Top 3 Drills For Two Handed Backhand In Tennis - Transform Your Tennis Backhand Top 3 Drills For Two-Handed Backhand In Tennis - Transform Your Backhand. For the vast majority of tennis players, the backhand is their weakness. The two-handed backhand in tennis can be a very powerful and consistent shot, players like Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, David Nalbandian, and Marat Safin all have amazing backhands, perhaps the best of all time.
These players are capable of producing heavy topspin or hitting a flatter backhand that takes time away from opponents.
A few of the most important elements of a good two-handed backhand in tennis include:
- Using the top hand to generate topspin
- Creating a low to high swing when going for topspin
- Using the major muscle groups to generate power, this includes the legs and bodyweight transfer, the coil and uncoil of the trunk muscles
- Reaching a good power position on the backhand
Which hand should dominate the two-handed backhand?
For the vast majority of two-handed backhands in tennis, the top hand, your left hand if you are a right-handed player, should be the boss. Normally it should be 60% top hand, 40% bottom hand.
That may change when producing more topspin or going for a short crosscourt angle.
In those cases, the top hand may be leading by 70% or 80%.
When hitting a flatter backhand, the bottom hand can take more of a lead, often it will be 50-50 or 60-40 for the bottom hand. This is because, on those shots, you'll be extending out towards the target much more and hitting through the contact zone with a more linear swing.
To transform your own two-handed backhand, try out these three drills.
Drill One
Topspin vs flat - to isolate and work on each hand separately, firstly start off hitting shots with your top hand only.
Keep the same grip you normally use on the back and use the open stance to work the left side of your body, assuming you're right-handed. Here you will be focused on brushing up the back of the ball producing topspin.
Then alternate between using your top hand and the bottom hand. With the top hand, keep working on the brushing motion and with the bottom hand, focus more on extending out, through the contact point.
Finally, hit one shot with the top hand only, then the bottom hand only, then both hands.
Drill Two
Power production - start in the power position, focus on having the racket head higher than the grip level, creating leverage in the arms and racket head. Leverage is basically force over the ball.
Lift your front foot off the ground and load up on the back leg. As your coach or partner drop feeds the ball, you then step forward and transfer the body weight into the shot.
Focus on opening up the body and pivoting around the front foot.
Drill Three
Rotational Power - In this drill, you'll be using a medicine ball or a football (soccer ball). Focus on turning the shoulders and storing energy in the trunk muscles, especially the side abdominals.
As you throw the ball, focus on uncoiling and really go for it.
Video Timeline:
00:00 - Top 3 Drills For Two-Handed Backhand In Tennis Video Intro
00:19 - Which hand should dominate the two-handed backhand?
1:13 - Generating topspin and control on your two-handed backhand (drill one)
5:23 - Generating power on your two-handed backhand (drill two)
7:46 - Rotational power on your two-handed backhand (drill three)
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