One Hand or Two Handed Backhand in Tennis

The backhand tennis stroke has transformed incredibly since the 1980's and now the majority of men and most of the women players use a two handed backhand. In fact in men's Tennis only Federer of the top players playing the 2010 Australian Open this week, uses a one handed stroke.

The backhand can be used for a variety of shots and there are distinct advantage of a two handed backhand over a one handed backhand in most instances.
Damir Popadic breaks it down shot by shot on the ITF coaching website and suggests which shot is better and why.

• Return of Serve - Two handed is better as it allows the player to use a short back swing and to play the stroke with an open stance (hips facing forward).
• Running backhand - Two handed is better as a single handed stroke requires better positioning. A one handed stroke requires a rotation of the hips and shoulders and a longer back swing making it more difficult to hit on the run.
• Approach shot (to the net) - Two handed shot allows the shot to be hit with an open stance which gives the player more time to approach the net. The player does not need to complete his rotation before approaching the net as he would with a one handed shot.
• Low balls - Two handed shot allows for more stability and it is easier to scoop the ball up with a stable base. The one hand shot will be difficult to control.
• Short low balls - Popadic suggests that neither shot has the edge here, but the one handed shot has the advantage of reach and with a strong wrist a satisfactory shot could be played.
• Very wide balls - here again Popadic gives no advantage either way, but just like the short low ball, the one handed shot has the extra reach and a strong wrist action (such as Federers) could produce a fantastic shot.
• Balls hit at the body - Here the single handed backhand has the definite advantage. With a single handed shot the player is able adjust his racket position enough to block the ball back.
• Slice shot - Now here is a shot that can only be played one handed. This is also an important shot for defense and staying in a rally. It is also a great shot to use to change the pace of a point. There is no good way to play this shot two handed and therefore even a player with a two handed backhand will need to play the slice one handed.

It seems from Damir Popadic's analysis that the two handed stroke must be far superior to the one handed backhand. However we all know the world number 1 tennis player, Roger Federer, uses one hand and seems to have as much power and precision as the other top 10 players using two hands.

Most pundits though believe that Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray's two handed backhand is better than Federer's one handed version. But lets take a look at two down the line drives, one from Federer and the other from Andy Murray. Although I believe Nadal has the best backhand in tennis today, it is more difficult to make a comparison because he is a left hander.

Although both these videos show a backhand drive down the line, you will notice that they are not filmed from the ideal position and Federer's shot is from a waist high ball, while Murray is hitting a ball around chest high.





It is interesting to note that with a backhand drive both players need to setup correctly, turning their hips and shoulders 90 degrees to the direction in which they are going to hit the ball and taking big backswings. It looks as if Federer's backswing is bigger than Murray's, but with the different camera angles it is not possible to be definitive here. So the two handed advantage of a more balanced, open stance does not apply when comparing these two backhands as both players use a closed stance.

Watching the shot itself, we see Federer rotate his hips and shoulder further away from the court to create potential energy (wind up) just before the shot. He then swings through the ball using both his hips and shoulders to create power, hitting the ball almost in line with his body to ensure that it goes straight down the line and not cross court.

Murray on the other hand rotates 90 degrees to the court in preparation for the shot but then does not rotate further away to increase his potential energy. This is a result of the two handed grip he uses and possibly also because the ball is bouncing high. You will see that although he does rotate his shoulders toward the ball, it is not nearly as much as Federer's rotation. Instead he create power by using both arms to hit the shot. He too meets the ball with the racket in line with his body.

The follow through of both players is also of interest. Federer follows through all the way opening up his shoulders and finishing with his racket above his head. Murray's follow through is almost as big but he does not take the racket high above his head because both hands are on the racket.

So which backhand is better?
Federer is using his whole body, with a big back swing and follow through and lots of rotation to create power. He needs, and does have a strong wrist and forearm and is able to control the ball with that strength.
Murray uses his two hands to control the shot, but also needs to take a big back swing and follow through and to rotate his shoulders in order to create power. He supplements that rotation power by using both hands.

Both backhands are powerful and precise. When Federer's backhand goes wrong though it can go horribly wrong, but if he gets it right with timing and position he is often hitting a winner. Murray is less likely to hit a wild backhand shot.

Federer though seems to have a much wider variety of backhand shots than Murray or even Nadal for that matter. Nadal and Murray may hit heavier backhand topspin shots, but Federer seems to be able to flick and block and change his shot whenever he pleases.

