Switch from one handed backhand to two handed - Specific advise

KPG

New User
Hi Guys,

I know we have a lot of discussions around the pros and cons of one handed vs two handed backhand. I am not looking for that but looking for a more expert advise or guidance based on your experience.

I am 37 have played tennis for 5-6 years now ,on and off, socially. I am not very good and have a UTR of 2.8. Recently I have started taking tennis seriously and started looking at coaching .

Most of the coaches wanted me to move to a double handed backhand but I am still skeptical for below reasons
1) Have been playing one handed for many years. Will agree I am not good at it but I can slice and send the ball back for sure at my level
2) I feel my cricketing batting instincts will take over

Based on my UTR, my number of years and the fact that I still can't drive with backhand but only slice and that too not consistently, what would you advice

Shifting to two hands or continue and practice to get better with one hand.
 

Jonesy

Legend
Use whatever you feel more comfortable with, if it is the one hander then find a coach that plays with that style.
 

tex123

Hall of Fame
Try posting on tennis tips/instructions section. You will get advice from coaches there.

I'm not sure why they want you to switch to two handed. Find a coach that plays one handed and who can teach you one handed.

To learn one handed, watch videos online. There are plenty. I mean plenty. Once you get it, it is very easy. Practice the swing thousands of times in front of the mirror. It should be very natural.

Note that you can abbreviate the swing if you can't time the swing. This is done by taking the racket directly to the slot position. The key is to prepare early by keeping your body closed.

If you have a video of your backhand, we can give you tips. Post on tennis tips section.
 

WYK

Hall of Fame
Hi Guys,

I know we have a lot of discussions around the pros and cons of one handed vs two handed backhand. I am not looking for that but looking for a more expert advise or guidance based on your experience.

I am 37 have played tennis for 5-6 years now ,on and off, socially. I am not very good and have a UTR of 2.8. Recently I have started taking tennis seriously and started looking at coaching .

Most of the coaches wanted me to move to a double handed backhand but I am still skeptical for below reasons
1) Have been playing one handed for many years. Will agree I am not good at it but I can slice and send the ball back for sure at my level
2) I feel my cricketing batting instincts will take over

Based on my UTR, my number of years and the fact that I still can't drive with backhand but only slice and that too not consistently, what would you advice

Shifting to two hands or continue and practice to get better with one hand.

If you only slice with your one-hander, then learning a two handed backhand will only add to your game.
You will still only be slicing with your one hander...
 

Pandora Mikado

Semi-Pro
Hi Guys,

I know we have a lot of discussions around the pros and cons of one handed vs two handed backhand. I am not looking for that but looking for a more expert advise or guidance based on your experience.

I am 37 have played tennis for 5-6 years now ,on and off, socially. I am not very good and have a UTR of 2.8. Recently I have started taking tennis seriously and started looking at coaching .

Most of the coaches wanted me to move to a double handed backhand but I am still skeptical for below reasons
1) Have been playing one handed for many years. Will agree I am not good at it but I can slice and send the ball back for sure at my level
2) I feel my cricketing batting instincts will take over

Based on my UTR, my number of years and the fact that I still can't drive with backhand but only slice and that too not consistently, what would you advice

Shifting to two hands or continue and practice to get better with one hand.

If movement and court coverage is good then try the 2H. If however you find yourself late, out of position, using more arm instead of legs [chances would be if you began late], then stick with the 1H.

At recreation level, even higher levels, only very few servers are going to punish your 1H ROS, also slice work just as well as topspin.

Sure if you were a youngster with hopes of going pro or competing at national levels 2H would be advisable. You aren’t looking for a career shift to competitive tennis, 1H is perfectly fine. Stick with what you enjoy.

Also, many coaches end up transitioning to 1H, because of feeding. If you have hopes someday of being better than coaches then sure, not just the BH, you’ll need to retool every part of your game which could be more effort and time you were looking for.
 

Curtennis

Hall of Fame
What I like about a one hander for any adult amateur is that it reinforces the need to just let the swing fly, even on the forehand side.

