What a pain! One handed backhand

zill

Legend
Well, I disagree and again you’ve said this a hundred times before. You’re not bored? Or maybe you care so much about my improvement, I keep misunderstanding your efforts!!

ok then keep working on your 1hb. Like I have said you are a 'curiosity' to me. I do like to help you but it's up to you ultimately.
 

AnyPUG

Hall of Fame
Simple and smooth.


The meat and potato is the slot position and path to cp. They are the exact same for any style including 2hbh. I would get the slot position and path to CP right before anything. The next is the recovery footwork.
Everything else is icing on the cake and next level stuff.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
The meat and potato is the slot position and path to cp. They are the exact same for any style including 2hbh. I would get the slot position and path to CP right before anything. The next is the recovery footwork.
Everything else is icing on the cake and next level stuff.
I see more. :)
He keeps his hitting hand and the racket very close to his body both during take back and forward swing. I think that’s important to generate power easily and also to have an inside out swing.
 

AnyPUG

Hall of Fame
Don’t you think keeping racket close to body is important? You know it’s harder to close a door if you push it closer to hinges!o_O

The slot position has the racket very close to the body and just behind the back leg, I already mentioned the correct slot position as one of the two main components of a TS shot - fh or 1hbh or 2hbh. (and even swinging volley) and the second item is to have an inside out upward path to brush up the back of the ball.
 

ptuanminh

Hall of Fame
ok then keep working on your 1hb. Like I have said you are a 'curiosity' to me. I do like to help you but it's up to you ultimately.
i realized vẻry early that the 1hbh is too hard, 2 years into tennis. i switched to 2hbh for the last 6 years. never looked back and its now my best shot.
its good to be stubborn and try to make the 1hbh work. it will be a factor causing curious to lose matches though. that backhand is too obvious of a liability.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
i realized vẻry early that the 1hbh is too hard, 2 years into tennis. i switched to 2hbh for the last 6 years. never looked back and its now my best shot.
its good to be stubborn and try to make the 1hbh work. it will be a factor causing curious to lose matches though. that backhand is too obvious of a liability.
It will only be used in matches when/if it is ready. I'll take a break from UTR now and work only on backhand and better movement.
 

Dragy

Legend
It will only be used in matches when/if it is ready. I'll take a break from UTR now and work only on backhand and better movement.
Really get it reliable first. I don't mean soft and bunty, but work for shape and consistency with moderate pace. Sharing my experience, even without being 100% happy with BHs, just the fact that I can brace up and roll it CC and DTM reasonably deep is sooo strong in rec matches. Noone wants to hang in BH-BH rallies, while I'm ok with it. So they give short balls, they try to redirect - giving FH opportunities.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
@Dragy , can we say that I let go of my left hand too early/too high because I start the forward swing too high? Or is it just because I don't initiate the forward swing with torso rotation but mainly with my right arm?
 

ppma

Professional
Just my two cents.
The way you are training BH with the ball machine could be easily improved by forcing yourself to be further from the contact point. I have the feeling that some of your swings get compromised because of inadequate positioning/timing. I'd say it's time to leave laziness away, and simulate the recovering the position, for example going to touch the line of the right side of the court to force yourself getting into the hitting position with less time and more effort and focus.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
Just my two cents.
The way you are training BH with the ball machine could be easily improved by forcing yourself to be further from the contact point. I have the feeling that some of your swings get compromised because of inadequate positioning/timing. I'd say it's time to leave laziness away, and simulate the recovering the position, for example going to touch the line of the right side of the court to force yourself getting into the hitting position with less time and more effort and focus.
You're right, it should ideally be a close simulation to match play but unfortunately I'm still working on the very basic stroke mechanics. Hopefully I'll be able to practice it properly soon. I do that on the forehand side for example. I did some random ball feed practice yesterday for instance like a rally during a point. I'll check the video.
 

ppma

Professional
Yeah, I see. Yet, I see that your strokes do not present significant flaws tbh. In real play, there will be things to tune for sure, but something you could be practicing already is the change of grip. From the camera point of view I do not see any change of grip from awaiting stance towards your BH grip of choice. Such movements sort of are done intuitively when one sees the ball going to the BH side and you should be doing this here already to create this unconscious mechanism. A slightly wrong grip can make a huge difference.

Something to try for consistency, maybe it won't work for you. Sometimes the face of your racquet does not point towards the ground before contact. Something that helped me was, besides releasing the racquet from the left (helping) hand below wrist, was holding the racquet so that the index finger rests on the stringbed instead of holding only the throat. See for example Thiem, Almagro, Gasquet (sometimes), or Haas.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
Yeah, I see. Yet, I see that your strokes do not present significant flaws tbh. In real play, there will be things to tune for sure, but something you could be practicing already is the change of grip. From the camera point of view I do not see any change of grip from awaiting stance towards your BH grip of choice. Such movements sort of are done intuitively when one sees the ball going to the BH side and you should be doing this here already to create this unconscious mechanism. A slightly wrong grip can make a huge difference.

