tennistramp123
New User
My question is, which BH uses the back foot more?The 1HBH or the 2HBH? 'cause I'm lefthanded and I've got a really weak right foot, so I want to rely less on my back foot.
Which BH uses the back foot more?
- Thread starter tennistramp123
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Well, if you mean anchor it's an interesting question; the fact that a 2hbh can be hit in an open stance with relative ease in comparison to that of a 1hbh might lead one to think that the 1hbh relies more on having the back foot actually being back, but the truth of the matter is that the 1hbh uses the right (front foot) leg as its anchor, and therefore requires a more neutral/closed stance to be hit efficiently. That being said, the 2hbh is somewhat of the opposite, since you can anchor onto your (as in a righty) left (back) foot in an open stance and then swing through with hip rotation. The Williams sisters are a great example of players who often hit their 2hbh in open stances, and I can't name a single one for the 1hbh side. In regard to your weak right foot, I don't know what to tell you. The 1hbh might put less wear on your actual foot itself, but the real killer of legs is movement. The sudden bursts and stops in tennis are what cause so many issues in tennis player's knees and ankles, not whether or not they choose a 1 or a 2 handed backhand. I say use whichever feels more comfortable and natural, and focus more on getting clean and efficient footwork.
SystemicAnomaly
Bionic Poster
Some years back I had a similar situation that had an unexpected result. I was able to find a rather unique/unorthodox solution. I am also a lefty and I had some serious heel spur pain on my right foot.
I had been primarily using a 1-handed BH at the time and discovered that I was developing tennis elbow and could not figure out why at first. After 2-3 weeks of elbow pain it occurred to me that the TE was a direct result of my right foot heel spurs. Because of the heel pain I was not driving off my back (right) foot very much to hit my BH shots. This meant that I was relying on my elbow & arm too much to initiate & generate the power on my 1-handed BHs. I suppose this would have been less stress on the left elbow if I had been using a 2-hander, but I did not have a very reliable 2-handed BH at the time.
Once I realized the issue I tried to develop a reliable 2-handed BH but it was just a bit too erratic (and still is not my best stroke these days). However, another solution presented itself to me. I had been watching Marat Safin hitting mule-kick BHs (see video link below). Even tho' his BH is a 2-handed stroke, I saw something in the mule-kick versions that I could adapt for my 1-handed BH. I would lean a bit forward into the incoming ball and drive off the front leg instead of driving off the back leg.
Note: I did not employ a jump on my adaptation as Safin does on his mule-kick BH. This unorthodox solution worked quite well for me. The TE subsided and, eventually, the right heel pain diminished in severity. Following is the Safin mule-kick BH from whence I derived my front-leg-drive 1-hander:
Marat Safin jumping backhand groundstroke
.
I had been primarily using a 1-handed BH at the time and discovered that I was developing tennis elbow and could not figure out why at first. After 2-3 weeks of elbow pain it occurred to me that the TE was a direct result of my right foot heel spurs. Because of the heel pain I was not driving off my back (right) foot very much to hit my BH shots. This meant that I was relying on my elbow & arm too much to initiate & generate the power on my 1-handed BHs. I suppose this would have been less stress on the left elbow if I had been using a 2-hander, but I did not have a very reliable 2-handed BH at the time.
Once I realized the issue I tried to develop a reliable 2-handed BH but it was just a bit too erratic (and still is not my best stroke these days). However, another solution presented itself to me. I had been watching Marat Safin hitting mule-kick BHs (see video link below). Even tho' his BH is a 2-handed stroke, I saw something in the mule-kick versions that I could adapt for my 1-handed BH. I would lean a bit forward into the incoming ball and drive off the front leg instead of driving off the back leg.
Note: I did not employ a jump on my adaptation as Safin does on his mule-kick BH. This unorthodox solution worked quite well for me. The TE subsided and, eventually, the right heel pain diminished in severity. Following is the Safin mule-kick BH from whence I derived my front-leg-drive 1-hander:
Marat Safin jumping backhand groundstroke
.
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