My biggest problem with the one handed backhand

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
My biggest problem with the one handed backhand....

is switching to the Eastern backhand grip from my ready position in the semi western forehand grip. I have trouble getting my hand all the way around and getting my index knuckle directly on top. Most times I don't get far enough and it leaves the racquet face too open. This is especially tough on returns.
if I have enough time I can do it, but when I change grips quickly, its much more difficult. I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.

I am open to suggestions on how to make this grip change easier?
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
I see what you mean. Going from one extreme to another..
I start with continental asmy start position. Much easier for me to twist and be there..
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
What about not changing at all.
. Go with same semiwestern forhand grip.
. just lock in and go with it..
youll prov have to hit the backhand a little further out at front and loose some depth, but the swing shuld be there to return with a drive return..
problem will be trying to slice return..
just my toughts...
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
I start out with a continental too as it allows me to chip or to change grips by moving one bevel for FH or BH. My off hand does the racquet turning.

However, you can try turning your off hand clockwise and your right hand counter clockwise to move 3 bevels. Don't try a straight take back, but rather with the racquet tip up. It is less awkward and easier IMO to find the grips when the tip is tilted up.
 

ARKustom93

Professional
My biggest problem with the one handed backhand....

is switching to the Eastern backhand grip from my ready position in the semi western forehand grip. I have trouble getting my hand all the way around and getting my index knuckle directly on top. Most times I don't get far enough and it leaves the racquet face too open. This is especially tough on returns.
if I have enough time I can do it, but when I change grips quickly, its much more difficult. I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.

I am open to suggestions on how to make this grip change easier?

Adjust the grip by slightly opening your racquet hand and flipping the racquet to the BH orientation with your non-dominant hand, instead of trying to get around with your dominant hand, like you described above.
 

psv255

Professional
When switching to the 1hbh (righty) I use my left hand for most of the work. My right hand barely moves, just loosens up for a second as the left turns the neck of the racket around to the right position. Takes some practice, but well worth it.
Edit: ARK93 beat me to it
 

Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
Adjust the grip by slightly opening your racquet hand and flipping the racquet to the BH orientation with your non-dominant hand, instead of trying to get around with your dominant hand, like you described above.

How is that different than what he described below?

I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.
 

Lance L

Semi-Pro
It sounds like your main problem is with return of serve, and I can see why that would be, since there is less time to react. Maybe you should take a cue from the other time we have little reaction time, volleying, and use a more universal grip on return of serve?
 

ARKustom93

Professional
How is that different than what he described below?

Wasn't meant to be. Just a more detailed description, that's all.

Anyway, OP's main problem seems to be dropping the other technique from his memory bank. As others have mentioned, the 'LH-flip' has to become second nature.(Couple of easy, simple ways to practice that, BTW)

Re return of serve, rather than abandoning your TS-BH and going with more conservative returns, 'cheat'... Against 1-handers, most servers will resort to hammering the BH. In that case, start with your regular FH ready position, and change grips when the server is looking up at the toss. They won't be able to pick up on that, and on your part you're gonna feel like you've got all sorts of time to really lay into that return. Downside, if you keep nailing that BH, a few games in they might actually change their game plan and start mixing it up, which on your part means 'guessing time' ...
 

Moveforwardalways

Hall of Fame
Learn to block the serve back with a 2 handed backhand grip, like a left handed forehand. The main weakness if the 1HBH is the return of serve. Then go back to the 1HBH for your usual backhand.
 
E

eaglesburg

Guest
My biggest problem with the one handed backhand....

is switching to the Eastern backhand grip from my ready position in the semi western forehand grip. I have trouble getting my hand all the way around and getting my index knuckle directly on top. Most times I don't get far enough and it leaves the racquet face too open. This is especially tough on returns.
if I have enough time I can do it, but when I change grips quickly, its much more difficult. I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.

I am open to suggestions on how to make this grip change easier?

