Scott Murphy: The High Backhand

One of the smartest tactics you can use against virtually any player is to hit high bouncing balls to their backhands. For most club players dealing with a high ball on the forehand side is bad enough, but a high ball to the backhand can be sheer torture!

What can you do to start playing this difficult shot more comfortably and confidently? In the last article we looked at various strategies for dealing with the high forehand, now let’s do the same on the other wing. We’ll examine how to avoid the high ball altogether, but also, how to deal with it effectively and even aggressively when you have to make higher contact.

The topic of the high ball is actually more complex on the backhand side than the forehand. First, you have the one-handed and the two-handed backhand options to consider. Plus you have the slice option, which can be utilized by either one-handers or two-handers.

So there is a lot to consider. Let’s see how to decide what ball to play, based on an understanding of your style, your capabilities and your limitations. This includes not only how many hands you use, but also, the impact of grips,…