What a pain! One handed backhand

[Curious]

There is a core balance required that is missing. People focusing on you getting it correct one out of ten times are missing why you are not more consistently able to do it.

When I see high level swings what stands out are balance and weight transfer. Both come from core strength though other elements are what most focus on.

Sure, I can’t say I have a strong core. I find core strengthening exercises the most boring.

 

[Curious]

I’ll try two things. Synchronise take back with forward stepping and synchronise forward foot heel to toe motion with racket drop. Hope one or both work.

 

[ballmachineguy]

There is a core balance required that is missing. People focusing on you getting it correct one out of ten times are missing why you are not more consistently able to do it.

When I see high level swings what stands out are balance and weight transfer. Both come from core strength though other elements are what most focus on.

How much “core balance” are you going to have when you start your swing with your feet in the air?

 

[mcs1970]

How much “core balance” are you going to have when you start your swing with your feet in the air?

He plants the feet more often than not but there is balance that is lacking which causes him to almost fall over and leak power on every shot.

 

[Dragy]

Man I’m still seeing the “how” you plant your foot. You kind of tap it in front of you and never dwell on it, it’s not the basis for your uncoil.

Ballerina image gives some idea, but I think this is better - here’s when you swing, and only by the end you either go through/around, or even back with your body, but after you have that “dwell time” and prolonged push up. In balance, with force, etc.

 

[Dragy]

Man I’m still seeing the “how” you plant your foot. You kind of tap it in front of you and never dwell on it, it’s not the basis for your uncoil.

Ballerina image gives some idea, but I think this is better - here’s when you swing, and only by the end you either go through/around, or even back with your body, but after you have that “dwell time” and prolonged push up. In balance, with force, etc.

Look at Roger, he’s “dwelling” on his front foot, not just taps the ground before the swing:

 

[Curious]

Look at Roger, he’s “dwelling” on his front foot, not just taps the ground before the swing:

Let’s get the timing first then we can try the ballerina and Federer way.

 

[AnyPUG]

My torso leans back after the swing. Is it fair to say that Stan doesn’t really transfer weight with his torso here especially on the first and the last shots?

There is wt transfer in the first and the last shots. The visual indicator of wt transfer is which leg had the wt before fwd swing and which one towards the end. I clearly see the back leg with most of the body wt before the swing and it's off the ground at the end.

A great vid to demonstrate wt xfer in open and close stance.

 

[mcs1970]

Man I’m still seeing the “how” you plant your foot. You kind of tap it in front of you and never dwell on it, it’s not the basis for your uncoil.

Ballerina image gives some idea, but I think this is better - here’s when you swing, and only by the end you either go through/around, or even back with your body, but after you have that “dwell time” and prolonged push up. In balance, with force, etc.

This is what I was trying to say too but didn’t say as clearly as you did.

When you see high level shots there is core power being used. That core power goes hand in hand with how you plant and set your feet. That’s why I was emphasizing medicine ball drills. It forces you to sink your feet into the ground and build up the relationship between your legs and your core . Curious as you pointed out is putting his foot down like he is gingerly walking on eggshells.

 

[optic yellow]

Sure, I can’t say I have a strong core. I find core strengthening exercises the most boring.

Literally every exercise you do is a core strengthening exercise if you do it mindfully.

 

[mcs1970]

Literally every exercise you do is a core strengthening exercise if you do it mindfully.

And if you don’t you see the person flailing or falling as they hit even routine strokes.

 

[mcs1970]

Let’s get the timing first then we can try the ballerina and Federer way.

Most of us will never be blessed with the vision and fluidity that elite athletes have. However, balance and core training is something all of us can do and benefit from.

If you really have no physical issues that stop you from doing that then you are just being lazy and trying to take short cuts. Yes you can time the ball corectly once or twice because you lucked into balancing correctly but you will never have the foundation for being consistent.

 

[Jono123]

Saw a great Youtube video today on OHBH. He said the most important thing is hitting with the correct grip and from low to high. Everything beyond that is a bolt on.

Quite a revelation as we can all get hung up on the mechanics and miss the fundamentals.

 

[Dragy]

Saw a great Youtube video today on OHBH. He said the most important thing is hitting with the correct grip and from low to high. Everything beyond that is a bolt on.

Quite a revelation as we can all get hung up on the mechanics and miss the fundamentals.

Unfortunately, this leads to anything. Naturals will hit well with just that. For others such approach causes using excessively strong grips and loopy shots. Some just cannot find the swing and end up bunting the ball softly - low-to-high, with correct grip.