I've got a question on one hander grips in general. If you have a semi western forehand and a semi western backhand, why couldn't you just use the same side of the racket to return without changing grips?
 

tennis4me

Hall of Fame
I hold my grip very loose during the ready position. The grip change is done in-sync with the unit turn as part of that unit turn. So, when I perform a unit turn, the non-playing hand hold and slightly rotate the racquet to the correct position while the palm also rotate at the same time to reach the final position.

This works for me as it's part of muscle memory.

The loose grips also helps me switch to different grips for slice or lob, etc.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I see what you mean. Going from one extreme to another..
I start with continental asmy start position. Much easier for me to twist and be there..

Maybe I'll try a continental f/h ready position? But then I have to adjust a little bit either way to forehand or backhand. Not ideal but worth a shot.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
What about not changing at all.
. Go with same semiwestern forhand grip.
. just lock in and go with it..
youll prov have to hit the backhand a little further out at front and loose some depth, but the swing shuld be there to return with a drive return..
problem will be trying to slice return..
just my toughts...

don't think that will work
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I start out with a continental too as it allows me to chip or to change grips by moving one bevel for FH or BH. My off hand does the racquet turning.

However, you can try turning your off hand clockwise and your right hand counter clockwise to move 3 bevels. Don't try a straight take back, but rather with the racquet tip up. It is less awkward and easier IMO to find the grips when the tip is tilted up.

So you hit an Eastern backhand?

I'll give your suggestion a try.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Adjust the grip by slightly opening your racquet hand and flipping the racquet to the BH orientation with your non-dominant hand, instead of trying to get around with your dominant hand, like you described above.

maybe I didn't describe it right, but that is what I attempt to do now. I keep my right hand loosely on the handle in the sw f/h grip and twist the throat with my off hand.
 

dct693

Semi-Pro
When I return serves, I do an "Almagro" with a slight variation. What he does is use a forehand grip to return serves to his backhand. I'm not that talented, so I do something a bit different.

I hit with an extreme Eastern but not a full semi-western on the forehand but with an Eastern BH grip (one handed, of course). If you take a racquet in a semi-western forehand grip and move the racquet to your backhand side without adjusting the grip, you get a semi-western backhand grip. This semi-western backhand grip is only one bevel off from the Eastern backhand grip. Now just move the racquet over one bevel (rotating the face more open) and you're done!

This is different from what 1HBHfanatic suggested which was using one grip for both forehand and backhand. In my case, you still rotate the racquet - BUT in the opposite direction that you would normally rotate it for a forehand to backhand grip change.

I hope this makes sense. This winds up working really well for me when return hard fast serves. For some reason, I never adopted it for groundstroke grip changes. There are plenty of reasons why I've missed shots on groundstrokes but lack of grip change time was not one of them!
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
you tube

If you can't do this in time, switch to 2 hander.

That is exactly what I try to do. For some reason it feels a little awkward.
Switching to a 2 hander is not an option. I would be better off just slicing all my backhands.

Doesn't Wawrinka start with both hands on the handle, like the 2handers do?
How does he make that work?
 

ARKustom93

Professional
maybe I didn't describe it right, but that is what I attempt to do now. I keep my right hand loosely on the handle in the sw f/h grip and twist the throat with my off hand.

Got that, see #10.

More on ways to practice and internalize that technique later ...
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
It sounds like your main problem is with return of serve, and I can see why that would be, since there is less time to react. Maybe you should take a cue from the other time we have little reaction time, volleying, and use a more universal grip on return of serve?

its not only a problem with returns, but is just a problem in general when I don't have a lot of prep time. I do use continental grip for returns when someone is blasting their serves.
 

Lance L

Semi-Pro
its not only a problem with returns, but is just a problem in general when I don't have a lot of prep time. I do use continental grip for returns when someone is blasting their serves.

There has to be a give and take. If you want topspin grips, you have to allow for the fact that it will take more time to get there. I use grips close to continental on both sides, I give up the ability to hit lots of spin but I gain simplicity and an ease getting to and being at net.

I think you will need to make improvements elsewhere if you want to keep topspin grips on both sides. Take a step back to give yourself more time maybe(which in inself has a disadvantage).

