Backhand Tennis Lesson On Basic One And Two Handed Backhand

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Here i will give a backhand tennis lesson on basic one and two handed backhand.

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Backhand Tennis Lesson: Grip and Early Backswing

The basic one-handed backhand shown in this series of photos is hit with a full Eastern backhand grip, which is well suited to hitting the moderate topspin this stroke will have. A modified Eastern backhand grip will be easier for many players, so it makes sense to try both. They're similar enough that experimenting won't require any major adjustments.

This photo shows the turn toward the backhand side from ready position. In full ready position, the racquet would be held with the left hand on the throat as shown, and both feet would point toward the net. On a one-handed backhand, having the left hand on the throat is especially useful, because it helps to ensure a proper shoulder turn and a well-controlled backswing.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: High Point of Backswing

Stepping forward to meet the ball makes most tennis strokes easier to hit, but it's especially helpful on one-handed backhands. A significant step forward will get your weight moving forward, help keep you sideways, make it easier for you to push forward and upward with your legs as you swing, and focus your attention on meeting the ball well out in front. Take the racquet back roughly waist-high, with your left hand still on the throat.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Middle of Swing

The one-handed backhand groundstroke gets most of its power from linear motion -- from the legs, body, and arm moving forward and upward. The racquet's position roughly a foot below the ball will result in the strings brushing up the back of the ball to create moderate topspin. The long forward path of the racquet will deliver solid power. Most of the body weight is now on the front leg.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: One Frame Before Contact

One video frame (1/30 second) before contact, the racquet head has dropped below the hand noticeably more than in the previous photo taken at mid-swing. When you're first learning this stroke, you shouldn't try to drop the racquet head just before contact, but if you do this naturally, it's not a problem as long as you also naturally bring the long axis of the racquet back toward horizontal to make contact with the ball. This technique increases the upward movement of the racquet head as it approaches the ball, thus adding more topspin to the stroke. It should develop naturally when your stroke is ready for it.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Point of Contact

A one-handed backhand hit with either Eastern backhand grip should meet the ball well in front of your body. With a Continental grip, you can meet the ball a little farther back, but a Continental grip is much better suited to hitting slice than topspin. The rarely used Western backhand grip requires a point of contact even farther forward than the Eastern grips do. Try to have the long axis of the racquet roughly parallel to the ground, your body sideways, and your eyes locked onto the point of contact.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: One Frame After Contact

One video frame after contact, the racquet has risen almost a foot, indicating that the strings have brushed up the back of the ball to create topspin. The back foot, which bears almost no weight, has begun to slide forward. Once you're used to this stroke, you won't think about whether your back foot is sliding forward, but while you're learning, deliberately sliding your back foot forward can help ensure that your weight in on your front foot and moving forward with your stroke.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Middle of Follow-Through

This photo captures the lifting at the shoulder that is the essence of the one-handed backhand. The front leg is straightening as it pushes upward, and the back foot has slid farther forward.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: End of Follow-Through

On a classic, basic one-handed backhand, only at the very end of the stroke will your body turn largely toward the net. In different styles that also work well, you might turn sooner, but the classic style is easiest to learn and for most players, more consistent. The momentum of the swing will usually carry your racquet behind your head.

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Backhand Tennis Lesson: Grip and Beginning of Body Turn

The basic two-handed backhand shown in this series of photos is hit with the most common two-handed backhand grip, which is well suited to hitting the moderate topspin this stroke will have.

This photo shows the very beginning of the turn toward the backhand side from ready position. In full ready position, the racquet would be held as shown, and both feet would point toward the net.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Middle of Backswing

The simplicity and compactness of the backswing for a basic two-handed backhand contribute greatly to the ease of learning the stroke. You needn't complicate the backswing as you get better: Most of the pros use a simple, compact backswing, too. You'll see a few use a more looping backswing.

As you bring the racquet back, turn sideways and prepare to step forward.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Backswing Complete

At the point farthest back on your backswing, the tip of the racquet should point at the back fence.

A sizeable step forward gets your weight moving forward, helps keep you sideways, and makes it easier for you to push forward and upward with your legs as you swing.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Middle of Swing

The basic two-handed backhand groundstroke, hit from this square (sideways) stance, gets most of its power from linear motion -- from the legs, body, and arm moving forward and upward. The racquet's position roughly a foot below the ball will result in the strings brushing up the back of the ball to create moderate topspin. The long forward path of the racquet will deliver solid power. Most of the body weight is now on the front leg.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: One Frame Before Contact

One video frame (1/30 second) before contact, the center of the racquet's string bed is still roughly eight inches below the ball. Having the racquet head lower than the hands at this point helps get it below the ball, which is near the lower limit of comfort for a two-handed stroke. Two-handed backhands have a higher range of comfortable points of contact than do one-handed backhands. As long as the racquet's long axis comes back to nearly horizontal at the point of contact, the dropped racquet head at this stage will help the stroke by giving the racquet more distance to rise as it meets the ball. The more upwardly the racquet face is moving at contact, the more topspin the stroke will produce.

If the ball were higher, the dropped racquet head you see here would be less necessary, and for any ball height, you should avoid dropping the racquet head much more than seen here, because it could result in your "golfing" the ball, which would tend to make you hit long.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Just After Contact

Here, the ball has just left the strings after the racquet met it a few inches forward of the front knee. As noted earlier, this ball is met near the low end of the comfortable range for a two-handed backhand. If the ball were higher, it would ordinarily be met farther back -- as much as a foot farther back at the high end of the comfortable range. With the double forehand two-handed grip, the point of contact would be a few inches farther back, and with a more Western two-handed grip, the point of contact would be a few inches farther forward.

Try to have the long axis of the racquet roughly parallel to the ground, your body sideways, and your eyes locked onto the point of contact.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: Early Follow-Through

Here, less than 1/10 second after contact, at the most forward point of the swing, the racquet has moved roughly seven feet forward from where it was at the full backswing, and it has risen more than three feet from the low point of the swing. This stroke had a good mix of forward drive and topspin, with significantly more of the former.

This photo captures the idea of driving the ball out toward your target, which will help your aim and consistency while still allowing you to create moderate topspin.

Backhand Tennis Lesson: End of Follow-Through

Generally, the longer and faster your swing and the looser your arms, the farther over your shoulder your racquet will end up on the follow-through. Players who can generate lots of power with a very compact motion generally end their follow-throughs with the racquet more out in front.