Hingis backhand

[Brian11785]

With her being in the news again, I've recently been revisiting some old clips of Martina Hingis's glory days, including:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAtAJAOJ1vI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx7PtkCIHb8

While an average pro tennis watcher, I was but a child at the time of these matches and have only in the last couple of years gotten really into improving my own game and technique--and therefore being able to analyze the games of others. There's just no other way to put it: I am obsessed with the Hingis backhand.

My observations:

1) On these open-stance backhands, she really seems to hit the ball out in front. Obviously an open-stance is angular (as opposed to linear), but right at contact, she seems to almost arm the racquet forward, keeping the racquet on the strings longer. She is obviously not arming the shot itself, but she is arming the follow through, if that makes sense. To me, that seems like the best of both words: (a) taking the balls early and out in front = less time for your opponent and (b) extending your arms forward on the follow-through to give yourself more dwell time = control.

2) The little hop step she does on her left foot when hitting the open stance backhands is so cool, in both aesthetics and in efficiency. I am sure other players have do this, but that is the first one that I've really noticed.


So....what are the thoughts that people have on modeling a stroke or (in my case--since I hit two hands on both sides) strokes after this shot? I know that it was never the pure game-changing shot of a Venus or a Davenport backhand, but, for counterpunchers, this backhand is optimal and textbook, right?


Came across this gem:

from TENNIS magazine, July 1996

Hingis's high-powered backhand. By: Trabert, Tony

Martina Hingis is one of the most exciting young players on the women's tour. Not only does she possess a world of talent, but also she's mechanically sound and displays unusual self-confidence and on-court poise, especially for a 15-year-old. Barring injury, I think she's destined to be one of the top players-maybe the best player--in women's tennis, with a game based on tenacity and solid, penetrating ground strokes. Her two-handed backhand particularly packs a wallop.

Hingis displays excellent early preparation on this shot. Before the ball ever appears in the first photo, her racquet is back, her shoulders are coiled and her weight is on her back leg. That's perfect. Notice how in the second photo she's watching the ball over her right shoulder. That is a good checkpoint to indicate that she's coiled well. And she's prepared the racquet behind--rather than below--the contact point. That means she'll be able to drive through the ball.

As she approaches contact, Hingis gets her weight and the racquet moving forward in sync. Notice how well she maintains her knee bend. That's important, because it's much easier to transfer your weight when you maintain the knee bend than it is when your legs are stiff. As a rule, if you have to bend your knees to make a shot (unless you're hitting excessive topspin and using leg lift to get it), you want to keep your knee bend and stay down on the ball--don't pull up off it.

Because Hingis hits a two-hander, the ball is relatively close to her body at contact. One disadvantage of hitting with two hands is that you're somewhat limited in your reach, so you've got to be quick on your feet. Hingis is. She moves very well and displays excellent anticipation. She has a court sense that's unusually advanced for someone her age.

At contact, Hingis does a nice job of uncoiling the upper body and hips, which gets the front side of her body out of the way. If you're a one-hander, clearing that front side is not as essential, but because she's hanging on with her left hand as well, it's especially important that she uncoil fully. If you don't free up that front side, you can't get good forward racquet-head momentum.

Although Hingis hits with topspin, she's not just brushing the ball. Hers is not an exaggerated low-to-high motion; rather, she's driven up and through the ball, finishing high over her shoulder. Because she gets such good forward momentum, through a combination of weight transfer and racquet-head speed, she's hitting the ball with plenty of pace, as well as topspin. As a result, she can drive the ball with the safety that topspin provides over the net and still get it to go deep with good pace.

Hingis's finish is typical of a two-hander. The uncoiling of her body and the racquet's forward momentum carries the racquet up and around her shoulder as she finishes, bringing her feet and body back into position for the next shot.

 

[The Isomotion31]

Love her back hand. So much so that I tried to pattern mine after it back in high school and still do to this day.

I love the way she would disguise her slice and backhand drop shot.

 

[Brian11785]

Love her back hand. So much so that I tried to pattern mine after it back in high school and still do to this day.

I love the way she would disguise her slice and backhand drop shot.