You definitely need those 2 to hit well. But that’s not enough.

 

[AnyPUG]

Saw a great Youtube video today on OHBH. He said the most important thing is hitting with the correct grip and from low to high. Everything beyond that is a bolt on.

Quite a revelation as we can all get hung up on the mechanics and miss the fundamentals.

Absolutely right. imo, anybody that's struggling with gs is really missing the low to high swing path. Even if the grip is not perfect, low to high swing path that takes the racket under the ball before the contact and the approximate right contact point will do wonders.

 

[mcs1970]

The amount of balance, strength, and cardio work the pros put in is unbelievable.

 

[Curious]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

 

[Shroud]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

Its not ALWAYS heel. Here is a vid where fed is landing on the heel but also times when he lands on the front foot. Maybe some expert in footwork will chime in on why fed lands 2 different ways, but I THINK that he does one or the other based on how far away the ball is. Said another way, its not happening because the heel is not always the best way to land:

Also you still manage to go back.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Its not ALWAYS heel. Here is a vid where fed is landing on the heel but also times when he lands on the front foot. Maybe some expert in footwork will chime in on why fed lands 2 different ways, but I THINK that he does one or the other based on how far away the ball is. Said another way, its not happening because the heel is not always the best way to land:

Also you still manage to go back.

I’m pretty sure that if you look at a Federer video, the further he steps, the more likely he will land on the heel, the shorter the step, more flat-footed. There is no tennis technique about how to land on the foot.

 

[Curious]

Its not ALWAYS heel. Here is a vid where fed is landing on the heel but also times when he lands on the front foot. Maybe some expert in footwork will chime in on why fed lands 2 different ways, but I THINK that he does one or the other based on how far away the ball is. Said another way, its not happening because the heel is not always the best way to land:

Also you still manage to go back.

Yes. I agree heel on the ground is one of two ways. It was just an idea to drop the racket during the heel-toe movement.

Also you still manage to go back.

I guess it’s true that you need to focus on one thing at a time.

 

[ballmachineguy]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

Nothing changed. Here are a few stills of where the racquet was when your front foot was finally planted.

https://imgur.com/a/7ihLiBS

 

[Shroud]

Yes. I agree heel on the ground is one of two ways. It was just an idea to drop the racket during the heel-toe movement.


I guess it’s true that you need to focus on one thing at a time.

can you try the self feeds and focus on throwing the ball just a bit out in front where you have to move forward to hit the ball?

 

[Curious]

Saw a great Youtube video today on OHBH. He said the most important thing is hitting with the correct grip and from low to high. Everything beyond that is a bolt on.

Quite a revelation as we can all get hung up on the mechanics and miss the fundamentals.

I'm going to make a new thread and was thinking about this. Right grip and low to high. So true. I'm conceding defeat in trying to perfect the technique.

 

[Dragy]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

IMHO, it’s not heel touching the ground. It’s planting the foot, starting to shift on it, and then swing. You totally shorten that being on the front foot part, so you only have a very tiny chance to not screw it.

Try to overdo it, try planting the foot well before the swing, and settle from there.

 

[Fintft]

IMHO, it’s not heel touching the ground. It’s planting the foot, starting to shift on it, and then swing. You totally shorten that being on the front foot part, so you only have a very tiny chance to not screw it.

Try to overdo it, try planting the foot well before the swing, and settle from there.

Yes and it seems that he is overthinking things. For example only today, during some self feeds, I've noticed that I rotate like Wawrinka( to @ballmachineguy 's satisfaction).

 

[Curious]

IMHO, it’s not heel touching the ground. It’s planting the foot, starting to shift on it, and then swing. You totally shorten that being on the front foot part, so you only have a very tiny chance to not screw it.

Try to overdo it, try planting the foot well before the swing, and settle from there.

You know what, I’m over it!
Get the right grip, swing low to high. That’s the whole technique for me from now on.

 

[Dragy]

You know what, I’m over it!
Get the right grip, swing low to high. That’s the whole technique for me from now on.

You are like Djokovic who couldn’t do the kneeled serve and fired Todd Martin!

 

[Shroud]

You are like Djokovic who couldn’t do the kneeled serve and fired Todd Martin!

Don't embarrass the goat!! BTW, didn't his serve get better? Also, in Russia they don't use the towel!

 

[Jono123]

You know what, I’m over it!
Get the right grip, swing low to high. That’s the whole technique for me from now on.

