One-Handed backhand : the switch. A good idea ?

J

Javier92

New User
First of all, hello everyone :)


I'm coming back to tennis after 7 years of not playing, I've played for 3 years competitively in the past. (around 15-18 yrs old), then a few years with some friends here and there.

It feels really cool to be back (but frustrating, obviously).

My forehand has always been my strength and came back really fast, and in a natural way. I hit even harder now that I've grown up, and still can put as much top-spin as in the past. No problem here.


When I was a kid, I felt unconfortable with my two-handed backhand. My left hand was kinda "disturbing me" and I could only hit good backhands when really pushing forward and attacking, I never played a good two-handed backhand defensively. That's why I often found myself playing with an heavy backhand slice (very short/crossed). It felt more natural and easier to me to play the ball with one hand. But since I was a small kid, the top-spin one handed backhand felt too hard to hit.

Now that I have a better wrist in some way, and a more muscled forearm/wrist. I'd really like to switch to a one handed backhand definitevely. Simply to enjoy playing with my backhand without feeling this weird/disturbing left hand "shrivelling me" if you know what I mean.


I've played with some friends obviously it was pretty hard to hit correct OH backhands but I "felt" better even though it was kind of a disaster (let's be honest). I've tried to gather as much information as possible from videos, pictures etc. and summarized everything here : http://imgur.com/gallery/n3fzQ (if it helps other ppl, that's cool).

1. Do you think it's a good idea ? After 7 years I'll have to restart almost from scratch anyway, so...

2. Did some of you have experienced this in the past ? How did it go, did you switch back because it was too hard ?

3. Do you have any kind of advice ? Workouts, exercises (against a wall for example) ? Videos (even though I think I've watched almost every youtube video on OH backhand)


Thanks a lot in advance for any advice, have a nice day.
 
I was in the same boat as you at some point...
Ultimately decided to keep my 2hbh after I realized I just needed to work on left hand more (eg. left handed forehands)... (still hit a 1hbh slice)

While I can now hit a decent topspin 1hbh (eg. rallying cooperatively), i found that it goes against my playing style.. eg. i prefer to hug the baseline to hit on the rise... which i find easier with a 2hbh. with a 1hbh i found myself just playing neutralizing tennis from 3-5ft behind the baseline to give me time to take the longer windup needed for a 1hbh (what I liked about the 1hbh, is on short balls I can tee off on, i felt i could attack in more than my 2hbh which would lack the pace/spin i could generate with a full 1hbh stroke,... and i think the 1hbh looks way cooler to hit). I also stuck with my 2hbh to keep my body more balanced (muscularly)... i liked the idea of making working towards making myself more balanced/ambidextrous by working on left hand fh alot... (I practice this weekly). to this end, i even considered registering myself again under usta (eg. firstname lefty lastname), and play in the 3.0's or 3.5's... but found learning a lefty serve too painful :P

my $0.02
 
Agree. I also went from single-handed to two-handed. It has taken me a long time to get a feel for what the left hand is supposed to do in the 2HBH groundstroke. But I finally got it.

OP, there is no person or coach on this planet who will be able to teach you what it feels like to get into "the slot" of a two-handed backhand. Especially with regards to the left-hand. You just have to keep up the repetitions, make sure you are transferring your weight properly, and make sure you are swinging forward properly.

I had to be hand-fed HUNDREDS of balls before something finally "clicked" with the stroke and I felt what the left hand is supposed to do. The one thing I can say for sure is that no matter what anybody tells you, it is nothing like hitting a left-handed forehand. So ignore that teaching cue.

And this comes from a person who knows how to hit a left-handed forehand.
 
Interesting... I've been practicing lhfh religiously, and i feel that it has really helped by righty 2hbh... specifically in terms of:
1. not letting the racquet get behind my body
2. keeping the racquet in a closed position
3. letting my wrist drop (to allow the racquet below the ball better)
4. extending through contact and to the target with my left hand
Mightyrick... maybe you can elaborate on what the left hand is supposed to be doing? (and how it's different from a lhfh?) perhaps i'll need rebuild my 2hbh again :P
 
nytennisaddict said:
Mightyrick... maybe you can elaborate on what the left hand is supposed to be doing? (and how it's different from a lhfh?) perhaps i'll need rebuild my 2hbh again :p
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I wish I could describe what the left-hand does. :)

The reason why I'm pretty adamant about the whole "left-handed forehand" cue is because that cue alone stunted my progress for months. It simply didn't tell me anything about the role of the right hand (bottom hand) in the stroke. It also doesn't tell you what you need to do with the right-shoulder. The biggest problem I was having is that I was wanting to take my left arm away from my body as I would for a forehand -- because my regular forehand is very straight-armed.

