Best way to attack OHBH?

[Govnor]

I have a match coming up that I think will be tight. I believe my opponent has a ohbh. I have played very few matches against ohbh opponents in recent years.

So my question is to those ohbh players out there, what kind of balls do you not like?

Alternatively if you've had success against the ohbh, was there any particular method to the success?

 

[johndagolfer]

I hate balls that make me run forward and to the left

I hate hard approaches hit at my left hip

high bounders that I really have to run for to the left

 

[ga tennis]

Hit high heavy to his backhand!!!!!

 

[greystar403]

I hate balls that make me run forward and to the left

I hate hard approaches hit at my left hip

high bounders that I really have to run for to the left

Can't get anymore better advice than an actual OHBH user.

 

[Greg G]

Shhh, that's a secret...

 

[Fuji]

As bad as it sounds:

Moonball.

Best way to completely breakdown a rec level 1HBH. When I used one full time I absolutely hated any ball higher than my shoulder. Now I use this strategy against anyone with a weak-average 1HBH.

Now, if it`s extremely good and they are strong at it, I always aim to their inner body and hip. It works extremely well if you can jam them, and they are stuck to `blocking`it back, rather than getting a full stroke.

-Fuji

 

[10isfreak]

I have a match coming up that I think will be tight. I believe my opponent has a ohbh. I have played very few matches against ohbh opponents in recent years.

So my question is to those ohbh players out there, what kind of balls do you not like?

Alternatively if you've had success against the ohbh, was there any particular method to the success?

Even when the opponent is really good, hitting high balls with a OHBH is tiring. Very few players are at ease with shoulder-high balls and those who are won't have the muscles to keep doing it for a whole match.

One handed backhands are best suited for fast-paced, low balls games. It's not out of pure luck that it thrived on grass and indoor courts for decades, it was fit for this and exactly this. If you start moving up the contact and force them to generate more pace because the ball is moving more vertically off the bounce, it becomes hard to keep the rhythm for a long time.

However, if you notice that your opponent has great footwork, don't try to pull him off the court on his backhand side. With a one handed backhand, it's a tad easier to hit a big shot while running since you're used to hit with a closed stance... It's also easier to get top spin and angles because of the little extra reach you get with it. So, unless your two hander is good on the run or that your opponent miss hit all of his running backhands, don't play an angle game with your cross-court backhand.

A good play for you, if your backhand is really consistent, would be to act like a pusher, more or less. Force him to hit tons of backhands. At the first occasion, down the line forehand and keep the ball just angled enough with your cross-court backhand so he can't constantly cheat his position to hit inside-out forehands. With time, a one handed backhand player will miss more balls than you, normally.

EDIT
If he's good, he won't hit a backhand off a moonball. He'll run around and hit an inside-out forehand -- and you'll be the one in troubles if it happens. Fortunately, as Fiji might testify, amateurs rarely do have the presence of mind to run around moonballs!

 

[sunof tennis]

Hit high heavy to his backhand!!!!!

Yes, see Nadal, Rafa

 

[North]

Paceless moonballs to my ohbh - arggh! Flat balls even with HUGE pace are no problem. Even topspin is not that big a deal - I can step in and take the ball early before the ball takes off.

But the high paceless stuff.... Hard to time it to take the ball early, no pace to feed on for my shot, and the need for footwork changes till the last second for perfect contact to create my own pace. All this makes me unhappy lol.

However, that is just me. Your opponent may be different but you might want to try the paceless moonball approach to see if it works.

 

[Govnor]

Thanks everyone...I'll report back, haha!

Hopefully I won't have to go paceless moonball, unless I figure out that is the only way to win!

 

[mightyrick]

Thanks everyone...I'll report back, haha!

Hopefully I won't have to go paceless moonball, unless I figure out that is the only way to win!

I don't see anyone saying it, but if you exploit the backhand with any kind of high ball, make sure to approach the net at that point.

The goal of attacking the backhand with a high ball should not be to draw an error from your opponent -- rather it should be to draw a floater for an easy putaway.

 

[North]

Thanks everyone...I'll report back, haha!

Hopefully I won't have to go paceless moonball, unless I figure out that is the only way to win!

Ah - I count on my opponents having too much ego or pride to go paceless moonball lol.

 

[Govnor]

Ah - I count on my opponents having too much ego or pride to go paceless moonball lol.

My game isn't good enough to have a lot of ego or pride!!

 

[10isfreak]

Ah - I count on my opponents having too much ego or pride to go paceless moonball lol.

When a player keeps hittinng paceless moonballs, it should become obvious that and inside forehand is your best play. That usually gets them to stop hitting moonballs...

 

[USArmyTennis]

As bad as it sounds:

Moonball.

