Why straight arm on one-handed backhand?

[RafaelHurts]

I learned to play over forty years ago -- in those days most good players hit their backhands with a continental grip; only a few still used an eastern backhand grip, and the only people using all-knuckles-on-top western backhand grips were self-taught people who weren't very good. So there was no backhand topspin via forearm supination (reverse windshield-wiper); if you got any topspin on the backhand at all it was from raising the arm at the shoulder joint.

I always wanted to topspin my backhand, but there were only a half-dozen days when I felt that it came easily to me; on other days the ability to get any upward swing speed completely vanished. I'm not very physically self-aware, so for forty years I was unable to pinpoint what I did differently on those days. But now I think I realize what worked.

On those few days when topspin came easily to my continental / eastern backhand, I was hitting with a relaxed and slightly bent arm. That is, my elbow was bent in the back swing and gradually straightened as the racket extended further out to the side during the swing. My arm was not fully straight until the moment of contact, and perhaps not fully straight (certainly not locked out) even then.

Note that I certainly did NOT _lead_ with the elbow; I did not use my elbow to power the swing. My elbow was always facing downwards; it was sort of like the bent elbow on the dominant arm of many two-handed backhands (but bent less than that).

What would happen to ruin my backhand is I would become conscious of "good form" and take care to ensure that my arm was straight during the swing. (It made sense; for topspin you have to begin below the ball and what easier way was there to lower the racket on the backhand but to straighten the elbow?) What happened, though, is that as soon as my elbow was straight I had virtually no leverage to whip the racket head upward. It was as though bending the elbow shortened the arm to give me more leverage when initiating the upward motion. If you draw an analogy to drag racing, it was as though my bent arm was first gear and my straight arm was like overdrive. Trying to begin my swing with a straight arm was like trying to peel out in fourth gear.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, and if so, why are we always cautioned that the (one-handed) backhand should always be hit with a straight arm?

 

[Limpinhitter]

I learned to play over forty years ago -- in those days most good players hit their backhands with a continental grip; only a few still used an eastern backhand grip, and the only people using all-knuckles-on-top western backhand grips were self-taught people who weren't very good. So there was no backhand topspin via forearm supination (reverse windshield-wiper); if you got any topspin on the backhand at all it was from raising the arm at the shoulder joint.

I always wanted to topspin my backhand, but there were only a half-dozen days when I felt that it came easily to me; on other days the ability to get any upward swing speed completely vanished. I'm not very physically self-aware, so for forty years I was unable to pinpoint what I did differently on those days. But now I think I realize what worked.

On those few days when topspin came easily to my continental / eastern backhand, I was hitting with a relaxed and slightly bent arm. That is, my elbow was bent in the back swing and gradually straightened as the racket extended further out to the side during the swing. My arm was not fully straight until the moment of contact, and perhaps not fully straight (certainly not locked out) even then.

Note that I certainly did NOT _lead_ with the elbow; I did not use my elbow to power the swing. My elbow was always facing downwards; it was sort of like the bent elbow on the dominant arm of many two-handed backhands (but bent less than that).

What would happen to ruin my backhand is I would become conscious of "good form" and take care to ensure that my arm was straight during the swing. (It made sense; for topspin you have to begin below the ball and what easier way was there to lower the racket on the backhand but to straighten the elbow?) What happened, though, is that as soon as my elbow was straight I had virtually no leverage to whip the racket head upward. It was as though bending the elbow shortened the arm to give me more leverage when initiating the upward motion. If you draw an analogy to drag racing, it was as though my bent arm was first gear and my straight arm was like overdrive. Trying to begin my swing with a straight arm was like trying to peel out in fourth gear.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, and if so, why are we always cautioned that the (one-handed) backhand should always be hit with a straight arm?

In my view, a slightly bent arm is fine as long as it is remains constant throughout the swing. Straightening the elbow as part of the forward swing is suboptimal, in my view, as it adds an unnecessary variable to the stroke. That doesn't mean the elbow needs to be locked, just nearly straight throughout the swing. Many modern players straighten the elbow as part of their swingpath, and can get away with it because of the heavy topspin and margin for error inherent in the modern game with modern equipment. But, in my view, it is not necessary to achieve the best 1 handed backhand you are able to achieve.