But once I kept the left-arm bent and a bit closer to my body, fully-extended the right arm at takeback, and leaned my right-shoulder into each shot... the kinetic chain/weight transfer started happening on its own.

If I were to teach it to people, I would start by showing someone what the right-hand/arm/shoulder is supposed to be doing in order to get into the slot. Only then, would I start to teach what the left-hand does and how you rotate into it.

Understanding what the right-hand/arm is supposed to be doing is so very critical. At least for me, it was.
 
It might sound silly, I always hit a 1hbh back in the day, took a lot of years off, now am back, and I'm now learning to hit a 1hbh. As odd as that sounds, it really is true.
I could only ever hit a slice bh, and got pretty good with it. With my return to tennis I've been learning to hit a drive 1hbh, and it is really hard.

1. Every day work on 1hbh progessions. Search youtube for tutorials on progressions, they start at the contact point and work backwards, and I find them helpful. Just shadow swings.
2. When rallying/practicing try 1hbh's, the risk is low. Try them until it gets frustrating then go back to what works best.
3. In matches where you are winning easily, once you get ahead try some 1hbh's, then go back to what works.
4. If you are like me, you will eventually try it in a match and have a breakthrough, they actually go in. Usually a match where you are not pushed.
5. For me, about a month after that happened, I played a tough match where drive 1hbh's were going in and effective. Great feeling.
6. During all this, keep practicing 2hbh, keep that going. Be fully prepared to use which ever one works best. You may never like the 1hbh, you may find ways to make the 2hbh feel great?

Good luck!
 
thx, mightyrick, for the reply... interestingly, i used to hit a right hand (bottom) dominated 2hbh, and i found that hitting lhfh, helps educate me on what the role of the left hand is supposed to do.

Just yesterday, I was warming with a recent d1 grad i know, and we were both practicing lhfh to help our 2hbh (his is sooo much better than mine), and he said that's how he learned his 2hbh (eastern lhfh, continental rh).

anywho, while we may disagree on how to drill the 2hbh, i think we do accomplish same goals (left arm bend on take back, keep left arm close to body, fully extend right arm on take back, etc...).... i guess results may vary for some folks trying the lhfh-drill-to-learn-2hbh approach.
 
Lance L said:
It might sound silly, I always hit a 1hbh back in the day, took a lot of years off, now am back, and I'm now learning to hit a 1hbh. As odd as that sounds, it really is true.
I could only ever hit a slice bh, and got pretty good with it. With my return to tennis I've been learning to hit a drive 1hbh, and it is really hard.

1. Every day work on 1hbh progessions. Search youtube for tutorials on progressions, they start at the contact point and work backwards, and I find them helpful. Just shadow swings.
2. When rallying/practicing try 1hbh's, the risk is low. Try them until it gets frustrating then go back to what works best.
3. In matches where you are winning easily, once you get ahead try some 1hbh's, then go back to what works.
4. If you are like me, you will eventually try it in a match and have a breakthrough, they actually go in. Usually a match where you are not pushed.
5. For me, about a month after that happened, I played a tough match where drive 1hbh's were going in and effective. Great feeling.
6. During all this, keep practicing 2hbh, keep that going. Be fully prepared to use which ever one works best. You may never like the 1hbh, you may find ways to make the 2hbh feel great?

Good luck!
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regarding practicing 1hbh and 2hbh, i found that practicing both screws up where my contact pt is supposed to be... for a 2hbh, my contact pt is closer to my hip, whereas for my 2hbh, my contact pt is further in front of my hip (similar to contact of my 1hbh slice)... practicing both at the same time was possible, but i'd have to keep making conscious adjustments, so i stopped practicing both and stuck with one.

it definitely could be a grip difference, eg. if i chose a 1hbh grip that aligned to the same contact pt as my 2hbh grip - this might not be an issue... but i never pursued it further (as mentioned above).
 
nytennisaddict said:
I was in the same boat as you at some point...
Ultimately decided to keep my 2hbh after I realized I just needed to work on left hand more (eg. left handed forehands)... (still hit a 1hbh slice)