Here is the clip:

 

[Shroud]

Put the front foot down right before max take back and all of your ills will be cured.
How about trying the cable machine at the gym in a backhand fashion without your front foot down, how would you pull? Try and throw a frisbee, arm going forward before your front foot comes down, that won’t work, either, just like your backhand.

EDIT: Since no one but Shroud seems to care, I’ll expand upon what’s above. When you start the racquet from the take back position without the front foot on the ground, you recruit muscles that have no business working at that time. Those muscles are trying to correct mistakes that are made by not pulling from a stretched position. If you think getting the foot down during the drop is “close enough” you’d be wrong. Horses have left the barn. Has to be before drop starts. It would be like starting to throw a ball without your front foot on the ground. Nothing to pull towards. It is what makes the still photos of your backhand look so weird. Don’t fix the lean back look by trying not to lean back. Fix what forces you to lean back. You stiffen up to make up for the mistake at the start.

This is such a huge flaw and one that needs to be fixed. It is the one thing that you do that makes me say your ohbh journey is a hopeless one. I remember calling the “time of death” of your groundies over two years ago. I wasn’t wrong.

I learned a long time ago that, when trying to figure out sports technique on my own, if I couldn’t get any results after the old college try, something significant fundamentally was still off. Time for you to learn that C!

Ok, I looked at some video and it looks like I put the foot down after max take back but its close, racquet is still at shoulder height. Should I stress?

 

[Dragy]

Ok, I looked at some video and it looks like I put the foot down after max take back but its close, racquet is still at shoulder height. Should I stress?

Don’t panic. Head towards the shelter.

 

[Shroud]

Don’t panic. Head towards the shelter.

Ok I will just walk casually then. Thanks.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Ok, I looked at some video and it looks like I put the foot down after max take back but its close, racquet is still at shoulder height. Should I stress?

As long as the foot is planted before the racquet drops you are good.

 

[optic yellow]

As long as the foot is planted before the racquet drops you are good.

Why is foot plant before racquet drop so important? I don't doubt I just want to see you calmly explain.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Why is foot plant before racquet drop so important? I don't doubt I just want to see you calmly explain.

Keep your right foot above the ground when you start your forehand. It will become painfully obvious. (Assuming rh’d)

 

[optic yellow]

Keep your right foot above the ground when you start your forehand. It will become painfully obvious. (Assuming rh’d)

Okay now explain that intuition to me like I'm a dummy who can't figure it out myself. Not everyone is as good at seeing things as I am.

 

[ballmachineguy]

Okay now explain that intuition to me like I'm a dummy who can't figure it out myself. Not everyone is as good at seeing things as I am.

No

 

[Dragy]

Keep your right foot above the ground when you start your forehand. It will become painfully obvious. (Assuming rh’d)

How about this?

 

[optic yellow]

No

you forfeit the right to complain about Curious not listening to you if you can't do this

 

[ballmachineguy]

you forfeit the right to complain about Curious not listening to you if you can't do this

Are you the TTW commissioner?

 

[10sbeast888]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

dude you are over thinking it.... just toss the frisbee a few times and you will get the motion own.... your racket path is already good.

 

[ballmachineguy]

dude you are over thinking it.... just toss the frisbee a few times and you will get the motion own.... your racket path is already good.

You said “frisbee!!!!”

 

[zill]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

dude you are over thinking it.... just toss the frisbee a few times and you will get the motion own.... your racket path is already good.

1st world problems.

 

[zill]

The thread is still alive. It’s not happening. What a pain. The one handed backhand.

focusing on the wrong things as usual.

 

[optic yellow]

Are you the TTW commissioner?

no it's a universal truth that if you don't understand something well enough to explain it clearly you forfeit any right to be hostile to others for not understanding it

 

[ballmachineguy]

no it's a universal truth that if you don't understand something well enough to explain it clearly you forfeit any right to be hostile to others for not understanding it

Oh. I see.

 

[ppma]

Not the frisbee thing again please.

 

[Dragy]

Nice drill for OHBH drop, I think:

 

[Shroud]

Nice drill for OHBH drop, I think:

Self feeds? Really??? Who would have rhought

 

[Curious]

The crucial element of correct forward swing on a one hander is the external rotation of the arm. If it's not happening, the swing is just a push of the racket face ( strings ) at the ball instead of a brushing one. I noticed a perfect motorcycle handle grip is the optimal one for this. That's not only the ideal power grip but also the 90 degree angle between the racket and the forearm results in the ideal racket take back behind your back. It feels a little weird initially, as if the racket head has disappeared and you're swinging the buttcap to the ball but don't worry, the racket head comes around. You get used to it.