How to get more power from 2Hand Backhand?

[JackB1]

I have been learning the 2 hander over the past 6 months or so and it's getting better, but I still have a huge difference between the power I can get off my forehand vs my backhand. My backhand also takes a lot more effort to produce some power. I know this means I am not using proper technique, but I wanted to know what are the usual power leaks in a 2HBH?

I took a lesson today and some comments from my teacher were:

-"Don't "twist"! "Keep the feet planted and shift forward"
-"Don't "pop up" the body while hitting.....drive through the ball"
-"Extend toward the net AND THE up over the shoulder"
-"Don't open up the shoulders too early"
-"Prepare and take the racquet back earlier"
-"Get your weight back and shift into the shot"

My other question is...should I use a more powerful racquet to help me get more power out of my backhand? I usually judge the proper power level for me by my forehand.

 

[Power Player]

No use the same racquet and stop worrying about the racquet. You obviously need consistency in your game and not a new toy.

You need to make sure that you step into the shot. It is super important.

To do this..move diagonally back to make sure you will be set up for the incoming ball. From the quotes you posted, you are not doing that.

Drop the racquet head so the butt end points up in the air before you swing forward. Make sure the ball is not jamming you and that you have some space between you and it. Make your contact out in front. Make sure that you step into the shot at contact. I guarantee that is what you are doing wrong. I will bet a million dollars that your footwork is lazy and you are not set up for the shot, you are not stepping into the shot, and you are relying on your arms to hit the ball. Then you sit and think it is the racquet and wonder what magical stick will make you better with your backhand.

Do not change racquets.

Do change your footwork.
It is HARD at first and requires more energy to set up for the shot properly. But you will be able to hit deep backhands with little effort no matter what racquet you have, once you get it down.

 

[JackB1]

You need to make sure that you step into the shot. It is super important.

When you say "step in" do you mean just shift your weight from your back foot to your front foot or do you literally mean "stepping" towards the net with your lead foot?

 

[Power Player]

Yep. Step towards the net. Watch Agassi for example. Doing it like this will make you understand how your weight transfer should be. I am right handed, so on a backhand I step towards the net with my right foot.

For a forehand I do it with my left.

Makes a HUGE difference once you transfer your weight right. It is everything in tennis

 

[JackB1]

Yep. Step towards the net. Watch Agassi for example. Doing it like this will make you understand how your weight transfer should be. I am right handed, so on a backhand I step towards the net with my right foot.

For a forehand I do it with my left.

Makes a HUGE difference once you transfer your weight right. It is everything in tennis

I'll give a try. Thanks PP.

 

[Donny0627]

Try bringing the racket back and at the last second snap your wrist: back and then forward into the ball... I dont kno if that made any sense but it works for me...

 

[TennisandMusic]

Ok well...I am currently making the switch from the one hander to the two hander. Or rather I HAVE made the switch and have been going through the same things as you.

I know this may not be the popular advice (your teacher has to make money after all), but at this point I would discard all of that information and not worry about it. Think about it, if you're focusing on doing ALL of that at once you're screwed. You won't learn it fast because your mind is going to be concerned with details that would come fairly naturally as you practiced.

Here are two things I would recommend. First off the biggest difference is the muscles involved. You use more back muscles in the one hander, not in the two hander. The two hander is way more left hand dominant and that is the major road block IMO in switching. You are probably trying to "pull" too much with your right hand, robbing you of all the power and making it hard to send it deep, or even over the net at times! Does that sound familiar? If so just focus on using the left hand side for MOST of the strokes power. It's very close to a left handed forehand in some ways. Once you really get the "feel" of using entirely different muscles in the stroke you will be able to focus on the details more. Your coach has you focusing on the details and it's screwing you up. Stuff like "drive through don't pop it up" will be totally obvious when you know the right feel for the stroke.

