Your take on high balls with the OHB?

acintya

acintya

Legend
Mostly, how do you take such high balls that drop near baseline?

a) on the rise
b) slice
c) step back and top spin drive

?

want to hear your stories. who had problems? who solved them and who still is learning to handle them and how big the confusion is?

as im new to OHB, i just cant imagine how much time and training you need to take them on the raise and be consistent.
 
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D

Deleted member 766172

Guest
I would love to do a or c but that requires skill/good footwork. I go with the slice.
 
G

Gyswandir

Semi-Pro
acintya said:
Mostly, how do you take such high balls that drop near service line?

a) on the rise
b) slice
c) step back and top spin drive

?

want to hear your stories. who had problems? who solved them and who still is learning to handle them and how big the confusion is?

as im new to OHB, i just cant imagine how much time and training you need to take them on the raise and be consistent.
Click to expand...
If I see I can finish the point outright, then C (Have plenty of time and my feet are set). Otherwise, aggressive slice that could be cross court, as I can then carve the ball from the left to add side spin making the ball keep on moving out of the court.
recently, have started running around and taking a FH
 
D

Dou

Semi-Pro
acintya said:
Mostly, how do you take such high balls that drop near service line?

a) on the rise
b) slice
c) step back and top spin drive

?

want to hear your stories. who had problems? who solved them and who still is learning to handle them and how big the confusion is?

as im new to OHB, i just cant imagine how much time and training you need to take them on the raise and be consistent.
Click to expand...

just hit it down from up high. make sure the wrist is completely relaxed so that you can close the racket face.. it is no different from a regular bh.
 
One Handed Dynasty

One Handed Dynasty

Semi-Pro
acintya said:
Mostly, how do you take such high balls that drop near service line?

a) on the rise
b) slice
c) step back and top spin drive

?

want to hear your stories. who had problems? who solved them and who still is learning to handle them and how big the confusion is?

as im new to OHB, i just cant imagine how much time and training you need to take them on the raise and be consistent.
Click to expand...

If It’s bouncing near the service line with heavy spin I’ll usually have enough time to move in and set up to take the ball on the rise. I try to take away as much of my opponent’s time as I can so hitting on the rise is my response the majority of the time. If you’re just learning the one hander then definitely practice hitting on the rise, it’s the perfect counter to the most common tactic rec players will use against you: high topspin balls to the one hander.

The short slice is also a great option to get a short ball and creat opportunities to attack. A pattern I like to use if my opponent is trying to spam my backhand with deep topspin is to take the first two shots on the rise cross court, and then a short backhand slice drive down the line. It’s a reliable way to force an error or short ball.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
C

Chas Tennis

G.O.A.T.
acintya said:
Mostly, how do you take such high balls that drop near baseline?

a) on the rise
b) slice
c) step back and top spin drive

?

want to hear your stories. who had problems? who solved them and who still is learning to handle them and how big the confusion is?

as im new to OHB, i just cant imagine how much time and training you need to take them on the raise and be consistent.
Click to expand...

d) Side Spin for high impact balls. An instructor said that for high balls you no longer need top spin use side spin, for forehand and one hand backhand. That improved my results. I saw a few of those side spin shots in pros but have not looked in a long time - don't know the pro statistics or whether there is another high impact option. If you attempt top spin on a high ball I found it difficult and the side spin was an improvement. The high impact side spin is defensive, return deep.

Side spin forehand is option #4. See 1:47 & 2:55.

Returning lobs on the backhand side, many pros face away from the net and have their backs toward the ball. Federer does this 1HBH overhead very well.
 
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FiReFTW

FiReFTW

Legend
On the rise, its the best option, if it gets slightly higher I can flatten it out and hit aggressive if the ball is loopy and easy, if its heavy spin and gets high then I just try to slice it or try to spin a high arc back, thats really tough.
 
X

xFullCourtTenniSx

Hall of Fame
Anything but C is a good option. Better to lob from that position than hit a drive from 15 feet behind the baseline, or 10 feet behind with the ball above your shoulder. If the ball bounced shorter and you're only hitting from 6 feet behind with the ball no higher than chest level, then a topspin drive is fine. Beyond that, you're making life hard for yourself. Just lob it back and let them reset the point or give you another lob to try and execute option A or B.
 
acintya

acintya

Legend
thanks for all the answers..

after almost a year I played today indoors again.

and I must say...