While I can now hit a decent topspin 1hbh (eg. rallying cooperatively), i found that it goes against my playing style.. eg. i prefer to hug the baseline to hit on the rise... which i find easier with a 2hbh. with a 1hbh i found myself just playing neutralizing tennis from 3-5ft behind the baseline to give me time to take the longer windup needed for a 1hbh (what I liked about the 1hbh, is on short balls I can tee off on, i felt i could attack in more than my 2hbh which would lack the pace/spin i could generate with a full 1hbh stroke,... and i think the 1hbh looks way cooler to hit). I also stuck with my 2hbh to keep my body more balanced (muscularly)... i liked the idea of making working towards making myself more balanced/ambidextrous by working on left hand fh alot... (I practice this weekly). to this end, i even considered registering myself again under usta (eg. firstname lefty lastname), and play in the 3.0's or 3.5's... but found learning a lefty serve too painful :p

my $0.02
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I feel people also underestimate on how much pulling the right hand to do (as the left is pushing) - to generate the angular momentum of the racket.
Djoker does it great - but to really get an appreciation for this u have to find that angle.
 
Wow, thank's a lot for all your answers, I didn't expect that much in such a short period of time.

I find it interesting that the majority of ppl who actually tried to switch advise to keep trying with the 2 hander. A lot of my friends who kept playing while I didn't and who played with me recently told me "You should definitely keep trying 1hbh. If I was in your situation to 're-start', I definitely would". But they didn't try themselves.
That's just a wish (and I can understand why, 1hbh is beautiful if played perfectly), but not feedback ! So thanks for that.

I still have a few weeks before the season (and collective/private lessons) starts, so I guess for now, while playing for fun with my friends I'll keep switching between 2hbh and 1hbh depending on the feeling of the day (but one day -> one style) (that was a good advice, too :) ). After that, maybe a coach will have a good insight, too.

I especially love the argument regarding : "try to find why you have a weird feeling with your left hand". From the feedback I had on the court it was just "that feels weird sometimes, that's just non-natural", but that actually made me think that I had (and still have) this weird and bad habit to cross my legs while hitting a 2hbh. My left leg goes behind my right one, with the edge of my left foot hitting the ground. That must be a cause of a weird feeling.


I'll keep reading all of your answers, but thanks already for all of your feedbacks.
 
I have actually gone the other way, I used to use a 1HB and have recently switched to a 2HB. This is only due to golfers elbow though, the strain of a 1HB was too much on my elbow.

I personally think the 1HB looks so classy and if you have the choice I would chose it every time. But like others have said, stick with what feels right. Unless they both feel terrible, then improve the one you like the look/idea of most!

Every time I see Federer or Stan play it makes me want to play through the elbow pain and hit single handers!
 
JAV, why dont you try it for 6 months and see. Now would be a great time to switch and your only about 21 yrs old. So what is 6 months really.
I would try it out!!!
If after 6 months you could easily go back to 2 hander
 
1. Pick whats natural to you. If you feel your left hand is giving you troubles, give up on 2hbh. And dont questin your decision. Stick with it

2. As a kid I started with 2hbh but couldnt hit a house from close distance. Im glad I switched to 1hbh instead of torturing myself

3. Cant give you advice cuz I dont know hows your mechanics. Dont give up. With slice you have (you said it was good), you can have tons of variety, to set up something "hittable" for your fh (being ur strength). Enjoy the adventure
 
How are you struggling with two handed backhand on defense? Do you mean when you are on the run, defending against tough shot, or passing shot?

You might want to try more neutral stance where both feet are inline (6 and 12 o'clock position) or open stance before investing into one hander.
 
@dgold44 : I'll try it, definitely. But in regard of the previous answers I think I won't drop my 2hbh and give it a try, too. Actually, I'm not 21, I'm 30 ;) I've played for 3 years competitively (15-18), then just played for fun for several years (18-23), then dropped tennis completely for 7 years. What I meant was completely drop my 2hbh before starting this topic, but now I think I'll still give a try to 2hbh because my left hand problem might be dued to wrong positionning, and not a "non-natural issue" i can't do anything about (that's what I thought).

@Easy Rider : thanks. For now, I have trouble giving power to my 1hbh, but just because I'm kind of afraid of hitting birds, or putting balls outside the court. But my friends told me my 1hbh looks great (from an esthetic pov) so I think I'll show it to a coach at some point and listen to what he thinks.