Secondly, find one or two two-handed guys you really like and watch slow mo, and full speed, videos of how they hit. Then try your best to emulate what you see. This goes along with using the right muscle groups. IMO this makes things way more obvious instead of listening to a bunch of barked directions. If I was trying to teach you a new dance and said "Ok move your left foot this way, while simultaneously stepping to the right in a counter clockwise fashion. Your hips should be rotating 180 degrees to the left, while your shoulders turn as a kinetic chain to facilitate your awesome head bob" it would sound confusing and ridiculous right? But if you SAW someone doing the same dance, couldn't you pick it up pretty quick? Such is describing how to hit a tennis ball. Watch how it's done properly and emulate it. You'll learn much much faster this way.

I wrote a lot, but hopefully that will make things much more simple. If that helps at all and you have more questions let me know. Don't overcomplicate things. Simplify and work at it. You'll get it.

 

[Cindysphinx]

The things that go wrong when my 2HBH lacks power are:

1. Failure to get the ball into my strike zone. For me, the problem is taking the ball too high. If I let it get low, good things happen.

2. Failure to be close enough to the ball. If I am too far away at contact and am reaching for it, I lose a lot of power.

3. Failure to bend elbows and then extend arms while hitting. I know others use a straight arm technique, but I do much better with bent elbows provided I get good extension.

[edit: Oh, and weight transfe, like Powerplayer says. Weight transfer is huge.]

 

[JackB1]

The things that go wrong when my 2HBH lacks power are:

1. Failure to get the ball into my strike zone. For me, the problem is taking the ball too high. If I let it get low, good things happen.

2. Failure to be close enough to the ball. If I am too far away at contact and am reaching for it, I lose a lot of power.

3. Failure to bend elbows and then extend arms while hitting. I know others use a straight arm technique, but I do much better with bent elbows provided I get good extension.

[edit: Oh, and weight transfe, like Powerplayer says. Weight transfer is huge.]

#1 -I am not sure about yet. I have to figure out what height is best for me.
#2 - AGREE 100%. I was reaching A LOT when I first started learning it and if I let it get closer to my body without getting cramped, I do much better.
#3 - could u explain this one in more detail?

 

[TennisandMusic]

I totally disagree on weight transfer. I can hit plenty hard off either side falling back. I think body rotation plays a bigger role here in power. If you are planted and rotating into the shot you are fine. Pros can hit on the run, closed stance, open stance, falling back etc. and crush the ball. Of course we are not pros, but you can learn quite a bit from them, and you have the potential to get quite good yourself.

Just focus on learning the feel of applying your "power" with the right muscles, and examining how the pros hit. Seriously, do this before worrying about all this other minutia.

 

[Power Player]

The weight transfer is tied to your footwork and is extremely important. And you are wrong about pros. They all transfer their weight. Even on the run or in an open stance.They do this because they started at the beginning and worked on footwork and weight transfer when they were young. So it is a lot easier for them to recover extremely fast and got their body behind a shot. The body rotation you are talking about is tied to the footwork, which is the weight transfer. They are both important. You have to have both.

 

[supineAnimation]

I think the secret to easy power on the two-hander is an active dominant arm. Too many players hit the two-hander as a non-dominant hand forehand with the dominant primarily used for stability. I use my right hand (I'm a rightie) for the entire takeback and the initiation of the forward swing, and my left arm engages just after the forward swing begins. You can also perform a stretch shortening cycle with the two-hander as well. Your dominant forearm/wrist will pronate and flex while your non-dominant hand supinates and extends for the stretch portion of the cycle, and then the dominant forearm/wrist supinates and extends while the non-dominant forearm/wrist pronates and flexes for the shortening portion of the cycle. Keep both arms and hands nice and relaxed and keep the elbows close to the torso. The farther your arms stray from your body the less of your hips and core you can utilize.

 

[TennisandMusic]

The weight transfer is tied to your footwork and is extremely important. And you are wrong about pros. They all transfer their weight. Even on the run or in an open stance.They do this because they started at the beginning and worked on footwork and weight transfer when they were young. So it is a lot easier for them to recover extremely fast and got their body behind a shot. The body rotation you are talking about is tied to the footwork, which is the weight transfer. They are both important. You have to have both.

