Myth of the Backswing: The Backhand

“Get your racquet back early!” It’s a universal mantra in club tennis and tennis teaching. Perhaps you believe in “early racquet preparation” and have labored hard to follow this sacred advice. If so, you are the victim of one of the most powerful myths in tennis: the myth of the backswing. The idea that the backswing is the key to good preparation is a myth that has caused great damage to players at all levels.

How can the backswing be a myth? All strokes have a preparation phase, and obviously, this must involve the racquet at some point. But the fact is good players don’t initiate their forehands by “taking the racquet back.”

The real key to early preparation is not the racquet, but the shoulders and feet. The first move is a full body turn, or a unit turn, initiated with the feet and the torso. There is no independent arm movement. The backswing is a secondary phase that follows this first move with the body.

What are the drawbacks of starting your forehand with a “backswing”?

If the arm moves independently at the start of the motion, the bio-mechanics of the entire stroke are thrown out of sequence….