@junbumkim : I've always felt that my left hand is "holding me" behind preventing me from finishing nicely. Almost feeling a pain in my left shoulder. I remember some of my coach showing me Nqvist's end of gesture back in the days and always kept in mind that my left elbow should end in front of my eyes. And sometimes I feel like my left hand is holding me back. After some of the advices yesterday I recorded myself with my phone hitting 2hbh in front of a wall "naturally", without thinking about the perfect movement. And I'm now pretty sure the problem is my legs. My left foot, naturally tends to cross my right leg from behind, with the edge of my left shoe hitting the ground, pretty hard to explain in english, sorry :( But in this position it's almost impossible to turn my shoulders, I realized that from my phone record, and that must be where the trouble comes from.
And that's also why I don't feel the same trouble when attacking, because when I run into the court, I have to go forward with my left leg and thus use the correct 2hbh legs positionning.

That's still a guess, but it might be an explanation. Need to confirm against a real partner next week.


Once again, thanks a lot for all your answers, every one of them has been very useful to me.
 
Speaking from personal experience. ...I've had a 1hbh since I started playing at 14yo. Many times I for frustrated and asked my coaches to teach me a 2 hander. It never worked out for the same reasons you described.

If you enjoy tennis more hitting with 1 hand then I would say it is worth it to dedicate the time to develop it. I mean isn't tennis supposed to be fun?
 
A coach had me switch the other way. From one to two. I say go for it.
I now use both for different shots & reasons so I have no regrets.
 
Wow so many people talking about switching from one hand to two.

Speaking from personal experience...I actually grew up with a pretty good two hander for my age when I was a kid and it was very natural for me. Then I saw this guy called Roger on tv and I switched to a one hander at 14 years old. Haha not a good reason for the switch but I was hooked. Struggled with it for 2 years and lost quite a bit from opponents targeting my backhand. Was a difficult time and considered switching back. Then I stopped playing for two years for other reasons, came back, worked on my backhand alot and been happy with it ever since. I still hit the two hander for fun once in a while.

I find when coaching beginner adults (students at the uni), many of them find the one hander more natural. Alot of them say two hander feels too restricting, which might be what you're saying when you said "My left hand was kinda 'disturbing me." If it feels natural to you, then you should definitely switch. "I could only hit good backhands when really pushing forward and attacking, I never played a good two-handed backhand defensively." Well the one hander pretty much requires you to step into the shot so it should suit you.

Also, try to not copy Stan's backhand. My friend is a crazy Stan fan and he opens his chest wayyyy too early leading to quite abit of shanks. You should stay side ways and hit through the ball.

Finally, go build your tricep muscles.
 
FWIW I too began with a DBH (which was what I was taught) and never got comfortable with it, so switched to a OBH. I did a double take on that and then again and so on but for the last few months I have stuck to the OBH. So there's no reason why you shouldn't make the switch, seeing as the OBH is a very versatile shot. But bear in mind it does take a lot of patience and persistence to even begin to tame that shot. I am reasonably comfortable going for DTL winners with my OBH now but still not so confident on the crosscourt. But it's much easier now to change my shot to a slice...and hold it until the last moment to keep the opponent guessing.
 
there is no magic answer to this question. TOTALLY depends on the individual. If you are very righty dominant, hitting a 2 hander will always be a struggle.
If you already hit a good one handed slice, then a transition to a one handed drive will be easier. It also depends on what you want to get out of your tennis.
Personally, I picked what felt more natural. I struggled with the 2 hander for about 4 years and recently switched to a one hander and now love hitting backhands as much as forehands. I still occasionally hit a 2 hander when a ball comes fast to my bh side and I am just trying to pop it back.
 
heninfan99 said:
the two hander is fantastic for returning so you may want to keep it in your arsenal.
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Very true.

I have just switched to 2HB after years of a 1HB and although the shot is still all over the place and very foreign to me, I find my return of serve is already more solid than my old 1HB!
 
I wouldnt change. The time to develop a new 1hbh is longer than the time to only improve your 2hbh.
 
I'm not really afraid of the learning curve. I don't need to play competitively for now.

I just want to enjoy playing with friends and meet new people through tennis in my new town. So, just a decent BH shot (i could almost do that with my BH slice :) ) would do it.

My backhand (except on short balls) has always been my "shield", not my "sword" (thx old coach, best analogy ever !) so I don't really care, I still have the legs to turn around it when I'm able to. No problem.