So you can't hit the ball hard falling back? If your weight is literally falling away (in the same direction as the ball is travelling), and yet you can still pound the ball, it's not about the weight transfer is it?

I can hit the ball quite hard. I am not saying I am good at tennis (I'm really not). Just that I can hit the ball with quite a bit of power and spin. I know how to hit it hard. I never think about or use "weight transfer" in my shots.

Maybe something is getting lost in translation here. But the OP can choose to follow whatever advice he wants. I know which advice will move him forward and which will make him stagnate though.

 

[EP1998]

Power on the two hander comes from loading your core and legs during the preparation phase and letting the energy release at contact. I think this clip shows it pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUdsJP8vgU

You can sense the loading in the takeback and the release into the shot. There's also a point where she "sits" (about ten seconds into it) which is crucial for two hander. Notice her core is pointing toward her target at the finish - very important. Another thing to look for is her shoulder in the preparation phase - notice that her right shoulder is almost sitting on her chin. When you do that as you take the racquet back you can feel the muscles engage on that side of your body. It is the big muscles you want to worry about - the core, the legs, the chest and the shoulders, on the two hander.

 

[TennisandMusic]

I think the secret to easy power on the two-hander is an active dominant arm. Too many players hit the two-hander as a non-dominant hand forehand with the dominant primarily used for stability. I use my right hand (I'm a rightie) for the entire takeback and the initiation of the forward swing, and my left arm engages just after the forward swing begins. You can also perform a stretch shortening cycle with the two-hander as well. Your dominant forearm/wrist will pronate and flex while your non-dominant hand supinates and extends for the stretch portion of the cycle, and then the dominant forearm/wrist supinates and extends while the non-dominant forearm/wrist pronates and flexes for the shortening portion of the cycle. Keep both arms and hands nice and relaxed and keep the elbows close to the torso. The farther your arms stray from your body the less of your hips and core you can utilize.

This kinda goes against everything that good people teach though. You're also doing exactly what I said would confuse the guy. All this talk about supination/pronation blah blah blah. makes sense when you can already hit the ball and know how it feels. It doesn't make sense to someone who can't even find power in their stroke to start with.

Look at this video. Nadal is not keeping his arms close to his body. He also is NOT using his left arm for most of the shot at all. He also doesn't transfer his weight "forward" into the shot. It's about torso rotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzg...34C6D1A9&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=87

To the OP. You're going to keep getting a bunch of fancy talking help on your strokes. It's not really going to get you many places, because you're already getting differing opinions. Watch what the pros do. Learn the feel. It's really not complicated, though people will try and make it that way.

 

[TennisandMusic]

Here is another video of Nadal hitting from the front. Arm's are NOT close to body on the backhand, you can see it's just an entirely different stroke from a one hander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nl9S4xAVJw&feature=related

 

[soyizgood]

This video helps get to the point.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-master-the-double-handed-backhand

 

[Power Player]

So you can't hit the ball hard falling back? If your weight is literally falling away (in the same direction as the ball is travelling), and yet you can still pound the ball, it's not about the weight transfer is it?

I can hit the ball quite hard. I am not saying I am good at tennis (I'm really not). Just that I can hit the ball with quite a bit of power and spin. I know how to hit it hard. I never think about or use "weight transfer" in my shots.

Maybe something is getting lost in translation here. But the OP can choose to follow whatever advice he wants. I know which advice will move him forward and which will make him stagnate though.

Just because you hit the ball hard does not mean you are hitting it right. You are probably arming the ball and your footwork needs work. I am just going off what you said here.

And how are you saying Nadal does not transfer his weight into the shot when he clearly is. He turns his torso and transfers his weight from back to front foot every time. It is super obvious if you just look at his feet, so thanks for posting the vids that reinforce what I am saying. The best way to get used to doing this is to start out by stepping into the shot. Then once you get to a level like Nadal, you are going to have the weight transfer down so well you never even think about it.



Id rather hit it hard and properly and be consistent about it. The fact that you are saying my advice will make him stagnate is pretty ridiculous. If you don't think abut weight transfer, maybe you should and you wouldn't "suck" so bad according to your words.