Something to try for consistency, maybe it won't work for you. Sometimes the face of your racquet does not point towards the ground before contact. Something that helped me was, besides releasing the racquet from the left (helping) hand below wrist, was holding the racquet so that the index finger rests on the stringbed instead of holding only the throat. See for example Thiem, Almagro, Gasquet (sometimes), or Haas.
I agree to all. This was random ball feed on medium angle setting but for some reason it wasn't quite random. My legs were quite tired there and struggled with effective movement and positioning especially obvious on the backhand side. Instead of poor movement with long rallies I should keep the rally shorter and make it more intense in terms of getting to the ball with better effort and hit better quality balls.

 

Dragy

Legend
@Dragy , can we say that I let go of my left hand too early/too high because I start the forward swing too high? Or is it just because I don't initiate the forward swing with torso rotation but mainly with my right arm?
I see it as timing issue. By setting your arms so high you make your swing longer - cannot just skip the drop part by rushing it. It's kind of like DelPo FH when he's not rushed - you see it starting slowly, but you know thunder to come inevitably, just a moment later. Compared to Rafa FH, which kind of happens much more rapidly. Imagine trying that Rafa explosive thing, from DelPo high takeback - well, a flat slap maybe?

The thing is, all best OHBHs are more like DelPo. Yes Fed pulls off some super-compact ones, and Wawrinka is middle-of-the-road, producing great RHS relatively compact. But still, he loves to hang back, where he has time to prepare and roll-start the swing.

So if you want to develop further your OHBH drive, I'd attack it from timing standpoint. It's tough mentally, but play with uncoiling as the ball approaches - not at the instance you need to hit it. You may want to try it with racquet taken directly to "slot", and of course it's easier. Just be ok with softish shots as you practice, hard rips will come later on.

Look, you actually want to swing at the ball from here:
images


You can use both hands to directly put it there:
zurich-march-10-john-mcenroe-600w-48955864.jpg


But to get to this point with good energy input you do everything else. You coil, prep, step, drop-start your swing. So that buy the time you split hands it's already moving and naturally takes off to "high orbit" outward.
 

Dragy

Legend
I agree to all. This was random ball feed on medium angle setting but for some reason it wasn't quite random. My legs were quite tired there and struggled with effective movement and positioning especially obvious on the backhand side. Instead of poor movement with long rallies I should keep the rally shorter and make it more intense in terms of getting to the ball with better effort and hit better quality balls.

I've got a crazy idea :-D get roll of 2 inch scotch tape and wrap it around the racquet hoop (several layers) like this and take it to practice:
h2MvYEF.png
 

Pumpkin

Professional
@Curious you have to be careful of people on here. Don't let them get into your head. Even if Wawrinka posted a video on here, if they didn't know who he was, they would be firing off criticisms.

The only thing I can see on the last video is a lack of RHS. You could be more aggressive.
 

ppma

Professional
That's right. Need to shape the ball better with high net clearance, more top spin.

Oh, no. I meant that the balls have no bounce at all. I see you super deceived when attempting to hit, waiting for the ball come higher and closer to you, and then the ball falling short... quite repetitively. If I was you I would be getting mad.

Generating high topspin in the BH is a pain for sure... you could try exaggerating racquet drop with a slight push from the left arm + knee unbending, see how that works.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
@Curious you have to be careful of people on here. Don't let them get into your head. Even if Wawrinka posted a video on here, if they didn't know who he was, they would be firing off criticisms.

The only thing I can see on the last video is a lack of RHS. You could be more aggressive.
It's like a reflex for people here to make comments/criticise what they see based on what they've read, heard, watched, experienced over the years. Every now and again you see plain bullshitting as well. :D
I guess you take the risk and you're right there's definitely some risk of having people get into your head. Well, what can you expect from free service?
 

zill

Legend
It's like a reflex for people here to make comments/criticise what they see based on what they've read, heard, watched, experienced over the years. Every now and again you see plain bullshitting as well. :D
I guess you take the risk and you're right there's definitely some risk of having people get into your head. Well, what can you expect from free service?

Yeah your $120 per hour lessons worked much better right?
 

Jono123

Professional
The OHBH is anything but simple. It may look it but like anything complex and well-executed, looks easy.[/QUOTE]
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
My OHBH is different anymore, but consistent enough I am happy with it. Always more about not getting in position and setting up to hit the shot, than the shot itself for me.
 

