Hybrid Backhand??

[michael_1265]

I was taking a doubles lesson last night, and while on break, I complained to the pro that no matter how hard I try, I'm not getting the "whip" I want on my 2HBH. We'd been though this before, with me making several improvements: pushing through with the left hand, getting a better shoulder turn, widening my stance. In the end, though, it hasn't had the kind of velocity that you would expect from a 6'4", 240 lb player. Plenty of spin, but no putaway potential. He said that I should give the 1HBH another try, but I told him my 2HBH return of serve would be really tough to give up. He said I should keep two hands when I return serve, and use one for everything else. Has anybody here done this? This guy has been teaching a long time (after a short pro career), and I trust his judgement, but it seems a little odd. For what it's worth, I like my 1HBH; it's flatter and more penetrating then when I use two hands, but my margin for error is a bit lower. Should I give it a try? For reference, I am a middling 3.5.

 

[Xizel]

Normal stuff. This has been happening ever since the 2HBH revolution.

 

[sureshs]

Normal stuff. This has been happening ever since the 2HBH revolution.

No pro does it. It is not normal at all.

 

[michael_1265]

Okay. All locked up at one for and one against.

 

[rdis10093]

look at tsonga. At that level it does not matter though. If you go back in forth between the two though, you will never completly master one

 

[Xizel]

No pro does it.

Tsonga. Not necessarily a 2H return of serve and 1H for the rest, but the point here is to take what's good from each and use it for that purpose. I doubt the pros have enough time since childhood to tinker with two biomechanically different strokes. Not everything we do has to have a basis in the pros' game. If anyone have seen those crazy driving slices that some older guys do on the court with extreme accuracy and spin, you know what I'm talking about. That's not something you see in the pro game, yet will dominate the lower competition.

 

[Frank Silbermann]

I was taking a doubles lesson last night, and while on break, I complained to the pro that no matter how hard I try, I'm not getting the "whip" I want on my 2HBH. We'd been though this before, with me making several improvements: pushing through with the left hand, getting a better shoulder turn, widening my stance. In the end, though, it hasn't had the kind of velocity that you would expect from a 6'4", 240 lb player. Plenty of spin, but no putaway potential.

You might try holding the racket more loosely, especially before contact. Try working on it with a ball you drop and hit -- so you have to manufacture all the speed yourself.

 

[SeriousSummer]

It isn't necessarily pretty, but like quite a few recreational I use both a one- and two-handed backhand. I return first serves and rally balls that are very hard hit with two hands--they could otherwise overpower my backhand.

Then I hit everything else one-handed, except sometime I'll change pace by hitting a topspin two-hander or use it for a passing shot.

My one-hande is usually a slice or flat ball, although I've been working on a topspin and use it once in a whle.

 

[michael_1265]

You might try holding the racket more loosely, especially before contact. Try working on it with a ball you drop and hit -- so you have to manufacture all the speed yourself.

I will try that. Thanks.

 

[Chyeaah]

One handed needs you to be very strong, tried one handed, i love one handed backhands but my natural instinct is to pick up the racquet with both hands for my backhand because one handed tires you out more quickly and you need more strength to put topspin on it, usually slice with one hand. Two handed is easier to topspin and easier hit the ball harder, tires you out less and needs less technique.

A two handed backhand is 5x easier than a one handed. One handed requires strength, and VERY VERY good technique

 

[fuzz nation]

One handed needs you to be very strong, tried one handed, i love one handed backhands but my natural instinct is to pick up the racquet with both hands for my backhand because one handed tires you out more quickly and you need more strength to put topspin on it, usually slice with one hand. Two handed is easier to topspin and easier hit the ball harder, tires you out less and needs less technique.

A two handed backhand is 5x easier than a one handed. One handed requires strength, and VERY VERY good technique

I'd offer that the one-hander requires different timing, but that's about it. I teach a 13 year old girl here and there and she's no "phenom", but she's learning a good foundation of skills along with her little sister. So this peanut told me that she couldn't find a good, natural stroke with a two-handed style and wanted to work on a one-hander... and away we go.

Grip, footwork, and timing to a different contact point all had to be addressed, but since I was hand feeding to our wee grasshopper, it wasn't an especially nasty challenge. Well wouldn't you know it, after about ten minutes of trying to dial things in, our little snowflake got everything in sync and just about blew my head off with a few one-handers. I had to retreat to the other side of the net for more feeds - happy to report that nobody lost a body part. With proper timing, including earlier setup and execution compared with a two-hander, a one-handed backhand's mechanics and geometry can make that stroke seem almost self-propelled.

 

[fuzz nation]

For what it's worth, I like my 1HBH; it's flatter and more penetrating then when I use two hands, but my margin for error is a bit lower. Should I give it a try? For reference, I am a middling 3.5.

Try it. The good news is that you're not competing with those killers on TV to earn your lunch money. I can only assume that the state of your backhand has no direct correlation with your either eating or going hungry.

I don't want everyone in the world to play just like me (I'm not that great), but I use both backhands just fine, along with a very reliable slice. The one-hander is my rally stroke, but the two-hander is the clear choice when I want to fire off a quick topspin service return or maybe fight off a deep ball that gets in tight on me in a hurry. It's much easier to set-and-fire in a more compact move, but the one-hander absolutely gives me both more power and accuracy when I have the time to hit it.

Take some full, smooth practice strokes without hitting a ball using both styles of backhand and listen to the whoosh of the racquet as it moves through what would be your hitting zone. Whenever I try this myself, the whoosh of the one-hander is always naturally faster than the two-hander with no strain or need for superhuman strength. Get the timing right for proper contact and that means more potential racquet speed on tap for more power, more spin, or both.

Everyone seems to have a stronger aptitude for one style or the other. If you haven't turned in some real work toward developing a one-hander, you haven't honestly tested the waters yet, right? It might take several months or even a year for the dust to really settle with your game if you go in this direction, but if you strike upon the better stroke for you, it'll get reeeeeally interesting in a hurry. The upside of having a "one-hander under construction" is that you can work on it when you're in a practice session, but stay in business with your two-hander if you've got a match.

...and you'll have more in common with the Fed-man... HA!!!

 

[sureshs]

Tsonga. Not necessarily a 2H return of serve and 1H for the rest, but the point here is to take what's good from each and use it for that purpose. I doubt the pros have enough time since childhood to tinker with two biomechanically different strokes. Not everything we do has to have a basis in the pros' game. If anyone have seen those crazy driving slices that some older guys do on the court with extreme accuracy and spin, you know what I'm talking about. That's not something you see in the pro game, yet will dominate the lower competition.

Tsonga is a good example.

However, very few of the old crafty club guys return using a 2 hander.

 

[sureshs]

Okay. All locked up at one for and one against.

LOL............