 

[Cindysphinx]

#3 - could u explain this one in more detail?

Yup. (Re bent elbows).

Many people use straight arms and swear by it. Good on them.

The way I was taught is that you get nice and close to the ball. Your racket head is not pointed down at the ground. Your shoulders are turned, but your elbows are bent -- I dunno how much -- the angle is greater than 90 degrees but there is a definite angle. As you step forward (weight transfer), you swing and the elbows straighten during the swing, out toward the target. This gives you extension.

Before I got the hang of this, I tended to hit my own butt with my racket head on my BH finish. My ball was spinny and short and didn't penetrate the court -- sometimes it found the net. Now if I see that happening I make sure my elbows are bent on takeback but I straighten during the swing.

Does that make sense?

Again, YMMV. A lot of guys use the straight arms with good results.

 

[user92626]

Jeezus... you folks make it so complicated. Just turn & take the racket back with both hands comfortably extent by the side and hit/bat hard and relaxed. The only thing you might need to focus on in this beginning stage is how to align the racket face properly at contact (hint: it's virtually the same as FH contact).

(If you find the ball within your strike zone but a little too high, don't raise the arms to meet its height. Keep the arms at nearly same height as usual but point the racket head up. No need to back up and let the ball drop)

 

[Power Player]

How does the most basic description of hitting a 2hbh tell him how to generate more power? Just curious how that works.

 

[Nellie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUdsJP8vgU

This is a great video to discuss - some keys for power:

1) at seconds 8-10, note the head height take back. The drop at seconds 10-11 initiates the power in the swing

2) freeze around seconds 9-10 and you see a closed stance, with the shoulder/torso/hips in line with the intended direction of the ball. Even if you go to a more open stance with the hips, you still want to line up the shoulders

2a) freeze after the swing at 15/16 seconds and you see her hips are parellel to the baseline, meaning that she made a 90 degree hip rotation. also note that the butt of the racquet/left elbow is pointed to the intended target after contact, indicating a 180 degree shoulder rotation from the stroke.

3) Note at second 10, left foot is in the air and at second 12 the right foot is in the air, indicating a full weight shift

4) ***Note that at around second 11, the hips rotate/open toward the net while the racquet stays back - this is similar to professional golf and baseball swings. This motion is key to the kinetic chain and stretches the muscles in the arm to make the ensuing swing more powerful***

5) freeze at 13 and note the extension of the left arm after contact, meaning she has pushed through the shot and brushed up the back - this is where a lot of power is lost in rec players who stop swing forward after contact and cut right to the finish over the shoulder. I like the think of pushing and not swinging with the left arm

 

[NamRanger]

For one there are multiple variations of the 2HBH. Just stop focusing on the variations, and get down to basics.


1) Remember to pivot or move the foot closest to the ball (if you are right handed, this is your left foot, if you are left handed, this is your right foot). This makes it easier to setup and step into the ball.


2) Always remember to step into your shot, and not step sideways. Major mistake many people make.


3) Focus on clean contact and extension through the ball. You'll find that you really don't need to accelerate even that hard to clobber the ball.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Jeezus... you folks make it so complicated. Just turn & take the racket back with both hands comfortably extent by the side and hit/bat hard and relaxed. The only thing you might need to focus on in this beginning stage is how to align the racket face properly at contact (hint: it's virtually the same as FH contact).

(If you find the ball within your strike zone but a little too high, don't raise the arms to meet its height. Keep the arms at nearly same height as usual but point the racket head up. No need to back up and let the ball drop)

I'm no expert, but . . . huh?

The ball is shoulder high, but I don't raise my arms, you say. I raise my racket head, which can only be done by cocking the wrists up, I guess. And then I swing my usual swing, thereby launching the ball to Mars by coming under it?

Can you elaborate?