Thiemster

Rookie
Curious, if you ever happen to visit north california, we can work on this, i had a coach fix my one hander(works well playing against 4.0-4.5) in under 20 mins each in over 2 classes(the rest 40 mins he spent on forehand)
 

Thiemster

Rookie
Also with the pure aero I highly suggest adding a couple of grams of lead under overgrip (at 1 inch from bottom), the natural balance of this racket is not quite headlight for a one hander
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
You look a little stiff when hitting and are arming it too much.
Correct. I’m stiff in general but the crucial stiffness is the one in the arm and grip tension. That’s because of trying to have total control on the racket, not being skilled enough to trust a free, relaxed swing.
This video is a brilliant one explaining the concept of swinging the racket as a weight vs using it as a tool. I have successfully applied it to my serve and to my forehand to a degree. My backhand will be next.

 
I agree to all. This was random ball feed on medium angle setting but for some reason it wasn't quite random. My legs were quite tired there and struggled with effective movement and positioning especially obvious on the backhand side. Instead of poor movement with long rallies I should keep the rally shorter and make it more intense in terms of getting to the ball with better effort and hit better quality balls.

I can't pretend to be a coach, but something about the shot at 1:20 was very pleasing to my eye. Maybe you got more wrist snap or a looser wrist, something looked nicer and the result was also pretty nice.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
I can't pretend to be a coach, but something about the shot at 1:20 was very pleasing to my eye. Maybe you got more wrist snap or a looser wrist, something looked nicer and the result was also pretty nice.
Thanks. I actually believe I am able to hit the ball well but not very often! So if I listen to people who say my stroke is good enough and I just need to practice with whatever I have I’ll probably get better faster but I can’t help but tweak things, that’s just my nature. The bigger issue is how badly I position myself on most of those backhands with all over the place spacing. I’ll do it more intensely next time when my legs are fresh.
 

TennisDawg

Hall of Fame
OH top spin backhand is something I try to do if I’m just hitting. Often times it feels solid while just hitting. If I’m playing a league match I stick with my reliable slice BH that way I have a better chance of winning the point. The topspin one handed is pretty to watch but for some people it’s maddening to hit reliably. That’s me.
 

Curious

G.O.A.T.
I feel like your technique is good enough. Maybe put some cones for targets and try and turn it into a precision tool.
As you could imagine I've tried all sorts of ohbh techniques including this Lendl, Edberg style but this is the first time their 'torso rotation only straight take back without lifting the racket up during turn' started feeling natural for me, so I'm quite happy and excited to practice it more and more now.
 

zill

Legend
As you could imagine I've tried all sorts of ohbh techniques including this Lendl, Edberg style but this is the first time their 'torso rotation only straight take back without lifting the racket up during turn' started feeling natural for me, so I'm quite happy and excited to practice it more and more now.

still won't be drop though.
 

zill

Legend
Thanks. I actually believe I am able to hit the ball well but not very often! So if I listen to people who say my stroke is good enough and I just need to practice with whatever I have I’ll probably get better faster but I can’t help but tweak things, that’s just my nature. The bigger issue is how badly I position myself on most of those backhands with all over the place spacing. I’ll do it more intensely next time when my legs are fresh.
Yeah, but I'm sure even if everyone else says I'm finally getting enough topspin, you'll keep saying I don't have proper racket drop.

Anyway keep going with it.
 

am1899

Legend
You're getting topspin, yes. It's not a terrible stroke at all, far from it.

For me, the sharp upward trajectory of the forward stroke is a side effect of the "flatness" of the position the racquet is in just prior to the forward swing. In other words, if you can find a way to drop the racquet head more, you won't have to work so hard to achieve the topspin you seek. (And in doing so, the accuracy and heaviness of shot is very likely to improve substantially).

Regardless, takes brass you know what's to post video of oneself hitting balls here. Kudos and keep up the good work.
 

Shroud

Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah, but I'm sure even if everyone else says I'm finally getting enough topspin, you'll keep saying I don't have proper racket drop.
Its nuanced. There is topspin and trajectory. You can have lots of topspin but a flatish trajectory. Its ironic because people hassling you probably have 2 handers and those are almost allways on the flat side.

Said another way, there are grandslam champions that didn't hit with much topspin...
 

am1899

Legend
I for one have had a OHBH for most of my career having switched around 12 years of age. The reason I posted in the first place is in part that the way you're hitting your OHBH now...seems very much reminiscent of how I was hitting mine early on (actually, in some ways mine was a lot worse - I was swinging across the ball a lot more). And believe me when I say (not that my OHBH is perfect by any means)...but I made some changes in my teens to achieve more of a drop and to create more of an inside out swing path. True, it wasn't easy work at the time. But it has absolutely paid off in spades. Now my BH is far superior to my FH...the rock of my baseline game to be sure. Point is, I'm not some immortal. If I can make these types of changes, no reason why anyone else can't as well - if they desire to do so.
 
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