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Get a grip and let it rip!
Question:
How can I hit a more powerful backhand without sending the ball out?
Answer:
If you want to hit your backhand with power, you've got to use a grip that ensures
the racket face is not open when you make contact with the ball. To all intents and purposes,
this means placing your palm almost on top of the racket handle.
Assuming you're right-handed (otherwise, reverse what I say!), hold the throat of the racket in
your left hand and point it out in front of you in edge-down position. Now extend your right
hand out flat and lower it down towards the handle, grasping it in such a way that your thumb
wraps around the left side.
Brush the strings up the back of the ball to impart some topspin and you can now start letting it
rip!
 Back to the questions
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Technique - don't even think about it!
Question:
How can I avoid my whole game going to pot when my backhand won't fire?
Answer:
I have a similar problem, except that with me it's the serve. When my serve doesn't
fire, I focus too much attention on it and the rest of my game deteriorates.
The fact is, when things go wrong, some of us are inclined to get hung up on technique ("is my
backswing too long?", "is my grip right?", "are my shoulders opening too early?", etc). There is
a time and a place for correcting technique and it's NOT when you're a set and 1-2 down in
a match. Actually, I'd say you should avoid thinking about technique altogether during matchplay.
At least, avoid anything more technical than simple basics such as "watch the ball",
"prepare early", etc.
Instead of worrying about how to hit the ball, focus on where to hit it!
It may also help to focus on moving better rather than hitting better. Stay on your
toes and try to get to every ball on time and on balance. You're not going to correct your
technique under the pressure of matchplay, so don't even think about it!
Of course, there are times when a particular stroke completely falls apart. Brad Gilbert describes
the moment as "when your backhand gets so bad you're running around it even to pick up a towel"!
Faced with this nightmare scenario, you've arrived at "fix-up time" as Brad calls it. It's time
to compromise and lower your expectations. Just get the ball back over the net. Keep it in play!
At least you won't be handing your opponent points on a plate! Again, it's a question of
controlling and directing the ball rather than trying to emulate the power play of Venus Williams
or Gustavo Kuerten.
The practice court is the place to iron out those problems with your technique. When it comes to
matchplay, remember to think WHERE and not HOW!
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Wait 'n' straighten!
Question:
How can I hit my backhand slice with more pace?
Answer:
When you prepare for your backhand slice, your racket arm is bent. The moment at which you
extend it pretty much determines the speed of the shot.
If your shot lacks pace, try extending just a little bit later, reaching out just before the
point of impact.
Be careful though, because this will probably make the shot a little more difficult to control.
Try it out on the practice court first!
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Single-handed?
Question:
I'm having trouble playing my double-hander on the run. Should I change to a one-handed backhand?
Answer:
That might be just a bit drastic, don't you think? Maybe you could try a couple of simpler
things first. Things like an earlier "wind up", i.e. get your racket back straight away, don't wait
till you're in position for the shot.
However, I thought it might be a good idea to refer your question to a two-hander, so I asked
my son, Mark, who is a licensed LTA coach (and has a two-handed backhand!). Here's Mark's
advice:
"Firstly, if you are used to using a two-handed backhand then I would not recommend making
the switch to a single-handed backhand - unless you are prepared for many weeks of hard
practice! Lack of reach is obviously a limitation of the two-handed backhand.
However, in light of its significant advantages, for example generating power and disguise,
it is probably not a good idea to make the change unless you are really sure that that is
what you want.
The problem you have described is possibly related to movement rather than shot technique.
If you are forced wide by your opponent, try moving diagonally forwards towards the ball as
well as sideways, rather than just scampering horizontally across the baseline.In other words,
try not to become glued to the baseline. This is a technique employed by many of the pros and
it allows you to cut off the angle and save yourself a couple of vital steps to the ball!
If you are able to do this then you should find yourself getting to the ball in plenty of
time and on balance ready to play your shot.
In terms of the shot itself, what I would suggest is that you make sure that you have your
racket back and your shoulders turned whilst you move to the ball rather than running to the
ball and then having to prepare once you get there. This should also save you time and allow
for a more efficent movement.