My objective is really "enjoying my BH" not as much as my FH, but still, enjoying it, and not telling myself : "f*ck, another BH to play, it'll feel unconfortable... I know it" no matter if it's a messy shot, as long as it feels good.



But from all the advises given in this topic (thx, really, such a friendly community !) I should try two things :

- still hitting a lot of balls with my 1HBH, to really know if I love it
- but keep on trying the 2HBH sometimes focusing on my left leg moving forward, because that might be the reason why I feel awkward


One week of vacation with friends, tennis every morning, that'll let me have a better view in one week. I'll keep you in touch.

Hope the imgur gallery posted in the first thread will help other ppl, too.


Thanks !
 
Javier92 said:
I'm not really afraid of the learning curve. I don't need to play competitively for now.

I just want to enjoy playing with friends and meet new people through tennis in my new town. So, just a decent BH shot (i could almost do that with my BH slice :) ) would do it.

My backhand (except on short balls) has always been my "shield", not my "sword" (thx old coach, best analogy ever !) so I don't really care, I still have the legs to turn around it when I'm able to. No problem.

My objective is really "enjoying my BH" not as much as my FH, but still, enjoying it, and not telling myself : "f*ck, another BH to play, it'll feel unconfortable... I know it" no matter if it's a messy shot, as long as it feels good.



But from all the advises given in this topic (thx, really, such a friendly community !) I should try two things :

- still hitting a lot of balls with my 1HBH, to really know if I love it
- but keep on trying the 2HBH sometimes focusing on my left leg moving forward, because that might be the reason why I feel awkward


One week of vacation with friends, tennis every morning, that'll let me have a better view in one week. I'll keep you in touch.

Hope the imgur gallery posted in the first thread will help other ppl, too.


Thanks !
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If your focus is on enjoyment and just getting that feeling on being comfortable with your backhand, I wouldn't meddle with two backhands - why? No need. As time is your friend, choose a backhand you like and want to be comfortable with, then stick to it. Practice. Eventually it will come and then you're sorted :)
 
Javier92 said:
I'm not really afraid of the learning curve. I don't need to play competitively for now.

I just want to enjoy playing with friends and meet new people through tennis in my new town. So, just a decent BH shot (i could almost do that with my BH slice :) ) would do it.

My backhand (except on short balls) has always been my "shield", not my "sword" (thx old coach, best analogy ever !) so I don't really care, I still have the legs to turn around it when I'm able to. No problem.

My objective is really "enjoying my BH" not as much as my FH, but still, enjoying it, and not telling myself : "f*ck, another BH to play, it'll feel unconfortable... I know it" no matter if it's a messy shot, as long as it feels good.



But from all the advises given in this topic (thx, really, such a friendly community !) I should try two things :

- still hitting a lot of balls with my 1HBH, to really know if I love it
- but keep on trying the 2HBH sometimes focusing on my left leg moving forward, because that might be the reason why I feel awkward


One week of vacation with friends, tennis every morning, that'll let me have a better view in one week. I'll keep you in touch.

Hope the imgur gallery posted in the first thread will help other ppl, too.


Thanks !
Click to expand...
If the idea is to enjoy hitting your backhand and hitting the DBH doesn't feel comfortable, you may be better off sticking to the one hander. As long as I parked the option of shifting back to the double hander, I couldn't improve the one hander. You have to commit to it. That is literally true when you want to hit one handers in matches. You have to commit early once you see the ball is being struck towards your backhand corner and just go hit a backhand. Long term it might be good to have both options but focusing on the one hander until you master it might help imo. Remember to take it early and push your weight forward as you drive.
 
Javier92 said:
My backhand (except on short balls) has always been my "shield", not my "sword" (thx old coach, best analogy ever !) so I don't really care, I still have the legs to turn around it when I'm able to. No problem.
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May I suggest to think of your backhand as your sniper and your forehand as your bazooka? When I think of shield, I think of defence and that's exactly how I used my backhand in my early stages of the switch (slices and dices). Try to build your 1hbh to be your precision weapon that help set you up for your bazooka. e.g Federer's low short crosscourt slice as well as his high loopy crosscourt backhand that pulls his opponent wide to set up his forehand.

Like Dolgopolov85 said, you gotta commit to the one hander. Especially since you just play for enjoyment you should definitely choose a backhand that you're comfortable with.
 
Sorry, I'm just not being crystal clear in English.

