Response to One Hand Backhand Blog

[GeoffWilliams]

I'd like to see a guy with fed/nadal combo forehand, stanimals bh, raonic serve, edberg volley, sampras accuracy, all with one handed determination to kill all comers. Not going to happen though.

[johnyandell]

10 and under tennis is changing that.

[GeoffWilliams]

Children aren't' strong enough to hit a one hander well. One hand dominated until Connors/Borg/Evert made inroads, Frew McMillan/others notwithstanding. Until the strength issue is dealt with children won't ever want to learn a one hander, and now they are all taught to run around everything they can no matter the territorial cost. There is one man in the world off one hand that can handle nadal's topspin: and he's not Federer.

[johnyandell]

And here are more!

Your email touched something I've been thinking about recently, spurred by reading your article about one handers in your most recent issue, specifically, your thoughts in the last paragraph regarding the way in which the two-hander generally becomes obsolete in one's 30s and 40s. By way of background, I'm a USPTA pro. I own my own court, but have a pretty active program, with about 60 players, including about 40 juniors.

As a player, I've gone back and forth. I learned a one hander in high school, and played primarily as a hard serving power baseliner, so I generally didn't use the shot. I used both shots in college. Post college, I converted to serve-volley play and began using the one-hander exclusively. I developed tendinitis in my right elbow, switched back to a two-hander and converted to play as a baseline counterpuncher--the game. However, I can play with either shot, and generally switch back and forth, depending on how many balls I'm holding in my hand. I've taught both shots to adult players, based on their expressed preference, and I feel comfortable teaching either.

I had never taught a junior player to hit a one-handed topspin backhand until recently (which I will detail in the next paragraph). However, I teach the slice generally within the first month of lessons--I make it a priority even with the smallest students that they take a hand off the racquet on their backhand side to build racquet face awareness. It's not something I've always done, so it's striking to me how my longtime students have awkward looking slice backhands, while more recent students look entirely natural and turn to it's use appropriately. I begin with dead ball, handfeed drills to introduce its use on balls when one is stretched wide, but I rapidly move to live ball control drills, and then integrate it into short court games in which kids must hit all balls with underspin and can only use one hand on backhands.Since most of my curriculum is game-based, I try to force its use in games in the early stages of player development. I've noticed that kids seem to have an easier time learning the backhand volley if I move from short court underspin backhand groundstrokes to volleys than vice versa.

Though I've taught one-handers to adults over the years, I admit that I've lacked the courage to do so with juniors. As you've noted, the arm strength is rarely there to stabilize the racquet face during contact on a topspin racquet path. However, one of my players broke his non-dominant hand a year ago. He pretty quickly drove his mom nuts, so she started bringing him to clinics in a cast. He's a special player--he loves learning, he'll try new things, he's always positive and he never, ever decelerates on his strokes. So he played with a one-handed slice exclusively during that period and developed a strong shot. When he got back use of his second hand, I noticed that he had altered his takeaway on his backhand in a strange way. I kept watching it, noting how inconsistent his two-hander had become (both the timing and his ability to generate appropriate power with the shot were diminished), until one day, I had an epiphany. His takeaway, including the height his right hand rose to on the backswing, and the way he set his right shoulder, resembled a one-hander. I sent him home with some links to Justine Henin, Roger Federer, and Stan Wawrinka backhand videos, and suggested he watch them and consider whether he'd like to make the change. We began with short court rallies with red balls, and within a few weeks, he'd made the conversion. His one hander is already stronger than his two hander was, and, while he's always been an aggressive allcourt player, he's much more opportunistic now off short balls to his backhand, coming to net whenever possible.

Thanks for helping tennis instructors like myself keep the long term picture in mind. I've never been a coach who strives for ranked juniors; I like to think I'm giving people a game they can play and love their whole lives, and if I push kids to develop too early, I'm risking burnout and kids leaving the game in their late teens. It's worth considering the trajectory of the average player's playing career, and how they'll spend more of their lives needing a one-handed backhand than they will slugging two-handers in baseline marathons.

Best,
Michael Gerard


It's important to point out that 50% of the success of the single handed is its disguise element which the double doesn't have. It's still a flawed shot though at pro level(except for stan)unless volleys come back into the game then it's a real weapon. In terms of recreational tennis it's a real weapon, slice approach and volley , say no more. Wish I had one.
Niall

Great stuff as always. I'm biased since I've always had a one handed backhand but I can say that when I play a young buck (I'm 50) they tend to hit tons of topspin and can handle my topspin forehand no sweat. But the slice is a killer for them. They hate it and some get so frustrated and angry they blow up in the match. This year I've even added a forehand slice because the mixture of that with the topspin can be very effective.

Having said that I am not sure that the one-hander is definitely better but worth trying just in case. If the two-hander works better for a person they should go with it but there is something fun about having a one-hander.

Kris Tutle


A GOOD analysis - right on!!

Dick Gould

[johnyandell]

Tennisplayer Community,

The response to my last blog piece has been amazing. If you missed it, I basically was making the point that the one-handed backhand is alive and should be much more lauded, utilized and taught.