 

[JackB1]

This is a great video to discuss - some keys for power:

1) at seconds 8-10, note the head height take back. The drop at seconds 10-11 initiates the power in the swing

2) freeze around seconds 9-10 and you see a closed stance, with the shoulder/torso/hips in line with the intended direction of the ball. Even if you go to a more open stance with the hips, you still want to line up the shoulders

2a) freeze after the swing at 15/16 seconds and you see her hips are parellel to the baseline, meaning that she made a 90 degree hip rotation. also note that the butt of the racquet/left elbow is pointed to the intended target after contact, indicating a 180 degree shoulder rotation from the stroke.

3) Note at second 10, left foot is in the air and at second 12 the right foot is in the air, indicating a full weight shift

4) ***Note that at around second 11, the hips rotate/open toward the net while the racquet stays back - this is similar to professional golf and baseball swings. This motion is key to the kinetic chain and stretches the muscles in the arm to make the ensuing swing more powerful***

5) freeze at 13 and note the extension of the left arm after contact, meaning she has pushed through the shot and brushed up the back - this is where a lot of power is lost in rec players who swing ofter contact and cut the finish over the shoulder. I like the think of pushing and not swinging with the left arm

Some great ket points here......

Some of my observations...

-I don't take the racquet back with the head so high. I take it back with the racquet tip pointing at the back fence at around waist height. Will a higher racquet position give me more momentum to drop it and power into the shot?
My teacher just has me focusing on getting the racquet back and not being late on the takeback. Sharapova has it almost pointing straight up.

-There was no "stepping into the shot". Just a good weight shift from back foot to front.

-the hips start before the racquet

-before the racquet starts forward, the racquet drops and the wrist angle down and lay back before coming forward. This is a key move all pros have and not many rec. players have.

 

[JackB1]

here's another good one to study....
http://www.youtube.com/user/tennisonevideo#p/search/19/enJdNwyjc4o

 

[ManuGinobili]

No expert in technique, but how to know when you hit a really hard one:

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"

When you have that feeling that the force coming from the ball onto your racket and arm is large, "heavy" i would vaguely say... that is because you have hit it really hard!

And yeah leaning into the ball is one of the less complicated ways to add power (Take that very literally, I'm not dismissing rotation or anything).

 

[zapvor]

I have been learning the 2 hander over the past 6 months or so and it's getting better, but I still have a huge difference between the power I can get off my forehand vs my backhand. My backhand also takes a lot more effort to produce some power. I know this means I am not using proper technique, but I wanted to know what are the usual power leaks in a 2HBH?

I took a lesson today and some comments from my teacher were:

-"Don't "twist"! "Keep the feet planted and shift forward"
-"Don't "pop up" the body while hitting.....drive through the ball"
-"Extend toward the net AND THE up over the shoulder"
-"Don't open up the shoulders too early"
-"Prepare and take the racquet back earlier"
-"Get your weight back and shift into the shot"

My other question is...should I use a more powerful racquet to help me get more power out of my backhand? I usually judge the proper power level for me by my forehand.

this is the thing that gets me unlike most people my bh has always been mroe consistent and better than my fh. but i did just get a new fh....

 

[Power Player]

Some great ket points here......

Some of my observations...

-I don't take the racquet back with the head so high. I take it back with the racquet tip pointing at the back fence at around waist height. Will a higher racquet position give me more momentum to drop it and power into the shot?
My teacher just has me focusing on getting the racquet back and not being late on the takeback. Sharapova has it almost pointing straight up.

-There was no "stepping into the shot". Just a good weight shift from back foot to front.

-the hips start before the racquet

-before the racquet starts forward, the racquet drops and the wrist angle down and lay back before coming forward. This is a key move all pros have and not many rec. players have.

Jack I told you to step into the shot because it teaches you how to transfer your weight and get the proper feel for it. It does not mean you do it the rest of your life if you don't want, but Agassi did and it worked out ok for him.

As for the racquet drop, that is key and what I was also trying to describe in my first post.

 

[ho]

How does the most basic description of hitting a 2hbh tell him how to generate more power? Just curious how that works.

Hit with your body, no arm
arm, shoulder, chest and hip rotate forward as one unit and in the same plane.
at contact, push out your arm to prolonge contact time.
the most basic description?: grap a bag of potatoe about 20# behind you and throw on your pickup truck.