What I meant was : the reason why I'm not confortable with my 2HBH in defense might (that's a big guess) be a positionning issue. And in this case, this would be a shame to drop my 2HBH for a wrong reason. That's what I meant by "keep trying the 2HBH". The deadline for me is gonna be the start of the season, then I'll commit to one type of backhand, ofc.




The tests I did against a wall kinda drove me to the left leg conclusion. When my left foot moves forward (clockwise rotation) that's what I meant by attacking, even in a defensive shot, my left hand doesn't feel awkward.

What I mean is "there's still a big 'What If ??' I need to check before commiting to a 1HBH" :)
 
it's interesting - there is a test someone mentioned - Ask what feels more comfortable 1hbh or lefty fh. Whichever you pick will be the base of the 2hbh shot. Weirdly it's not the case for me - my 2hbh is a very natural shot for me, but I can also hit 1hbh (just haven't had too much practice) and on shadow swings I always feel I can generate a lot more rhs doing that.
I like the 2hbh because I can turn defense to offense, but I have to admit - a nicely struck 1hbh feels really good.



 
I'd stick with the two hander. I can't think of the last player I played who made be fearful of their one hander.. OTOH quite a few people I have played have had wicked two handers. Now that's obviously not an exhaustive search.. But its my theory that the 1HBH takes an extraordinary amount of practice and timing to have it become a very good shot. Whereas the 2HBH is not easy - but its a shorter learning curve..

Most 1HBH should likely consider switching - because most of them have terrible backhands.. Just awful. they are the reason why 'hit to the backhand' is the default strategy for anyone under 4.0.. If you are talking about going as an adult from a 2HBH to a OHBH. Well fine - I hope you have a crap ton of time on your hands. Because you are going to need it..
 
I gave up my two hander for a one hander years ago and regret it most days. I play a S&V specialist tomorrow who will probably hit >50 approach shots to my backhand and maybe 3 to my forehand. Even as you get better, it will always be your weakest shot and your opponents will always try to attack that side.
 
PhilStar! said:
A 1 hand back hand also will allow you to disguise your slice and drop shots better. You can reach the ball better too whereas the 2 hand backhand requires an extra step or two just to get into hitting position.

I also think the 1 hand back hand can generate more topspin than the 2 hand backhand. Think Guga Gustavo Kuertan.
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Sure more leverage on the 1hbh and easier to generate RHS, but just so much more difficult to time and get confidence.

(Shadow-swinging I take 1hbh every time, but in the game that ability to adjust with the non-dom hand is so handy (pun intended))
 
Booger, learn a DTL lob, sliced for height control....over his racket.
He's not a pro, so you can beat him. Expect your backhand to be attacked, get sideways, get the racket back early. Bet you can pass him with slice too.
 
LeeD said:
Booger, learn a DTL lob, sliced for height control....over his racket.
He's not a pro, so you can beat him. Expect your backhand to be attacked, get sideways, get the racket back early. Bet you can pass him with slice too.
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As always, it is a work in progress. I'm going to hit at least 500 tomorrow on the ball machine. I play in a 5.0 league with a lot of 5.5 sandbaggers. The top few guys are almost always ex-college players with well developed two handers that they can really bash.
 
The pros and cons of a 1HBH vs 2HBH are well documented on this site. With that said, I say do what is natural for you. The 1HBH, for me, is just more natural and intuitive to hit. You have a longer "lever" to swing, versus a 2HBH where the lever is shorter.

But here is the thing that I would base my decision on, if I were you. How well do you move and how early do you prepare? For the 1HBH, the contact point is further in front and you have to be ready early, which means you have to anticipate better for short hops and taking shots on the rise. This is particularly important for returning serve.
By contrast, the 2HBH will bail you out if you are not moving well or anticipating well, if you are late or lack prep time, and makes it easier to take shots on the rise or block them back.
 
I had always used a 2HB until last year when I hurt my left shoulder. Out of necessity I started hitting one handed and it felt way more natural and I made cleaner ball contact right out of the gate. The swing is fairly simple. I could hit a clean hard ball almost immediately although it was flat because i was locking my wrist. It took a while to get the feel of the 'flinging of the racquet' with a loose wrist to impart the topspin. Once you get that you are golden.

Challenges as mentioned:
1. setup. Need a really big shoulder turn so you need to get used to starting early
2. High ball. Either back up quickly to get the ball in your strike zone or get your racquet take back higher and hit straight through the ball.

