the position | | | | during the swing (ie: the panel of the grip that is flush |
| of your hand on the grip. A more extreme continental | | | | with the net). Having the non-dominant hand in this |
| will allow you to "brush" up the back of the ball to hit | | | | orientation will help you guide the follow through |
| more topspin; a less extreme continental will help you | | | | towards your target. |
| flatten the ball out. You can also hit very effective slice | | | | The footwork of the two-hander is similar to that of |
| using a continental. In essence, the continental grip is | | | | the one-hander. In essence, the player should step |
| one-stop shopping for the one-handed backhand. | | | | forward into the court with their dominant foot. The |
| Once you've gotten the feel for the continental, there | | | | differences with the one-hander now become more |
| are a few key steps to hitting a great one-hander. The | | | | apparent. Rather than timing the step of the foot with |
| first is footwork. Like all great strokes in tennis, if the | | | | the ball strike, instead you want to bend the knees and |
| footwork isn't there then the stroke will suffer. The | | | | rotate the back hip through the ball (see image to the |
| one-hander is no exception. Footwork on the | | | | right). This is much more similar to hitting an effective |
| one-hander is a little hard to get at first because it | | | | forehand. In addition, you want to allow the follow |
| requires superb timing. The goal is to step into the ball | | | | through to rotate around the body rather than staying |
| with your front, or dominant, foot (right foot if right | | | | on a long linear path. You still want to push the palms |
| handed, and left foot if left handed). In other words, as | | | | of your hands towards your target, but you do so in a |
| the ball comes you are going to time your step with | | | | less exaggerated way compared to the one-handed |
| the ball strike so that they occur nearly simultaneously. | | | | stroke. |
| Once you feel comfortable stepping into the ball with | | | | |