Awesome! What are the key points for patterning the topspin backhand? You tried hitting in an open stance when possible? Do you know what I mean about "arming the follow through"?

 

[The Isomotion31]

I do hit with open stance from time to time(mostly on return of serve) but prefer a neutral or closed stance.

For stop spin, I definitely make sure I finish high.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCz69qhmZWc

Here is a video of her hitting.

and an article in regards to her backhand drop shot.

http://alltennis.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/martina-hingis-backhand-dropshot-analysis/

Martina Hingis Backhand Dropshot Analysis

It’s a risky play, but great disguise, excellent footwork, and solid technique make Hingis’ drop shot a winner.

In a game dominated by power hitters, Martina Hingis’ brand of control-oriented tennis makes her a fan favorite. A genius at geometry, the former world No. 1 uses the whole court to beat her opponents. Not only does she use angles and drives to move them side to side, but she also regularly throws in hard-to-read drop shots to get them running up and back. Here’s how she executes them.

Martina Hingis - Drop Shot

1. Hingis has recognized that she has to hit a backhand, and her preparation has begun as it would for a backhand drive. There’s nothing at this point that would give her opponent a clue that she’s going to deliver a drop shot instead. Also, notice her location on the court. She’s right on top of the baseline and moving forward, which is ideal for the drop shot. You don’t want to try difficult finesse shots from deep behind the baseline.

2. Look at her feet. You can tell she’s using small, measured steps to put herself in position for the oncoming ball. Although Hingis may not be the fastest player on the tour, her footwork—the way she prepares with her feet for each shot—is among the best. As a result, her entire body, from her shoulders to her feet, is perfectly balanced. She appears to be using a semi-Western grip with her left hand and a Continental with her right, which is ideal for two-handed backhands.

3. We now see the first hint that Hingis won’t be driving the ball. Her hands are separating on the grip, indicating that either a slice or a drop shot is on the way. She uses her left hand to cradle the throat of the racquet and assist in the take-back. Also, because Hingis uses a Continental with her right hand on her two-hander, she doesn’t have to change her grip with that hand regardless of her shot selection. Her weight is loaded onto her back foot as she gets ready to step into the ball.

4. We can now tell that Hingis is committed to a drop shot, and not a slice, because her racquet is going higher but not much farther back. If she were planning to deliver a slice, the racquet would be more behind her. Note that Hingis’ body is facing the side of the court, something that players with two-handed backhands often fail to do. For a drop shot, let the ball come to your side more than you would for a drive.

Martina Hingis - Drop Shot

5. Hingis’ weight has almost fully transferred onto her right leg as she continues to move into the ball. Again, look at her balance. The legs, hips, shoulders—everything is in the right position. Her hands are perfectly behind the ball and she’s measured exactly how she wants to address it. Her left hand is still cradling the throat of her racquet and her left palm is lined up with the racquet face, helping to guide it into position.

6. Hingis makes contact right in the middle of the string bed. Keeping your shoulders closed helps you swing through the ball, and players with one-handed slice backhands do that by letting their off hand move back and act as a counterbalance. Players with two-handers tend to push through with their off hand—as Hingis does here—and, as a result, have to make a special effort to stay turned.

7. After hitting the ball, Hingis continues to move through the shot and into the court. Her footwork is exemplary. She’s using what’s called a carioca step, which allows her to move forward while remaining sideways. If you look back, you can see her core has remained sideways since the second frame. Her focus is still on the contact point; her head has remained still, and she hasn’t looked up to follow the ball yet.

8. Hingis has started her recovery and has begun to look to the other side of the court to gauge the success of her drop shot. She’ll continue to move forward after striking the ball and will try to anticipate her opponent’s reply, if there is one, and take it out of the air if possible. She never assumes that her drop shot will be an outright winner. This is a great lesson for everybody.

 

[dominikk1985]

the follow through should be "armed" (in a FH too)

in a biomechanically efficient stroke the Rotation will slow down at contact and then just the arms finish. of course the mass of the arms pull the shoulders around a Little more in the end if you swing hard but the rotational energy of the Body must be transfered into the racket at contact.

if you spin through contact uninhibited the energy Transfer is less then perfect.