You can't have it all. Lots of guys I play have a hard time with my short low bouncing slice shots, since they have something like a SW grip and that makes it hard for low balls. But that is the style they have chosen and I don't enjoy the high bouncing balls to my backhand.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Above post says it all.
I also go the long way from strong SW forehand to weak eastern 1hbh. Took almost a year to get the switch close enough on returns of serves.
Now might take a few more months to go from wide 1hbh topspin shots to recover to topspin forehand shots.
But, you can't get a gain without a bit of a lost.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I think I realize something that was making it tougher on my grip change. I watch that video link in the first page and I realized that I wasn't gripping the throat all the way around with my fingers wrapped around the throat the way he was showing in the video. I was just letting my fingertips rest on the throat. When I actually grip it tighter with my whole hand around it it makes it easier to spinet back-and-forth between grips.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I was just doing some dry run grip change practice and I was wondering why they don't teach or advocate a grip change so you hit both shots with the same side of the racket? It's only one bevel down from forehand semi western to eastern backhand if you hit with the same side of the racket. But if you do it The traditional way it's 4 bevels away to go counterclockwise. I am guessing it's because it can get confusing or more difficult when you want to hit a slice.
 
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Enga

Hall of Fame
I was just doing some dry run grip change practice and I was wondering why they don't teach or advocate a grip change so you hit both shots with the same side of the racket? It's only one bevel down from forehand semi western to eastern backhand if you hit with the same side of the racket. But if you do it The traditional way it's 4 bevels away to go counterclockwise. I am guessing it's because it can get confusing or more difficult when you want to hit a slice.

This is how I do it as well, using the same side of the racket, for all strokes really. But you're right, it does increase the time a bit to get to a slice grip. Though it hasnt had a totally negative impact on my game so far. I feel I usually have enough time to switch to a slice grip. Return isnt a weak part of my game at all, at least with the servers I face. Perhaps I'll end up changing it if this style doesnt work for bigger serves.

No one taught me how to change racket grips, so doing what you describe above was my natural solution, as someone who has a grip close to SW on bh and fh.
 
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LeeD

Bionic Poster
Most players use the fingertips on the throat, using FEEL to switch grips.
Same side of rackets can be used, for sure, but my a minority of maybe 2% of the tennis population.
Kiteboard did it.
Gotta take the ball well out in front.
Don't think the distance of the grip change is much importance, as practice and replication allows you to learn the amount needed and when.
Actually played a top of 4.0 doubles set using slice and topspin on the backhand side, and it all clicked for some unknown reason. I have been exclusively hitting topspin 1hbh ROS's the whole past week, and I haven't forgotten the slice 1hbh return, I guess.
Can't wait to go back on court Monday to forget and confuse everything....
 

skiracer55

Hall of Fame
It ain't that big of a deal...

...changing grips isn't as big of a deal as most players make it out to be. And if you can't get a grip change made, just go with whatever grip you have and try to make the best shot you can. As Peter Burwash once noted, "Tennis is a serious of controlled emergencies."
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Changing grips IS a pretty big deal if you go from strong SW to weak eastern backhand, going the other way around for a huge grip change.
Key is oft hand, of course, it's positioning and feel.
Possibly, racket face angle at prep position is one key. I try to hold it facing 30 degrees off dead down, forehand grip, so when takeback goes to backhand side, I switch about the same amount each time.
And, the oft hand needs exactly the same grip each and every time.
Guys with continental grips worry much less about grip changes.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
...changing grips isn't as big of a deal as most players make it out to be. And if you can't get a grip change made, just go with whatever grip you have and try to make the best shot you can. As Peter Burwash once noted, "Tennis is a serious of controlled emergencies."

Disagree completely. Almost every time I mishit a backhand I look down at my grip and it's too open or not positioned correctly. When I get that index knuckle right on top, my odds of hitting a good shot go way up.
 

heninfan99

Talk Tennis Guru
i forget his name but one of the posters here uses one grip for his forehand and one hander --an extreme grip indeed. :)

I learned a two hander wondering why it's not an option for you...it is great on returns but the vid I showed is the way. You change grip at the same time as your unit turn, it is one.
 
