One handed backhands

[Kelly]

Hi!

I just started playing tennis two months ago after I turned 15. I just got a club membership to one close to my house, and I'm playing a lot. It's really fun even if I won't be able to win any tournaments.

Erm...I'm just confused about one thing.

Is it ok to have a one handed backhand? When I just started hitting with another friend who joined with me, and hit against the wall, I wasn't really sure on anything technical and thought I was supposed to use one hand.

There weren't really any problems. But when I joined the club, it looked like EVERY single girl besides my friend and I had a two hander! My new coach says he's never even seen a girl with a one handed backhand.

Is there a reason for this? Should I switch to a two hander? I tried it briefly, but I felt really, really restricted. I'm sure it'll become natural if I spend more time with it.

So have any of you heard stuff about girls with one handed backhands?

It's not like mine's really good at all (I've spent the entire two months working on it, too...), but using one hand is a lot more comfortable.

 

[aj_m2009]

There are several pro women who have 1 handers (Mauresmo and Henin to name a couple). But anyways... I say go with whatever feels most natural to you. BTW, welcome to TW!

 

[Kelly]

Thanks! I haven't really seen a lot of pro tennis, but the US Open just started, so I'll try to watch! I'll look for Mauresmo and Henin too. Um...can you give me their first names? It'll just help when I'm looking for them.

Or it's fine, I'll check on google.

On a quick note, since I don't want to make too many threads immediately, I'm having serious problems with consistency. I hit the ball hard everywhere...everywhere not in the court. When I get the perfect ball, I can crank it out! But it's too bad most balls aren't perfect.

I do a LOT of soccer and track (I do the sprints and high jump) and can get to any of the balls. But when it comes right at me or jumps up high, I have problems!

Thanks for the responses!

 

[VashTheStampede]

Welcome to TW! If I were you I'd use whichever one works better for you and whichever one feels more natural. Henin has the best backhand on the WTA right now with a one hander. BTW their full names are Justine Henin-Hardenne and Amelie Mauresmo.

 

[aj_m2009]

Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne are their full names. And Alicia Molik if I remember correctly also has a 1 handed backhand.

And Im probably not the best one to comment on the Cosistency/Power thing since Im still working on that myself.

And when it comes right at me I just try and get out of the way while also trying to hit as normal a shot I can. And if its high Ill move back since Im not very good at taking it on the rise yet.

 

[Kelly]

Thanks! I'll be sure to look them up. Is there anywhere I can see their stroke (aside from TV, it kind of goes by fast)?

Also, once I got into the club, it seemed like it really mattered how you held the racquet. What type of grip and whatever. I'd just like to know what mine is called.

I got slightly confused by the sites I looked at, and just decided I'd post it here anyway.

I'm sorry that it's a crappy image, but I'll try to explain where I hold it.

Um...you see that big flat part (when you hold the racquet straight up and down, the big one on the side. It's directly facing you in that picture) on the grip? My base knuckle is right between the side one and the next smaller bevel.

What's that called? I know my backhand grip is just called mild eastern, but I got confused on forehand grips.

Thanks again, it's much appreciated.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

...Is it ok to have a one handed backhand? When I just started hitting with another friend who joined with me, and hit against the wall, I wasn't really sure on anything technical and thought I was supposed to use one hand.

Yes, the onehanded backhand is a great stroke to have. It is a bit more difficult to nail the contact zone and requires a bit more mastery of your body movement and control to make a consistent stroke, but if you want to develop it, that is perfectly fine.

There weren't really any problems. But when I joined the club, it looked like EVERY single girl besides my friend and I had a two hander! My new coach says he's never even seen a girl with a one handed backhand.

Is there a reason for this? Should I switch to a two hander? I tried it briefly, but I felt really, really restricted. I'm sure it'll become natural if I spend more time with it.

There are clear reasons why players have a twohanded backhand over a onehanded backhand.

