Strength in two handed bh

[Roger_federer]

Those of you who use a two handed back hand, which arm do you use power with? And what do pros do? (Andy Roddick)

Right handers

1. Use right arm for power, left arm for control+support
2. Use left arm for power, right arm for control+support
3. Use both arms for power, control+support

 

[dommod]

I think Borg got most of his power from his right hand, left hand for topspin.

 

[soyizgood]

1. Use right arm for power, left arm for control+support

That's me. The left hand helps me generate spin and control. Although the backhand has been making mistakes lately.

 

[Aykhan Mammadov]

I have 2 hbh. I'm right hander. I use left arm for the power and support and right hand for the control.

 

[fgs]

roger_federer,
there are people which have a 2hbh with the right hand being dominant = used for power, and people with the left hand dominant. neither technique is right or wrong, it's a question as of what feels more natural to the player and which way he feels best. the technique is obviously different and there is not much sense in trying to copy any pro unless you have the same hand dominant! but even then it would be stupid to copy, because your limbs would have different proportions than the pros limbs, hence the optimal stroke mechanics would be different. so, get inspired by the pros, don't try to hit like them in the sense of copying! you could do serious damage to your joints - i'm not kidding.

 

[Deleted member 3771]

I think the very best 2 handers use both arms about equally.

 

[fgs]

the natural,
you can't unless you're a freak of nature - you've got two distinct pivotpoints set up in that stroke. believe me, i played 2hbh since i was 13 and did and do some coaching too.

 

[dommod]

Borg developed his 2 hbh modeled on slap shot in hockey I read.

 

[aramis]

I noticed that the best 2handers (like Nalbandian, Safin, Ferrero, etc.) all have a very active left arm. I also noticed, when I play, that using your left arm actively during the stroke, you'll get better upper body rotation and a more complete follow through, and that's always a good thing. So basically, the answer to your question is to try to use both arms as equally as you can.

 

[LarougeNY]

Yeah, my backhand (righty) is much better than my FH, cuz Its bascially all left wrist/arm accelerating and my right hand on there just for stability and maybe power. Its mostly left arm/wrist though.

 

[tennis_hand]

modern 2hbh for a right hander will use left arm as the power source. the good coaches usually will ask you to hit the forehand using your left arm first, then transition to 2hbh on the left side. Borg's different from today's games. His look very much like a 1HBH with left hand support. His left hand leaves the racket very early in the swing.

and this is one reason i can't get right with the 2HBh, because my left arm or my right brain can't perceive the ball.

 

[michaellashan]

modern 2hbh for a right hander will use left arm as the power source. the good coaches usually will ask you to hit the forehand using your left arm first, then transition to 2hbh on the left side. Borg's different from today's games. His look very much like a 1HBH with left hand support. His left hand leaves the racket very early in the swing.

and this is one reason i can't get right with the 2HBh, because my left arm or my right brain can't perceive the ball.

Totally agree. Some teaching pros are getting their students to hit a forehand with there left (or non-dominant hand) for there backhand side. After getting the feel of that shot, they add the dominant hand for control on the stroke. Give it a try against a wall; it really makes a difference.

 

[fgs]

michellashan,
you are mixing up one thing - being a righthander does not mean that your right hand is the dominant hand for everything. there are righthanders which for things that happen on their left side of the body use their left hand. when you get a beginner to the court you get him used to the bounce of the ball and one of the exercises would be throwing balls he has to catch to both his left and right side - if he consistently catches the ball with the left on his left side, than you're most probably bound for a lefthand-dominant-2hbh.
agassi for instance had a right hand dominance on the backhand and he swings differently. of course you use both your hand, for otherwise it wouldn't be a 2hbh, but the arms are doing or should do quite a little bit of different things.

 

[michaellashan]

fgs, you may be mis-understanding what I'm saying. I use "dominant hand" in reference to the hand being used for the forehand. Granted, it may be technically incorrect, but I was just using the term in reference of tennis. Example. Rafael Nadal (right-hander who plays left-handed) falls into the category that you are describing. Most people are taught to use their "dominant hand" for the forehand and their "non-dominant" hand on the backhand side for assistance for a stroke that most consider more difficult or unnatural than the forehand.

I was talking about when teaching tennis to very young or beginning students and having the student use forehands on both wings and then adding the "dominant" hand on the "non-dominant" side.

 

[fgs]

michaellashan,
so basically we were talking about the same thing just using different "terminology".
nevertheless there are two quite distinctive 2hbh-techniques: the one that starts from teaching a forehand and adding the dominant hand as you call it, that will give you a rather late impact point and a short swing (like the williams-sisters), and the one coming basically from a one-handed stroke motion with your dominant hand and using the nondominant hand for wrist-support and spin-production mainly (like agassi). in neither of these two techniques the two hands will be used equally - this was the point in the initial question of the thread, depending on what technique you're hitting, strength comes either from the left or the right hand, never from both. and if we want to be technically correct, strength in any shot comes from a correctly executed kinetic chain - legs>lower body>upper body>arm.

 

[jelle v]

Nice discussion, but I don't think there's any denying that the left hand/arm has to be the side that provides the power/swing and that the right hand is for control only, at least, if you want to hit a decent 2hbh. If you use your left arm for control, then you are not swinging the right way.

 

[michaellashan]

Here is a link from Robert Lansdorp (coached Sampras, Tracy Austin, Sharapova, Davenport, and Myskina when they were young) who favors using the left hand as the "dominant hand" for the 2HB (if you are right handed).

In the article he is discussing Nalbandian's lethal backhand.

Tennis.com Lansdorp/Nalbandian link

Here is another article that appeared in Tennis magazine from Lansdorp regarding "going lefty for a better backhand" I couldn't find a link, but I typed out his section......

"Assuming you're right-handed, your left hand should be dominant when you hit a two-handed backhand. To get used to this feeling, practice hitting left-handed forehands (right-handed forehands for lefties).

 

[bluegrasser]

modern 2hbh for a right hander will use left arm as the power source. the good coaches usually will ask you to hit the forehand using your left arm first, then transition to 2hbh on the left side. Borg's different from today's games. His look very much like a 1HBH with left hand support. His left hand leaves the racket very early in the swing.

and this is one reason i can't get right with the 2HBh, because my left arm or my right brain can't perceive the ball.

You need to go out and hit a couple of buckets of (left hnd) forehands, then add the bottom right hand - it should help.

 

[fgs]

currently this lefthand-dominancy on a righthanders 2hbh indeed is quite widespread. in this case, the power comes from the left hand. but it is not the only technique around. i pointed out the differences in a earlier post. some players, like agassi, employed the "old" technique and i think that there are also some younger ones around that would do so - not very much younger would be moya which i saw a few months ago at the bucharest open, and nadal (being a lefthander) doesn't seem to hit his regulars with his right hand dominant except when he is pushed wide and does that very angled cross-"wondershot". the lefthand dominant 2hbh (for righthanders) is mostly associated with an open stance and you can see it a lot in todays wta-tennis at top levels.

 

[grizzly4life]

FWIW, i think LH is the key one on 2HB. at least for power.

and if i need to recalibrate my 2HB, i will hit lefty forehands for awhile.

 

[ibringtheHEAT]

learning to hit with your left hand is essential in having a good backhand.

The left is for power, right for control.

 

[TENNIS_99]

I actually use left hand for both power and directional control, right hand is more "supplemental" and provide stability during the whole swing.