8 months in after the switch my one hander is way better than my 2 hander ever was (49 yr old) and have played tennis most of my life. Also, for whatever reason I can hit the angles with the one hander really well....better than my FH which is pretty solid.

Anyway, personally I think a couple sessions and you will know whether it feels right or not. Also, I switched to spin effect racquet (prince 100T ESP) and that helped out all aspects of my game.
 
gvsbdisco said:
I had always used a 2HB until last year when I hurt my left shoulder. Out of necessity I started hitting one handed and it felt way more natural and I made cleaner ball contact right out of the gate. The swing is fairly simple. I could hit a clean hard ball almost immediately although it was flat because i was locking my wrist. It took a while to get the feel of the 'flinging of the racquet' with a loose wrist to impart the topspin. Once you get that you are golden.

Challenges as mentioned:
1. setup. Need a really big shoulder turn so you need to get used to starting early
2. High ball. Either back up quickly to get the ball in your strike zone or get your racquet take back higher and hit straight through the ball.

8 months in after the switch my one hander is way better than my 2 hander ever was (49 yr old) and have played tennis most of my life. Also, for whatever reason I can hit the angles with the one hander really well....better than my FH which is pretty solid.

Anyway, personally I think a couple sessions and you will know whether it feels right or not. Also, I switched to spin effect racquet (prince 100T ESP) and that helped out all aspects of my game.
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To each his own, but I would not recommend flicking your wrist or much wrist action at all. That's a good way to get a sprained wrist or worse. Just like the forehand side, topspin comes from brushing up the back of the ball, with a semi-closed grip, swinging low to high. If I had to flick my wrist I wouldn't be hitting a 1HBH very long (or playing tennis at all actually) due to injury.
 
Moveforwardalways said:
To each his own, but I would not recommend flicking your wrist or much wrist action at all. That's a good way to get a sprained wrist or worse. Just like the forehand side, topspin comes from brushing up the back of the ball, with a semi-closed grip, swinging low to high. If I had to flick my wrist I would be hitting a 1HBH very long (or playing tennis at all actually) due to injury.
Click to expand...
I should have made myself more clear...I am not saying to flick the wrist or really do anything active with the wrist; just keep it loose, and when you uncoil and get the feeling of flinging the racquet, the wrist will move naturally and assist in facilitating spin on the ball.
 
I love the OHBH, its a thing of beauty. I defy you to find a more pleasurable shot than the DLR single hander. Double handed is boring to watch IMO.

To get good at it , you'll need to hit about 1000 balls. Yup ,sorry. So embrace the fear. Step around your forehand and smack your backhand. Fastest way to get good.
 
Javier92 said:
First of all, hello everyone :)


1. Do you think it's a good idea ? After 7 years I'll have to restart almost from scratch anyway, so...

2. Did some of you have experienced this in the past ? How did it go, did you switch back because it was too hard ?

3. Do you have any kind of advice ? Workouts, exercises (against a wall for example) ? Videos (even though I think I've watched almost every youtube video on OH backhand)


Thanks a lot in advance for any advice, have a nice day.
Click to expand...

Hi Javier, I would share some of my experiences on this. Firstly, what is your motivation to take on tennis again? Eg. do you only want to play recreationally, enjoy the game with friends or play competitively? If you aim to do the first, I'd say switch, it's obvious that you find more enjoyiable playing with 1hbh, most people do as it looks great and it allows for more variety and in most case most power.

If instead you want to get back to competitive tennis, my advice would be to think twice before you switch. That is because the 2hbh has some big advantages in term of consistency and accuracy that are notable and give you a significant competitive advantage over the 1hbh. To build a solid and effective 1hbh, you really need great time and dedication and possibly much help from coaching. Often that still wouldn't be enough and you will find you bh side always targeted during match play and find it hard to overcome that weakness. Most single handed players around 4.0 level struggle in one way or another to have the necessary consistency to perform on their back hand side.
 
Hi everyone, and thanks again for all your answers and advices.

@Windsor : recreationally. I've played competitively in the past and didn't really enjoyed it. I only liked the per-team tournaments. Even now, when some of my friends only want to play some matches (for fun, they only have fun when the score matters unfortunately for me) and I'm not confident enough and prefer playing long rallies for fun only without the pressure of serving well, returning well. So no, no competition for now :)


Back from holiday, I had the opportunity to play one hour with my mom's tennis teacher. I had lost my FH and he helped me get it back but that's another story.

