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I've been playing tennis for more than 5 years now, my best shot would be my western forehand that could make some of my opponents cry "imba!". But my 1hand-backhand is horrible as fuck. When I hit it it's almost surely gonna hit the net or go home run. 1hand backhand is so unforgiving, be a micro-second late with the backswing and you're fucked. When you're late with your position your best option is go for the slice but slice is a defensive shot that can be easily attacked and I don't like playing defensive. I don't know how the hell Federer does his backhand passing shots from impossible positions in the court. Only him can do that. So now I am switching to 2handed backhand. My first problem - finding a male tennis player whom I can pattern my backhand. I can't find a male player with 2H-BH who does a full swing on the backhand, all of them just do a short straight backswing then hit hard with short follow through. Has anyone noticed this yet? Why don't they make a full swing like the women? Compare Cljisters' backhand to say, Murray's backhand and you'll see the huge difference in the swing + body rotation. I want a backhand that could be as powerful and top-spinny as my forehand but it seems like the male pros prefer the short backswing. Maybe it just takes too much time to recover after the shot? Or is it just too effeminating to do a full swing on the backhand? I forgot to ask this when I was learning in a tennis clinic.
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well, the two handed backhand is the basic backhand to go with. i haven't kept up with tennis in years so i don't know who you could emulate a backhand from. I myself don't even have a backhand, i just chop it with backspin every time.
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I too struggled a bit when switching from a 1 handed to a 2 handed backhand. For me it was getting used to generating power from the left shoulder as apposed to the right. As for the backswing, it always felt more natural for me to do a short backswing for the 2H-BH. I never felt a loss of power or accuracy when comparing a short backswing to a full one. Can't really speak for the pros, but I'd say just do whatever feels most natural. Also, if you're using an extreme western forehand, I don't see how your backhand could ever be "as top-spinny".
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i stopped playing tennis and i've lost my backhand but back when i did play my double handed backhand was actually better than my forehand. if you make sure get a lot of body rotation in. you can get so much power and top spin. you lose a lot of reach though so make sure you still have a decent 1 handed backhand.
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marat safin has a great 2 hander, you should probably watch him. the balls go a lot faster at the pro level and it's hard to hit it on the run so a compact swing is best a lot of the time.
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9071 Posts
I played badminton hardcore as a kid for 4-5 years. Once I switched to tennis, my coach wanted me to do the 2H-BH but after a year or so I gave it up and switched to one hand only - it just comes more natural to me since I can apply my wrist in many of the strokes and in badminton the dynamics are coming from the wrist. 1H-BH is easily my best shot. As for the pros Federer doesnt have the best 1hbh- if he did he would easily beat Nadal on clay. Watch Richard Gasquet - this guy has the best backhand ever
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I never realized there were so many avid tennis players in the tl.net forums^^ sweet:-P
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i dont play tennis so when i saw backhand i thought you meant hitting someone lol
yeah im retarded.
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United States10774 Posts
i am a one-hander. i just mix up slice and tospin depending on the angle/situation. footwork is more important for one-handers though, and that's why federer can hit almost any shot from any position (he moves flawlessly). the setup is more critical for one-handed backhands than two-handed , mostly because you have to lean into it more to hit a good topspin backhand. don't underestimate slice. if you get good at them, you can use them offensively to hit a low, well-placed shot. it allows you to step up or even approach the net.
btw, how competitively do you play?
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this
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United States10774 Posts
what the hell? you get the worst post in this thread award
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atleast im in the money. anyways i used to do a one handed backhand but the positioning on it is so much harder you have to have great feet and great knowledge of where to be and of what type of spin your oppnent is putting on it. however i get my best back hands 1 handed but i just stick to 2 handed cause im more consistant with them
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Don't give up on 1-handed backhands!! They're much harder but also give you much better control of the ball. 2-handed backhands just seem like they're more about returning the ball, 1-handed can create shots. Gilles Simon has a really nice 1-handed backhand that's not very powerful but really sets up points, as does Stanislas Wawrinka. If you must switch, Djokovic has an OK 2-handed shot, as does Tsonga.
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earlier this year i was pretty much relying on my extreme western forhand too, but i decided to concentrate on my backhand which was really lacking. in just a few weeks i was gettin some real good consistency and pace off it and now 6 months later i have a full proper 2 hand backhand and i love it.
so i'd encourage you to change, you dont want to be stuck with an inconsistant or slicey backhand.
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On September 23 2009 10:28 passby20 wrote:
Don't give up on 1-handed backhands!! They're much harder but also give you much better control of the ball. 2-handed backhands just seem like they're more about returning the ball, 1-handed can create shots. Gilles Simon has a really nice 1-handed backhand that's not very powerful but really sets up points, as does Stanislas Wawrinka. If you must switch, Djokovic has an OK 2-handed shot, as does Tsonga.
i disagree i have more control and spin with my 2 handed, but with my 1 handed backhand its just kind of a flat really fast down the line shot. i only use 2 handed backhands and 1 handed slices now and it works great.
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i would switch to a 2 hander if i was having all that difficulty you're describing. it's a lot easier to time the ball when you're using a 2 handed backhand. 1 handed backhand is more versatile, but even pros like roddick and safin use 2 handed. and i know this sounds silly, but when my backhand used to be crappy, i wasn't confident taking the shot like with my forehand. after practicing a 2 handed backhand myself until it felt really good, i became more confident with it. so now i can go for those low margin shots like a really fast down the line return with my backhand.
you probably use good topspin with your forehand. as a 2 hander who dabbled w/ one hand backhand for a while, i'd say its easier to be consistent w/ 2 hands than with one. Also i take the shorter backswing because i like to just take the backswing and step into the shot, it feels more natural to do when you're running on the court. bottom line, 1 or 2 hands, whichever makes you more confident is better for your game in the long run.
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I agree in that a 2-hander is easier to be consistent than a 1-hander. It seems like people get more power out of a 1-hander, though. If the full swing is effeminate, who cares? If it helps your play, then go for it. Odds are your opponent would be concentrating more on returning your shot than staring at your form.
Oddly enough, my 2-hander is my best shot... way more consistent and generally better than my standard forehand.
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EPT
