Right hand (or dominant hand) domimant 2hbh

[HuusHould]

I'm interested in what people think about this stroke and why the prevailing school of thought is that the left hand dominant double handed drive bh is superior. Alexander Zverev was quoted in his online coaching video as saying "all the best double handers in the world are left (or non dominant hand) dominant double handers". How does he know this?
Obvious examples of right (dominant) hand dominant double handers were Borg and Connors, who often released their left hand in the follow through.
I personally think if you're going to change from a single hander to a double hander, changing to a right hand dominant 2hbh is likely to result in a shorter and less painful transition. I know an ex semi pro who got to about 800 in the world. I asked him about changing to a 2hbh, which he had done (after playing on the challenger circuit) fairly successfully. (changed successfully) He said "dont bother it's too much trouble, despite admitting his 2hbh is now a better shot than his 1hbh ever was. He said you have years of pulling the racquet through with your right arm, to change to pushing it through with the left takes an ungodly amount of repetitions. The obvious solution to that in my mind is to go right hand dominant 2hbh with release of the left hand after contact no?

 

[HuusHould]

 

[HuusHould]

 

[HuusHould]

I think Borgs is a better example, Connors is almost slicing in that vid.

 

[Niwrad0]

I think left hand dominant helps with topspin, so probably that's why the pros are saying left hand dominant in a right 2 hand backhand.

 

[eah123]

I started to learn the 2HBH 4 years ago, switching from the poor 1HBH I played with as a child. Since I was planning to teach myself using youtube videos, I noticed that there are a lot more 2HBH training videos than 1HBH videos, and these videos are generally of better quality.

As you have noticed, most videos say the left hand is more dominant (hitting a "lefty" forehand") with a few saying that the right hand should be dominant ("Like hitting a one-handed backhand with support"), including one of my favorite channels, Intuitive Tennis.

Personally, I have gone back and forth with which hand is dominant, and only this year did it really "click" for me - that the left hand dominance works best. Important than to note that this is what works best for ME, not necessarily for everyone.

What does it mean which hand is dominant, when both hands are obviously on the racquet? For me, it's which arm you are focusing as the "leader" with the other arm being the "follower" (or "supporter").

Which one will be better for you? Only way to know is to try one for a while, then try the other for a while, and figure out for yourself which one feels better.

Since you are transitioning from a 1HBH, I strongly suggest starting with the "lefty forehand" way, because it will accelerate your training and muscle development of your left hand, which you have not used to hit balls up to this point.

 

[HuusHould]

Personally, I have gone back and forth with which hand is dominant, and only this year did it really "click" for me - that the left hand dominance works best. Important than to note that this is what works best for ME, not necessarily for everyone.

I always wanted to have a left hand dominant 2hbh and was trying to model mine on Nalbandian. The shot felt good against the wall, it felt like I was in complete control and could do anything with the ball. Lob, angle, fade draw, open stance, semi closed stance etc. It felt like I had reasonable power and was ok at generating my own power. But when I use it in a match, as soon as I'm out of position or there's not enough pace on the incoming ball, the shot lacks power and the follow through feels restricted.

Which one will be better for you? Only way to know is to try one for a while, then try the other for a while, and figure out for yourself which one feels better.

I have tried both, but I've only played points with the left hand dominant 2hbh. I actually gave up on changing a few years ago. The reason I started was due to a pinched nerve in my right arm. Where I'm at, at the moment is I want the right arm dominant 2hbh to compliment my single handed drive. So in other words use both. If I premeditate heavily slicing the return of the kick second serve, but I find it comes in a way that I'd be better off driving the return and consequently find myself caught with a conti grip, then I'll pull out the Borg backhand.

 

[Niwrad0]

point play will always be more difficult than practice, no matter the sport IMO, so mentally prepare yourself for this fact

 

[eah123]

I always wanted to have a left hand dominant 2hbh and was trying to model mine on Nalbandian. The shot felt good against the wall, it felt like I was in complete control and could do anything with the ball. Lob, angle, fade draw, open stance, semi closed stance etc. It felt like I had reasonable power and was ok at generating my own power. But when I use it in a match, as soon as I'm out of position or there's not enough pace on the incoming ball, the shot lacks power and the follow through feels restricted.



I have tried both, but I've only played points with the left hand dominant 2hbh. I actually gave up on changing a few years ago. The reason I started was due to a pinched nerve in my right arm. Where I'm at, at the moment is I want the right arm dominant 2hbh to compliment my single handed drive. So in other words use both. If I premeditate heavily slicing the return of the kick second serve, but I find it comes in a way that I'd be better off driving the return and consequently find myself caught with a conti grip, then I'll pull out the Borg backhand.

I know exactly what you mean, about having difficulty with low pace balls and hitting out of position. I can tell you my own experience, though, is that this just means you need more practice. Lack of power means you need to work on timing, shoulder turn, and weight transfer. Feeling restricted on the follow through usually means your positioning is too close (not able to swing “out” to the ball).

Good luck with your backhand. Keep working on it and it will improve!

 

[Bobs tennis]

I really understand this problem. My goal was to use the 2HBH for topspin, seems like natural topspin and use 1HBH for slice which seems natural. In matches I find I use the slice heavily and feel comfortable with it but all my friends say your 2HBH is better. I've tried either being dominant. Funny, past week I tried just 1HBH slice and played great but can't commit. Incidentally I'm a mess because I bat left hand, write right hand, throw better left hand.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@HuusHould

We're going back 4 decades for examples of the dominant-hand 2hBh. That's got to tell you something. Even Andre Agassi, who indicated that his R hand was dominant at the start of his 2hBh stroke, let his L hand take over for the 2nd half (or more) of his forward swing. His L hand continue to be dominant for the rest of his stroke.

I believe that Zverev is quite correct in his assessment. Just look at the mechanics of the body and L arm for most implementations of the 2hBh in the past 3+ decades. It is very similar to a classic (OTS) lefty Fh for most R-handed players. (It is not at all similar to a R-handed Bh). Most R-handed rec and elite players will develop their 2hBh by mastering a classic Lefty Fh

 

[HuusHould]

I think left hand dominant helps with topspin, so probably that's why the pros are saying left hand dominant in a right 2 hand backhand.

Yeah this is really the only aspect that I've noticed where it's efficacy is questionable relative to the lhd2hbh. That's the main thing I'm interested in, is what aspects is it apparently deficient relative to the left hand dominant double hander? Notwithstanding the above,
I play a guy with a Borg style double hander and he's predominantly a very attacking flat hitter of the ball. But he can seemingly roll a top spin shot with a fairly sharp angle as well.

 

[Niwrad0]

well what I feel when I go left hand dominant, or with top spin in general, is it takes some effort to physically make the racquet go vertically upwards. In a right handed 2 handed backhand, that means the left hand must go upwards relative to the right hand, so the left hand usually does a bit more work.

also the left hand is facing palm forward, so it's in a strong position while the right hand is facing palm backwards, so it's in a weak position (imagine trying to slap with your open palm vs the back of the hand), so naturally it's easier to use left hand dominant

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

@HuusHould

I think left hand dominant helps with topspin, so probably that's why the pros are saying left hand dominant in a right 2 hand backhand.

This is it something I've always said to students who use the 2hBh. More top (left) hand for more topspin.

The top hand can also used to generate more power / RHS. Think about. Because of its position on the racket handle relative to the dominant hand, the top hand (& arm) must move thru a much greater distance during the swing. Because it is moving thru a greater distance, it must move faster than the dominant hand. Note that, by moving the top hand faster, it results in a faster rotation of the dominant arm.