Both the single-handed and the double-handed backhand have their advantages and they also have
their limitations. We could debate for ever about which is more effective, but as a general
rule neither is preferable over the other. It simply depends on what feels most comfortable
for you, what surface you play on and a little bit on your own physique. This is why you will
see many young players starting out with a double-handed backhand, as it allows them to
generate a little more power than they would otherwise be able to."
So, go single-handed for a bit longer - at least try Mark's advice and see how you get on.
If the problem remains and you're determined to switch, you'll probably need to work with a
coach to see you through the transition.
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Sharpen up to improve that slice!
Question:
How can I stop my sliced backhand sailing out?
Answer:
Firstly, change your grip to a backhand grip (or at least a continental grip) and start with
a high take-back position, supporting the throat of the racket with your non-racket hand.
Stay sideways and aim towards the top of the ball (instead of the bottom of it) with a
slightly high-to-low swing, keeping your wrist fairly firm. Lean into the shot, maintaining
your balance by keeping your non/racket hand behind you. Follow through in the direction of
the shot.
Avoid "dishing" your racket under the ball and/or playing with the racket face completely open.
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Practise playing with your wrong hand!
Question:
How can I improve my two-handed backhand?
Answer:
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Preparation |
Ideally you should be balanced, weight slightly forward, elbows and knees slightly
bent, racket in front of you. Your non-dominant hand lightly supports the throat of the racket
until you see that the next shot will be a backhand. At that point, your dominant hand adopts
your preferred grip - preferably with the palm almost on top of the grip. Your non-dominant
hand slides down the handle close to your dominant hand. Take the racket back by rotating your
hips and shoulders away from the net - if you've got a logo on the front of your shirt, hide
it from your opponent!
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The swing |
Step towards your target, keeping your arms slightly away from your body.
Relax enough to accelerate the head of the racket. Swing through, extending your arms straight
out through the ball, making contact just in front of your leading leg.
If your shots lack depth, lower your racket head and hit low-to-high on the forward swing.
Make sure you have a full follow-through out to the target area before you wrap your
racket around your shoulder. If your shots lack power, make sure you're not making contact
too far in front of your leading leg.
Once you're reasonably comfortable with the shot, develop it by making more use of your
non-dominant hand - try to think of the shot as a forehand hit with your non-dominant hand.
In other words, if you're right-handed, think of it as hitting left-handed forehands (with your
right hand just having a supporting role). Practise hitting some left-handed forehands (one-handed)
just for fun occasionally - it will help! Eventually, your non-dominant hand should become the
dominant hand when you play your two-handed backhand.
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Follow through |
At the end of the stroke, your elbows should be bent and pointing at the net and
the racket head should be over your shoulder. The back foot should come around with the hips
after contact, so your feet and shoulders finish up fairly square to the net.
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Lean back! Take it easy!
Question:
How do you deal with a high ball to the backhand?
Answer:
High backhands are notoriously difficult to deal with effectively.
In fact, although you're reading this to find out how to deal with
them, you'll benefit just as much by turning the problem on its head
and making your opponent deal with them! This is particularly so if
your opponent has a single-handed backhand and doesn't move well
enough to hit an off-forehand.
It's probably not a great idea to try to hit a high backhand with
topspin. It depends how high your contact is going to be, but unless
you possess great strength and timing, you'll find it difficult to
brush up the ball and get any sort of forward penetration once the ball
gets up around shoulder height. Better to go for slice.
Better still to take the ball on the rise with a flat stroke. And
that's the point really - your best option is to avoid letting the
ball get high in the first place. Don't let the high looper get onto
you. Work your feet, take it early and try to make contact in front
of your body. If you're fast enough, consider running around and
hitting an off-forehand on the rise, again trying to make contact in front
of your body.
If you get caught out and you've simply got to take the ball at shoulder height
or higher, step into the shot, but lean away slightly at the waist so that
you can get your arm up high enough to swing at the ball.
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One hand or two?
Question:
What's better - a one-handed or a two-handed backhand?