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LeeD

Bionic Poster
Kiteboard is the former poster who uses one grip, one face, for all groundstrokes.
The grip is a strong W.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Problems with not having enough time are simply problems not having enough time. You don't adjust your grip to fix a movement/hitting late/not enough time problem, you adjust your court positioning, your split step, your movement, your feet, your quickness.

Going from a semi-western forehand to a one handed eastern backhand is a very very widely used common change.

When i have bad days, the number one reason are my feet. I used to begin tinkering with my stroke and let me tell you, that's a never ending bad story.

I believe you've been playing for many many years so i doubt it's a stroke mechanics problem but moreso a preparation and recognition issue.

It's probably on hard hit deep balls with pace or even hard serves that are mucking you up. If you find yourself in a pinch, and you haven't moved quickly enough, take a stop on your way to the eastern backhand grip and stop at the continental and slice the ball back.

Don't completely change your main backhand grip.

Btw, the pros use every single grip in the book depending on the situation.
 

Ballinbob

Hall of Fame
^also sounds like a preparation issue to me. Good advice. If OP has a proper split step and good court positioning and still is having trouble switching grips/rushed for time then there is something else going on. Switching grips takes some practice but it isn't overly difficult.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Just switching the grip is easy, and quick enough for all but 110+mph serves.
But an ACCURATE grip change, not only the correct bevels, but a true backhand grip, is something a little harder to manage in all conditions.
 

ultradr

Legend
My biggest problem with the one handed backhand....

is switching to the Eastern backhand grip from my ready position in the semi western forehand grip. I have trouble getting my hand all the way around and getting my index knuckle directly on top. Most times I don't get far enough and it leaves the racquet face too open. This is especially tough on returns.
if I have enough time I can do it, but when I change grips quickly, its much more difficult. I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.

I am open to suggestions on how to make this grip change easier?

I do not really have ready grip. I put my hand near handle loosely in my ready position.

And I just grab the handle while I put my racquet at right position for either forehand or backhand. I do not feel like large amount of "rotation" involved.

actually the the position of the handle butt on your palm changes.
that is already half of grip change and actually there is no large visible rotation of handle (in my case)...
So I'd like to use tern "regrip" every time I hit any stroke.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
I use close to the same grips as JackB1.
Two bevel change, the racket flips a full 90 degrees, then an adjusted angle to backhand grip, besides just the bevel change.
Not entirely impossible, but tedious in the learning stage of at least a few months.
Much simplier to conti grip volley stroke the ROS.
From eastern backhand to an accurate SW forehand is harder.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Just to clarify a couple things....

I never said it was a "lack of time" issue. I just said I was struggling to change to the correct eastern b/h grip and many times I fell short of turning it far enough and left it too open. I made some adjustments yesterday to how I held the throat and had more success at the grip change. I was holding the throat too loosely and too much in the fingertips. I got a better grip on the throat and learned how to rotate it quickly and to the same ending position every time. It seemed much better, but now I just have to get used to this new technique. I feels a little "different" but its more effective.

I am holding the throat just the way you see at 1:02 into this video
https://youtu.be/yekY48bSZKs

with my fingers wrapped around the beam and my thumb hooked around it. Previously I just had my finger tips on the throat and it made the grip change less precise.
 
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Bendex

Professional
Maybe leave your grip loose for longer, and let your left hand decide the racket face angle. When you start the forward swing you can clamp down with your right hand wherever it may be. This can stop you committing too early to a top spin shot, when a defensive slice would have been better. It also lets you use a weak grip for low shots, and a strong grip on high shots.

It is possible to custom make your grip on your 1hbh because the left hand stays on the throat so long, your brain knows exactly where the racket face is.
 

WesternCK

Rookie
I know you've found something that is working for you but I would have suggested starting with a continental ready position grip as well. That's literally the reason that it is or should be considered the "traditional" ready position grip. Since it allows for the shortest grip change between most common grips.

