My two handed bh has never been a weapon.... it's always so flat. I've been experimenting with a 1 hander and it's pretty fun. I get way more topspin and feel like I can rip it when I hit it right.
Has anyone switched recently?
I've had this dilemma too for the past one or two years.
My Backhand has always been good and consistent, but my forehand is my weapon. On the Backhand side i very rarely made unforced errors, but i had trouble generating power on my own there. So its effectiveness relied very much on the type of opponent i was playing. Against a hard hitter my backhand became almost as strong of a shot as my forehand, because i find blocking shots and redirecting the pace very easy with the 2hander, but i always felt like it was very easy to push me into my backhand corner, without me being able to do anything about it.
That being said, i switched to a one-hander about 6 months ago. I had been thinking about it for about two years, but was always worried about the outcome, especially with all the new pros having two-handers.
Then disclocated my shoulder in late summer, forcing me to either slice only or switch, which luckily made my decision much easier
I'd say i'm quite talented when it comes to sports in general, and i especially pick up techniques very quick, so after 2 months i felt like i could hit the shot in real matches, so i stopped using only slice then. Probably my injury helped me learn the new shot faster, because the main problem when switching backhands is that people tend to look back a lot and euphemize their old shot, often leading them to not consequently switch to the new one.
Personally i'm very happy with my new shot, the main reason for that is that for me it's so much more fun to hit. When it comes to open rallies, or i'm in the drivers seat i think that the one-hander has already surpassed my old backhand but it definitely has some disadvantages aswell. It's hard to keep playing a drive-backhand when under pressure. My return of serve has become more passive, as i usually slice it back. Generally you need more time to prepare. But if you've got time and space to move, whipping down fluent onehanded backhands is the best thing there is in tennis.
So if fun is the most important thing to you in tennis, i'd suggest just trying it out and see for yourself if you like it better or not.
If you're trying to improve your game by switching i think it can definitely be possible, but often is bad idea. When i'm teaching tennis i usually suggest the onehander only to those who have a really hard time doing stuff like catching/throwing balls with their weak arm, because that often is a sign that their just not very coordinated with it. Also i feel like the one handed backhand is most effective on hardcourts, because only there you will get an consistent bounce, and last-second adjustments are way easier with two hands.
The last point, but maybe the most important one you have to consider is what type of player you are. If you're an allcourt player who likes to play aggressive, with lots of variety and you like to come to the net alot, all those things will really benefit from a one-handed backhand. Especially your slice and bh volley will improve by a great deal.
If you're more of a (counter-)pusher, or a strict baseliner, i feel like the downsides of the onehanded backhands are hard to cancel out.
Anyways, i hope this will help you get a little insight in the process of switching, if you have any further questions just let me know.
Greetings
gbgtennis
