The one handed backhand: liabilities and benefits
 

I was wondering if anyone could present points regarding the value of this stroke.
More specifically, I was expecting some support behind these ideas:
Are the critics justified about the pitfalls of using one hand;
Why or why not;
What makes sort of ggame does this stroke fits best;
Can it rival its two handed counterpart;
Etc.

All inputs are valued, obviously. Sometimes, arguments inspire innovation and it improves our understanding. Let‘s see what y‘all have to say about this.

Just to get started, some basic points:

Advantages:
Farther reach
Better complement to the slice
More power potential (though debated in another thread)

Disadv.:
Less stable hitting structure
(Therefore) Harder to get consistent
Difficult to drive through shots above the shoulder

As for reach, only the slice has more reach, which a 2hbh can do as well.
A topspin 1hbh needs to be taken well out front, so there is no reach advantage, and possibly a disadvantage because it needs to be hit early.
As for high shots above the shoulder, it's a draw. Neither is ideal, and a 1hbh slice is the best. For return of serve, a jumping 2hbh seems very effective.

Here is a good article on it:

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/column...ederer_1712164

There are the usual claims, but they are not substantiated. As LeeD suggested, even from a purely intuitive way, your reach is wasted toward the net... you do not swing much more to the side with it. For the power, a recent study suggests that there is no statistically significant difference in terms of pace between both backhands. For the "hitting structure," you may make it a case for an hypothesis... after all, why would a second hand not grant you with more stability? The problem I see with it is that the analogy is a little off (we're facing moving objects, for one) and it doesn't seem to prevail on the forehand side, but, still, you could try to validate this point. For the final part, players like Henin make for a very different case... as much as many clay courters who are actually brought up with one handed backhands (think of Almagro, Corretja or Kuerton...). It seems Europeans see this backhand fit for a real dance on the center court of the French Open, but not Americans. Again, these are ideas: they need to be tested.

Regardless, thanks for the input. It summarizes very well the usual preconceptions people have about this stroke.

That is a good point that the reach advantage is not quite as much as one might think on the one hander, but it is still there worth mentioning. The two hander is just so much better for strong 1st serves though.

the single-handed backhand is prettier.

is it just me or is it easier to hit aggressively angled cross court top spin shots with the one-handed backhand? With the two hander i feel more bunched up and can't let it rip.

two hander is faster rate of growth.
one hander is late bloomer, but has higher growth potential.

I can hit a slower ball a lot better with my single hander. I can rally and return better with my two hander.

I seem to volley better on days where I hit a 1hbh...but that could be my imagination.

Ultimately, with a skilled player holding the racquet, the biggest issue with a 1hbh is return of serve against big servers. The ball is coming so fast, with so much spin, it's really hard to get around and be offensive with the return. You can chip and block, but it's hard to consistently rip it. The 2hbh allows you to get around and punch over an aggressive return even if you're in a really awkward position - as is often the case with returning serves.

Otherwise everything else is more or less a wash IMO. I think you can get a bit higher racquet velocity with a 1hbh, so more pace or spin. The 2hbh allows you to get more on balls that you're forced to muscle over You can flick a two hander cross court in a way that you can't do with a one hander. High balls and short balls should not be weaknesses with a proper one hander. Everyone needs a good one handed slice. With a one hander your volleys, if you volley, might be a tad crisper on the bh side.

If you're willing to deal with the return of serve issue, try the 1hbh. It's beautiful shot. BTW, I hit a 2hbh.

not sure if it contributes to this thread, but i´m saying it anyway:)
most beginners i work with have a tendency for either the onehander or the twohander. not for logical reasons i´m sure but nevertheless. that´s what i go with to begin with. it´s easy to change in the first few months.

great point by Lee, that the advantage in reach isn´t as much as commonly thought.

Just wrong.

For me:

1 hander is better for:
a) Low balls
b) More topspin
c) Little bit extra reach
d) More pace than 2 hander

2 hander is better for:
a) High balls
b) Return of serve
c) Redirecting hard shots
d) Scooping balls up that land near my feet

And chicks dig it... :)

HERE HERE.

Better return of serve for the two hander? Disagree, You have better reach on the one hander and the return itself is a lot steadier (although the two hander return is more offensive on the return).

"Reach" is more than just about arm reach.

It's about being able to lunge, or run through the ball, and put some controlled heat on it. I think the 1hbh has the lead here.

The freer range of motion of the arm on the 1hbh allows for clean shots when taking a big step and/or leaning over. Also note the 1-hander does not have to open his shoulders as much as the 2-hander, if at all.

In this reach regard, I think the 1hbh wins out vs. the closed-stance 2hbh heavily, and still probably has a lead over the open-stanced 2hbh (unless it is Djokovic's).

Btw, one thing I think Wawrinka did well vs. Djokovic was precisely this. He would run to his left, take a huge step, stoop down and hit a bomb, seemingly effortlessly.


I'd like to see, or at least read more about this study. Any links or other information?

Sure you have more reach with the 1 hander but you also have to hit the ball a few inches further out in front robbing you of a little bit of time. I would have to disagree the 1 hander is more steady on returns. Even when I was using a 1 hander all the time, sometimes I'd revert back to 2 hands against the bigger servers I play. I've used both 1 handed and 2 handed backhands extensively, just curious have you?

not stable*?! how so?

the single hander is far more 'stable' than the double hander. you have your whole body weight behind the shot, can swing freely unimpeded by having to balance both arms; the double handed backhand is basically a forehand with your non-dominant arm while having your dominant arm as a 'helper' or training wheels.

and for hitting low balls or on the rise, you can basically hit balls as they bounce while scraping the surface of the court.


* On groundstrokes.

You have another hand on the handle. It is more stable because of the 'helper' hand.

If you can find somebody that serves really hard, try and return it both ways. I'm guessing your footnote is conceding that point though.