Answer:
The double-handed backhand came to prominence in the 1970's when
Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg inspired young players
throughout the world to adopt a technique which seemed to produce much
more power than the traditional one-handed backhand. It pretty much
dominated for a couple of decades, especially in the women's game, but
the aesthetic appeal of the one-handers used by Justine Henin and
Gustavo Kuerten (amongst others) is now encouraging more and more
players to emulate them.
There are basically just two major body actions involved in producing
the two-hander - legs and hips working together and then trunk and
arms moving together. So it's easier to acquire the skill. It also
offers greater racket stability and enables easier generation of
topspin. The two-hander will always remain popular for these reasons.
It used to be the case that the two-hander offered a greater degree of
disguise as well. But one-handed players now use more open stances and
don't give away the intended direction of their shots so much.
There are some disadvantages associated with the two-hander. For
one thing, it's not easy to produce slice, which is an issue for
would-be serve-volleyers. For another, there's the obvious handicap of
limited reach on short and wide balls.
Martina Navratilova recently commented: "I think for a serve and
volleyer, it's better to have the one-handed backhand. But really if
I was teaching someone to play these days, I would teach the
two-handed backhand and one-handed slice and one-handed volley. The
two-hander is just a more secure ball."
On balance, I think I'd go along with that.
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Getting outside-in to the net!
Question:
I want to keep my backhand approach shot low, but how do you do it?
Answer:
You need to use backspin to keep the ball low after it bounces. To do this, you need to deliver
a kind of high-to-low glancing blow - but be sure not to come down on the ball too severely,
otherwise you'll end up just chopping it and losing the pace.
Players like Pete Sampras often add sidespin to the sliced approach. This is produced by moving
the racket across the ball with an outside-in action, i.e. from outside the line of the ball's
flight to inside the line, as well as high-to-low. This makes the ball skid low and away from
a right-hander's backhand.
Make a full shoulder turn and take your racket back at around shoulder height, with the face
slightly open. Support the throat of the racket with the fingers of your non-racket hand and
keep your wrist firm. As you swing through the ball high-to-low and outside-in, keep the
racket face slightly open and try to get a l-o-n-g contact. Extend your non-racket hand back
behind you for balance and keep your knees flexed throughout. Avoid opening your shoulders.
It's generally a good idea to aim your approach shots parallel to the sidelines. That gives you
your best chance of covering the angles on your opponent's passing shot. But you should vary it
occasionally, especially if your opponent is weak on the backhand.
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Help yourself to a bigger slice!
Question:
I only have a slice backhand. Should I learn to play a two-hander?
Answer:
Players with one-handed slice backhands sometimes feel frustrated and envious when they
see the top pros cracking two-handed backhand winners. They tell me they don't want a slice
backhand any more - they want a slice of the action!
However, I never advocate switching from a one-handed backhand to a two-hander. In my opinion,
that's a backward step. The two-handed stroke presents you with problems in terms of reach
and there's absolutely no guarantee that you'll compensate by producing more power. It's not
that I'm against two-handed backhands per se, far from it. It's just that players with
effective two-handers typically start at an age when they lack sufficient strength in the
arm and wrist for a one-hander. It's forced on them. The best of these players develop the
shot and develop the athleticism to make up for the reach restrictions. But if you're used
to playing with a one-hander and you can execute it with a reasonable degree of competence,
you should stick with it and try to make it more reliable and more versatile.
The slice backhand is not a purely defensive shot. Used as an approach shot, it skids low
and forces your opponent to lift the ball for you to put away with a comfortable volley.
Slice makes the ball float further in the air allowing you to dominate your opponent by
maintaining good depth. So don't turn your nose up at it. Build up your appetite and help
yourself to a bigger slice!
For more bite on the shot, prepare by coiling your upper body using a hip and shoulder turn
and bend the elbow of your racket arm. Then straighten your arm as you hit through the ball.
If you keep your elbow locked, you'll restrict your swing and end up chopping at the ball.
The slice backhand is least effective against a net-rusher. Instead of learning a two-hander,
I recommend developing a flat or topspin drive to give yourself a better chance of making a
pass or at least making your opponent contend with a dipping ball.
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