I like CLAY more.

indoors the pace of the game is so fast that its ridiculous. my brother shined again with the eastern forehand and one handed backhand. the only shot i like more indoors is OHB - cause the balls are really low compared to clay courts.

when you play the whole season on clay and then come indoors you really see why Nadal shines more on clay.
 
K

Kevo

Legend
All of the above. It depends on the situation. The only thing I don't really like to do unless absolutely necessary is step back. But I hit high topspin and slice depending on the situation. On the rise is just a typical rally shot in a lot of situations, but for balls that are going to bounce really high I would step in and take it on a short hop when necessary but I don't like to be rushed on my 1H. I have more trouble with directional control when I'm rushed, so I try to avoid that with the 1H more than anything else probably.
 
WestboroChe

WestboroChe

Hall of Fame
C but I’m trying to hit it high and deep. More like a top spin lob than a drive. If I try to drive it from there I’m going to lose.
 
WestboroChe

WestboroChe

Hall of Fame
If you are learning the OHBH you must learn to slice. So for now I’d do that. Eventually you’ll learn which ones you should slice and which ones you should drive. But a well executed slice is hard to attack and can draw a lot of unforced errors at the rev level. It’s worth getting a pro to show you. Even just a few drills makes a huge difference.
 
R

ReopeningWed

Professional
If the high backhand is loopy and has a lot of air, you can run in a Nike swoosh shape to get behind the ball but still transfer your weight into it with the step-in.
 
D

Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
WestboroChe said:
If you are learning the OHBH you must learn to slice. So for now I’d do that. Eventually you’ll learn which ones you should slice and which ones you should drive. But a well executed slice is hard to attack and can draw a lot of unforced errors at the rev level. It’s worth getting a pro to show you. Even just a few drills makes a huge difference.
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Agreed, a good slice works well for me against high, deep balls on the BH side. But be prepared to hustle and defend. If you don't want to feel like you have to defend a lot on the BH side, start learning a 2HBH. Learning to hit TS on the rise is also worthwhile, but it's tough if the ball is coming with good topspin because it will kick up on bounce. OTOH with a slice, you can suddenly go short /deep/cc/dtl with a very similar looking shot so it gives you a lot more range.
 
Rosstour

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
I use a 1H in certain situations, usually when I don't have a lot of time.

So mine isn't perfect but works best when I can stab/block things back using my opponent's pace.

I would take it on the rise, or slice. Stepping back and attempting a topspin shot would be a recipe for a wild miss, IMO. At least for me (and probably for you since you're new to the shot).

This is the biggest weakness of the shot, it's just not adequate for handling high, heavy balls at head height.
 
WestboroChe

WestboroChe

Hall of Fame
Rosstour said:
I use a 1H in certain situations, usually when I don't have a lot of time.

So mine isn't perfect but works best when I can stab/block things back using my opponent's pace.

I would take it on the rise, or slice. Stepping back and attempting a topspin shot would be a recipe for a wild miss, IMO. At least for me (and probably for you since you're new to the shot).

This is the biggest weakness of the shot, it's just not adequate for handling high, heavy balls at head height.
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Absolutely. It is one of the reasons why Nadal was able to have success against Fed. Those heavy FHs to his BH would break it down drawing short balls he could really attack.

however in tennis as in life most things are trade offs. For me the additional reach out wide and the consistency afforded by the 1H slice BH were just greater than what I was able to do with the 2HBH. So a long time ago the left hand came off and that’s how it’s stayed.
 
Rosstour

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
WestboroChe said:
Absolutely. It is one of the reasons why Nadal was able to have success against Fed. Those heavy FHs to his BH would break it down drawing short balls he could really attack.

however in tennis as in life most things are trade offs. For me the additional reach out wide and the consistency afforded by the 1H slice BH were just greater than what I was able to do with the 2HBH. So a long time ago the left hand came off and that’s how it’s stayed.
Click to expand...

I started really experimenting with it when I started playing a close friend with a huge serve. My hand positioning on the serve was Fed/Sampras style so I wasn’t able to get two hands on the racquet quickly enough.

