How to Hit a Backhand Ground Stroke in Tennis

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name's Lincoln Ward, I'm a USPTA certified teaching pro here in Austin, Texas. Today we're going to talk about how to hit a backhand ground stroke in tennis. There's two different back hands you can use in tennis. A one handed backhand, and a two handed backhand. A one handed backhand you're going to pull your racket back with your free hand--if you're right handed you're going to use your left hand to pull your racket back, turning your body completely perpendicular to the tennis court. You're going to put that racket right along your waist as if it were a sword and a sheet. When you go--when the ball bounces and you go to make contact, you're going to step forward with your leading foot, reaching about six inches in front of that foot, to make contact with the ball. You have to make contact in front of your leading foot to drive through the ball, or else it's going to be pushing you around. Now, the two handed backhand, just as it sounds, you're going to hold the racket with two hands, turn your body sideways, pull your racket back with that left hand, and drive through the ball in a similar fashion, reaching over your front foot and driving through with your left hand, following over your shoulder on your opposite side, like your throwing a sack of potatoes over your back. Now, your right hand, if you're right handed, is going to be just there for show. It's not really going to do a whole lot of action. Your non dominant hand, or your left hand, is going to be doing most of the work. Your right hand is just there for show. If you're left handed, it's going to be just the opposite. You're going to drive through with your right hand, whereas your left hand will be kind of sitting there looking pretty. You'll be standing the opposite direction, driving through, again over your dominant foot--your leading foot, and drive through the ball over your shoulder. That's how you hit a backhand in tennis. I'm Lincoln Ward, thank you very much."