A couple of one handed backhand questions

[1980]

Hey all,

New poster here.

I'm learning to hit a topspin one handed backhand and I have a couple of questions.

How much Supination should I be using on the topspin backhand? Am I meeting the ball with a closed racquet face on the rise similar to the topspin forehand? Should my contact point be out front or closer in to the body?

Thanks

[LeeD]

Amount of supination depends on your preference and especially your exact grip.
Your contact point should be almost exactly the same as for a 2hbh sideways, but 1hbh is taken much much earlier, so your body is behind your shot.
Grip tells exact location of your contact zone.
You block or sideslice balls lower than shin high.

[treblings]

Originally Posted by 1980

Hey all,

New poster here.

I'm learning to hit a topspin one handed backhand and I have a couple of questions.

How much Supination should I be using on the topspin backhand? Am I meeting the ball with a closed racquet face on the rise similar to the topspin forehand? Should my contact point be out front or closer in to the body?

Thanks

what did you use before? twohander or onehanded slice?

[Vertiz]

Just a couple points. You want to have a high take back, the same high take back every shot (even high balls). Drop the racket as you begin you swing and step forward (power step) with your body weight into the ball (very important never to have your weight falling back). Make contact out in front of you but keep your arm/elbow close to your body. The part about opening and closing the racket is hard for me to say b/c it's not something you should be working hard to do, it is natural if the rest of your swing is there. Your wrist should be firm before and during contact. The one hander is hard to explain because every shot is different and it takes small adjustments to hit each individual shot correctly. Keep in mind the fundamentals, keep playing & practicing and you should be able to figure out the rest with time. Good luck .

[luvforty]

develop the shot with as much supination as you can.... you have more spin, more margin, bigger strike zone.

[1980]

I was using a two hander before, but with intermittent success. A one hander always felt more natural for me however my tennis coach thinks that I drive through the ball too much (too flat of a shot) and I need to be driving down with the butt of the racquet (after my take back at the beginning part of the swing) and then supinating my wrist to meet the ball on the rise for topspin. This is kind of odd to me because I've never consciously tried to something like this. I've always driven through the path of the ball while gradually turning my wrist over on the follow through. However, this swing only seems to work when the ball is about waist high or lower, the rest of the time I spray the ball or get no power behind the shot. I want to believe his method is going to work, its just a bit odd for me because I'm still trying to wrap my head around swinging up at the ball instead of out on the forehand and backhand really.

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by luvforty

develop the shot with as much supination as you can.... you have more spin, more margin, bigger strike zone.

supination gives you a smaller strike zone.

i agree w/ leed. supination is a more advanced technique. better to develop a solid stroke before incorporating it.

[luvforty]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

supination gives you a smaller strike zone.

why smaller.... unless you do it wrong

[Cheetah]

Originally Posted by luvforty

why smaller.... unless you do it wrong

Because it closes the face therefore there is less area to address the ball.

[FrisbeeFool]

Originally Posted by Vertiz

Just a couple points. You want to have a high take back, the same high take back every shot (even high balls). Drop the racket as you begin you swing and step forward (power step) with your body weight into the ball (very important never to have your weight falling back). Make contact out in front of you but keep your arm/elbow close to your body. The part about opening and closing the racket is hard for me to say b/c it's not something you should be working hard to do, it is natural if the rest of your swing is there. Your wrist should be firm before and during contact. The one hander is hard to explain because every shot is different and it takes small adjustments to hit each individual shot correctly. Keep in mind the fundamentals, keep playing & practicing and you should be able to figure out the rest with time. Good luck .

Listen to this guy. He sounds like someone that can actually hit a one-handed backhand.

[LeeD]

Most of us have an upwards swingpath on our topspin forehands.
Seems likely the same upward swing path is good for the topspin backhand, taken earlier out in front with a closed body stance.
And we don't hit all our shots on the rise.
As for the supination thru the stroke, I think it's an advanced technique. Better to hold the wrist solid throughout the stroke until you can hit it pretty well, then it's up to you to modify and adjust.

[LeeD]

I'll stay away from the smaller or bigger strikezone for now.
Guga, Vilas, and Sabatini had decent topspin backhands, certainly serviceable for our needs, without supination.
Kriek used tons of supination.
It's got to do with preference and grip.
ClintThompson used supination. Wonder what happenned to him.

[luvforty]

guga and sabatini no supination?

Lee you wrong

[LeeD]

You're focusing on the wrong thing here.
Yes, Guga and Sabatini had more supination than Vilas, but not as much as the current WTA and ATP pros.
Plenty of photos of both the above pros on the finish, and an open racket face. Depends on which shot was hit and how high the ball was.
Vilas did finish openfaced on almost every topspin backhand, but he also used a very strong grip...prolly like Sabatini and Guga.

[BevelDevil]

You're a beginner, so worry about supination later. Focusing on it now can lead to really bad habits.

Your backswing, arm structure and the timing of the step and racket drop is more than enough to occupy yourself for a year or more.

Watch these two videos and follow the advice. This instructor makes the best videos on the 1hbh on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW2_dyj6QiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWTPw1l3qIU


If you stay relaxed, supination will follow naturally from this. But without these fundamentals in the video, you'll be in trouble. So get first things first.