 

[supineAnimation]

This kinda goes against everything that good people teach though. You're also doing exactly what I said would confuse the guy. All this talk about supination/pronation blah blah blah. makes sense when you can already hit the ball and know how it feels. It doesn't make sense to someone who can't even find power in their stroke to start with.

Look at this video. Nadal is not keeping his arms close to his body. He also is NOT using his left arm for most of the shot at all. He also doesn't transfer his weight "forward" into the shot. It's about torso rotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTzg...34C6D1A9&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=87

To the OP. You're going to keep getting a bunch of fancy talking help on your strokes. It's not really going to get you many places, because you're already getting differing opinions. Watch what the pros do. Learn the feel. It's really not complicated, though people will try and make it that way.

First of all, Nadal DOES keep his left elbow close to his body and it's a VERY simple concept to understand. Pick up a heavy weight; try holding it with your arms extended out; then try holding it closer to your body. Let us know what you FEEL.

The stretch-shortening cycle is NOT complicated. It simply requires allowing your wrists and forearms to enter the positions that will naturally enter if you keep your arms and hands relaxed, and in fact, many players perform a mild stretch-shortening without even realizing it. As the momentum of your swing begins forward, the racquet will naturally drop back and down, which will put your non-dominant arm into the stretch position, and as the racquet moves forward and you pronate, that arm will naturally flex as well, which puts it into the shortening position. So all you need to do is keep your arms and hands relaxed enough to allow them to naturally enter each phase of the cycle.

So don't let people tell you that something is too complicated for you do. You can see Nadal doing it in the video this guy posted and you can see it many of the best two-handers on tour. I've been teaching the stretch-shortening cycle for 10 years now to players of all levels. Trust me: it works.

 

[ho]

I think body rotation plays a bigger role here in power. .

let me correct you: "i think body rotation play a biggest and mostly only role here in power"

 

[ho]

Pick up a heavy weight; try holding it with your arms extended out; then try holding it closer to your body. Let us know what you FEEL.

you are alright, congratulation, good, but if you go a little further, it's excellent: holding object close to your body is the easiest way to rotate arm and body in one unit. It's the weight that we carry on our rotation dictates somewhat what we put out: speed

 

[ho]

I totally disagree on weight transfer.

what does weight transfer do?
it shift you weight linearly to your front foot by lifting your back foot. Once you plant you front foot, that linear momentum is gone. what it got to do with my angular momentum? nothing.
But everything with my angular momentum:
1. when you lift your back foot up, you kick your left side of your hip: hip jump start to rotate first. by then it will carry your upper body and arms rotate forward in one unit: behind the string bed you get: hip, upper body and arm. that's a good weight to put on your rotation.
2. when you lift your back foot up you will rotate around your front foot, the radius from your axis of rotation to your racket is longer, you get more angular momentum.
3. due to the hip rotate around the front foot, you wil be able to hit thru the ball more and extend your arm more far out.

 

[supineAnimation]

what does weight transfer do?
it shift you weight linearly to your front foot by lifting your back foot. Once you plant you front foot, that linear momentum is gone. what it got to do with my angular momentum? nothing.
But everything with my angular momentum:
1. when you lift your back foot up, you kick your left side of your hip: hip jump start to rotate first. by then it will carry your upper body and arms rotate forward in one unit: behind the string bed you get: hip, upper body and arm. that's a good weight to put on your rotation.
2. when you lift your back foot up you will rotate around your front foot, the radius from your axis of rotation to your racket is longer, you get more angular momentum.
3. due to the hip rotate around the front foot, you wil be able to hit thru the ball more and extend your arm more far out.

Ho... with all due respect, you keep posting these strange explanations that fly in the face of everything we know about how to hit a tennis ball and everything we see that professional players do. So, as an self-described 2.5, which is essentially a beginner, you might want to try to adopt the techniques that are employed by better players and, ya know, every pro on tour. The weight transfer comes from pushing up and forward with the back leg and the front leg braces as that weight transfer rotates the hips. Does that make sense?