I tried both shots with him and he told me my 1HBH was really nice for a beginner. The movement is here, I hit the ball in front of me with a tense right arm, my left arm moves back as it should. I have a lot less trouble finding nice angles with my 1HBH. He forced me to play ~ 50 balls with my 2HBH and I really felt the difference. The 2 hander is more accurate, really, I did way less faults, but it really felt less natural. For instance, when I hit a 1HBH, I naturally exhale when hitting the ball, without even thinking about it. When hitting a 2HBH I have to think about it, or play with holding my breath. That's an example.

So he told me a little bit like some of you did : "go for it and enjoy it, you still have the time to learn this new shot. Your 2HBH is still there to get you out of trouble if you really need it, it's a very decent shot".

So I guess that's it for now and the next months, maybe I'll switch back in a few months or years, but at least I'll have no regret to give a try to this 1HBH that feels more natural.

Thanks !
 
Just to keep you guys updated, and also to say thank you to everyone.


I'm now playing the 1HBH consistently, the 2HBH is still there to push the ball if I'm really out of position, it's the only time I'm using it these days. And I can really feel the difference. The 1HBH is way more natural to me and having the left arm going backwards for balance is a way better feeling than pushing with it forward.

My 1HBH is now a good shot, consistent, sometimes a bit too long but when I put topspin it's very decent. I'm also able to hit winner DTL passing shots. Still work to do to play long and cross backhands in the diagonal (BH on BH when I'm playing a right-handed person) though, but at least I'm no longer afraid to hit a BH as I used to, I'm kinda happy to hit it even though it's too long, I have no longer that annoying feeling I used to have with the 2HBH.


Thanks a lot everyone for every of your advices, they all helped me alot making the good choice !
 
Good luck. And a little tip from my side to tackle high, deep balls on the BH side which is the no.1 bugbear of anybody who hits a 1BH. I just tried this today, if the length is 3/4th rather than bang on the baseline (at bounce) and the ball is rising up, see if you are able to jump up and take on the backhand well before the top of the bounce. I.e just like you would hit a forehand off a high ball (at least I do that a lot being only 5 6"). You need to have a consistent swing you can trust before you try this but if you have found your ideal contact point on the backhand, you can do this and you would be able to hit an aggressive 1BH without surrendering too much court to your opponent. If you are already doing this or tried and it didn't work, sorry for the superfluous info.
 
1hbh, you can always aggressively slice any ball that comes up over your shoulders, aiming short angles or DTL NML depth.
And you can gradually increase the ratio of topspin shots to slice, as you get more confidence.
 
All I can say is if you decide to try the one-hander, you have to be committed to learning it the right way. I switched to it relatively early on, and it takes a lot of focusing on technique to get it right. Just don't be that guy with the "one handed backhand" that in reality is just a bunt with one hand. Personally, I'm glad I made the switch, but my close friend decided to follow and do the same, and he wasn't super focused on technique. In the end, I've stuck with it, but he went back to the two-hander after a 6 month fling with the one-hander.
 
It's great that you're getting on so well with the 1HBH. During the thread, you offered some telling information on 2HBH footwork that people using the 2HBH could benefit from. I use a 2HBH and when my footwork is late, I sometimes find myself kicking my rear foot behind my front leg, to maintain balance and attempt to throw some momentum into the shot in desperation.

What helps is to really move my feet fast. Anticipation and preparation might help as well, but scrambling into position is what has helped me. When you're ready with the ball on its way toward your side and your racquet poised in its unit turn readiness, your feet should be ready to step into the ball. This was where you might work more comfort into the stroke for your non-dominant arm. Allowing your arms and racquet to lag behind as you step forward opens up space so your upper body doesn't get in the way of itself during the stroke.

As for me, as I take a big step toward the ball I allow my racquet to lag behind and my torso loads up in a twist. And I keep some weight on the rear foot and some bend in the knee so when I swing into the ball, I can push off of my rear leg, release the torque in my torso, and swipe through the ball in one motion (kinetic chain.) This can be a very powerful and controlled shot if the footwork and setup is there.

This isn't sexy enough?

If all you do is a weight transfer to the front foot and let the back leg dangle behind, you're missing an opportunity to hit a powerful and decisive 2HBH.

Good luck with your new 1HBH. I wish I could hit those too.
 
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