The Backhand Drop Shot Deconstructed: Key Technical Details
Chris Lewit
Let's explore the various versions of the backhand drop shot for both one handed and two handed backhanders.
In Part 1 (Click Here), we dissected the forehand drop shot. Now let's explore the technique and nuances of the one handed and two handed backhand drop shots. In a third upcoming article I will also share some of my favorite ways to practice soft touch shots.
Grip
The grip is almost always a continental grip although some players use an eastern forehand grip. Though two handed players who have a weak eastern forehand grip with their dominant (lower hand)—sometimes use that grip for executing the drop shot.
A grip closer to eastern forehand can also be purposefully used to get more loft and extreme backspin on drop shots. That type of grip can help cut the ball more and generate swerve. It can also be helpful on very low balls because the grip helps to open the racquet face, adding height to the drop shot to clear the net.
Chris Lewit, former #1 for Cornell and Pro Circuit player, has coached numerous top 10 nationally ranked juniors and is a leading coach, educator, and author. He has written two best-selling books, The Secrets of Spanish Tennis and The Tennis Technique Bible.
Chris runs a popular high performance summer tennis camp in the beautiful mountains of Vermont and coaches players world-wide through his virtual school, CLTA Online (CLTA.teachable.com).
Chris also produces a weekly high performance tennis video talk show and podcast, The Prodigy Maker Show, which is available on Apple Podcasts and all other podcasting directories. All shows can be accessed at ProdigyMaker.com.
Check out Chris's blog, also at ProdigyMaker.com for free articles on high performance junior development and Spanish training. Learn about his camp at ChrisLewit.com or visit the online academy at CLTA.teachable.com
The Secrets of Spanish Tennis
What makes Spanish tennis so unique and successful? What exactly are those Spanish coaches doing so differently to develop superstars like Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer that other systems are not doing? These and other questions are answered in The Secrets of Spanish Tennis, the culmination of five years of study on the Spanish way of training by USTA High Performance Coach Chris Lewit.