 

[ho]

Ho... with all due respect, you keep posting these strange explanations that fly in the face of everything we know about how to hit a tennis ball and everything we see that professional players do. So, as an self-described 2.5, which is essentially a beginner, you might want to try to adopt the techniques that are employed by better players and, ya know, every pro on tour. The weight transfer comes from pushing up and forward with the back leg and the front leg braces as that weight transfer rotates the hips. Does that make sense?

no, due to all respect, i expect these comments when i first introduce push and pull stroke on this site, people call me polute the site, hamburger mind,...., no problemto. all you need to do is to think, think, and think, have a education background at least Bachelor of Science to fully understand me.
thanks again.

 

[supineAnimation]

no, due to all respect, i expect these comments when i first introduce push and pull stroke on this site, people call me polute the site, hamburger mind,...., no problemto. all you need to do is to think, think, and think, have a education background at least Bachelor of Science to fully understand me.
thanks again.

Yet you remain a relative beginner at tennis. You might wanna examine why that is.

 

[user92626]

I don't think any pro finished college (or have a decent academic education at all) but they hit tremendously well.

I'd like to repeat what i said earlier. You guys make tennis so complicated. More complicated than it really is.

 

[JackB1]

let me correct you: "i think body rotation play a biggest and mostly only role here in power"

I have to agree that body rotation is a bigger power supplier than a weight shift or forward step. This is a debate that also goes on when discussing hitting a basesall and the widely held belief in baseball seems to be that rotation supplies most of the power and is why little guys like Ken Griffey Jr. can hit so many homeruns.

 

[JackB1]

I don't think any pro finished college (or have a decent academic education at all) but they hit tremendously well.

I'd like to repeat what i said earlier. You guys make tennis so complicated. More complicated than it really is.

Some people "get it" without much thought or formal instruction. Some need to be explained the HOWs and WHYs of what needs to happen. It's different for weach individual. Just because it's not complicated FOR YOU doesn't mean everyone else can use your simple approach.

 

[ho]

So, as an self-described 2.5, which is essentially a beginner

about 10 years ago, on this site, there is a poster name Gandhal, he try to teach his daughter to spin the ball, he saw all the kid use western and bush racket up, he is a guru, try to find a way to do it without western, since western limited the potential to hit thru the ball. every body laugh at him and humiliated him.
There is a poster name NEE, he bite the idea. he with the ball machine try to brush up the ball at contact. in 2 weeks it's too hard for him for the timing, so he think it out: hold your forearm and supinate, you will have a pronate automaticly latter. The result is excellent, he has time to supinate then he let the natural pronation occurs. it really help him time the brush easier. He then represented to Gandhal. and Mr Gandhal call "WINDSHIELD WIPER". that name was born by then.
and that poster NEE is me, 10 years ago, I left tennis for along period of time due to accident and injuries on my shoulder. I cannot hit my 1hbh no more, then i find all kind of way to hit 2hbh, all kind of information, all kind of book go thru my eye, not a whole lot reward. until i read the old copy of Dough King: "The hands have it". i start to hit with only body as he shows. he did not call the push and pull then, it was called by easytennis.com. i think. I try very succesfully with the forehand and after inspect all pro that can see in several recently in tournament, the way they hit 2hbh as i did: with body only. i was succefull easely with push stroke apply to my 2hbh. that's all i can say
you have you head, just think, think and don't disrespect people who has different idea than you.

 

[ho]

Yet you remain a relative beginner at tennis. You might wanna examine why that is.

there is no need to humiliate other, if you have the gut to do, do it face to face. hiding behind the line don't mean a thing.

 

[supineAnimation]

there is no need to humiliate other, if you have the gut to do, do it face to face. hiding behind the line don't mean a thing.

There's no shame in being a beginner, ho. But when you discuss why you believe a particular technique is better than another, particularly when the technique you're suggesting is in conflict with what nearly all professional players do and coaches teach, the fact that you're a beginner becomes relevant. Don't ya think? Oh, and how am I supposed to talk to you "face to face"?