As the two handed backhand seems to be more efficient and better for players with less racket control and wrist strength (everyone other than Federer), it is likely that we will see less players using a one handed backhand. For now we can enjoy watching Federer's backhand mastery and compare it to the awesome power and control of Nadal's and Murray's.

Have a great week.

Table Tennis BackHand TopSpin

Table Tennis, which is sometimes known as "Ping Pong" in the USA is a dynamic sport requiring fast reactions from its players. A professional and skilled player is able to impart various types of spin to the ball, to keep their opponent on the defense and limit their options.

The backhand topspin shot is just one way to impart spin. Below is a great video describing the technique needed to hit a good shot both across the table and down the line.



This video is a fantastic example of using video footage to analyze motion. The camera is setup directly in front of the table tennis player so that we can see well how he changes his stance and hits the backhand topspin shot.

Table tennis is great exercise and fun to play. Learning a few different shots by watching and analyzing video, will help you enjoy the game even more.

How to Slide on a Clay Tennis Court: Video Analysis

Every year around May the pro tennis players make the switch from the hard courts in the US to the clay courts of Europe in their quest to be the world's best. Playing on clay forces the players to make changes in their game and as we know not many players are able to adapt completely and win on both the hard and clay court surfaces. Amongst the men, only Rafa Nadal has proved he can win consistently on both, while the women have only seen Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova as perfect examples.

The differences between playing on a hard or grass court and on clay are are logical as well as tactical. Here are a few:

1. The clay court is softer and therefore puts less stress on the players' joints.
2. The ball moves slower on most clay courts than on hard courts. This means players cannot dominate with their serves.
3. The ball "sits up" more on clay, which means that it seems to hang in the air ready to be hit. This is why players hit more topspin shots on clay.
4. Baseline ground strokes are much more prevalent than volleys on clay because of the reasons described above. The players find it difficult to hit a good approach shot. Failure to hit a good approach may allow their opponent to have a chance to hit a passing shot.
5. Top players slide into shots on clay. This is more difficult to do on other surfaces.

We are going to analyze the slide shot on a clay surface. Players slide on clay so that they can change direction more quickly after hitting their shot. It's easier to stop and turn on hard courts because of the surface's friction; however clay courts can be slippery, and once a player stops running and positions his feet to hit a shot, his momentum will cause him to slide on the surface.

Therefore if the player does not slide correctly he will overrun the ball or cramp his shot. Assuming he was able to return the ball effectively he would then need to stop his momentum so he could return to the middle of the court and prepare for the next shot.

Let's look at some video. We found some video of one of the greatest female tennis players, Steffi Graf, sliding on a clay court. Watch it below:



We can see Steffi running and sliding into a forehand and then doing the same for a backhand. We can also see that she uses the slide to help her change direction and prepare for her next shot. In both her forehand and her backhand, she slides first and hits the shot at the end of the slide. This means she is hitting the shot from a set position.

We also note that after sliding and hitting the shot she no longer has any momentum carrying her further away from the center of the court. She can now recover quickly and get ready for the next shot. Watch how she is slides into her forehand and is able to quickly recover and get ready to run for the next shot, the backhand. Once again she slides before hitting the backhand and easily changes directions to get back into position to hit the winner against Monica Seles who is approaching the net in this point.

Before starting to slide we also see that Steffi positions her feet correctly in preparation to hit the shot she wants. She does not try to reposition her feet once she is sliding and before hitting the shot.

Our video analysis of Steffi Graf sliding on a clay court gives us some insight on how to slide correctly on clay. Here are some pointers:

1. Slide before hitting the shot. This means your timing has to be perfect so that you slide into the correct position to hit a good shot.
2. The slide is about recovery and changing direction. Therefore you do not want to continue to slide after you have hit the shot. After hitting the shot you need to be almost stationary so that you can push off and recover for the next shot. Once again timing is critical here.
3. Get your feet into the correct position to hit the shot you want, before starting your slide. Once you are sliding you will find it difficult to change your stance without messing up the shot or falling over.
4. You need to be able to slide for both forehand and backhand shots. If you cannot slide in one direction then your opponent may be able to take advantage of this weakness. Therefore when you practice sliding on clay, practice sliding to hit a forehand as well as a backhand.

This year's French Open Tennis has already begun and we are excited to watch the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Safina. We will be watching as they slide around the courts and looking for more clues to how to slide effectively on clay.

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