All about tennis

Jan 12, 2008

Two-handed backhand footwork

There are two footwork patterns for the two-handed backhand. The first one is the closed or neutral stance and the second is the modern open stance.
The first movement to a ball hit to the backhand is to turn the upper body and step out towards the ball with the leg closest to the ball. From this position you will be able to complete your body turn to run to the ball.
The closed or neutral stance backhand footwork involves the back leg coming to a stop and the front leg stepping into the ball during the swing. This closed, neutral or some call it a “square” stance allows the body weight to move forward during the swing. We call this a linear backhand because the power comes in the weight transfer forward. The square stance backhand should used mostly on shorter hit balls or when you have to move forward to hit the ball.
The open stance backhand is now a big part of the modern game. The footwork begins in the same way with the leg closest to the ball is used to step towards the direction of the desired movement as the shoulders turn. The big difference is when approaching the ball, you need to plant the outside leg (left leg for righthanders) next to the path of the oncoming ball. The other leg is ready to receive the weight transfer in the direction of the planned recovery. We call this an angular backhand because the body is twist and coiled like a spring. The power then comes from the angular rotation of the body as it uncoils into the shot. The open stance backhand should be used on most wide hit balls because it facilitates a better recovery.
Neither backhand footwork stance is superior to the other but both are used and needed by most every player. To put it in simple terms, hit from an open stance on the wide balls to aid in recovery and step forward into your backhand on short balls.

One-handed backhand footwork

For those of you who hit with one hand on the backhand, you find your footwork need to be consistent.
Your first movement towards the ball would be to step out with the leg closest to the ball. You’ll then turn and run to the ball if the ball is really wide, if not wide, then you could stay in an open stance and slide to the ball.
As you set up to hit the ball you should stay in an open stance with the left leg (for right handers) slightly behind the right leg. When the ball gets close enough, you will need to plant that left leg and step across your body or left leg at approximately a 45 degree angle. This will be a closed stance backhand. Your foot & toe should point at that same 45 degree angle.
This footwork is necessary for the body to twist back on the back swing. The excessive back swing on the one-handed backhand produces most of the power. Your back will almost be facing the net. Without the closed stance cross over step into the ball your backhand will be weak and ineffective.
After the shot is hit, it is efficient to let the back leg (left leg for right handers) release and come around to stop the body’s momentum and to prepare for the recovery. I call this the back leg release technique. The back leg swings around making both feet square to the net as if in a ready position.
From this position it is relatively easy to step out with the inside leg, do a cross over step jump with the left leg (right handers), and then slide the rest of the way back to the center of possible returns.

Backhand volley #2

The backhand volley for most intermediate players their weakest shot. The reason is because of strength and poor technique. Strength comes into play because we lack the muscular strength need to grasp the racquet. Once grip strength is address we can move on to technique.
A continental grip is needed to put leverage into the one-handed backhand volley. Take a healthy backswing so the racquet head is near the “ear” and over the shoulder with the left hand holding the throat. At this point the racquet string face will be open, facing skyward. This will allow for slight underspin if needed.
Start your volley swing by pulling the racquet out of the non-dominate hand and swinging forward and down. The non-dominate hand controls the backswing and the timing of the release of that hand is critical. The racquet face begins to close as we swing forward and down allowing the racquet head to build speed. The strings are almost vertical at impact and we should try to pull the handle forward after impact to allow the strings to slant open again towards the sky. We do this to make sure we don’t flip the racquet strings over the ball and dump it into the net.
The follow through almost looks like we are sliding the racquet strings under the ball. The finish comes to an abrupt stop as if we were trying to “stick” the volley.
To practice try hitting short balls with someone in the service boxes. Make sure you are using underspin to control the ball and let it drop into the court. This practice will allow you to understand how much tilt is needed on the racquet string face to produce a slice shot.
Lastly, the backhand volley should look a lot like a backhand slice. The major difference is the size of the backswing and finish. Volleys should be shorter with an abbreviated finish while the slice is longer and flows more.