So I used one hand to block those huge serves back and started experimenting from there.

My current hitting partner urged me to try a more Djokovic-style hand position and that has fixed everything with my two-hander. But the 1H is too handy for defense and running shots for me to abandon it entirely. Low balls, wide balls, anything where I can just block it back.

Where I have problems is having to square up and generate my own power and spin.

How long have you been using 1H? How old are you?
 
acintya

acintya

Legend
I dont know why would one not be using both - the OHB and 2HBH on high balls at least on a recreational level?

you see the trajectory of the ball, and you know if it will be a high,mid or low ball.

then you have best of the both worlds.. hitting on the rise with the OHB can be pain in the ass, also stepping back can be pain in the ass and you need to be very fast...when late you have only one chance: slice.. OR 2HBH. :)
 
WestboroChe

WestboroChe

Hall of Fame
Rosstour said:
I started really experimenting with it when I started playing a close friend with a huge serve. My hand positioning on the serve was Fed/Sampras style so I wasn’t able to get two hands on the racquet quickly enough.

So I used one hand to block those huge serves back and started experimenting from there.

My current hitting partner urged me to try a more Djokovic-style hand position and that has fixed everything with my two-hander. But the 1H is too handy for defense and running shots for me to abandon it entirely. Low balls, wide balls, anything where I can just block it back.

Where I have problems is having to square up and generate my own power and spin.

How long have you been using 1H? How old are you?
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I’m in my 40s and abandoned the 2HBH in my late 20s. I took my inspiration from Graf. I figured if one of the GOATs could away with it I could too.

At times it has been an absolute weapon amd typically it is my most dependable shot. (My forehand can be erratic at times) and I love surprising people when they attack it at the beginning of the match and get frustrated trying to hit balls of their shoe tops or when it takes a left turn and jams them.

you do have to hit it well though. If you pop up your slice and leave it short you’ll lose.
 
movdqa

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
In order of preference: C, A, B.

Watch Federer. He often hits a spinny half volley topspin shot and it lands around the middle of the court. It requires good timing and footwork though but I never see the shot get attacked.
 
dropshotlikeitshot

dropshotlikeitshot

Professional
I never slice a high ball on my BH as I find it much more difficult to time than an on the rise BH. Usually I’ll step back and take a big cut at the ball but I’ve been working on taking it earlier and flattening it out. Sometimes I’ll hit a half volley.
 
acintya

acintya

Legend
Shroud said:
Yes. It is great on highballs and i dont have to switch between fh and bh which makes drive returns on the bh possible.
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I play the same when hitting this way but I have big problems with small racquets because if you have the semiwestern grip on backhand the face is really closed and your hitting area is a lot smaller than if you hit it with a normal eastern bh grip.am i right?thats why i like a little bigger frames with this grip - like Head MG OS.
 
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Shroud

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
acintya said:
I play the same when hitting this way but I have big problems with small racquets because if you have the semiwestern grip on backhand the face is really closed and your hitting area is a lot smaller than if you hit it with a normal eastern bh grip.am i right?thats why i like a little bigger frames with this grip - like Head MG OS.
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Fwiw i cant disagree exactly though i seem to hit the best bh with smaller racquets. Like there is less real-estate to keep track of
 
K

Kevo

Legend
acintya said:
I play the same when hitting this way but I have big problems with small racquets because if you have the semiwestern grip on backhand the face is really closed and your hitting area is a lot smaller than if you hit it with a normal eastern bh grip.am i right?thats why i like a little bigger frames with this grip - like Head MG OS.
Click to expand...

You have to consider that with the swing path as well. Most balls unless they are high enough or close enough to the net to hit down on will be hit with a close to vertical racquet face. Of course there could be exceptions, but I've never had any trouble hitting the OHBH with quite a lot of spin until I get down to wood frame standard size racquets. Those force me to hit a good portion of my shots as slices or drives.
 
G

GenerationTennisElbow

Rookie
I recently switched to a one hander and I’m actually liking the one hander batter than the two hander in high balls. I like to play quite close to the baseline, so I’m usually not more than 6 ft behind the baseline, at which position I like option c, but it does require a robust shoulder. Standing closer I like to try to take it off the rise, or block/slice if I’m feeling tired. 18 year old low 4.5 for reference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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