Which is better; one handed BH or two handed BH

AlexM

Rookie
I know you're a Djoko fan and fan of two-handers but not all single-handed backhands are unreliable. Look at Henin, Laver, Wawrinka, Gasquet, Kuerten...
Sure. I dont think I ever said one handers are not reliable and if i did please forgive me I thought i said they are LESS reliable than two handers
 

AlexM

Rookie
I mean Federer's game is that of unparalleled beauty.

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See?

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Poetry in motion.

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Elegance is an attitude.
LOL. ive never seen such a funny post!
 
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PETEhammer

Guest
All else being equal I find it hard to make an argument for a one-hander over a two-hander these days

There will always be players who succeed with one handers, but modern tennis provides greater reward to the advantages of the two hander
'greed. Variety is the only thing, and you can get that just by having a coach who instills that in you and your shot selection.
I think the one-hander is a precious antique of tennis's past, but probably not relevant to its future.
 

Jaitock1991

Hall of Fame
All else being equal I find it hard to make an argument for a one-hander over a two-hander these days

There will always be players who succeed with one handers, but modern tennis provides greater reward to the advantages of the two hander

Seems to be the case for sure. Wether that's because the mostly baseline oriented coaches that coach the kids these days preach to it or wether there's an actual mechanical/strategic advantage to having a two hander in today's game is open for discussion I guess. But my feeling is that consistency from the baseline with the backhand along with the ability to go for it from time to time has become the name of the game. The serve-forehand combo will fix the rest.
 

Daniel Andrade

Hall of Fame
I think if you simply want to go for winning more points with your backhand over the long term, you should choose the two handed backhand IMO
 

Cashman

Hall of Fame
Seems to be the case for sure. Wether that's because the mostly baseline oriented coaches that coach the kids these days preach to it or wether there's an actual mechanical/strategic advantage to having a two hander in today's game is open for discussion I guess. But my feeling is that consistency from the baseline with the backhand along with the ability to go for it from time to time has become the name of the game. The serve-forehand combo will fix the rest.
The three most important backhand abilities in modern tennis are solid returns, consistency against topspin, and redirecting play down the line - all points where the two-hander has a natural advantage

The one-hander has its own natural advantages, but they are less critical to success in the modern game
 

Sudacafan

Bionic Poster
I could bet that there is no tennis pro who has a one handed backhand, together with a two handed forehand.
 

tonylg

Legend
One handed backhand is superior for low balls, hitting slice approaches while moving forward, generating pace, subtle variety and feel.

Two handed paddle shot is superior for high balls, counterpunching, open stance sliding and pushing.
 

Crazy Finn

Hall of Fame
Never seen anyone go up to someone with a 2HBH and say nice backhand

You get respect on and off court if you can hit a classy one handed backhand
You might think 2H means you don’t have a decent slice, but if your 1HBH is really good you just never hit a slice either
Well, I have a 2HBH and this happens to me a fair amount.

I was a weak kid and could barely hit a one handed forehand with what felt like a tree when I started on a wooden racquet. So, 2 handed it was. I later got a graphite frame and saw Agassi hit 2 handers and thought that was the greatest thing I'd ever seen and that was the end of that.

I've actually started to hit more one handed backhands, slices, approaches, very occasionally flat on the run and except for the last, they're pretty decent. But it'll never replace my properly set, good footwork, 2hd backhand that I rip away at. I actually like playing some left handed players because I'm fine getting into crosscourt FH to BH battles with them.
 
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PETEhammer

Guest
Very few people get coached as a single hander these days so a tiny sample, and yet we have Fed, Tsitsipas, Dimitrov, Shapovalov, Warwrinka, Evans (win last week) all playing one handed. Is there an argument that say if you can manage a one hander you are more likely to successful?
two of top 3 slam winners of all time have two handers though.
 

Connorsfan

New User
I’ve been hitting a two handed backhand all of my life. Swing a weighted up four stripe POG, mostly flat, stepping in to catch the ball coming off the ground while you’re returning serve and you can almost punch a hole in the up man’s chest. The first shot I could consistently win with was a DTL backhand. I’d even run around my forehand to hit backhands when I was a kid. I love it.
 

Cashman

Hall of Fame
I thought he hit both forehand and backhand two handed.
Nope - see about 0:14 in the below clip.

His forehand was a bit funny because his dominant hand was on top - you could maybe make the argument that he's actually hitting a backhand off both wings.

 

clout

Hall of Fame
One-hander definitely looks cooler but two-hander is more effective imo

Maybe I'm a bit bias though since I've always envied people who could hit a one-hander (I can never hit two balls in a row with a OHBH)
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
It seems like coaches teach juniors only 2HBHs for drives and 1HBHs for slices/volleys. So, I guess that is the modern thinking on the textbook way to play tennis nowadays.