The eastern backhand grip

Whether you use a one handed backhand or a two handed backhand the Eastern Backhand grip is becoming even more popular today. Many top pros are using this grip as a weapon in today’s power game.
To get this grip the racquet handle is held by the bottom hand with the thumb turned under the bottom of the handle. The so-called “V” made by the thumb and the index finger is on the bevel between the back of the handle and the top of the handle.
At first this grip seems to give the one hander a lot of support on backhand groundstrokes, but with continued use and instruction it can give plenty of topspin too. The racquet string plane is closed during most of the swing and only near impact does the racquet face get square enough to hit the ball straight. This grip creates a need for topspin because more lift is needed on the ball to clear the net, so a low to high swing is a natural.
On the two hander this same grip gives the same advantage of topspin because it allows for contact to be further in front, making it easier to swing from low to high.
Young people just starting in tennis will love this grip solely for the additional support the hands give the behind the racquet at impact. The advanced players use it mostly for the amount of topspin they can generate with this grip. So the Eastern Backhand grip is best suited for players wishing for more topspin on their bachkhands.
That’s the good news, the bad news is that this grip makes it difficult to get under really low balls. That is why we see this grip a lot in clay court players or a slow playing surface that makes the balls bounce up high. So this grip is best suited for baseliners who like medium to high bouncing balls and love to punish it back with plenty of topspin.
If you wish more information or clarification on this or any other grip feel free to email or call me.

Backhand volley

The backhand volley should be one handed and utilize a continental grip. Holding the racquet by the throat with the non-dominate hand creates a controlled backswing. Taking the racquet head back with the left hand (for right handers) and the racquet head pulled back near the left ear. The elbow will be almost as high as the wrist and the racquet face will be pointed up to the sky. The key here is to have the elbow up, away from the body. From this horizontal position one can pull the handle down and forward to straighten the strings at impact and create backspin. The shoulders will turn slightly towards the ball and the right foot will step forward because of the shoulder leaning into the shot. The body weight should leaning in towards the net which makes the step necessary.
For faster, reflex volleys the racquet head will not be taken back as far. The hand will still be in front of the racquet head leading with the knuckles on the hit. The shoulders do not turn as much for a faster incoming ball.
This same arm position on the volley is the key to underspin. The backhand volley underspin allows us to hit low balls with more spin to control the depth of the volley.
We also use this backhand volley motion on slice or underspin backhand hit from the baseline. The only difference here is the body is more involved with rotation and the backswing is larger.
To practice hitting a backspin volley, try to hit with a partner over the net but within the service boxes. Let the ball bounce then using a small backswing, slide the racquet strings under the ball. Keep practicing until you can control the depth and amount of spin on these shots.

Two handed backhand loop

I recently attended my regional USPTA Fall conference and was delighted to attend a seminar with John Yandell of www.tennisplayer.net. John’s video analysis of touring pros strokes provided me with more insight into what actual happens during certain shots.
So today I want to visit the two handed backhand. After watching numerous slow motion videos of tennis pros, I have come to the conclusion that pros loop their two handed backhands with the racquet head and not the hands.
What I saw were players who took their racquets back with two hands and the hands stayed very level. They did not raise or lower their hands during the swing. However, the racquet head did rise up on the back swing and it did drop during the forward swing to create topspin. Some players loop the racquet head up higher then others and dropped the head lower than other to produce even more topspin but the hands were consistently level.
What this means to the average player is the loop back swing on both forehands and backhands is vital to the timing and power of the shot. How much loop and topspin are up to individual preferences but clearly the loop is now the modern backhand. If you are not taking your racquet head up on the backhand backswing and then dropping it below the ball on the forward swing then you’re missing a big piece of the puzzle.

The basic one hand backhand

The basic one handed backhand begins with a unit turn. The unit turn is where the upper body turns sideways while the left arm (for right handers) takes the racquet back.
The grip should be turned over by moving the palm of the hand on top of the handle and the thumb goes behind the handle. The feet should pivot sideways or they may step to the side of the ball. Once in this sideways position with the racquet head pointing back to the fence and the racquet strings in a vertical position with the ground, the next phase can begin.
Next the player should step forward with the front leg (leg closest to net). As the step takes place the body opens only slightly as the arm, hand and racquet handle come forward as the left hand (for right handers) stays back for balance. At the moment of impact, the body will be almost sideways but the arm and racquet will be in front of the shoulder closest to the net. Many instructors refer to this movement as “drawing out a sword from its sheath by your waist”.
A more advanced shot would be to would turn the shoulders further around than just sideways. They would look at the ball over their shoulder as the body coils up at the beginning of the swing. The shoulders would begin rotating forward and then would stop and let the racquet and arm whip through the contact. The increased coil and turning of the shoulders at the start will produce a longer and more powerful swing.
The finish of the swing involves the knuckles of the racquet hand driving through the contact zone as the racquet begins to point forward. The racquet finishes by pointing straight ahead where the ball should be going or up to the sky. The angle that the racquet and the arm make at contact should be maintained through out the finish. Wrist snap can add power but will cause a lack of control.
A well timed, smooth, graceful one handed backhand is a beautiful thing to watch. Just as the two handed backhand took the game by storm in the 80’s, the one hander is making a strong comeback. Just watch Roger Federer, Tommy Haas, Tommy Robredo, Richard Gasquet, Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo.