Building A World Class One Hander: Preparation

What are the technical reference points for a world class one-hander? In the first two articles in this series, we outlined the multiple factors that go into deciding to hit the one-hander and what the advantages and disadvantages are, especially for young players. (Click Here for Part 1. Click Here for Part 2.) If you have made that evaluation and are excited about developing a one-handed backhand–or if you are looking to improve your existing one hander–let’s move on to the key technical reference points. We start this month with the grips and the options for preparation, and then move on to the forward swing in the following article. There will be a lot more to follow in this series as well. For example a detailed series of drills for working on footwork, racket speed, and how to use the one-hander for both offense and defense–moving back in the court and taking the ball on the rise. I like strong grips. A strong grip is the basis for developing the one-hander as a weapon, with velocity and spin. Research by John Yandell shows that the backhands with some version of this grip from Roger Federer to Stan Wawrinka to Richard…