Here's the link:

http://www.tennisplayer.net/blog/the-one-handed-backhand-so-dead-or-is-that-so-alive/

And here is the litany of responses!

I switched to a one hander when I was around 10 or so. It's now a great weapon for me. And in my 40s I don't move as well (and never moved like pro or even close) and I really appreciate the ability to reach further with a one hander when I have to. I can vary my grip and get more or less topspin and when I have time to set up I can destroy the ball. I slice and volley and just love the freedom and flexibility of the one hander. Tommy Hass' I actually prefer to Stan's. I think Hass has a more compact and cleaner stroke. I think it's the best one hander in the game. His backhand return is fantastic. Stan's is awesome too though.

Ralph Axel
New York City


My one-handed backhand has been historically the best one-handed backhand I’ve ever had…I think that says it all. Rod



Very interesting email.
I would agree with your comments.
Interestingly enough here in Ireland I am seeing a lot more juniors using the one hand backhand to great effect and maybe it's because of Stan who is very well known in Europe.

I string at the Irish home Davis Cup matches for the past few years and again I see some of the Irish lads on the periphery of the Davis Cup team playing with a one handed backhand.

Anyway, keep up the great work you do with TennisPlayer.Net.

Regards,
Peter



Very thoughtful piece you wrote.

My thinking is that the two-hander is one of the biggest game-changers of the last 40-50 years. On its own, as a stroke, it has a lot going for it that the one-hander doesn't.
- Indeed, there are a good amount of one-handers among the elite -- and these days, in pro tennis, that one-hander better be darn good.
- But I also think in some ways the one-hander's beauty is its downfall. Just so hard at the pro level to sustain excellence with it, particularly in today's slow court game that's mostly about forceful defense.
- So in this sense, the two-hander is such a big-time shot.

- On the other hand, seeing two-handers deployed by civilians -- along with the Western forehand -- is in many ways strangling the recreational game. As you wisely point out, the skill set is horribly narrow. How does someone who learns to play like that build engagement with this sport for a lifetime? I even see this these days when I watch many people born after 1970 play singles and doubles -- negligible ability to mix up speeds and spins, horrible transition skills, pitiful volleys. Jeez, is someone past the age of 28 really going to enjoy tennis playing like Borg? Even Borg got bored doing this.
... and let's not get started on people who teach themselves a two-hander and will likely end up with injuries . Alas . . .
Best,
Joel Drucker

You are absolutely correct – as the two-handed population ages up, it would be interesting to see how many 50 year olds can still hit a two handed backhand. When players are young and hit with lots of spin it’s an advantage to be able to handle a high ball – this is what a two handed backhand gives you. As players age, the spin is gone and a one handed backhand is easier to handle the lower balls. I bet the current crop of two handers just quit the game as they age because it’s too difficult.
Cliff Meagh

I think as long as you use an eastern forehand it is pretty easy to take a hand off for some slice and easy to back hand volley. Plus two hands is easier to come over on a backhand approach. See raonic slicing to the open court on approaches against fed instead of coming over.

Mathew Anderson




Good take on the issue.

An interesting example at the pro level is 21-year-old Dominic Thiem, who made his move on the ATP (currently 52) after his coach Gunter Bresnik switched him from a two-hander to a one-hander that is perhaps his best shot.

As for the impact on the recreational example, as a mere weekend hacker I suspect it is a bit like the severe Western forehand grip -- makes sense at the pro level because of the constant, high bouncing balls, but we don't see those are my level. Similarly, the strengths of the two-hander on the pro level -- handling balls above the shoulder and stability in service returns -- as also less relevant.

I can't comment on player development, it's outside my scope, but intellectually I found comments by Jim Courier and Philipp Kohlschreiber about hybrid one-handers appealing. Instead of grafting slice onto a two-hander, they suggest the possible evolution of using the one-hander as the base stroke and adding the left hand for the subset of shots where that has an advantage.

jim



I am not a coach but I love the game. One question that I keep asking myself is would it be so sacrilegious to think that, maybe, just maybe, one could actually learn both techniques and work on when to use one of them depending on the situation? I mean, granted, Tsonga is not the top player he once was but, he is one who, as a two-hand backhander would not mind resorting to one-hand backhand when he felt he would need it, didn't he? How many times have we seen him, on a running backhand situation resorting to a brushed one-hand backhand stroke instead of a defensive slice? If one could master both techniques, wouldn't he be a better rounded player?

Guy Pisapia


"The Two Handed Back-Hand is a waste of good talent for inmmediate results." Peter Burwash I agree.

Regards,
Miguel


John, I agree completely. Which is why you need to somehow get some footage of the best one handed backhand of the open era -- Petr Korda! There is no decent analysis of his technique anywhere on the Internet. And he could rally quite comfortably cross court with Lendl's forehand. Please get some video!

Stephen


I agree with you ! IMHO the faster the courts get (again) the more one handed backhands can have a positive effect on a player’s game. even if the top world pros will hit two handers in future. the distinct advantage is the versatility you get with better slices, better chips, better backhand volleys - these strokes become simply more important at fast courts.
So, long live the one handers !

cheers
alex