Things You'll Need:
- A tennis racquet and willingness to learn
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Step 1
If you use a one-handed back hand tennis swing,and have been having problems with it,this is the article for you. First of all, the number one rule in my book that any good tennis player should know about hitting any tennis shot in general not just ground strokes,but your serve,volley,slice,overhead,etc, is to know where your "Hitting Zone" is for each shot,and to try and hit each shot in that zone everytime. Your "Hitting Zone" is the point in your shot rotation where your whole body lines up to meet the ball at the same time, not just your arm. By always hitting shots in your "Hitting Zone" you ensure that you hit with maximum power and control because you'll be hitting shots with your whole body weight not just your arm. You'll make your tennis experience a whole lot easier on yourself by following this one foundational rule alone.
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Step 2
With that having been said you will also have to have great footwork because in order to hit the most shots in your "Hitting Zone", you're going to have to be able to move quick enough to get to the ball in time to be able to setup to hit it in your "Hitting Zone". So always work on your footwork because this coupled with your "Hitting Zone" go hand and hand.
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Step 3
Alright,so now that we have the important foundational rules covered lets move on to the technique for hitting a one-handed backhand. First of all you need to know how to grip your racquet. I personally use an eastern grip which is where the skin between your thumb and index finger covers the top left bevel of the raquet (refer to the picture). Next on the one-handed back hand swing your "Hitting Zone" will be located directly in front of your knee cap as you step forward into the shot. Now, when you perform this shot,you want to always turn to the left and bring your racquet back once you see the ball approaching you.You'll want to bring it back until you can see your shoulder in front of you.This will prepare you to build up the necessary racquet head speed you'll need to hit the ball.
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Step 4
Next, as you come through to hit the ball you'll want to picture yourself stepping into the shot rotating your whole left part of your body to meet the ball not just your arm. You should picture it as if you're hitting through with your shoulder and the rest of your arm as being an extension. This shot is a rotation of your whole body not just a swing. As you rotate you'll want to time it to where you meet the ball in front of your right knee cap because this is your "Hitting Zone" on the backhand side or in other words, the point in your swing rotation where your whole body lines up to meet up to make contact with the ball giving you maximum power and top spin.Also as you make contact with the tennis ball, you'll want to make sure the racquet head is open so that center or "Sweet Spot" of the raquet can make contact with the ball as you rotate into it.Then follow through keeping the raquet head stiff for maximum top spin. You should finish with the racquet being above the level of your head on the right side of your body. To direct the ball where you want it to go,you will simply shift your body weight in the particular direction that you want to hit it. The main thing you want to remember is that tennis shots are rotations of your whole body weight into the ball in your correct hitting zone,not just a swing,and it's one of the biggest misconceptions in hitting tennis shots especially for beginners. Every professional tennis player knows this,and that is why they are able to hit the ball with so much power and control.
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Step 5
One last thing. Practice,practice,practice this technique over and over again until it's second nature. Any shot in tennis, even though it's the right way to hit it will feel unnatural at first because your mind isn't used to it. By practicing it over and over again you will create a groove in your mind for hitting the shot,and get yourself used to it. You will also make the technique stronger than what it was intitially. I would suggest, especially if you're a beginner to just practice the technique without the ball for like 10 or 20 minutes a day until it becomes second nature to you until you reach the point where you don't have to think about how to hit it anymore because tennis is a very fast sport. Usually if you have to think about how to hit a shot in tennis,you're going to be to late. If you're a lefty the same rules apply just vice versa, being your left side . By practicing these techniques over and over, you'll be on your way to hitting a perfect backhand tennis shot in the shortest amount of time possible.
Comments
starlet67 said
on 3/4/2009 Well written article on this tennis shot!I always use a two-handed backhand but now I can'tplay anymore b/c I wore my knees out!thanks for the great info anyway!5*