1. It is a heck of a lot easier to manage the contact point. There is very little room for error in hitting the ball on time as compared to the twohanded backhand. With today's fast paced game, the twohander definetly has the edge here.

2. It is easier to hit higher balls with a twohanded backhand than a onehanded backhand. Todays tennis has a lot of topspin in it which for the most part causes the ball to jump toward you (managing the contact point) and higher. Also, if you play hard courts for the most part they cause the ball to bounce higher.

3. Strength: With twohands on the racket it is easier to control the racket head especially on service returns etc. Most women and children do not have strong enough forearms in the beginning to control the racket head properly during a swing, so in this case placing the other hand on the handle helps strengthen this.

4. Quicker enjoyment: In general, it is easier and faster to learn to hit with a twohanded backhand then a onehanded backhand. I say in general, because some people are completely wired for one or the other. Some people are so wired for the onehander that try as they might, the twohander is just not going to happen and vice versa. Then you have those that can hit either. They must choose which one they are more consistent with and have an easier time nailing the contact point. Some players like using all their body to hit (twohander) and other like to use segments of their body to generate racket speed (onehander) to generate pace.

Eventually, I firmly believe they are both excellent strokes and they each have their pros and cons to this game. For now, since you have just started playing, you can experiment. But I must warn you, you need to know that the twohander at first feels awkward for a lot of people because they dont know how to relax. You need to give each stroke a good solid 6 months of testing to really tell which one is best for you.

So have any of you heard stuff about girls with one handed backhands?

There are girls with onehanders that are very good. Women tend to go to the twohander because of the strength issue. We have debated this before on this forum, but I firmly believe that the twohander is the way to go for most club level players. It is a powerful shot and suits todays game very well. On the other hand, if you preferred the onehander, I wouldnt steer you away.

It's not like mine's really good at all (I've spent the entire two months working on it, too...), but using one hand is a lot more comfortable.

Well keep going, you might be the next Justin!

 

[Kelly]

A lot of good responses so quickly. Thanks Bill!

I'll be sure to spend some time with the two hander. While I think I can get over the initial comfort issue, I couldn't even really control my left arm. When I asked for advice at my club, they said that the left arm was extremely important in a two handed backhand. Mine's...not very coordinated.

It looks like high balls are a problem for lots of people with one handed backhands then.

I'm still not sure what to do with them. I guess I need to learn how to move back a bit. AJ, what do you mean by taking it on the rise? Is that hitting the ball right after it bounces? I've been trying to do that, since I guess I just have some psychological problem with...retreating, LOL, and I've gotten a couple of nice shots.

But a lot of the time that isn't working. I guess I can't expect too much from two months, I'll go back to the ball machine.

 

[Mkey23]

My vote would be two hand backhand especially for girls because you get more stabillity for your shots and its also easier with two hands to return high balls around baseline. But, you can also practise one hand backhand slice in the case when you are receiving faster and shorter balls on your backhand side so you can use backhand slice for keeping the ball in play. I would stick with this strategy.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

for quality clips, check tennisplayer.net
but you'll have to pay.

but also check the Sticky thread at the top for 1HBH.

 

[Kelly]

Thanks. I looked at Bill's Tommy Haas analysis, that was GREAT. I'm just going to try some of it today. According to my coach I've got perfect extension on my one handed backhands, but I often meet the ball too late which screws anything up. I'm going to try the preparation tips, I think I do it too late.

And...I was just watching the US Open, Gustavo Kuerten's one handed backhand is AWESOME. He just smacks it all over the place, and hits the really sharp angles, too. I guess I should start learning angles later, but even though Kuerten missed a lot of forehands (which were REALLY cool when they were in) I loved his backhand. I want to see him play again. I missed the Federer match this morning, I wish I could've seen his 1HB.

 

[baselinebrawler]

Try this:

oops messed that up.

Try this (reloaded):

 

[Tennismastery]

The two-handed backhand can transition easier to a good one-hander. It isn't as easy to learn a two-hander if you have a faulty one-hander already established.

