By John Yandell

If you look at competitive junior tennis, it is predominantly, almost exclusively, two-handed backhands. But look at the pro tour, and you find players like Roger Federer, Ivan Ljubicic, James Blake, Tommy Robredo, Fernando Gonzales, Tommy Haas, Justine Henin, and Amelie Mauresmo. That’s eight players who’ve been in the top ten who all hit gorgeous one-handers.

The fact is that in the juniors, the two-hander is the fast track to winning more matches sooner. And that’s understandable. The one-hander may take longer to develop. At the higher levels, it may require supreme athleticism. But it is a gorgeous and supremely satisfying shot to hit. It’s also a versatile weapon that is often more appropriate and effective in adult play. All in all, it may be the better choice for a lifetime in tennis.

In many ways the one-handed motion is technically simpler than the two-hander. There is less body rotation, and also less variation in the movement and rotation of the hands and arms. It’s also tends to facilitate the development of the all-round game. Players with one-handed backhand drives generally hit more effective slices and volleys.

Ultimately the decision about which backhand to develop is personal, and also, related to personality and playing style. But for those who choose to venture down the one-handed path, let’s take a look at the top one-handers in the world, and see what we can learn.

Grips
The pro one-handed backhand falls into two categories, classic and extreme. This is based on grip. Basically, the extreme players rotate the hitting hand backward so that is partially behind the handle. There are variations, but compared to the forehand it’s much less complex.

The two key points to understand are where the player positions the heel pad and the base of index knuckle on the racquet bevels (see photos). An old style classical grip requires the index knuckle on bevel 2 and the heel pad on bevel 1. Federer rotates his heel pad partially behind the handle but still has his index knuckle on the top bevel, or bevel 1. That makes his grip classical. A player like Henin rotates both the index knuckle and the heel pad further, to bevel 7.  This is what makes her grip extreme.

It’s not that you don’t want to initiate preparation immediately upon recognizing your opponent’s shot. You do! But the racquet doesn’t “prepare” independently of the rest of the body.

In the unit turn, the feet and torso turn sideways together. Yes, the racquet moves, but only because the player is holding it with his hands and arms, which are connected to his body. Players can initiate the unit turn with any one of a number of possible step combinations. They can use pivot steps, sideways steps, or drop steps. Which step pattern a player uses to initiate the motion depends on where he is on the court, how he is moving, where the ball is that he is moving toward, and how much time he has to execute.

Regardless of the step pattern, the player turns with the foot closest to the ball, and the opposite foot naturally turns sideways as well. As the feet turn, the hips and shoulders follow. At the completion of the turn, move the hips and shoulders at least 90 degrees so the torso is perpendicular to the net. With the top players the turn can reach 120 degrees or even more when they use advanced closed-stance positioning. Another key point: the players are quite upright from the waist at the completion of the turn.

Backswing
How do you define the size of the backswing on the one-hander? We can see in these photos that the height of the hand and the height of the racquet don’t necessarily go together. You see players with high racquet positions and low hand positions, and vice versa. It may be true that the more extreme players take slightly larger backswings, but notice that the hand rarely if ever comes above shoulder level.

Hitting Arm Position
On all strokes, one essential component in the forward swing is the hitting arm position. This is especially so for the one-handed backhand: The hitting arm is straight at the start of the forward swing and stays that way all the way out through the extension of the stroke.

Watch how virtually every pro player straightens his arm out completely by the time the racquet reaches the bottom of the backswing. This hitting arm structure is critical and the players maintain it all the way through the extension of the swing.

Contact Point
In general we can say that the more extreme the grip, the more in front of the body the contact point, and usually higher, too. But a warning about the extreme grips: What is the contact height of most balls you hit on your backhand? Are you getting waist high balls, or are you playing the ball up around your shoulder? This higher strike zone is natural with the more extreme grips. Extreme backhands, while beautiful, powerful and technically sound, aren’t well suited for most players because most players play the majority of balls at a much lower height. Even at the world-class level, you see this. A player like Roger Federer, who stands in and takes the ball on the rise, has lower contact heights. That’s why it’s not a coincidence that Federer plays with a more classical grip.

The Finish 
The finish of the forward swing, or the extension, is the last point in which the racquet is still moving outward or upward toward the target. Note how similar it is regardless of the grip. The hitting arm is still straight. The wrist has reached eye level and the arm and racquet have traveled only slightly past perpendicular with the net. This is the key position for hitting through the ball and generating pace. (see video).

The Wrap
After passing through the finish position, the players naturally decelerate the swing by continuing across the body to their right side, usually relaxing the arm and letting it bend again at the elbow as they move into the recovery phase. It is sometimes asserted that this wrapping motion is what “produces” racquet head speed. This claim confuses cause and effect. Racquet head speed produces the wrap, not the other way round. Teaching the wrap is a mistake because it tends to alter the shape of the forward swing and restrict the extension as players struggle to yank the racquet up and over their heads.

Opposite Arm
The use of the opposite arm varies player to player, and also from ball to ball. But in general, as the racquet arm starts forward, the opposite arm starts back. When the ball is low, for example on a half volley, all the players, including Federer, will oppose the back arm less. Like the backswing, the use of the left arm appears to be a variable that isn’t dependent on classical or extreme grip styles. It seems clear however that the movement of the opposite arm plays an important role in the stroke for all the players. This is because it controls the torso position and/or rotation. How much is the ideal amount? There isn’t a black and white answer. Regardless of the variations we see in the pro game, experimenting with more pronounced backward arm movement is worthwhile for most players. Over rotation of the hips and shoulders is a common problem, and this is almost always paired with a limited use of the opposite arm. The precise path of the left arm ends up taking for a given player with a given grip may depend on individual factors. But it’s definitely a critical element for all one-handers to develop.

At Tennisplayer.net, created by John Yandell, you’ll find hundreds of articles from top coaches on every aspect of the game—plus the largest digital stroke archive in the world with all the game’s top players.