IS ONE-HANDED BACKHAND DEAD?

 

One-handed Backhand is just much much more

convenient and natural for “grown-up” players.

On the other side, One-Handed backhand is much more used among adults and those

players who didn’t start tennis very young.

The reason you see on (TV) tennis tournaments much more players who play backhand with

two hands is logical and natural, because competition players start very young,

with ages of 5, 6, 7, latest 8 or 9. Even the age of 9 is nowadays considered as

“maybe a bit late”.

Kids can easily stroke their Backhand using both hands. Not rarely do kids use

both hands to hit the Forehand as well. That is normal, as it is

normal to hit “two-handed Forehand” when you want to hit a baseball, right.

The conclusion is that both types are natural and they will not die.

Fortunately, One hand will always be the recommendation by a good tennis coach

when an adult beginner asks which type of Backhand to choose.

A grown-up person gets developed as “righty or lefty”. If a coach gives to an adult

the instruction to hit a backhand with both hands, it will be not only awkward but

very uncomfortable for the “lumbar” part because of the dorsal spine rotation.

I have made many transitions from Two to One-handed backhands. It is actually

my specialty.

Usually, there are three main reasons why a player wants to switch

from 2 into 1 handed:

1. Lumbar pain due to stance and follow-through finishing position.

There is no lumbar movement while producing a good One-handed Backhand.

One can hit strong even just a few days after spine operation!

2. Weak stroke – two hands can not move fast as one can (imagine you want to

through a frisbee with both hands, right?)

One-handed type has much more space for the backswing and “freedom” and has

“catapult elastic spring energy” so this is much easier to hit stronger.

3. Pain in the right hand during palmar flexion during 2 handed backhands.

The right hand is in the position where the palm is facing our body.

When we switch to one-hander, the right wrist/palm makes different

positioning. it is facing the floor. There is no palmar flexion motion.

The motion that our hand makes is like cleaning the table using only

left-right wrist movements while the arm is still and straight.

4. The 4th reason that comes to my mind is the advantage of One-handed over

Two-handed Backhand is the precision!

In One-handed Backhand our position is all the time side, and before and

during and after the hit. It means that our racket has the longest possible

contact i.e. ball guiding toward the chosen target.

In Two-handed Backhand, we do not “travel” with our racket/strings that long

toward the target. Left-arm can not stretch forward that long as the right arm can,

so the “one-handed guiding contact” of course lasts much longer when we are

in a side position doing a One-handed Backhand.