Best way to completely breakdown a rec level 1HBH. When I used one full time I absolutely hated any ball higher than my shoulder. Now I use this strategy against anyone with a weak-average 1HBH.

Now, if it`s extremely good and they are strong at it, I always aim to their inner body and hip. It works extremely well if you can jam them, and they are stuck to `blocking`it back, rather than getting a full stroke.

-Fuji

This about sums it up. I use a OHBH and but moonballing doesn't bother me. I can take that ball on the rise and drill it. Hitting with good pace and spin and getting it up above the shoulder is important, but I have to get moved around for me to allow it. I move forward into the ball the catch it in my "strike-zone". Jamming is effective, especially if you can hit with a bit of side spin. I hate slices with some side spin that force me to block, but I have seen people with poor footwork that can't manuever to hit the shot anyways. I'd play it loosely and try different things. Even bad players sometimes can warm up to you using the same tactic or find a way to counter it. So take a few different approaches to keep them on the defensive with the OHBH.

 

[corbind]

Tracking my weakness ...

 

[Govnor]

OK, here are my thoughts from the match.

We were very evenly matched, I won, but it was very close.

His FH was much stronger than his ohbh, so going to it made a lot of sense anyway.

I never went full out moonball, but I hit wide and loopy when I could to his bh and while he was solid, it did tend to break down on longer points.

Hitting hard to his left hip did indeed work, it jammed him up and gave me some free points, but it was a hard shot to pull off. I"m just not that good to be able to aim it exactly where I want it time and again.

Overall, some great advice, thank you all. I probably would have lost the match if I didn't make this thread last week!

 

[5263]

His FH was much stronger than his ohbh, so going to it made a lot of sense anyway.

I never went full out moonball, but I hit wide and loopy when I could to his bh and while he was solid, it did tend to break down on longer points.

Hitting hard to his left hip did indeed work, it jammed him up and gave me some free points, but it was a hard shot to pull off. I"m just not that good to be able to aim it exactly where I want it time and again.

Overall, some great advice, thank you all. I probably would have lost the match if I didn't make this thread last week!

They gave you great advice and you showed the rare quality of being able to
implement it in your match. Nice job..

Another TT success !

 

[eidolonshinobi]

heavy and high top spin to BH side. I've gotten better at taking it early, I like when people go for my weakness as sooner or later it'll become a strength (until i play much better players of course).

 

[Cheetah]

OK, here are my thoughts from the match.

We were very evenly matched, I won, but it was very close.

His FH was much stronger than his ohbh, so going to it made a lot of sense anyway.

I never went full out moonball, but I hit wide and loopy when I could to his bh and while he was solid, it did tend to break down on longer points.

Hitting hard to his left hip did indeed work, it jammed him up and gave me some free points, but it was a hard shot to pull off. I"m just not that good to be able to aim it exactly where I want it time and again.

Overall, some great advice, thank you all. I probably would have lost the match if I didn't make this thread last week!

Nice going.

 

[andrehanderson]

Great job, Govnor! Post some video one of these days!

As a guy with a ohbh, I agree that the high and heavy shots to my backhand are the toughest to deal with. I usually slice them back.

 

[Govnor]

Thanks Andre! yeah, this was a pretty big win for me. Gave me some clarification of where I'm at in my tennis journey! Thankfully it was where I hoped I was.

I just don't have a very good camera set up right now. The one camera I have is horrible. It's on the wish list of things to get and do though. Have you been playing much?

 

[andrehanderson]

That's great to hear, man! What is your playing/training schedule like?

I just got back from L.A. I was able to get some playing time in with my old coach, who said he noticed a huge improvement. I am playing in a tournament here in Brasilia this weekend. I'm going to try to record my matches. I'm playing in the advanced division, but it's a charity tournament aimed primarily at the general public rather than real tournament players so I should be ok.

 

[escii_35]

wide a loopy

giving good advice is not allowed on internet forums.

My onehander requires a lot of setup and a stable platform. Hitting a good shot -and- recovering adds layers of difficulty.

For a OH mine is top 15% at the 4.0 level. It has to be because Im pathetically slow.

 

[TennisCJC]

Lot's of good advice above.

But, kick or loop it high and wide to the 1 HBH if you can. That should get you a few errors and a few slices that you can attack. Then, it's up to you.

Some 1 HBH players don't handle pace well either but some do. Test it and see how they respond.

 

[canadad]

Definitely go high and attack it on serve. It is difficult for many one handers to handle a high heavy ball. I either back up and leave the court or take it off the rise. Mostly off the rise when I can. I used to get creamed, so I worked on taking more balls of the rise. I am now able to use this a weapon. So be wary of the different was of copping the guy may have potentially developed.