Two Handed Backhand: Part 3
Developing Your Two-Hander

By Doug Eng, EdD PhD

In the first two articles in this series, we’ve looked at the surprising variety of techniques in the two-handed backhand. We’ve also looked at which techniques tend to be "associated” in the strokes of top players.

We started with the grips (Click Here), then progressed to the arm positions, the wrist positions, the backswings, and the radius of the swings. (Click Here.) So as a player, or as a coach, what can you learn from all this about hitting or teaching the two-hander? What are the right techniques for your game?

It’s probably not possible to make absolute judgments as to which techniques might be best for a given player, but let’s discuss the range of options you should consider.

Ideal?

An ideal swing might be a fairly large loop which combines great acceleration with two straight arms at contact, maximizing power from both acceleration and leverage.

But any possible technical combination has to be judged against the ability of the player to execute. The truth is you rarely see this "logical” combination. This is where the concept of associated techniques comes in.

Theoretically, a big C shaped loop on the backswing maximizes the length of the swing and possibly racket acceleration. But players who use this backswing often have the elbows and wrists bent or more bent at contact. This shortens the radius of the swing and the length of the arm/racket lever and may negate any power gain from the larger loop.

This C backswing if coupled with a continental forehand grip, could also make the drop shot heavily spun and effective. But it may not promote a strong all-court game since the backhand volley may be less effective.

For the club player there is an additional issue. The higher racket position in the C loop can cause timing problems. Players with large loops often are late getting the arms and racket in position for the forward swing. Or worse, they never make the right position so that the racket can swing slightly upward toward contact.

As far as the loop goes, a smaller more compact loop on the model of a player such as Agassi may be the best solution for many players. A small loop might also have advantages on fast surfaces or against aggressive players.

When paired with a true continental grip it can also allow backhand volleys to be more penetrating. It may also contribute to the quality of the serve return, and again Agassi is a great example.

The Agassi backswing may be a good model, but the same cannot be said for his arm position with both arms straight at contact. This double straight arm position probably requires greater arm strength.

Unlike Agassi, most players will probably be better off with some bend in one or both arms. Agassi and Nadal are two of the very few players who have made these maximum radius swings work with both arms fully extended or very close to it at contact. The risk is, in a way, similar to the risk of the larger loop. In trying to increase the length of the arm lever, the player may not get to the contact point on time, and the negatives associated with a late contact point out weigh any advantages from the larger radius in the swing.

As we have see, the men tend to straighten out one or both arms, but the women almost universally play with both arms bent. As we speculated in the first article, could this male/female difference be related to shoulder-hip ratio?

Since men have a wider ratio, does this and strength explain their propensity to straighten out one or even both arms and make contact farther away from the body? Since women have difficulty extending the arms, are they compensating with larger loops to try to generate more pace?

Junior Development

Then there is the question of how all these two-handed issues apply to junior players. Often we try to emulate the top players in the world. But should a 9 year old try to emulate the top men with a wide radius swing withone or both elbows straight at contact?

There are developmental issues to consider here including strength, coordination, and racket head speed. Another factor is tennis age: how much tennis has the child played and how much has he learned?

Some younger children may be ready for the full size modern rackets if they are biologically more mature. But most children don’t have the strength or physiology to play certain shots, particularly those that require power or place a premium on movement.

10 and Under

This is where the changes that have come with The 10 and Under Tennis initiative raise some interesting questions regarding the development of technique. Today's juniors under ten can now train, play, and compete with shorter, light rackets and lighter balls.

In the days of wooden rackets, children didn't have that option. Even with the lighter full sized graphite rackets, strength was still an issue. That's why legend Chris Evert picked up the two-handed backhand.

The new court sizes, rackets, and balls require less strength. They also generate lower bounces, more time, lesser impact at contact, less stress on the elbows and wrists, and less twist in the racket on off-center hits.

The question is could this scaling of the game for kids lead to the development of different and possibly more advanced techniques at an early age? Has the wrong equipment limited this in junior players in the past so that their strokes reflected what they were capable of when they were young, and once these habits were set limited long term potential?

Certainly one possible outcome of 10 and Under Tennis may be the reemergence of the one-handed backhand. But regarding the two-handed backhand, will some children naturally develop swings with straighter arms and a longer swing radius?

Could this end up being true even for young female players? And could these mean better two-handed backhands as adults?

It's also possible that many juniors develop bent wrists and elbows due to a limited grip such as the eastern forehand on the dominant hand. Will the new equipment make it more natural for young players to use some version of the continental grip and become more comfortable at the net and hitting slice backhands?

With 10 and Under Tennis promoting the lighter rackets and balls, we already see greater racket head speeds and more all court play. My feeling is that over time we will also see swings develop more rapidly that resemble those of the top players in the world, or maybe even go beyond.

Getting back to the current game, the table reviews how power is currently generated using the two main styles of swings discussed in the previous articles They represent extremes in a continuum of styles that are common among touring pros.

Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova are good examples of these two extremes. Nadal has a compact backswing while Maria’s is larger with a higher racket position. Nadal's arms are straight whereas Maria has two bent elbows. Nadal makes contact further from the body, Maria closer.

But, as mentioned earlier, there are also intermediate swings that combine one bent with one straight elbow. We can see two examples of this in the backhands of Andy Murray and Elena Dementieva, one of the few women with a mixed hitting arm structure. For both players, the left elbow is bent, the right elbow straight and the contact is moderately away from the body.

The bottom line is that regardless of which two-handed backhand elements you try to incorporate, the goal is to make the stroke consistently effective. It should not be limited by the wrong technical associations which could restrict further development if you aspire to get better.

Effectiveness and potential should be the priorities. Good luck with your two-hander and keep those comments and questions coming in the Forum!