I switched from a 2HBH to a 1HBH when I was a kid, but still retained the ability to hit 2HBHs to some extent. When I get jammed at the baseline or on returns, I automatically switch to hitting a 2HBH in those cases as it seems more natural to me. Otherwise, I hit a 1HBH on all other drives, slices and volleys. I’ve been waiting all my life to see a pro player who does that, but no luck so far.
 

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
It seems like coaches teach juniors only 2HBHs for drives and 1HBHs for slices/volleys. So, I guess that is the modern thinking on the textbook way to play tennis nowadays.

I switched from a 2HBH to a 1HBH when I was a kid, but still retained the ability to hit 2HBHs to some extent. When I get jammed at the baseline or on returns, I automatically switch to hitting a 2HBH in those cases as it seems more natural to me. Otherwise, I hit a 1HBH on all other drives, slices and volleys. I’ve been waiting all my life to see a pro player who does that, but no luck so far.
2h on returns I think should be taught to 1hamders who switch but I dont know how much skill developmwnt correlates and makes that less effective
 

RaulRamirez

Legend
Players with most "slams":
Roger - 1 (hand)
Rafa - 2
Novak - 2
Sampras - 1
Borg - 2
Connors - 2
Lendl - 1
Agassi - 2
Mac - 1
Wilander - 2
Becker - 1
Edberg - 1
....
Others have well described the pros and cons of both.

Personally? I tried hitting a two- hander, and my timing and footwork was horrible. My BH (1-h) is pretty good, given my level, but better as an occasional weapon than as a consistently accurate shot.
 

skaj

Legend
As a kid I was taught to use one hand. Later, I don't know how and why, I started using both hands. Now I combine the two shots. I use slice a lot(one-handed), it is probably my best shot and it requires the least energy. For the topspin I use the two-hander more, especially when I am dictating and constructing the point. Every now and then I hit a one-hander, it usually happens sort of spontaneously without too much thinking. It's often an offensive shot, cross-court more than down the line. It all depends on conditions and on the balls I am facing.

Hard to choose which one is better for me. It depends on the opponent's game a lot, as well as on other circumstances(surface, fitness etc.).
 

AlexM

Rookie
now that I think about it I hit a one-handed backhand slice extremely often. A topspin one-hander however is practically impossible for me in a game format.
 

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
Neither. The correct answer is whichever works best for you is the better backhand for you. I find that for most people the two handed backhand is more reliable. I tried but can't play two handed without feeling uneasy about it.

I play one handed because it feels a lot more natural for me. Not because I think it looks nicer or anything.
 

AlexM

Rookie
All else being equal I find it hard to make an argument for a one-hander over a two-hander these days

There will always be players who succeed with one handers, but modern tennis provides greater reward to the advantages of the two hander
Exactly I think one-handers are more of an antique thing and less of an actual shot in the modern era. The only next gen player I can think of with a one-hander is tsitspas. (cannot spell his name)
 

Pitti

Rookie
As a kid, I decided to hit a 1hbh since I had my first lesson because I liked how it looked. For 3 or 4 years I wasn't able to hit a single topspin 1hbh into the court, so my coach forced me to hit 2hbh instead. It never felt natural to me, but after a couple of weeks trying it, I was hitting balls into the court from the bh side. Nevertheless, I hated it, so I kept trying the 1hbh until one day, magically, it started to work. In my opinion, both can be great weapons:

2HBH is easier, and is great to handle high balls. 1HBH is great if you manage to take balls on the rise, before they're too high and become a problem. It lets you better disguise the shot (the type of shot, slice/flat-topspin, because 2hbh lets you use your non dominant hand to change directions in the last moment at concrete points like passing shots). Both styles of bh can bring great power. But I think a well executed 1hbh on the rise has slight more power and it's more surprising.

In any case, use what you like. Both styles are great. I wouldn't mind having the backhand of Agassi or Djokovic... or the backhand of Wawrinka or Federer.
 

AlexM

Rookie
As a kid, I decided to hit a 1hbh since I had my first lesson because I liked how it looked. For 3 or 4 years I wasn't able to hit a single topspin 1hbh into the court, so my coach forced me to hit 2hbh instead. It never felt natural to me, but after a couple of weeks trying it, I was hitting balls into the court from the bh side. Nevertheless, I hated it, so I kept trying the 1hbh until one day, magically, it started to work. In my opinion, both can be great weapons:

2HBH is easier, and is great to handle high balls. 1HBH is great if you manage to take balls on the rise, before they're too high and become a problem. It lets you better disguise the shot (the type of shot, slice/flat-topspin, because 2hbh lets you use your non dominant hand to change directions in the last moment at concrete points like passing shots). Both styles of bh can bring great power. But I think a well executed 1hbh on the rise has slight more power and it's more surprising.

In any case, use what you like. Both styles are great. I wouldn't mind having the backhand of Agassi or Djokovic... or the backhand of Wawrinka or Federer.
well said
 
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Deleted member 771911

Guest
I would rather watch a good double handed backhand like Nalbandian. I feel there is nothing they can't do with that shot. They can hit it anywhere and get all kinds of shape on it.
 
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