I find the 2H to be a very tight maneuver just by it’s very nature. It makes me tighten up on my forehand. However swinging a 1H is quite liberating as you need to swing it freely to even get the ball back over the net. This freeness translates to my forehand side as well and helps keep me loose overall.

Plus the fact that I’m never going to be a great player. I’m never going to get paid to play. I may as well use the one that I like more.
 

tex123

Hall of Fame
At my club, pretty much most of the coaches play one handed. I can never hit like them but I'm OK. I've not seen many double handers at the club that can match the power coming out of the one handed backhand.
 

Fairhit

Hall of Fame
I used to play squash and when I was learning tennis, my coach tecahed me the 2 hander, it wasn't bad by any means but I wasn't 100% comfortable with it. I switched to a 1 hander and no teaching pro would teach me how to do it properly so, me being a stubborn guy, kept practicing, watching videos and doing shadow swings.

My one hander today is a reliable shot, I can do pretty much the same I can do on my forehand. There were a couple of year of struggle but eventually, it was flowing like a river.

Hit the stroke you feel more comfortable with, even if your coach keeps pushing you.
 

shamaho

Professional
You can always try it, with open-mind, see how your back-end progresses in 2 month to see how you feel with it, then commit for 3 months!

If you had more improvement with your two-handed than you had with your OHBH in 6 years then... by all means change. but keep you slice :) it's a very valuable weapon when used well.
 

KPG

New User
Try posting on tennis tips/instructions section. You will get advice from coaches there.

I'm not sure why they want you to switch to two handed. Find a coach that plays one handed and who can teach you one handed.

To learn one handed, watch videos online. There are plenty. I mean plenty. Once you get it, it is very easy. Practice the swing thousands of times in front of the mirror. It should be very natural.

Note that you can abbreviate the swing if you can't time the swing. This is done by taking the racket directly to the slot position. The key is to prepare early by keeping your body closed.

If you have a video of your backhand, we can give you tips. Post on tennis tips section.
Thanks...That's a very valuable advice... Appreciate it
 

Vanilla Slice

Professional
Interesting. I actually switched from a two-hand backhand to a one-hand backhand in early high school before I played varsity.

Still use the OHBH ever since and I’m happy I switched.
 

Fairhit

Hall of Fame
Option C: use both
I like to have everything in my tool box, every shot imanigable. I started with the 2 hander and when I switched to the 1 hander, I thought about haveng both but I think it is better to perfect one and then if it has any weakness that can be fixed by using the other, by all means using both is better but if you achieve a good enough one hander or two hander, it will certainly cover everything you need without having to resort to the other.
 

heavyD

Professional
I have always preferred the OHBH as it's the more natural and fluid shot for me but it's much harder to overcome tennis elbow with a OHBH in my experience. So much that I've switched to a 2HBH. I don't look as good but I'm in a lot less pain and my two hander is actually getting decent.
 

tennis24x7

Hall of Fame
Considering your age I would advise for 2H. Unless you are extremely strong like wavrinka you can extend your peak playing years by moving to 2H.
 

Fairhit

Hall of Fame
Considering your age I would advise for 2H. Unless you are extremely strong like wavrinka you can extend your peak playing years by moving to 2H.
I feel like a one hander is easier on the body, the two hander puts too much stress on the back and young guys can easily handle that but as you get older, the back suffers more.
 
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SonnyT

Legend
Use 1HBH for power, use 2HBH for control.

Federer & Wawrinka for power, Djokovic & Murray for control.

Maybe Nadal should've used 1HBH, it'd suit his game better.
 

abhi_trip

Rookie
2) I feel my cricketing batting instincts will take over
Hi KPG, I play Cricket as a left handed batsman, and I play Tennis right handed. The 2 hander is easier for me, as Cricket helped me develop a strong bottom hand, which is absolutely necessary for a solid 2 Hander.
However, if you decide to go with a one hander, then develop a consistent slice. I am at a level similar to yours and at our level, slice throws a lot of people off. All the best in your tennis journey (y)
 
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