The two-handed backhand has some dynamic aspects that make it a better stroke to first learn...many aspects have been covered in these threads. However, there are many things that players tend to do wrong when learning the one-hander that often promotes long-term difficulty and basically players trying every quick fix in the book to remedy...with little or no success.

Try looking at the video clips found at www.tennisone.com. There are some 1100 video clips of most all the top pros from various angles and all with slow motion/frame-by-frame controls. There you can find the commonalities among skilled one-handers.

And remember too, once you learn proper technique, you will evolve this technique to fit your style and personality and usually in productive and advantageous means. If you learn improper technique, you will be more prone to making changes because you have to.

Some thoughts on this subject.

 

[Kelly]

Thanks. I'm working hard to ensure that I don't screw my strokes up (I'm lucky it wasn't too bad after spending one and a half months just tinkering with them myself), and I've been told that my one hander isn't that bad so far. Most of my problems are in preparation.

When I was originally playing without a coach, my backhands were pretty compact, just take it back a little and push straight through the ball. That happened because the walls I used for practice weren't too good and had a fence close behind, so I'd play closer to the wall and I'd have to shorten up the backswing and make sure I just make contact with the ball, especially when it came back fast.

I'll try the two hander more, as per suggestions. But when I tried before, it wasn't just initial discomfort...it seemed like I was just flailing at the ball, even when I slowed it down. I couldn't control my left arm well, and I ended up hitting multiple balls over the fence. I've never had that problem with a one handed backhand.

Thanks for the guga animation, and I'll look into the clips on tennisone.com. I've also been told to try tennisplayer.net. Does anyone have any recommendations on which site has higher quality clips? If I'm shelling out any money I really want to make sure it's worthwhile, I don't think I'm going to sign up for both sites.

 

[Tennismastery]

Both TennisOne.com and TennisPlayer.net have great video clips. Check out both. While I write for TennisOne and feel it is the best site in the world, TennisPlayer.net is run by John Yandell who I respect highly and he has some terrific insights as well. Both sites have some exceptional super slo motion clips that offer a very interesting and informative view of player's strokes.

 

[Kelly]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm looking at the article lists on both sites right now. It's hard choosing. Tennisplayer.net seems to have really, really exceptional video, with the exact players I want to see. But on the other hand, tennisone has so many lessons and articles. I'll look into it more. In any case, I signed up for the tennisone newsletter. Plus it's cheaper, a little over twice the money of one month of tennisplayer for a whole year of tennisone.

I'll check out some more things. I'll probably go for the trial of tennisone, too.

 

[Queensryche]

Before i start off - i use a grip in between the eastern backhand and the western backhand (base knuckle along the bevel).
The Western backhand grip is more adapted for high bouncing balls - Might wanna have a look at it 1st and see if it helps. If they don't ,i suppose you could try these ,

What i do for high balls is either

- Slice it
- Move back a little to suit the ball's depth/pace
- Half-volley ( hitting the ball on its journey to its highest point after the bounce)

Being a 1-hander slice is naturally the easiest to do.
Basically u just raise the racquet high and with a slightly open face hit from a high to low motion. This requires an Eastern backhand grip or Continental.
This imparts back spin and slows the ball down , but on a side note it makes it slightly easier to take a high ball since topspin (Low to High motion) is tough when the ball is too high.

Half Vollies - First off make sure you focus on the ball on this one.
What i do to take aggresive half vollies is using a very deep front knee flex.
swing it from a low to high position like any other backhand but pay attention to the actual swing path , if you are taking it at a much lower point (RIGHT after it bounces for example) becareful not to "golf the ball up". This method is not really reccomended personally , its good when your playing aggresive , but unless you are capable of anticipating/reading shots better to predict the bounce path/depth , it is risky

These are just how I take high balls personally.

Just my 2 cents ^^ don't use voodoo on me if they dont work