The tennisforall Digital Tennis Book
by evvy

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Tennis Coaching Article:
The One Handed Backhand

Some would have us believe that a single handed backhand is difficult to achieve. Is this true? It is for many, especially youngsters, who don't have the necessary strength to properly wield a racket. Like Frodo and his hobbit chums, even a scaled down version of the full thing often feels clumsy: I mean, why struggle with one hand on the backhand when sticking the extra hand to the racket immediately gives a feeling of strength ?.. if not always control. It's also true for those who like to saunter through a game of tip-tap-tennis, without putting in much effort.

There are a number of intrinsic differences between the backhand and forehand groundstrokes, and you need to understand these before you can work towards developing a good one hander.

DIFFERENT STROKES
On either forehand or backhand, you should be hunting for a forward contact: more precisely, forward of your hitting shoulder.
However, when hitting a forehand, your hitting shoulder is behind the sideways body. Conversely, on the backhand side, your hitting shoulder is out front of your turned body.
So, for starters, the contact point for a one handed backhand is further forward.

THE UNFORGIVING BACKHAND
The second and perhaps most crucial piece of understanding is that the forehand is far more forgiving towards lazy or unskilled contact points.
Why?
Well, if the ball travels behind a player's shoulder on the forehand side, he or she still has the elbow joint to hit from. Although a player might lose considerable power by connecting late, it can still be a passable shot when hit from the elbow. And even on really late, scrambled 'gets', a player has the capacity to pull the racket back behind the body, using only the hand to wield the racket, by flicking from the wrist.
Got any pictures of it?
Yep. But we're doing the one handed backhand, so you'll have to make do with your fertile imagination. Of course each of these two methods of 'late' hitting are far from ideal, but you will nevertheless see them being used at club level everywhere, quite often because it's less taxing to hit lazy than set up properly. And setting up properly takes much practice.
And on the backhand?
Look at the pictures and you can tell me.
Do the pictures move?
Yes. Run your mouse over the letters beneath the tennis graphic. Then tell me how it's different for the one handed backhand.
Neat backhand. Who's the player under the cap?
Cedric Pioline. Gorgeous stroke maker.
Ooh la la. Gorgeous?
I'm talking about his strokes, you *!%@. C'mon. Waddaya see.
I see the shoulder is in front of the body.
But why do you reckon the one handed backhand is the unforgiving groundstroke?
Dunno.
OK. Let's approach it this way. How would Cedric cope if, say, this ball got behind his shoulder? What could he do to make the hit?
Hit from the elbow?
You think so? And how would he do that?
Like on a forehand.
Nope. Not possible. Look at the pictures and work out why.
OK. I got it. Because his arm doesn't bend that way. Certainly not from the elbow.
Spot on. And how about a hand slap?
Can't do that either, can he?
No. Not unless he changes to a forehand grip, which gives him a little flexibility. But it would only be weak and ineffective effort.
So what's the answer?
There's pretty much one answer. You make sure your set up for a perfect contact every time.
Isn't that difficult?
Tennis technique is difficult, but only when you haven't got it. When you've mastered it, it should be with you for ever.

TWO ESSENTIALS

GRIP: THE POWER CONNECTOR
When hitting a one handed backhand, the thumb is the power connector. Basically, you need to locate the strength of your arm and your efforts behind the racket, which then enables you to hit forward. The only way you can do so is to make use of the thumb behind the grip... at the very least the thumb should be parallel to a racket that is edge-ways to the ground. Roll your mouse over the letters P and I and you'll see Cedric's grip. Like him, most good players push the tip of the thumb under the grip, which connects some strength under the racket, which then enables you to hit/drive up for topspin.
How far under?
Depends largely on how much topspin you want to hit with. But, as a general rule, the further under the thumb, the further forward the contact must be.
Why's that?
Because the more extreme the grip, the more extreme the contact limitations placed on the hitting arm.
You've lost me.
No I haven't, you've lost yourself because your too idle to grapple with a concept. I've just given you quite a lot in one small sentence. It's not nuclear science Work it out.


CONNECT: PERFECT CONTACT
Contact may vary ever so slightly, depending on the type of spin and the direction you want, but four things point towards a perfect contact on a one handed backhand.
1: It has to be forward of the hitting shoulder and
2: It should be a little way out from your body. Roll your mouse over the P and note the distance from Cedric's body. Basically, he has given the contact enough room for his racket to be parallel to the ground.
Too close and this isn't possible.
Too far out and he'll be over-stretching and off balance.
3: The height is also essential and probably the main variable, depending on what's being thrown at you and what you want to do with the ball.
Waist height is good for most things.
4: A racket face that's roughly at right angles to the ground is good for most shots.

GOPIO
G.. Pioline shows his back to his opponent, which allows him to put some real distance between the racket head and the ball, over which he can build up some whacking racket head speed. The left arm eases the workload of the hitting arm by pulling the racket head back.

GO... In this frame we see the weight shift forward onto the leading foot. Pio also drops the racket head below the height of the impending connect. What does this tell us?

P... Ladies, gentlemen and halflings, let me introduce you to a perfect contact.

IO... The racket follows along the intended flight path of the ball for as long as the body allows.

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