Also, my advice on grip is to make sure you are gripping the handle like you would a mountain bike, not a steak knife.

[BevelDevil]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

supination gives you a smaller strike zone.

i agree w/ leed. supination is a more advanced technique. better to develop a solid stroke before incorporating it.

Originally Posted by luvforty

why smaller.... unless you do it wrong

Timing is also harder, especially for a beginner. That's why there's usually no or little supination on a return of serve, I think.


Don't forget, we're talking about a beginner here and there's a lot more for him to focus on.

[1980]

Originally Posted by BevelDevil

Timing is also harder, especially for a beginner. That's why there's usually no or little supination on a return of serve, I think.


Don't forget, we're talking about a beginner here and there's a lot more for him to focus on.

I'm not an absolute beginner. I just learned in the 80's through mid 90's and haven't adapted my strokes for the modern game i.e. tons of topspin. My two handed backhand is serviceable, but has never felt comfortable. My one handed backhand is, again, something that feels more natural and that I think can be decent with some consistent hard work. That being said I'm only 5' 9" and the one handed backhand is definitely a little tougher on the higher balls, hence really wanting to learn a stroke that is going to allow me to hit with a greater margin of error. I notice from watching videos of Federer's backhand that he seems to drive through the ball a little more while just naturally supinating his forearm. It works in perfect congruence with his upper body for smooth stroke. His racquet face seems quite open on most of his backhands (or even many of his forehands for that matter). Is it a common misconception that massive topspin is used for every shot in tennis nowadays?

[BevelDevil]

Originally Posted by 1980

I'm not an absolute beginner. I just learned in the 80's through mid 90's and haven't adapted my strokes for the modern game i.e. tons of topspin. My two handed backhand is serviceable, but has never felt comfortable.

When I had a 2hbh, the biggest source of discomfort and feeling of restriction came from me not shifting my weight enough before the forward swing. So if you end up sticking with the 2hbh, make sure you're stepping in at the start of your forward swing.


Also, if you alternate between trying a 2hbh and a 1hbh, a huge difference in the feel will come from the direction your chin/eyes will be looking in relation to your chest.

1hbh, you're looking either straight ahead or to your right (assuming you're right handed). 2hbh, you're looking left across your body since your are opening up your chest more on that shot.

Originally Posted by 1980

My one handed backhand is, again, something that feels more natural and that I think can be decent with some consistent hard work. That being said I'm only 5' 9" and the one handed backhand is definitely a little tougher on the higher balls, hence really wanting to learn a stroke that is going to allow me to hit with a greater margin of error.

What kind of grip do you use? Where is the index base knuckle, and where is your heel pad?

A grip correction is probably the easiest way to improve a flawed stroke.

I also find opening up the chest helps on high balls.

Originally Posted by 1980

I notice from watching videos of Federer's backhand that he seems to drive through the ball a little more while just naturally supinating his forearm.

As Lee said, do not use Fed as a model unless you are willing to wait years for the payoff (which may never come). Fed spent his junior years developing that shot. When he was 16, he had a much more "stiff" backhand, which shows that his current bh was a product of years of gradual change based on simple fundamentals.

I think Wawrinka and Henin are good models, especially for a 5'9" person who wants to hit high balls better.

Originally Posted by 1980

Is it a common misconception that massive topspin is used for every shot in tennis nowadays?

Depends what you mean by massive. Nadal-like, no way.

I'm guessing the topspin devils you'll meet will be landing most their shots in the middle of the court, and you can honorably wait for the ball to come down and still have good court position.

In any case, if you're worried about dealing with spin or moonballs, I recommend a strong grip, an early straight arm, and opening up the chest, and using the aforementioned models.

[treblings]

Originally Posted by BevelDevil

You're a beginner, so worry about supination later. Focusing on it now can lead to really bad habits.

Your backswing, arm structure and the timing of the step and racket drop is more than enough to occupy yourself for a year or more.

Watch these two videos and follow the advice. This instructor makes the best videos on the 1hbh on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW2_dyj6QiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWTPw1l3qIU


If you stay relaxed, supination will follow naturally from this. But without these fundamentals in the video, you'll be in trouble. So get first things first.


Also, my advice on grip is to make sure you are gripping the handle like you would a mountain bike, not a steak knife.

you´re giving really good advice on the ohbh

i use the onehander since 1977, so i can honestly say, there have been many changes in technique over the years. it´s a challenge to adapt your technique to modern racquets and strings but it is doable. tennis is a game for life, and one of the most enjoyable things about it, is you can always improve

videos like the ones you linked help enormously. Christophe Delavaut is among the very best

[LeeD]

Is that backhand supination, and forehand pronation, directly related to how tight you grip your racket?
Old style, E gripped strokes used tighter grip, slower swingspeeds.
New style, regardless of exact grip, uses looser gripstrength to allow the racket head to accelerate into the strikezone, and maybe allows the racket to supinate/pronate after the ball strike.
Try it. Loose grip definitely promotes supinate/pronation.