Tennis Backhand

8/6/2019 Tennis Backhand

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TENNIS (BACKHAND)


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BACKHAND

The backhand is generally more difficult to learn than the forehand.There are three distinct strokes: the one-hand topspin stroke, the two-handed topspin stroke, and the slice which is best achieved as a one-handed stroke).The most popular shot now among advanced players isthe topspin stroke. Many of today's top players have two-handed stroke.The advantages are obvious and so are the limitations.For most players, this stroke is an intimidating shot. The fear is notnecessary. The motion is not foreign; in some ways we do the samething when we throw a Frisbee or deal cards. The keys to overcomingthis anxiety are the mastery of footwork, shoulder turn, racketpreparation, and follow through. After that, the rest is merely practice.

A few basics that apply to all tennis shots: watch the ball at all times;always take the ball with your momentum going forward, if possible;always take the ball on the rise. Practice looking the ball into the racketface by simply bouncing a ball off the face of it until you can do it 100s of times without missing.


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A. The One-Handed Topspin Backhand

StrokeThe most popular shot now among advanced players is thetopspin backhand. Basic information about this stroke: theracket starts below the ball; the player brings the racket upand through the ball, closing the face of the racket on thefollow through. The shot will take an overspin that will bringthe ball down. The sweep of the racket from below to abovewill determine the trajectory.

Grip for One-Handed Top Spin Backhand Stroke

The Extreme Backhand Grip


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1. Starting PositionW ait for the ball by standing on the center strip holding theracquet with both hands in front of your body as loose aspossible. At this point, you are waiting for a shot so you canswitch your grip easily for a forehand or a backhand grip. Byletting the arms hang and the knees relax then let the torso

bend forward the same degree as the upper legs to getbalanced. W hen the body is balanced the arms can swingfreely.The majority of your weight must be on your toes toes- donot stand flat-footed. Your knees must be slightly bent.


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2 . Get the racket backO nce you see that the ball is going to your backhand, get the racquet back inanticipation of the shot with your backhand grip ready. For the averageplayer, getting the racquet back is a must to enable him to hit the shot inposition.As soon as you get your backhand grip on the racquet you should bring theracquet and shoulders back so that you will be ready to strike the ball when itarrives. The fingertips of the non-dominant hand should remain on the throatof the racquet until you swing forward at the ball.The shoulders should be turned a little more so that your upper body isfacing slightly away from the ball. Your toes should be pointing perpendicularto the direction that the ball is traveling. The foot closest to the ball (rightfoot for righties) should be positioned slightly in front of the body with theother foot trailing behind the body. The knees should be bent moderately.The elbow on the dominant arm is kept near the body and bent comfortably.Keep your elbow close to your body until follow-through.

The racquet should be held slightly below the point of contact and follow astrictly low-to-high swing pattern. The face of the racquet should beperpendicular to the ground. If the racquet face is tilted up or down then youwill likely hit the ball too high/long or into the net. Eyes should remainfocused on the ball.


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3 . Position when hitting the ball

After you have your racquet back in the ready position it is now timeto move yourself into the appropriate position to hit the ball. You canget yourself into better position if you have your racquet back beforeyou move to the ball. W ithout having your racquet back, you don'thave a good notion of where you need to be.W hen moving into position, you should strive to be as smooth aspossible. You want to glide into position while always maintainingyour balance. Staying up on your toes will help you achieve this.Ideally, you would like to position yourself so that when you bringyour racquet straight around your body, you will contact the ball onthe sweet spot of the racquet and about a foot in front of the body.For lower balls you should bend your knees to get your upper body

down to the level of the ball. You do not want to "scoop up" low ballsby bending over and using a non-horizontal swing.


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4 . The swingThe backhand swing should be powered by the body -- not the arm orwrist. The wrist must remain locked in position. The idea is to turnyour upper body, making it pull the racquet around and through theball (sometimes refered to as uncoiling). Your upper body shouldslingshot your arm forward.W hen you contact the ball, the tennis racquet should be about a footin front of the front edge of your body. At this point, the racquet mustbe square to the direction you wish to hit the ball. If your racquet istilted up, down, left or right then the ball is going to go in thatdirection. O nce again, keep your eyes on the ball.J ust prior to contact is when many players will look up to see wherethey want to hit the ball, especially when their opponent is at the net.Don't do this! This is probably the most common cause of mishits. You

must watch the ball all the way into the strings of your racquet. Infact, many teaching pros will tell you to leave your eyes focused onthe point of contact for a full second after you have hit the ball.


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5.

The follow throughJ ust like baseball, golf, and many other sports,you will want to followthrough after you havestruck the ball. You don't want to jolt the racquet

to a sudden stop right after you contact the ball.Let the racquet go "through" the ball whiletraveling from low to high. To maintain balance,let the non-dominant arm swing behind the

body while the dominant arm (and racquet)swing to the front

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Tennis Backhand