Problem with a onehanded backhand

[Mattle]

I use a semi western grip on my FOREHAND and I can drive it easily and keep it flat, by hitting through it and pronate it. But.. can I do this with the one handed backhand aswell? Im having troubles keeping it low and still with some top spin. or how should it be compared to the forehand?

 

[TheSnowMan]

All you have to do to put more topspin on balls and keep them in play is to brush up on the ball.. If you want a flat shot on backhand, I would use a continental grip. I don't know how other people do a flat backhand, but my coach told me to use that grip.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I use a semi western grip on my FOREHAND and I can drive it easily and keep it flat, by hitting through it and pronate it. But.. can I do this with the one handed backhand aswell? Im having troubles keeping it low and still with some top spin. or how should it be compared to the forehand?

The grip of choice for the backhand is the Eastern Backhand with the base knuckle on the top panel.

If you are hitting the ball high and long, it could be that you are turning your wrist a little on a forward contact point. This is very common.

With the Eastern backhand grip you can drive it, top it, and for some put underspin on it using the swing path for the slice. This is an extremely versatile grip.

If you are having trouble driving it, the swing path and how low your racquet is from the ball as it heads up to contact is usually the colpret.

Try swinging from the shoulder, keeping the racquet angled slightly closed, and do not windshield wipe the ball at all. Just go through it and at the hieght of your followthrough maintain the long L as you can see the sun through your strings.

 

[Mattle]

The grip of choice for the backhand is the Eastern Backhand with the base knuckle on the top panel.

If you are hitting the ball high and long, it could be that you are turning your wrist a little on a forward contact point. This is very common.

With the Eastern backhand grip you can drive it, top it, and for some put underspin on it using the swing path for the slice. This is an extremely versatile grip.

If you are having trouble driving it, the swing path and how low your racquet is from the ball as it heads up to contact is usually the colpret.

Try swinging from the shoulder, keeping the racquet angled slightly closed, and do not windshield wipe the ball at all. Just go through it and at the hieght of your followthrough maintain the long L as you can see the sun through your strings.

I'm not sure that I understand you when you talk about the long L and "seeing the sun". You know, my forehand dosen't have this problem, I can do everything with it, because on every swing I can do a follow through reminding about a windshield viper sometimes. Keeps the ball down. Im not sure how to do this with the one handed backhand.. Well the problem isn't just the one handed backhand at all. If it comes at knee level, I can nail it perfectly. But now, I'm on clay, have to hit much more and higher and less slicing than on the hard court, and I just want to know what can help me making a consistent High 1hbh shot. (I mean a model 1hbh which i can use in all cases)

 

[Bungalo Bill]

I'm not sure that I understand you when you talk about the long L and "seeing the sun".

Fair enough. Do you see the picture of your avatar and Federer hitting the ball? Trace from the top of his shoulder, down to his hand, and out to the tip of the racquet. That is the Big L that should be maintaine as long as possible in the onehanded backhand. The small L is created in the wrist area and goes from the back of the hand, to the wrist, and then up a little on the arm. If you curl your wrist back you will see it form a small L. The smal L is a preference as to how much of an L you want to make. If you used an extreme grip, you would have to pull back the hand to make a strong L to keep the racquet face from being too closed.

If you allowed yourself to continue your swing up with the big L as high as you could get it, the strings should be facing down above you so you could look up through them and see the sun.

Obviously, not every backhand you are going to hit will be like this. As you get better, you will add your own style and preferences. Pointing this out simple is a good way to see and practice and helps promote racquet control for the onehanded backhand.

Take a look at this Haas clip when he makes contact. Study it. Note the long L, then hit next and watch how high he maintains that.

http://www.uspta.com/html/e-lesson-Backhand%20side%20view.swf

Now mind you, Haas will rotate or windshield the racquet as well, however, when you are running into inconsistency patterns with your onehander, going back to the basics is always a good thing..

Guga here is a more flamboyant player but even with his radical style, he still has the basics built in real well. Look at his followthrough and note how long he keeps that long L. This shows good strength, racquet head control, and helps him hit cleanly on a consistent basis. Yes, he can "seem" wild, but when slowed down, it is clear that he has had some excellent basic training and is a master of the fundamentals.

http://www.uspta.com/html/e-lesson-xcourt%20backhand.swf

 

[Othello]

WHen you said 'no whindshield wiper at all' I started to get apprehensive of my backhand because I do this.
Well I supinate through the ball.

Taylor Dent is the only pro I've seen who doesn't do this. No supination. I used to hit this way when I first started hitting with a one hander.

 

[siber222000]

i use continental grip for one handed backhand, because i can move it swiftly =)

 

[Bungalo Bill]

WHen you said 'no whindshield wiper at all' I started to get apprehensive of my backhand because I do this.
Well I supinate through the ball.

Taylor Dent is the only pro I've seen who doesn't do this. No supination. I used to hit this way when I first started hitting with a one hander.

If you can keep the swing path going up and the racquet face turning up at the same time while hitting a clean and consistent backhand - go for it. I am not against windshield wiping on the onehander. However, I am against it if a player is having a hard time hitting cleanly and/or is hitting short balls all the time.

In this case, it is time to get back to the basics and learn to drive the ball. A lot of players windshield wipe too much and do not extend their stroke through the ball.

Study last sequence: http://www.uspta.com/html/e-lesson-Backhand back view.swf

Study last sequence: http://www.uspta.com/html/e-lesson-xcourt backhand.swf

A lot of players should be working on the fundamentals more than anything else.

 

[jstr]

Hearing my coach give me tips on adjusting my swing, footing, etc. as I was hitting was helpful but I couldn't solidify it in my mind. So what I did was
to set up my digital camera ( most of them have video capability now ) on a tripod, and shot some footage as I was hitting with the "form" and "feel" that I was trying to achieve. Then I watched it " on court " and repeated the process. It was a big step in improvment.