Here are some examples of all time great players who hit great, 1 handed, topspin, backhands with a straight arm and a continental grip. Notice that they all generate their swingpaths with a combination of upper body rotation, hinging from the shoulder, and arm rotation from the shoulder and elbow:

Laver at about 4:32:

,

Laver at about 6:00:

Laver at about 135:

Laver at about 3:55:

Roche at about :50:

Roche at about 2:42:

https://youtu.be/lJubuKDN7Fk?t=162

Becker numerous backhands beginning at about 1:26:

https://youtu.be/OPsu-zL2Ah0?t=86

Edberg backhand highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpZnZlXWxQw

 

[RafaelHurts]

The distance is so great and the camera speed so slow that I really cannot tell whether there is a slight (e.g. 10 degree) bend in the elbow or not.

In my view, a slightly bent arm is fine as long as it is remains constant throughout the swing. Straightening the elbow as part of the forward swing is suboptimal, in my view, as it adds an unnecessary variable to the stroke. That doesn't mean the elbow needs to be locked, just nearly straight throughout the swing. Many modern players straighten the elbow as part of their swing path, and can get away with it because of the heavy topspin and margin for error inherent in the modern game with modern equipment. But, in my view, it is not necessary to achieve the best 1 handed backhand you are able to achieve.

Here are some examples o...

 

[TupeloDanger]

Almost all good backhands have a slightly bent elbow on the takeback, and at the beginning of the forward swing, then snap toward straight as the moment of contact approaches.

j

Why? Because a properly struck backhand uses most of the same physics as a pendulm in order to generate racquet head speed. The shoulder is the pivot and the arm is the tether, and a tether always goes taut as a pendulum accelerates.

Why do most of the good backhands have a slightly bent elbow at takeback? Just the geometry of the average human body. If you can get to the full takeback position both relaxed AND with a straight arm, so much the better. But for most people, they can't do so comfortably. But as long as the bend is kept managable, and the arm loose, the physics of the swing take care of the rest.

 

[amorys90]

You should not have your arm straight on the takeback to the OHBH. Your dominant arm should be loose and you should initiate the tackback with your non hitting arm, which is holding the throught. Then, as you begin the forehard swing, your arm should begin to extend and by straight (but not locked) at contact. Here are some examples of players with traditional grips (similar to yours) on the one handed backhand having a bent arm at takeback and a straight arm at contact.

 

[RafaelHurts]

Well, because the books and instruction articles said the arm should be straight, I would make sure to hyper-extend the elbow before beginning the forward swing. As soon as I began doing that, I lost virtually all ability to brush up on the ball. If I keep my arm relaxed (that is, without tensing the triceps), a slight bend remains (in the sense that there are still a few degrees further I could straighten it before the joint is in its straightest possible position).

 

[elga]

Not sure of his grip without looking up a picture or vid, but Dominic Thiem has a straight arm takeback and can really rip the OHBH.

My opinion: What works for some may be totally unnatural to others. If it works for you not having a straight arm takeback, then that's not a bad thing. Many pros are the same way.

 

[Lance L]

A slightly bent vs a straight are on the 1hbh, at contact, should make little difference on how much topspin you are getting. If it is, there is probably something else in your technique that is causing the problem.

The 1hbh hinges at the shoulder. You don't need another hinge to make it work. Another hinge would only add complexity that is not helpful. Also, it goes against the natural motion. Its like saying you don't straighten your arm all the way when you throw a ball. You could do it, but where is the benefit.

As far as topspin goes, this should have little to do with it. The biggest indicator of topspin is hitting well out in front. In order to get the racquet moving up at contact, and with it hinging at the shoulder, the only way to do that is to hit it out front. If the ball is low, that may mean practically squatting down. One thing I like about the 1hbh is that I can adjust to the height of contact with a grip change. If the ball is really high, use a more topspin grip and hitting more out in front. At least in theory!

 

[LeeD]

Ever play golf? Straight elbow allows the racket head to come thru past the hand, for a consistent contact point.