TennisOne — The High Two-Handed Jump Backhand

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The High Two-Handed Jump Backhand

Tom Downs

In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s I would regularly watch Michael Chang hit unbelievably hard two-handed backhands with a jump up into the ball. Chang would jump off of his inside leg while his outside leg would almost kick him in the butt. Michael created a tremendous amount of pace by launching himself into the ball in this fashion, and in the mid to late 90s, players such as Marcelo Rios and Marat Safin, both former world number one players, would also hit this shot on a regular basis. In today's game, we see many male players hitting this shot with relative ease, along with some female players.

Click photo: Julien Benneteau is one of many players who use this shot from deep in the court to create pace and take control of a point.

When the Shot Is Used

This jump two-handed backhand is used by players to create pace off of midcourt and short balls. This means that it is an offensive shot used by players to either finish points or to punish short balls with the intention of finishing the point at net with some sort of volley.

Players such as Marat Safin would often hit this shot off of high deep balls, as well as short balls. It is a great way to create pace in order to take control of a point because It allows you to get a lot of body weight and forward momentum going up and into the ball. It also takes time away from the opposition, as you hit the ball on the rise in your strike zone.

There is no doubt that this is an advanced move but I believe it is all about ball judgment and commitment, much the same as mastering any other stroke in tennis. This is why I believe that advanced club players can execute this shot with success.

Click photo: Like Rios before him, Marcos Baghdatis has incredible discipline when hitting This shot. He judges the flight of the ball and then the bounce of the ball very well, so that he can get his feet into position to execute it aggressively.

Click photo: Once in position, Kei Nishikori does a tremendous job of loading his weight on his inside leg and he launches off of this leg up and into the ball. He still hits up on the ball, and like Baghdatis, he always makes contact on the rise in the strike zone.

Like any shot that is executed well, the discipline required to hit this shot with success is very high. Rios had incredible ball judgment, along with near perfect timing and easy power, so for him it was an easy option to hit this shot when he could pull the trigger and either end the point or set himself up for an easy volley put-away.

The key for elite level club players is focus on the ball. In this way they can time the jump off the inside leg. During contact, the player will be off the ground. I have seen a lot of players attempt this shot with their feet set too early, so it is important to watch the rotation of the ball and judge the bounce carefully to avoid setting the feet and starting the jump too soon.

Players must still remember to hit up on the ball. It is very easy to hit down on this shot, and net errors are common. As you would in a regular crosscourt groundstroke, the outside leg and hip must be behind the ball, and to execute this shot down the line, a player must get around the ball. To me, it is an all or nothing shot to a large extent. I say this because if you do not execute the shot well, as you land back on the court, it is easy to be caught off balance and out of position for the next shot. The good news for club players is that this shot can be executed by both taller and shorter players, as is evident on the ATP tour.

Differences Between the Regular Two-Handed Backhand and the Jump Backhand

Click photo:

Marat Safin (left) loads the weight on the inside part of his outside leg and shifts the weight forwards as he swings. He still makes contact in his strike zone, but when he hits his regular backhand, it is usually off of a lower trajectory ball.

On the higher ball, Safin uses the high backhand jump and he brings the racquet up a little higher so that it is easier for him to hit more through the ball. Club players need to so the same. His unit turn is still the same as for a regular two-handed backhand. Being able to have both of these backhand options enables this shot to be a tremendous weapon for him and many other players in today's game.

In a typical two-handed backhand, a player will turn as a unit and load the weight on the inside part of their back leg. The player will then shift the weight forward as they swing.

In this two-handed backhand jump shot, the unit turn is the same, but the weight is loaded on the inside leg and the player will launch up and into the ball on this inside leg. The outside leg will almost kick up high enough to kick the player in the butt. The contact is made with the player in the air and after contact, the inside leg will land on the court first followed by the outside leg.

I sometimes see the players who execute this shot regularly and successfully bring the racquet up a little higher than usual which makes it easier for them to hit more through the ball. The racquet still travels in a slight low to high swing pattern but players try to drive through the ball with this shot, as it is used to create pace.

Click photo: A great way to get a feel for the high backhand jump, is to have a practice partner stand on the same side of the court as you, and have them pitch you a ball. Execute this high backhand jump move as you take the ball out if the air with no bounce.

Remember, this shot is an advanced move, but having said that, like anything else in tennis, it just requires rehearsal with discipline. It can feel awkward at first, but it is a shot that you can use to create pace. I firmly believe the more tools a player has in their arsenal, the better off they will be. To me, this shot can be a weapon. And certainly an element of surprise.

Learning Two-Handed Jump Backhand

The best way to learn this shot is to watch the pros execute it. Then try doing some shadow swings to engrain the muscle memory some. Once you feel comfortable executing this advanced move with the shadow swings, then have a coach or practice partner stand on the same side of the court as you, slightly in front of you at about a 45 degree angle and pitch you a ball. Try hitting the ball out of the air with no bounce while performing this move (as shown above).

Another good way to learn this shot, is to do the same drill as mentioned above, but make sure that the player hitting the shot starts by standing on their inside leg only with the foot of their outside leg about to kick themselves in the butt, before the ball is pitched. As your practice partner pitches you the ball, load your weight on the inside leg and then launch off of the inside leg up and into the ball.

Click photo: Once you feel comfortable with the first two progressions above, have your pro or practice partner feed you balls that more closely simulate an actual game situation.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Tom Downs' article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

Tom Downs

Tom has and extensive coaching background, and has been a member of the Institute team for several years. He has served as our Head Staff Professional, and is currently the Traveling Coach for Institute players. He has traveled with several of our Tour players including Laura Granville and Carly Gullickson, who won the US Open Mixed Doubles title in 2009.

Tom has worked with junior and other professional players, including Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs, at all 4 Grand Slam events, as well as other major tournaments around the world. Tom graduated from the University of South Florida in 2005 with a degree in communications. As a successful junior player, Tom represented Australia, and was consistently ranked in the top 10 in all age groups in Australia. He played college tennis at South Carolina State University and was a member of their conference championship team in 2004.