 

[ho]

I'd like to repeat what i said earlier. You guys make tennis so complicated. More complicated than it really is.

very true, tennis is complicated, but we have to find a way to to decomplicated it.
i wish we have a way to hit 2hbh just to raised the racket up and everything just happen narurally.
I found nearly that in 2HBH: the tip called: Play Shoulder Tag. it was in tennisone.com some 10 years ago. Here is:
When you start bringing racket back with 2 straight arm, bring it far enough to your hitting shoulder stay underneath your chin. This is how it goes almost automatically:
1. your left arm (straight) will lift your left shoulder up
2. when your left shoulder up, it will lift your back leg up.
3. when you have your back leg up, you will kick left hip
4. when your left hip kicked, you start the rotation of your hip, upper body and arm as one unit.
5. at contact (about your front hip) hip slow down, the weight of your arms by the thrust, detache your body and hit thru the ball.
You may stand up and do as i say, and observe yourseft.

 

[user92626]

I'm no expert, but . . . huh?

The ball is shoulder high, but I don't raise my arms, you say. I raise my racket head, which can only be done by cocking the wrists up, I guess. And then I swing my usual swing, thereby launching the ball to Mars by coming under it?

Can you elaborate?

Then you learn to adjust your swingpath and racket face openness. The point in this technique is to retain power. You can raise both arms high to meet the ball's height and make the shot but you'll lose leverage.

Watch FYB
http://www.fuzzyyellowballs.com/vid...echnique/handling-high-balls-to-the-backhand/

 

[ho]

This is a debate that also goes on

it's not a real debate right now in Tennis, hitting ball with you body as one unit is the concept of push stroke. it's widely use by many, many junior camp. even in the pro, their signature: big loop with head racket tip point to the sky.

 

[Power Player]

I have to agree that body rotation is a bigger power supplier than a weight shift or forward step. .

Really? How do you know that when the first post in this thread clearly stated that you get no power on your backhand? Oh well, do what you want. I am tapping out of this one.

 

[Cindysphinx]

(If you find the ball within your strike zone but a little too high, don't raise the arms to meet its height. Keep the arms at nearly same height as usual but point the racket head up. No need to back up and let the ball drop)

OK, User. FYB seems to say something different. From the FYB page you quoted:

To start, figure out what your tennis racket and arm relationship is at contact on a typical backhand. Your hitting-arm position. Take that racket and arm position and “raise it up.” Nothing changes other than raising your contact point. This applies for both a one-handed and two-handed backhand.

One thing that does change, however, is how you swing up to the tennis ball. On a high backhand, the racket doesn’t drop down as much as it would for a typical, “normal height” backhand.

I'm not seeing anything about pointing the racket head up. It sounds like you raise your contact point, racket and arm for higher balls.

I guess this stuff is more complicated than you suggested!

 

[EP1998]

Whether you hit the two hander open or closed the elements are the same as far as body rotation. You have to have the shoulder and core rotation. Open is a popular option because of the lack of time and the ease to recover from that stance. But being able to lean on an up the line backhand or short cross court is just as important. But on both shots you have to have the shoulder at/under your chin and the core engaged with a good athletic foundation.

 

[ho]

Whether you hit the two hander open or closed the elements are the same as far as body rotation. You have to have the shoulder and core rotation. Open is a popular option because of the lack of time and the ease to recover from that stance. But being able to lean on an up the line backhand or short cross court is just as important. But on both shots you have to have the shoulder at/under your chin and the core engaged with a good athletic foundation.

it been nice to hear your correct contribution.
but i have to go deeper in "shoulder and core rotation" it's very correct for the take back phrase, but be carefull on the forward phrase. Shoulder if rotate independent with core, you have only 1/2 of your weight put on the rotation. the less weight you put on, the less speed come out.
Think of it like this: you drive your car alone, hit somebody car. his car bounce back 3 feet. now load and fill your car with 6 more people, see how many feet that car will bounce out?
the more you keep shoulder, arms and hip together as one unit on forward rotation, the better the speed. the easiest way is to start rotate your hip first and prevent yourseft to swing hard. it may disconnect your weight in 4: hip, upper body, shoulder and arm