Seeing as the continental grip has a long history of being the most common ready position grip and one handers have had a longer history in tennis as the traditional backhand, well let's just say there might be some correlation between the two.
 

smalahove

Hall of Fame
Changing grips IS a pretty big deal.

Pro golfers work on their grip all the time.

I notice minuscule changes in my grip, and these changes affect my swing - and I am constantly working on "perfecting" my grip on all strokes.

On serve, I use my reg. forehand grip, as I want to be as offensive as possible. Most players I compete against have big first serves, so backhand returns are always short backswing or none, with a unconscious bh grip. I notice that if I do have a little bit of prep, it's most often closed. With a reaction save, it's always continental.
 
My biggest problem with the one handed backhand....

is switching to the Eastern backhand grip from my ready position in the semi western forehand grip. I have trouble getting my hand all the way around and getting my index knuckle directly on top. Most times I don't get far enough and it leaves the racquet face too open. This is especially tough on returns.
if I have enough time I can do it, but when I change grips quickly, its much more difficult. I keep my off hand on the throat of the racquet and try to twist it with my left hand in a clockwise motion.

I am open to suggestions on how to make this grip change easier?

You must be a beginning tennis player if you find even a basic grip change difficult.
 

ARKustom93

Professional
I know you've found something that is working for you but I would have suggested starting with a continental ready position grip as well. That's literally the reason that it is or should be considered the "traditional" ready position grip. Since it allows for the shortest grip change between most common grips.

Seeing as the continental grip has a long history of being the most common ready position grip and one handers have had a longer history in tennis as the traditional backhand, well let's just say there might be some correlation between the two.

You'd have to go way back in history for that statement to be true ...
 

ARKustom93

Professional
Disagree completely. Almost every time I mishit a backhand I look down at my grip and it's too open or not positioned correctly. When I get that index knuckle right on top, my odds of hitting a good shot go way up.

Right there is a big part of your problem. Having to check your BH grip visually indicates that you're not really feeling it. Same situation with your SW FH and/or Conti?
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Maybe leave your grip loose for longer, and let your left hand decide the racket face angle. When you start the forward swing you can clamp down with your right hand wherever it may be. This can stop you committing too early to a top spin shot, when a defensive slice would have been better. It also lets you use a weak grip for low shots, and a strong grip on high shots.

It is possible to custom make your grip on your 1hbh because the left hand stays on the throat so long, your brain knows exactly where the racket face is.

Yes that is what I do. The right hand is very loose on the handle.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I know you've found something that is working for you but I would have suggested starting with a continental ready position grip as well. That's literally the reason that it is or should be considered the "traditional" ready position grip. Since it allows for the shortest grip change between most common grips.

Seeing as the continental grip has a long history of being the most common ready position grip and one handers have had a longer history in tennis as the traditional backhand, well let's just say there might be some correlation between the two.

It that really true?

I will give that a try next time and see how it goes. The obvious downside to waiting in continental is you have to change grips for both topspin f/h and b/h...but it's a short move for both. The good thing is that is the server hits a harder than expected serve, you can still block or chip it back quickly on either wing, with no grip change required.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
You must be a beginning tennis player if you find even a basic grip change difficult.

only learned tennis around 5 years ago and just recently learned the one handed backhand, so I guess you are are correct to a certain extent. I am still in the "beginner" stages of learning the one handed backhand.

thanks for your help :rolleyes:
 
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JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Right there is a big part of your problem. Having to check your BH grip visually indicates that you're not really feeling it. Same situation with your SW FH and/or Conti?

Correct. I can't always tell if my grip is correct without looking. It's getting much better though after the recent change I made in the way I hold the throat. It was a simple but effective adjustment that I didn't think of until watching that video.
 
only learned tennis around 5 years ago and just recently learned the one handed backhand, so I guess you are are correct to a certain extent. I am still in the "beginner" stages of learning the one handed backhand.

thanks for your help :rolleyes:

Changing grip for 1 hand backhand is no different to changing grip for 1 hand forehand. You need to practise more.
 
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