Do Hitting Arms Matter? The Two Handed Backhand

In the first article in this series (Click Here) we looked at hitting arm shapes on the forehand. The new wave in technical coaching, led by coaches such as Dr. Brian Gordon and Rick Macci, advocates the straight arm forehand.

It’s hard to argue against that when you look at Carlos Alcaraz, and all time greats Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. And you can find the straight arm up and down the top 100, and even on the women’s side.

Sinner: Double Bend

The point of the article, however, was that Jannik Sinner has a double bend structure and has one of the very best forehands in the game. As important in that article was the point that the obsession with the straight arm in coaching, and especially in serious recreational play, obscures more important underlying fundamentals. Especially when Brian Gordon says very few players can actually hit straight arm anyway.

The take away was that players from beginners on up can and should develop the key underlying fundamentals regardless of arm structure. These are the full turn, and the extension on the forward swing.

And you know what? It’s exactly the same on the two hander.

But what about…